Monday, Oct. 14
‘Stop Making Sense’ at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: This year marks the 35th anniversary of one of the best concert films of all time. Director Jonathan Demme captured a Talking Heads concert in Los Angeles, and while the performance alone is electrifying enough to make it worth watching, it’s the visual orchestration of the deconstruction of a concert and its reconstruction (yes, singer David Byrne’s big suit included) that should draw you to the Hirshhorn on Monday for a free midday screening. 3 p.m. Free.
Royal Knights: ‘Clue’ Edition at the Royal: The latest in the Royal’s one-off cocktail parties is a tribute to everyone’s favorite mystery board game — or everyone’s favorite cult-classic multi-ending murder mystery. Lauren Paylor of Petworth’s hot Dos Mamis is the special guest, joining house bartenders Jake Kenny and Alonzo Freeman to craft six drinks named after “Clue” suspects, such as Mr. Green With the Revolver (smoked vodka, white rum, gunpowder tea tincture, salted cucumber syrup and lemon). All cocktails are $8, while canned Atlas beers are $3. The 1985 movie will play on projection screens, but those who’d rather play the classic game with friends or strangers can do that, too. 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Free.
Tuesday, Oct. 15
‘Everybody’ at Lansburgh Theatre: Every performance of “Everybody” at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre will be unique, because many roles in this play are chosen live onstage via a lottery. There are more than 100 permutations of how this show by MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Branden Jacobs-Jenkins could theoretically be cast among a small crew of actors. That’s not the only playful riff in this modern adaptation of the 15th-century morality play “Everyman,” which still grapples with the original version’s questions of life, death and fate. Through Nov. 17. $49-$120.
Wilco at the Anthem: Most bands can only dream of having as prolific and influential a catalogue as Wilco. The Chicago-based sextet stormed out of the gate with a run of albums that concluded with 2001’s defining, experimental “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” but since then, the alt-rockers have been siloed by playing engaging but safe music that you wouldn’t be surprised to hear your dad blasting on a road trip. And you certainly wouldn’t expect after 25 years for the band to deliver one of its sharpest works yet with “Ode to Joy.” The group’s 11th album is a self-meditation on the harmonious folk elements that keep Wilco going and longtime fans coming back, but also revitalizes it in a way that will draw in new listeners and skeptics alike. 7:30 p.m. Sold out.
Takacs Quartet at the Kennedy Center: As bodies shed and replace their cells, long-standing musical ensembles evolve through different members over the years. The Takacs Quartet was founded in 1975 by four students at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest; today, there is only one Hungarian left. Yet like bodies, ensembles retain a particular thumbprint that makes them unique even as the cells renew. The Takacs Quartet (pronounced TA-katch) has retained an immediate, vital, almost informal air: enthusiastic communicators rather than ascetic purists, with a Central European warmth to their sound as their instruments converse with one another. Through Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. $45.
Wednesday, Oct. 16
Bear-el Aged Night at Red Bear Brewing: Some fun things can happen when D.C.’s drinks and spirits community join forces. NoMA’s Red Bear Brewing, which opened in March, teamed up with distillers around the city to age some of its concoctions. Check out the Lime Amaro Sour, which has been aged in a Cotton & Reed amaro/Negroni barrel to add some funk, or if you’re looking for something heavier, order the Swampoodle, an Irish oatmeal imperial stout that has been sitting in a District Distilling whiskey barrel and will be served on a nitro tap to add extra creaminess. 6 to 11 p.m. No cover charge.
Lakota Music Project at Washington National Cathedral: Musicians from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra make beautiful music together as the Lakota Music Project, a collaboration that showcases native music, nonnative music and new commissions. They’ll visit the District for two shows at Washington National Cathedral (on Wednesday and Oct. 21), as part of PostClassical Ensemble’s festival highlighting music inspired by the Native American experience. 7:30 p.m. $10-$65.
Thursday, Oct. 17
(Sandy) Alex G at Black Cat: Those attuned to the indie rock world have been able to set their watch to nearly annual releases from Alex G. The 26-year-old has shared a wealth of fuzzy rock tracks through different media, but they are all defined by his knack for concise melodies that have a tendency to loop in your head and his skillful guitar stylings. “House of Sugar,” from the musician born Alexander Giannascoli, might offer the most vivid and inviting entry point yet into the world of (Sandy) Alex G. Some of the songs are intentionally a little muddled to add mystery, but Giannascoli’s instrumentation and voice have never come through clearer to paint a portrait of one of the decade’s defining indie rock artists. 7:30 p.m. $20-$25.
