MONDAY, MARCH 13
BOOKS Presidential historian and Fox News/CNN commentator Doug Wead has just released his newest book, Game of Thorns: The Inside Story of Hillary Clinton’s Failed Campaign and Donald Trump’s Winning Strategy. In conversation with U.S. News & World Report’s Ken Walsh, Wead will be at East City Bookshop to put the unexpected Trump victory in historical context, using research and interviews conducted throughout the election season. Free, 6:30 PM.
MUSIC Not to be outdone by Europe’s famous Three Tenors, Australia put ten singers together for the ensemble The TEN Tenors. Since its formation in 1995, the group has performed classical music, operatic arias, and modern pop/rock songs by artists such as Queen, Leonard Cohen, and Ed Sheeran. The classical crossover group performs its varied repertoire at Strathmore on Monday night. $30 to $85, 8 PM.
FOOD & DRINK Zaytinya hosts “The Spice Companion Dinner” with Lior Lev Sercarz, chef and owner of La Boite, a spice shop in New York City. Each dish will feature spices from Lev Sercarz, and attendees can discuss them with the chef, receive a signed copy of his latest book, and take home a custom blended spice. $85, 6:30 PM.
TUESDAY, MARCH 14
THEATER The world premiere of Midwestern Gothic opens Tuesday at Signature Theatre and runs through April 30. This thriller tells the tale of the inhabitants of a rural American town who create bizarre diversions to pass the time and ease the loneliness of their isolated lives, with a musical score that includes rock and country influences. Recommended for ages 18 and up due to gunshots, profanity, and graphic imagery. $74, 7:30 PM.
MUSIC All-male South African a cappella singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo is known for singing on Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland, but the group has continued to perform and release music, including last year’s Grammy-nominated Walking In The Footsteps Of Our Fathers. The group will perform these new songs plus other music from its five-decade career at the Birchmere. $49.50, 7:30 PM.
FILM The 25th anniversary of the DC Environmental Film Festival kicks off on March 14 and runs through March 26 at venues across the cit. The lineup includes environmental topics such as climate change, the animal kingdom, and the rainforest. Free to $30, times vary.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
DISCUSSION Prior to Netflix’s release of season five of House of Cards on May 30, there’s plenty of time to speculate about what might lie ahead for characters Frank and Claire Underwood. Stef Woods, instructor in the American Studies program at American University, teaches a course entitled “Politics, TV Series, and Ethics,” which examines House of Cards as well as The West Wing and Scandal. At the S. Dillon Ripley Center on Wednesday night, Woods will analyze the relationship between the show’s power couple as well as examine television’s portrayal of politics and the influence that might have on the real world. $45, 6:45 PM.
BEER Cleveland brewery Great Lakes is re-releasing its year-round beer, Turntable Pils, in March. The local celebration kicks off at B-Side in Fairfax’s Mosaic District, where patrons can bring in their own vinyl to spin. The restaurant will also raffle off a limited edition Great Lakes turntable during the event. Free to attend, 5 PM.
PROTEST If you’re not a fan of our current president, let him know by joining in the Ides of Trump Postcard Campaign, a grass-roots effort to overwhelm the White House with comments about issues such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, women’s rights, education, and racial discrimination. Bonus: it will also give the USPS an influx of business. $0.34 (for a postcard stamp).
FESTIVAL The unseasonably warm winter has shifted the peak cherry blossom prediction early, and so the National Cherry Blossom Festival will start on Wednesday, five days earlier than planned. Events range from daily free musical performances at the tidal basin to a kite festival and parade.
