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At Monday night’s Black Cat show Thurston Moore  dished out jokes about Dischord house, stories about Black Flag, Jello Biafra, conspiracy theories about Jimmy Carter, credited Reagan for the birth of Hardcore, and had a gin & tonic chugging contest with his guitarist. Oh yeah, and played some amazing music too.

Moore, frontman of the iconic experimental/noise/post-punk band Sonic Youth is on tour in support of his latest solo album Demolished Thoughts, released in 2011 on Matador. He brought with him fellow Matador recording artist Kurt Vile, as well as a band on his own label, Ecstatic Peace Records – Hush Arbors, which features his touring guitarist, Keith Wood.

Kurt Vile took the stage by himself, sitting on a chair in the middle of the stage, acoustic guitar in one hand, bottle of wine in the other. His set was quiet, understated, but really beautiful. Beginning with “Laughing Stock,”  from his 2011 EP So Outta Reach, he drew the listeners in and set the mood with hypnotic guitar and delay-drenched vocals.

His set was filled mostly with songs from his 2011 album Smoke Ring For My Halo, and  from his 2009 album Childish Prodigy. Some highlights included “Peeping Tomboy”, and “Heart Attack.” He was joined onstage a few times by guitarist Jesse Turbo, who added depth and echoing layers with electric guitar, on “Hunchback” and “He’s Alright.” He was also joined by harpist Mary Lattimore for a couple songs, whose beautiful plucking added texture and soft beauty to the songs, including “Ghost Town.”

When Thurston Moore came onstage wearing a suit and carrying an acoustic guitar, I wasn’t sure what was in store. I listened to some of his most recent album, Demolished Thoughts in the week leading up to the show, and found what I heard beautiful and mellow, reminiscent at times of the quieter moments of the Velvet Underground. A far cry from the Sonic Youth that I’ve loved for most of my life, but awesome in it’s own right. (I’m a big Sonic Youth fan, and have seen them live probably more than any other band over the years. I’ve lost count…) Anyway, from the beginning Moore seemed at home onstage, talking to the crowd and joking about the band being called the Jimmy Carter Youth Patrol. (He went on tirade later about Jimmy Carter, but it’s funny because as he gets older he looks more and more like the former peanut-farmer President.)

Moore was joined by guitarist Keith Wood, harpist Mary Lattimore, violinist Samara Lubelski, and drummer John Maloney.  He introduced the first song, ”Orchard Street,” saying “This song was written after an all-night weed smoking session at Dischord House.” (Here it seems he was poking fun at his long-time friend Ian MacKaye, frontman of Fugazi, co-founder of Dischord, and well-known as straight-edge.) The song started out pretty mellow, but ended up building into an amazing acoustic wall-of-sound; everyone on stage madly strumming/bowing/beating on their respective instruments for a jammed out ending that lasted several minutes, assuring us Sonic Youth fans that yes, there would be noise.

Pretty soon into the set, clearly warmed up, he shed his suit-coat and tie, and shared about a time early on in his performing career when he made the mistake of wearing long-underwear onstage. A mistake he did not repeat.  A musically lighthearted, upbeat moment came with “Fri/End”, from Moore’s 2007 album trees outside the academy. Here Moore played a lush-sounding 12 -string guitar deftly, and after proclaimed that “soft rock is the new hardcore.” I’ll leave that one alone, but he certainly was able to translate a very mellow album into an exciting and vibrant live show. 

Two high points came from his 1995 album Psychic Hearts- the discordant, almost grating ”Queen Bee and Her Pals,” and  ”Ono Soul.” In between some songs Moore read some poetry, and told stories. I could have listened to his stories for the whole night. One recounted a time when he was at a Black Flag show in New York. He was taping the show (mock shock!) and there was this great expansive droning/feedback going on, which he was really digging, and then Lee Ranaldo (long-time friend and one of the co-founding members of Sonic Youth) ran up to him, super-excited and shouted how they needed to make a whole album that was just this droning noise. All he could think at the time was how Lee had just screwed up his tape of the show, but in retrospect he thought it was pretty cool to have that moment captured on tape, excited blurt and everything.

Moore and his pals ended up playing a pretty long set that didn’t feel long at all.  And he managed to do what he does every time I’ve seen him play live- renew and reinvigorate my faith in and love of music.

