Best music
Connick Jr., king of swing
Famous jazz man, Broadway star headlines spring gala
The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
Multiple Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer, big band leader, vocalist, film actor and Broadway star Harry Connick Jr. headlines The Kennedy Center Spring Gala. The evening of jazz and swing honoring the 108th birthday of Washington’s own Duke Ellington can be topped off at a gala dinner, if desired. – Emily Cary
When: 8:30 p.m. Sunday
Venue: The Kennedy Center
Tickets: $20 to $80
Info: 202-467-4600, www.kennedy-
center.org; for gala reservations, call 202-416-8338.
Joyce Yang
The Kennedy Center
Korean pianist was youngest entrant in the ’05 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Info: 2 p.m. Saturday; $20 to $80; 202-467-4600, kennedy-center.org
Pam Tillis
The Barns at Wolf Trap
1994 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year celebrates her country heritage and latest album.
Info: 7:30 p.m. tonight; $40;
877-WOLFTRAP, www.wolftrap.org
Axelrod Quartet
Renwick Gallery
Smithsonian Chamber Music Society presents this quartet on Stradivarius instruments.
Info: 7:30 p.m. Sunday; $26 to $31;
www.residentassociates.org
Paul Galbraith
The Barns at Wolf Trap
Classical guitarist is a barrier-breaking innovator and master of distinctive interpretations.
Info: 8 p.m. Friday; $30;
877-WOLFTRAP, www.wolftrap.org
Best gatherings
Duke Ellington Jazz Festival with Diane Reeves: Celebrating the life of legend Duke Ellington, jazz vocalist and four-time Grammy winner Diane Reeves performs a variety of hits.
Info: 8 p.m. Friday, Lincoln Theatre; $36 to $46; 202-397-7328.
Open-air French market:
Shop the boutiques of Bookhill as upper Wisconsin Avenue transforms into an outdoor market. Modern, antique and designer fashions are up to 70 percent off.
Info: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, along Wisconsin Avenue between P and R streets; www.georgetowndc.com/frenchmarket.php.
Chocolate Decadence event: A lavish buffet of every type of chocolate you can imagine in the hotel’s lobby lounge.
Info: 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, The Ritz-Carlton, 1150 22nd St. NW, Washington; $35 (tickets must be puchased at the door, on a first-come, first-served basis).
Jazz by IIona Knopfler: The French jazz vocalist is best known for her expressive and substantive range.
Info: 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Blues Alley; $18; 202-337-4141, www.bluesalley.com.
“Last Looks, Last Books: The Binocular Poetry of Death”: Lecture features Helen Vendler, the A. Kingsley Porter University Professor at Harvard University.
Info: 2 p.m. Sunday, National Gallery of Art; free; 202-37-4215, www.nga.gov.
– www.Washington.org
Best Home & Garden
Friends of the National Arboretum Garden Fair 2007: This is the place for area gardeners to load their shopping carts full of plants from the event’s stellar selection.
When: 9 to 4 p.m. Saturday, noon to 2 p.m. Sunday Tickets: Free
Info: 202-544-8733, www.fona.org/events.htm
Historic Garden Week in Virginia: The James River Plantations of the Eastern Shore offer a rich mosaic of the country’s fine properties during the peak of Virginia’s springtime color.
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday Tickets: $10 to $35 per event
Info: 804-644-7778, www.vagardenweek.org; reservations required
Balls Bluff and Red Rock Wilderness Overlook field trip: An exploration of the Potomac River bluffs in Loudoun County and the high red siltstone bluffs at nearby Red Rock Wilderness Overlook.
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday Tickets: $39
Info: 301-652-9188 ext. 16, www.audubonnaturalist.org
Flower and garden photography workshop: The outdoor landscapes of the U.S. Botanic Garden and the new National Garden will be the setting for photographers to learn and shoot.
When: 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 5, 12 and 19 Tickets: $150 for four sessions Info: 202-226-4082, www.usbg.gov
Franciscan Monastery Garden Guild annual plant sale: Growing event offers 20 percent to 30 percent cheaper prices than nurseries. This year, vendors pay special attention to roses.
When: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: Free Info: 202-526-6800, www.myfranciscan.org
– Kathy Jentz, www.WashingtonGardener.com
Best outdoors
Touring on two wheels
Take an afternoon bike tour of quintessential D.C. sights
Bring your bike down to the National Mall and learn about the rich history while taking in the beautiful sights. Tours are free. Helmets are required for all participants. Reservations are not required.
When: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Jefferson Memorial Front Plaza
Tickets: Free
Info: www.nps.gov.
“Duke Ellington’s D.C.” walking tour: In celebration of Duke Ellington’s birthday, see the streets on which the jazz great lived.
Info: 4 p.m. Saturday, U Street; $15 to $30; www.washingtonwalks.com
Walk America — March of Times: Walk for healthy babies in the first and best-loved volunteer walking event in the U.S.
Info: Sunday; site info: 703-824-0111, www.walkamerica.org
Embassy Row walking tour: Learn about the earliest families who decided to showcase their fortunes in the nation’s capital.
Info: 10 a.m. Saturday, Dupont Circle Metro; adults: $10
DC Ducks tour: DC Ducks waddledown to the National Mall for sightseeing before splashing down in the Potomac River.
Info: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Union Station; $14 to $29; 202-832-9800
– www.Washington.org
Best galleries
One-stop art spot
Mega-fair brings international galleries to D.C. scene
No need to jet down to Miami to catch a supersized art fair. Just Metro downtown for artDC. At this inaugural event, East meets West and North meets South: Galleries worldwide — and Washington-wide — will be showing off contemporary works, from paintings to 3-D installations. Offerings include panel discussions for aspiring collectors to tonight’s opening benefit for the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington.
