Best Music 1. Blind Boyd of Alabama: The masters of country-gospel for 70 years perform music from their new album, “Take the High Road.” Nashville country and bluegrass performer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale opens.
Where: Music Center at Strathmore
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Info: $25 to $48; 301-581-5100; strathmore.org.
2. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Louis Langree conducts an evening of works by Mozart and Debussy. James Ehnes performs Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3.
Where: Music Center at Strathmore
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Info: $28 to $88; 410-783-8000, 877-BSO-1444; bso.org
3. Benny Green Trio: The KC Jazz Club presents the exuberant pianist with bassist Peter Washington, drummer Kenny Washington and guest saxophonist Donald Harrison performing works from their latest album, “Source,” and other works in honor of Green’s hero, Thelonious Monk.
Where: Terrace Gallery, the Kennedy Center
When: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday
Info: $25 to $30; 202-467-4600, 800-444-1324; kennedy-center.org
4. Battlefield Band: Direct from Scotland, the winners of multiple awards play Celtic songs with antique and modern instruments including the bagpipe, whistles, banjo and bouzouki.
Where: The Barns at Wolf Trap
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Info: $24; 877-965-3872; wolftrap.org
5. Doc Watson: The guitarist-songwriter-singer, winner of seven Grammy Awards and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, plays folk, county, bluegrass and gospel as they were meant to be heard.
Where: The Birchmere
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday
Info: $35; 703-549-7500; birchmere.com
Best Brainfood
1. “Exploring the Perfect World”: REVISION Dance Collaborative presents an interactive dance performance in four sections, challenging the audience to think about and explore what it would be like to live in an ideal world.
Where: Millennium Stage, the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Info: Free; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
2. “GREEK”: Scena Theatre presents the D.C.-area premiere of British playwright Steven Berkoff’s adaptation of Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex.”
Where: H Street Playhouse, 1365 H St. NE
When: Thursday through Nov. 27
Info: $27 to $40; scenatheater.org
3. “Arms and the Man”: The Constellation Theater Company produces George Bernard Shaw’s classic comedy set during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885.
Where: Constellation Theater Company, 1835 14th St. NW
When: Thursday through Nov. 20
Info: 202-204-7241; constellationtheatre.org
4. Master Class: Beijing Dance Theater: The Explore the Arts Master Class Series gives you an opportunity to take classes led by some of the most talented and creative artists in the world of dance. 90 minutes.
Where: Rehearsal Room, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Info: $15; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
5. Beijing Dance Theater: China’s contemporary troupe fuses ballet and modern dance with traditional dance in its Kennedy Center debut with”Haze,”performed on a modified stage where the dancers fight to stay afoot, a metaphor linking pollution with spiritual confusion. 70 minutes.
Where: Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: 8 p.m. Oct. 26 and 27
Info: $22 to $60; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
Best Family
1. “Sampo Lappalainen”: Sytkyt Puppet Theatre: Performed by puppeteer Juha Laukkanen, this is an exciting adventure to Finnish Lapland, filled with majestic mountains, yoik music and one very unpleasant troll.
Where: Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: 6 p.m. Thursday
Info: Free; 202-267-4600; kennedy-center.org
2. Michael Chamberlin: Close Encounters with Magic!: Jaws will drop at this captivating show full of improvisation, comedy and magic.
Where: The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
When: 9:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday
Info: Free; 202-783-3372; nationaltheatre.org
3. Crazy for Cottontails!: Hop on over. You’ll run like a rabbit, wriggle your nose and learn all about some local rabbits.
Where: Gulf Branch Nature Center, 3608 Military Road, Arlington
When: 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday
Info: $3; registration required: 703-228-4747; program No. 612821-J
4. “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”: This marionette romp follows the antics of three brothers who try to get the goat of a henpecked troll.