Photo Courtesy of The Grey Area

Happenstance is what brought The Grey Area together. It was March 2010 when Jason Steinhauer (vocals/guitar) stopped by Zoo Bar for an open blues jam. Drummer Timothy Jones (TJ) was playing with a few other guys on stage at the time, so Steinhauer sat at the bar and waited for his turn to join.

It didn’t take long for Steinhauer to get in on the action though. Instead of waiting for his name to be called, Steinhauer jumped on stage as soon as the song being played was finished. From there, he grabbed the mic, looked at TJ, and said, “‘You Shook Me,’ the Zeppelin version.”  TJ smiled, kicked the beat, and started the song. That’s all it took — an indie-rock band with the ability to write pop hooks and catchy choruses was born.

Steinhauer and TJ exchanged numbers that night, forged a friendship, and started writing music with each other. After toying around with the idea of adding a bass player, the duo made their official band debut eight months later at the Canal Room in New York City. Now they’re nominated for three 2012 Washington Area Music Association awards (including Best New Artist) and are playing an album release show at Strathmore this Friday.

Steinhauer took a few minutes to share The Grey Area’s story with We Love DC in anticipation of Friday night. Here’s what he had to say.

Photo Courtesy of The Grey Area

Rachel: The Grey Area’s had quite a memorable year. From being asked to perform live at Strathmore to filming music videos to being nominated for Best New Artist at the Wammies? Needless to say, the list goes on. What sticks out in your mind as one of your proudest moments?

Jason: It’s been a really great year, even better than we could’ve expected. It’s been surreal. Being recognized by our peers with three Wammie nominations is a great honor. Illegally shooting a music video on the New York City subway, as well as our new video shot inside a creepy greenhouse, has given us memories to last a lifetime. The bands we’ve collaborated with on shows have been awesome.

What stands out most are the people. Friends and family that push us. Musicians we’ve met that inspire us and keep us laughing. Talented photographers and filmmakers that make us look good. I guess we’re most proud of the community we’ve built around this project that’s enabled all the memorable stuff to happen. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true!

R: If fans read up on The Grey Area, they’ll find one consistent comment about the band no matter who’s writing the piece — the two of you sound more like a full band of five than a duo. What are your thoughts on that?

J: We love it. TJ and I both came from larger projects with a lot of instruments, a lot of parts, and invariably a lot of personalities. When I met TJ, I was looking to strip my songwriting and arrangements and get back to the basics of rock and roll. I think TJ was looking for the same.

R: So tell me then. How do you make two guys sound like five?

J: When we began to play together, we kinda looked at each and realized we didn’t need anything else. Our playing styles and personalities complemented each other perfectly. Someone wrote that it’s like we’re in mind-meld mode on stage, and it’s true: we shift rhythms a lot, have multiple tempos and parts within a song, songs alternate from heavy and blues to light and poppy. When you’re really in synch with someone creatively, anything is possible. What’s really fun is how we surprise each person that first sees us live. We hear, “I had no idea you guys would sound so raw,” a lot.

Photo Courtesy of The Grey Area

R: How would you characterize the DC music scene? Many have called it collaborative and supportive. Do you agree?

J: I would characterize the DC music scene as emerging. The scene is growing with the city. There’s a renaissance of sorts happening here now, with cultural events, concerts, poetry readings, talks, and exciting events seemingly every week. There’s a lot happening, and it’s only getting better. I think musicians and artists should continue to support each other.

If we’re all in it together, pretty soon people around the country are gonna know that DC’s music scene is united and a force to be reckoned with. And of course sites like We Love DC and others are crucial to supporting the scene and getting the word out about events like our Strathmore Friday Night Eclectic show. So we’re incredibly appreciative and grateful.

R: What do you think people in DC need to know about the local music scene that they don’t already know?

J: It exists and there are really good bands to see. Get out to Velvet Lounge, Rock n Roll Hotel, Iota or Wonderland Ballroom on a Wednesday and check out a local line up. You’ll be surprised by the quality of music, and how much fun you’ll have.

R: What’s your goal with The Grey Area and what sort of ultimate success do you hope to achieve while making music alongside TJ for as long as he’ll keep you around?

