MONDAY, APRIL 2
BOOKS In his memoir, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, former death row inmate Anthony Ray Hinton recounts his journey to freedom from his wrongful arrest and the incompetence of his defense team to his hope for redemption and his partnership with Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative. The organization’s representation helped release exonerate Hinton in 2015. Hinton will speak about his journey and how he held onto hope for his 30 years on death row at Politics & Prose. Free, 7 PM.
LECTURE The latest edition of the Profs and Pints lecture series features Kris Mecholsky, a scholar of crime fiction and films. Mecholsky will delve into gangster movies and how our shifting ideas of race and ethnicity skew popular perception of these films with a talk that ranges from Italian-American gangsters (The Godfather) to lesser-known movies like Chinatown Nights, Black Caesar, and American Yazuka. Tune in to Mecholsky’s overview of “ethnic gangster cinema” at the Bier Baron Tavern. $10 in advance or $12 at the door, 6 PM.
TUESDAY, APRIL 3
THEATRE Signature Theatre presents the DC premiere of John, a play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker. In this piece, a young couple retreat at a B&B in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, but their trip is far from relaxing. The location and their mismatched expectations of the visit lead to conversations exposing their deteriorating relationship. Through April 29. $40-$94.
MUSIC Rock/country singer-songwriter Steve Earle is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of his first rock album, Copperhead Road, in which he commented on the politics of the time. Hear songs touching on then-president Ronald Reagan and the plight of homeless in the US as Earle and his band The Dukes perform the album in its entirety at the Birchmere. $59.50, 7:30 PM.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4
THEATRE Underground Railroad Game is a comedy in which two teachers get graphic in a quick-witted dialogue about race, sex, and power. Written and performed by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard, the play won the 2017 Obie Award for Best New American Theatre Work, presented by New York theatre incubator Ars Nova. The production opens in DC on Wednesday at Woolly Mammoth. Through April 29. $20-$84.
FOOD/BEER Orange County’s The Bruery has recently opened a bottle shop in Union Market, but if you’d like to sample a flight before buying, head to Momofuku’s The Bruery Dinner on Wednesday night. This five-course meal features three beers from the Bruery Terreux (a line of farmhouse ales and sours) and two of the Bruery’s barrel-aged creations. Reservations recommended in advance. $95, 6:30 PM.