Middleburg Film Festival at various locations: Washington cinephiles have no shortage of film festivals, with a busy annual schedule that includes FilmFest DC, AFI Docs, DC Shorts, the Washington Jewish Film Festival, the Environmental Film Festival and the March on Washington Film Festival competing for attention. Yet the seven-year-old Middleburg Film Festival, held in a quiet horse-country town that doesn’t have a dedicated movie theater, has become an important stop on the national festival circuit: Emma Stone introduced a screening of “La La Land” in 2016, and Viggo Mortensen and Peter Farrelly hosted a Q&A last year after “Green Book” won the Audience Award. Founder Sheila Johnson and her team curate strong lineups that prominently feature female filmmakers and stars. Through Sunday. Screening times vary. $10-$50.
Pharoahe Monch at the Kennedy Center: Having a seemingly endless amount of music to listen to with just a few taps is certainly nice and all, but anyone looking for the debut solo album of Pharoahe Monch, one of the finest underground rappers of the 1990s, has been out of luck. “Internal Affairs” has long been a rarity in the physical or streaming realm because of the booming single “Simon Says,” which was the subject of legal battles because of its sampling of music from the Godzilla movies. Starting Oct. 18, in celebration of the album’s 20th anniversary, fans and record collectors will be able to get their hands on Monch’s fiery opus. D.C. rapheads will get a bonus when the 46-year-old emcee comes to the Kennedy Center to talk about the making of “Internal Affairs” on Wednesday (7 p.m., $15) followed by a front-to-back performance of the album on Thursday. 7:30 p.m. $35.
ChurchKey’s 10th Anniversary Celebration, featuring Allagash: No bar has been as important to the craft beer movement over the past decade as ChurchKey. Its long, ambitious beer menus and star-studded tap takeovers have played a part in landing ChurchKey on numerous “Best American Beer Bars” lists, but it’s also the not-so-obvious things — temperature controls for different beer styles, intensive staff training, the use of proper glassware — that keep ChurchKey at the top of its game. Hike up those worn metal stairs again on Thursday as ChurchKey continues its 10th anniversary celebrations with a special event featuring Allagash owner Rob Todd and Allagash brewer Jason Perkins, who are bringing 40 of their Belgian-style ales. Of particular note is the Cloister, a special blend of Allagash White, wild-fermented coolship beer and a wood-aged saison created just for ChurchKey. 4 p.m. Free; beers priced individually.
Rosslyn Cider Fest at Gateway Park: It’s hard cider season in the Mid-Atlantic, with cideries hosting festivals nearly every weekend. The lineup at Rosslyn’s cider fest features five cidermakers from across the Old Dominion: Winchester Cider Works, Leesburg’s Wild Hare, Alexandria’s Lost Boy, Richmond’s Bryant’s and Middleburg’s Mt. Defiance. (The Irish pub staple Strongbow will also be served.) Admission is free, but $15 gets 10 tickets for cider tastings. Beyond drinks, there will be food trucks, including Swizzler and Mama’s Donut Bites, and live music from Justin Trawick and the Common Good. 4 to 8 p.m. Free; cider tasting $15.
Friday, Oct. 18
29Rooms at D.C. Armory: The creators of the digital media juggernaut Refinery29 have concocted a pop-up exhibition that makes you feel as if you’re stepping inside the mind of an artist, “Being John Malkovich”-style. Each of 29Rooms’ imaginative installations offer widely different interactive and visual experiences. There’s “The Art Park,” composed of playful designs from five regional and national artists (including D.C.’s Trap Bob) and an “Alice in Wonderland”-esque installation called “Dream Doorways” from R&B/pop star and Alexandria native Kali Uchis. Sprinkled into the art menagerie is a “Dance Break” room and a space called “29 Questions,” where brave visitors are encouraged to sit and chat up a stranger. Through Oct. 27. $10-$34.
Boo at the Zoo at the National Zoo: The popular Halloween destination for kids and families to get their candy and exotic animal fix opens this weekend. A ticket gets you a trick-or-treat bag, after-hours access to various animal exhibits and the chance to participate in activities such as a dance party and children’s karaoke. While the giant panda exhibit won’t be open for costumed visitors, the consolation prize will be a chance to meet “Count Pandula.” Through Sunday. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. $30 (Saturday is sold out).
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour at National Theatre: Joel Hodgson is donning the red jumpsuit for the last time. He started playing Joel Robinson in 1988, “just another face” — per the old “Mystery Science Theater 3000” theme song — who did a good job cleaning up the place, but his bosses didn’t like him, so they shot him into space. In space, a.k.a. cable television, Hodgson survived a barrage of cheesy movies by “riffing” on them mercilessly with two robot friends, and a new art form was born. This weekend, Hodgson, 59, will sport the red jumpsuit for the first time since 1993 and bring a live version of the MST3K format familiar to fans: making fun of bad movies — in this case, the British schlockfest “Circus of Horrors” (1960) and the 1986 kung fu flick “No Retreat, No Surrender” — interspersed with sketches. Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. $59-$99.
— Hau Chu, Fritz Hahn, Adele Chapin, Tim Grieving, Anne Midgette and Stephanie Williams