J: Who’s keeping who around! Ha ha. Seriously, I think TJ and I do a good job of challenging and motivating each other. We piss each other off sometimes —well, a fair amount actually—but he and I are like brothers. I love him in a way that’s hard to articulate. He’ll be a part of my life forever. That said, with The Grey Area our goal is to bring people together around a love of music, and to bring some fun and excitement to people’s lives. Our music is high-energy, enthusiastic, catchy, even “jaunty” as OnTap called us.

We want people to dance, move, and let loose. We want our music to be an experience. Even if an audience member doesn’t remember a single lyric we sang or riff we played, if they wake up the next morning saying, “Man, I really had fun last night, that was a great show,” then we’ve succeeded. We’ll keep doing that until someone tells us to stop. Actually, the cops did tell us to stop when we played at Eastern Market—they almost cited us for a noise violation. We still kept playing. I guess that tells you we’re committed to seeing this through.

You can see The Grey Area live this Friday during Strathmore’s Friday Night Eclectic show. Tickets are still available for $10.

You may have noticed the signs posted in the front windows of Tryst, Local 16, Solly’s, or maybe even Hello Cupcake. But in case you didn’t , here’s the low down. For the past four months, there’s been a monthly “DC Local Music Day” (FYI: It’s February 8 this month).

What is DC Local Music Day? It is the day in which the aforementioned shops (and others) stream music created by local artists from open to close. This is all thanks to Listen Local First.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, LLF is a new local music initiative in town. LLF is devoted to building awareness and creating opportunities for local musicians and venues in order to raise the profile of DC’s local music scene. All things considered, they’ve been doing a pretty good job so far. They’ve got a growing list of local business partnerships and show no sign of slowing down.

LLF is the brain child of co-founders Chris Naoum and Rene Moffatt and their next goal for the project is bringing the DC music scene to SXSW this March.

“We have some very talented very serious musicians in this town. Many of them will be heading down to Austin. What can we do to bring extra attention to these artists while they are in Austin and when they come back home,” Naoum said. “The Mobile Music Venue is all about exposure.”

Want to get involved and support the Mobile Music Venue campaign? It’s easy. Visit the Listen Local First Kickstarter page to learn how.

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Photo ©Carol Pratt/Folger Theatre

It’s a woman’s world out there. Now a days more women than men are attending college and these more educated females are putting off families and earning more money than men. As a late-20’s lost boy, I’m ok with saying that.  Folger Theatre’s production of The Gaming Table represents this new role of women well. In the show the women are empowered, smart, and clever while the males range from bumbling to sissy.

Amazing that the play the show was adapted from, The Basset Table, originally written in 18th century by playwright Susanna Centlivre. While additional material was added to modernize the piece, the play is still truly ahead of its time. Lady Reveller (Julie Jesneck) and her cousin Valeria (Emily Trask) are two different women who suffer from the same problem. Reveller would rather play cards at the Basset table she runs in her uncle’s (Michael Willis) house than put up with the affections of Lord Worthy (Marcus Kyd). Valeria isn’t much for cards, she is a woman of science. However her father would rather see her married to a Sea Captain (Michael Glenn) then dissecting frogs. Valeria doesn’t fancy Captain Hearty but does have an eye for his Ensign (Robbie Gay).

An 18th century play with a modern RomCom set-up. Doesn’t matter when the play was written though- you’ll be a laughing in the aisles all night.

The ladies in this show are sharp as tacks and punchlines are delivered quick and often. The audience will be chuckling all throughout the night, culminating to a dick joke that was clearly added in the adaption yet wins the night. Lady Rev and Valeria are supported by an equally charming group of ladies. Lady Lucy (Katie duBuys), Mrs. Sago (Tonya Beckman Ross), and the house maid Alpiew (Emily Townley) all fit in with the theme of fun-loving ladies who don’t let their men be the boss of them. Townley as Alpiew is a real scene stealer with her timely facial expressions that just adds the right amount of ham to this dish.

The men in this show are no Prince Charmings by any means. Lord Worthy (Marcus Kyd) pines away at his unrequited love for Lady Reveller in true diva fashion. Throw a pair of skinny jeans on him and he’d fit in as today’s emo hipster. His sidekick James (Michael Milligan) is after the hand of Lady Lucy, but his flamboyant suit and puffed up hair makes him look more like Liberace than Darcy.