Where: The Puppet Co., 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo
When: Through Nov. 18
Info: $10 (discounts available); 301-634-5380; thepuppetco.org
5. “Aladdin’s Luck”: A clever street urchin called Aladdin falls madly for the Princess Leilah when they meet by chance at the bazaar. Determined to impress the Princess, he embarks on a search for fortune and instead finds a dingy oil lamp. But this is no ordinary lamp; it houses a magical genie who helps Aladdin get what he wants.
Where: Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Avenue, Bethesda
When: Through October 30
Info: $10 to $22; 301-280-1660; imaginationstage.org
Best Gatherings
1. Let’s Get Personal: Danish/Swedish performance artist Annika Lewis uses humor to parody the world of motivational speaking.
Where: D.C. Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Info: $12 to $15; 202-462-7833; dcartscenter.org
2. Visible Impact and DiverseABILITY Forum: This ensemble-created production that weaves monologue and memoir, scene work and Shakespeare, to explore and enact diverse experiences from the perspectives of the deaf and disabled communities.
Where: Davis Performing Arts Center, Georgetown University, 3700 O St. NW
When: Thursday to Sunday
Info: Free (but ticketed) to $18; 202-687-2787; performingarts.georgetown.edu
3. “Midnight Rising”: Tony Horwitz’s new book presents a detailed account of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry and captures the country’s tension on the eve of the Civil War.
Where: Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Info: Free; 202-364-1919; politics-prose.org
4. “The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth-Century American Poetry”: Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove will discuss and sign her book, which introduces readers to the most significant and compelling poems of the past hundred years.
Where: Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW
When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Info: Free; 202-387-7638; busboysandpoets.com
5. Partners in Art: Sign up for a private tour of “Bright Beneath” a solo exhibition that merges science and art in a bold new way. Artist Shih Chieh Huang, a Smithsonian artist research fellow, was inspired to create haunting installations through investigation of the unusual evolutionary adaptations that allow creatures to live in environments unthinkable to humans.
Where: National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
When: 2 to 4 p.m. Monday
Info: Free; register by Thursday by writing [email protected]
Best Outdoors
1. Corn Maze in the Plains: Enjoy a corn maze adventure, barnyard of fun with giant slides, mini mazes, roll tubes, farm animals, picnic areas, and hayrides.
Where: Old Tavern Road, off Interstate 66, The Plains, Va.
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday to Sunday plus nighttime mazes on some weekends through October
Info: Free to $9; 540-456-7339; cornmazeintheplains.com
2. Pumpkin Patch at Ticonderoga Farms: The festival includes picking your own pumpkins, spooky fun zones, hayrides, hillside slides and tunnels, an all-new enormous bouncing pillow, train ride, Noah’s Ark, petting animals, giant xylophone, bamboo panda puzzle maze, swinging bridge, antique tractors, fire pits, parklike log cabin play areas, picnic areas, weekend specials and more. Pie-size pumpkin free!
Where: 26469 Ticonderoga Road, Chantilly
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Nov. 6
Info:$8.95 to $14.95; 703-327-4424; ticonderoga.com
3. Summers Farm Corn Maze: The maze is a part of Summers Farm Adventure, which includes a variety of farm activities, including pig races, 65-by-45-foot-long jumping pillow, giant mountain slides, pedal cart derby, Little Farmersville and a pumpkin train. Try texting your way out of the maze at night!
Where: 5416 Butterfly Lane, Frederick
When: Through Oct. 31
Info: Free to $9.50; 301-620-9316; summersfarm.com
4. Fields of Fear: By day, enjoy a fall festival, haunted corn maze, tractor-pulled hayrides, haunted trail, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand. Cox Farms’ scary nighttime adventure features: Cornightmare, walk through cornfield terrors, Dark Side Hayride, Firegrounds/Midway bonfires and a giant, torch-lit slide, Haunted Library, Back From the Dead, Hall of Whispers, and Claustrophobia. Plus games and prizes. Not recommended for children under 12 years old.