Where: D.C. Convocation Center
Tickets: $12; seniors/students: $6; free on Friday
Info: 202-249-4219, dc-artfair.com
NO REPRESENTATION:
Saluting Abstraction in the Capital, independent D.C. artists stage a counter-fair affair. Where: Warehouse Gallery Info: 202-783-3933, warehousetheater.com.
Great Britons: Treasures from London’s National Portrait Gallery: Meet the queen, mingle with Mick Jagger, then relive U.S. history via photojournalism at Harry Benson: Being There. Both exhibitions open Friday. Where: National Portrait Gallery Info: 202-633-8300, www.npg.si.edu.
DREAMTIME: Reveries in Sculpture and Drawing: Nature calls in Raymonde van Santen’s ceramic, seed and other mixed-media marvels. Where: Studio Gallery Info: 202-232-8734, studiogallerydc.com.
Natural (dis)Order: Group exhibit explores themes related to nature, animals and human connection to the natural world.” Where: Transformer Info: 202-483-1102, www.transformergallery.org.
– Robin Tierney
Best brainfood
Fun with heredity
Hands-on exhibit revealsthe science of Gregor Mendel
Learn about the the life and work of 19th-century friar Gregor Mendel, a former high school teacher whose experiments were ignored by the scientific community for decades. Regarded as the father of modern genetics, Mendel’s only remaining original manuscripts, photographs and scientific instruments are among the artifacts on display. One of the exhibit’s hands-on interactive displays allows visitors to conduct Mendel’s famous pea experiment.
Where: National Museum of Health and Medicine, 6900 Georgia Ave. NW
Tickets: Free
Info: 202-782-2200,
www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum
Poetry in the Garden: Join local writers Ellen Cole, Andrea Hoag, Eliza King and others for an afternoon of poetry.
When: 1 p.m Sunday Where: Tudor Place Info: www.tudorplace.org
“An International Perspective on the Anglican Crisis”: A lecture by Stephen Bates, religion correspondent for The Guardian.
When: 10 a.m Sunday Where: St. John’s Church Info: 202-347-8766
Artist’s Talk: Carol Brown Goldberg: Corcoran College of Art graduate received the Eugene M. Weisz Memorial Award.
When: 2 p.m Saturday Where: Kreeger Museum Info: 202-333-3552
Film: “Comrades in Dreams (Leinwandfieber)”: Director Uli Gaulke interweaves stories spanning four continents.
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday Where: Goethe-Institut Info: 202-289-1200
– www.CulturalTourismDC.org
Best Movie
‘The Rules of the Game’
Starring: Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor
Regarded as one of the greatest films ever, Jean Renoir’s masterpiece is a scathing critique of corrupt French society.
Rating: NR Length: 115 minutes
Best family
Interactive Word-Beat family concert: Interactive concert features Word-Beat artists Tom Teasley and Charles Williams. Info: 3 p.m. Saturday; www.levineschool.org
Shakespeare’s birthday open house: Celebrate the Bard’s 443rd birthday and the Folger’s 75th with jugglers and jesters, music, song and dance. Info: noon to 4 p.m. Sunday; 202- 544-7077.
Forest trail at Mount
Vernon: Pack your hiking shoes for a self-guided tour of beautiful Mount Vernon. Info: Adults: $13; ages 6 to 11: $5.
“Peter and Wendy” at Arena Stage: Classic tale is performed with elegant East Asian puppetry and a gorgeous Celtic musical score. Info: $47; 202-488-3300, arenastage.org.
BirdFest at the National Zoo: Interactive displays, hands-on crafts and educational activities, live birds of prey, theatrical performances and more. Info: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 202-633-4188.
– www.Washington.org
Best theater
Comic relief
MetroStage pokes fun at theater with well-aimed wit
Not just another musical revue parody, but a genuinely clever evening of music-theater skewering at the expense of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, and John Kander & Fred Ebb. Featuring a riotous quartet of familiar Washington talent, MetroStage’s bright production is definitely worth a trip down the Potomac.
Where: MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St. Alexandria
Tickets: $35 to $40
Info: 703-548-9044, metrostage.org
Best Day Trips
Easton, Pa.: This town has charming restaurants and hotels, but the big draw is the Crayola Factory. www.crayola.com
Stevensville, Md.: “The biggest boat show north of Palm Beach,” this weekend at Bay Bridge Marina. 410-268-8828
Prince George’s County: Visit the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
www.gsfc.nasa.gov
Kutztown, Pa.: Check out the 18th Annual Civil War Reenactment Weekend at nearby Neshaminy State Park. 215-639-4538
Reading, Pa.: Enjoy the bargains you’ll find at the Outlet Capital of the World. www.vffo.com
“Saving Aimee”: Carolee Carmello is the best thing to happen to American music theater since Betty Buckley. Go forth to Signature Theatre’s world premiere of Kathie Lee Gifford’s musical and find out why we’re preaching this as gospel. www.signature-theatre.org.
“A Man for All Seasons”: The Keegan Theatre brings Robert Bolt’s intellectual drama to the Church Street Theater, under the direction of Susan Marie Rhea. www.keegantheatre.com.
“The Pillowman”: You’ll be in a terror if you miss the final weekend of Studio Theatre’s disturbing yet brilliant horror play about a fiction writer whose grisly stories come alive all around him. www.studiotheatre.org.
“A Night in November” (staged reading): Tony Award-nominated playwright Marie Jones will discuss her one-man play “A Night in November” after a free performance by Marty Maguire at Busboys and Poets at 7 p.m. Monday. Presented by The Peace Café. www.solasnua.org.
– Jolene Munch