However because the piece is a Restoration Comedy, the men in the end get their act together and outwit the ladies to get what they want. An ending that goes against most of the strong female themes of the show, but is corrected by an epilogue added at the end of the show.

Out of the all the pieces I’ve seen at Folger over the past year, The Gaming Table currently stands out as the most enjoyable to date. A classic piece that does not bore, a comedy that keeps things light, and an adaptation that does not try to change too much of a play that’s already solid in its original form.

Folger Theatre’s production of The Gaming Table performs through March 4 at the Folger Shakespeare Library, located at 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Closest Metro stop: Capitol South (Blue/Orange lines). For more information call 202-544-7077.

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It was a bad weekend for Washington sports. However while some are bummed over the Caps loss to the Bruins yesterday, at least they are hovering above .500 with a 27-21 record. It would take a miracle for the Washington Wizards to achieve such a feat.

This past weekend the Wizards lost to the Clippers in a 87-107 blowout. At 4-20, you would think that the funk of defeat couldn’t penetrate any deeper. This game however struck me as a moment where everything that happened just felt apropos. Much like how the entire season can be viewed while listening to the Benny Hill theme song.

The game started on a high note. Blake Griffin put up a dunk to which Nick Young rebutted with a dunk of his own. DeAndre Jordan then caught a rebound for a dunk and John Wall took the ball to the other end and throw up a lob for JaVale McGee to slam home.

Perhaps the game would at least be entertaining if not competitive? It turned out the game would be neither. The rest of the night just went down hill from there.

By halftime the Clippers led 34-58, the boos were coming in not for Andray Blatche (still out with a calf injury) but for the poor play of the Washington Professional Basketball Team. Any time Chris Paul and Griffin raced down the court on a fast break, you could hear the “oh no’s” in the crowd. It was an odd mixture of excitement for another Lob City highlight dunk and a realization of futility that the Wizards would never really be in this game.

Little things off the court started to feel right in line with the play on the court. A Wizards fan who played the shuffle game on the jumbo-tron failed to pick the shell that had G-Wiz was hiding under. During a time-out there was a trike race sponsored by the Washington Post that failed to end on-time, causing a hasty retreat from the court as the players walked on.

When play resumed things weren’t looking good for the Wizards, who only added to the long list of video lowlights. Like this one:

Capital City isn’t Lob City.

With 8:00 left in the game the Clippers had the follower players out on the court:

• Ryan Gomes
• Randy Foye
• Trey Thompkins
• Brian Cook
• Travis Leslie

Blake Griffin was already in sweats sitting back and relaxing after putting up 21 points and a billion gazillion dunks. Late in the forth quarter the crowd cameras were put up on the screen to find the “Fan of the Game”.

At that moment the crowd was already getting up and heading for the exits with about five minutes left to play.

After the game a tired and perhaps shell-shocked Randy Wittman sat down and just stared at the box score of the game, trying to make sense of it all.

“We got dominated again in every category,” Coach Wittman managed to say after a moment of silence reading the box score and admitted that he didn’t know how to fix what just happened.

“I don’t know I’m still searching too.”

Tonight the Wizards play the Raptors in a game that should be less David and Goliath than Saturday, however the two played each other this past Friday and Toronto blew them out 89-106.

This past weekend I saw magic. No I’m not talking about a win from the hapless Wizards or miracles of that sort- I’m talking about a real magic show with magicians, tricks, and illusions. However this show did not have the showmanship of Houdini, the polish of Copperfield, or the rock and roll of Criss Angel. No the trio of Dennis Diamond, Daryl Hannah, and Louis Magic that star in Arena Stage’s Elephant Room look like a cheesy act that’s more Reno than Vegas.

Not only is there magic, but mustaches and mullets as well.

The look and feel of Elephant Room ties into a line said during the show: “We have nothing new to show you.”

With magic’s biggest secrets since revealed, showmanship is now as important as the illusions themselves. The Diamond/Hannah/Magic wolfpack provides a refreshing new take on the magic show. It is essentially the anti-David Blaine. These men aren’t sporting hard bodies or designer jeans, they look more like extras off the set of Napoleon Dynamite than someone that would lock himself in a ball full of water.