Where: 15621 Braddock Road, Centreville
When: 7:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Oct. 28 and 29
Info: $13 to $19; 703-830-4121; coxfarms.com
5. Burke Nursery Fall Festival and Pumpkin Playground: Enjoy a pumpkin patch, hayrides, pony rides, pumpkin forts, farm animals, pirate ship and much more!
Where: Burke Nursery, 9401 Burke Road, Burke
When: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Oct. 31
Info: Free to $12; 703-323-1188; pumpkinplayground.com
Best Theater
1. “Othello”: This is the second play in Synetic’s Speak No More Festival. In this wordless production of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello is manipulated into overwhelming jealousy by the devious Iago, forcing Othello to destroy the person he most dearly loves.
Where: Synetic Theater, 1800 S. Bell St., Arlington
When: Thursday through November 6
Info: $45 to $55; synetictheater.org
2. “Dollhouse”: Mabou Mines presents a new adaptation of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House,” which pictures little men dominating women 1 1/2 times their size.
Where: Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: Thursday through Saturday
Info: $30 to $50; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
3. “Othello”: Shakespeare’s great tragedy tells of a love destroyed by jealousy, in which, provoked by Iago’s lies, Othello begins to mistrust his loyal bride.
Where: The Folger Shakespeare Theater, 201 E. Capitol St. SE
When: Through Nov. 27
Info: $30 to $65; 202-544-7077; folger.edu
4. “The Crucible”: Arthur Miller’s classic portrait of one man’s struggle toward grace is set in the scorching context of the 17th century Salem witch trials and a community galvanized by fear and suspicion.
Where: Keegan Theater, 1742 Church St. NW
When: Saturday through Nov. 19
Info: $30 to $35; 703-892-0202; keegantheatre.com
5. Teatro de la Luna’s International Festival of Theater: Teatro de la Luna’s 14th Annual presentation of drama and comedy from Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Argentina, Venezuela and the United States.
Where: Theatre Two, Gunston Arts Center, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington
When: Through Nov. 19
Info: $30 to $35; children free; 703-548-3092; teatrodelaluna.org
Best Galleries
1. Eye to Eye: Joseph Marioni at the Phillips: “Liquid light” painter Marioni selected 30 pieces from the Phillips’s permanent collection to be displayed with 15 new specimens of his highly saturated monochrome paintings. Henri Matisse, Pierre Bonnard and Arthur Dove are among the artists whose work seems to dialogue with Marioni’s through juxtaposition.
Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW
When: Saturday through January 2012
Info: $12, students and seniors $10; museum members and visitors age 18 and under free; phillipscollection.org
2. Hank Willis Thomas: Strange Fruit: This series of 12 new photographs and videos by Thomas interrogates the notions of spectacle and representation as they pertain to African-American identity through depictions of lynchings and professional sports. It’s a fascinating companion piece to the Corcoran’s ongoing 30 Americans exhibit.
Where: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. NW
When: Through January 2012
Info: $10, students and seniors $8, visitors age 12 and under free; corcoran.org
3. From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection: Prior to strengthening the National Gallery’s holdings with their 1962 bequest, Wall Street banker Chester Dale and his wife, Maud, acquired a remarkable collection of French and American paintings from the 1920s through the 1950s. This show of 81 pieces boasts late-19th and early-20th century French masterworks from Renoir, Modigliani, Cezanne, Matisse and more.
Where: National Gallery of Art, West Building, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW
When: Through January 2012
Info: Free; 202-737-4215; nga.gov
4. Agents of Change: An exhibition of Artists’ Books and Prints with a Social Conscience: These books and broadsides featuring work from 12 celebrated artists that explore women’s rights, economic justice, environmental sustainability and race relations.
Where: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. NW
When: Through Oct. 30
Info: $10, students and seniors $8, visitors age 12 and under free; corcoran.org
5. LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition: Reed Tucker has built towering, to-scale replicas of 15 iconic buildings from around the globe in LEGOs. The Empire St. Building and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater are just two of the masterly re-creations that will delight you.
Where: National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW
When: Through September 2012
Info: Free; donations accepted; nbm.org