And that’s what makes the show so much fun to watch.

The banter is campy, the slapstick is goofy (think The Lonely Island doing The Creep), the tone is almost satiric. It all comes together to create a highly entertaining performance.

As for the illusions, they are of the small slight of hand variety. Some moments are truly impressive, like the good ol’ sawing a women in half trick or reading the minds of audience members, and some need further refinement. I spotted a metal rod in a levitation bit early in the show. The magicians admitted after the press performance that some of the tricks still need some polishing.

Regardless Elephant Room is a good bet for a fun night out. At an hour and 15 minutes it’s shorter than watching Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and is the perfect start to any night out on the town.

This merry band of magicians have come a long way since first meeting at a magic conference in Buffalo. With an act like theirs, it looks as if they should have plenty of travels ahead.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Elephant Room performs at Arena Stage’s Kogod Cradle through February 26th. Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is located at 1101 6th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024. Closest Metro stop: Waterfront (Green line). For more information call 202-488-3300.

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Edward Gero as Mark Rothko and Patrick Andrews as Ken in the 2011 Goodman Theatre production of Red. Directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.

De Kooning. Pollock. Rothko. Giants of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Killers of Surrealism, only to be swept aside themselves by Pop Art. At least, that’s how the legend goes (even Rothko would disagree with the precise classifications). But is a revolutionary’s story compelling if it doesn’t end in a young, glorious death? In Red, playwright John Logan sets up his genius protagonist to play defense against the onslaught of age and change. His Mark Rothko is engaged in a constant struggle against accusations of hypocrisy and potential irrelevance, while his paintings stand silent, their internal monologues quietly stealing the scene.

A joint production between Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and Arena Stage, Red is an exploration of an important moment in the life of artist Mark Rothko (played by Ed Gero). He took on a commission in the late 1950’s to produce murals for the Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building, itself a gorgeous modernist tower designed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. We’re supposed to feel somewhat shocked that Rothko would paint for this much money, would consent to house his paintings in a consumerist palace (as if Michelangelo never did anything similar for the Medici, but conveniently forgetting our art history, let’s say it is shocking). Rothko claimed to want his murals to disquiet the diners. The commission was certainly one of the most lucrative of its day. Red encapsulates that struggle between art and consumerism (on the verge of Pop Art’s embrace of it) in the relationship between Rothko and his young assistant, and if it did nothing else, the battle between the two would still make for a fascinating and unnerving evening.

Edward Gero as Mark Rothko in the 2011 Goodman Theatre production of Red. Directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Into Rothko’s ordered (perhaps obsessively so) studio enters his new assistant Ken (Patrick Andrews), an aspiring artist himself with a horrific past event that makes him especially vulnerable. He’s to help Rothko prepare the canvases for the Seagram murals, but of course he has an underlying motive. The two engage in an increasingly uneasy working relationship while Rothko struggles with the realization that his paintings will eventually hang in a room filled with people who will never truly look at them. For a man who believes his colors are performers, that his work lives and dies by companionship, this is a fate he cannot stomach.

From the first few moments, you know this is going to be a play about ideas – important ideas, to be sure, but not much action – and if there is a flaw in the beauty of the production, it’s simply that ponderous and elegiac tone. Part of this may be Rothko himself – Logan uses many direct quotes from the painter and his words do contain a philosophical weight. Ed Gero’s performance as Rothko is as wonderfully nuanced as you’d expect from this fine actor, especially when he unleashes the old lion’s fury and sorrow, but the character’s a bit on the portentous side, and that can make for difficult viewing in the beginning.

Director Robert Falls sets a deliberate pace, as if modeling the tone on Rothko’s “banker’s hours” – that may be a reaction to Rothko’s method itself, but I longed for more naturalism, and the moments that did hit that more improvisational note were clearly the most powerful. The rising intensity of Andrews and Gero’s interactions eventually breaks through the mere philosophy of art to something more visceral – the necessity of the artist to create something meaningful, or wither in the attempt. Logan’s words and Gero’s performance are at their most poignant when at the service of that desire, as when Rothko describes his visit to the restaurant, or his relationship to the color black in Matisse’s The Red Studio.

It’s all set in a soaring rendition of Rothko’s Bowery studio by designer Todd Rosenthal, with one of the best lighting designs I’ve seen so far this season – Keith Parham gives the canvases an incandescence that’s extraordinary, especially in the final scene, where one fairly pulsates, a haunting silent character itself. Just as Rothko intended.

You don’t need to know anything about Rothko to enjoy the play. In fact, it may encourage you to learn more. I still remember my first reaction to Rothko as a young girl standing in front of a painting at the MOMA – somehow I was angry, so angry, livid almost, turning my back on modern art for a long time afterwards. After seeing this play, I devoured Rothko research and planned a visit to the Rothko Room at the Phillips and the Seagram mural exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. I realized my childhood reaction was an emotional reaction to color and shape that unnerved me, and that was a reaction Rothko would have understood. If the best response to a play is to challenge you, to send you on another voyage of discovery, then Red has done its work.

The Goodman Theatre production of Red performs at Arena Stage’s Kreeger Theater through March 4. Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is located at 1101 6th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024. Closest Metro stop: Waterfront (Green line). For more information call 202-488-3300.

Reigning MVP Derrick Rose was in a mood.

Sunday night he blamed himself for a loss against the Miami Heat that left him angry, emotional, and determined to make it up in the next game he’d play.

Unfortunately for the Washington Wizards they were that next game. Rose looked like a madman on the court in a 35 point performance as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Wizards 98-88.

The Wizards tried everything they could to stop Rose and the Bulls but it was to no avail. The loss left Wizards coach Randy Wittman a little testy, transferring his frustration to the press after the game. When asked about the team’s Pick and Roll strategy against Rose he answered to the reporter asking the question , “Did you of that question all day? If you have a new strategy, call my office tomorrow. We tried four different things. The way he played tonight, I don’t know if there’s anything we would have thrown out there that could have of. So did he dice it up? Yea, is that what you want me to say?”

I hope Wittman doesn’t read the column I wrote about him.

Rose’s play on the floor opened up opportunities for the rest of the Bulls. Kyle Korver went 5-12 outside the arc and ended the night with 17 points. Carlos Boozer (18 pts) and Joakim Noah (14 pts) also filled up the stat sheet. The Wizards ran up and down the floor in an attempt to stop Chicago, who led the game all four quarters. Iced knees were spotted in the Wizards locker room after the game.

“They’re one exhausted bunch of guys right now- that left it on the floor,” Wittman said.

The young Wizards squad tried everything they could to stop Rose but were left staring at a talent that is among the NBA’s best.

“Some of the shots he hit- they were unbelievable,” Trevor Booker said after the game, ”I watch him on TV but in person, it’s different. It’s way different. To see some of the things he did- it’s crazy.”

John Wall led the Wizards with 20 points and Nick Young racked up 17, but in the end they were left stung by Rose’s thorn.

“When you are making floaters over seven foot and tough shots like that- nothing you can do but credit a great talent like that,” Wall said.

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Euan Morton as Launce, Oliver the dog as Crab and Adam Green as Speed in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by PJ Paparelli. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Ah, love. The kind that makes you stalk your lover, lie to your best friend, steal someone else’s girl. We’re talking young, hormone-addled, angst-ridden love. Add in some fervent karaoke singing, late night fast food binges and way beyond last call drinking, and it’s love in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Rarely performed (STC’s artistic fellow Laura Henry notes in Asides that it’s only been staged twenty-four times in London and five times in New York City), Two Gentlemen is commonly thought of as difficult to produce. It’s an early play in the canon, containing many characters and plot devices that seem half-baked next to their later manifestations. There’s also the question of that pesky final scene – which moves from the threat of violence and rape to forgiveness all too quickly – often tinkered with to make it more palatable. It’s always been a prime candidate for conceptual settings and modernization.

Director PJ Paparelli goes for a pastiche of teen movie metaphor in the current production. It’s a risky choice to add in neon corporate logos and U2 cover songs. That kind of concept can, and often does, fall flat. But here, a kind of pure earnest beauty marries text and concept. Kick your cynicism to the curb, and remember that time when love meant losing everything, including even your self-respect, and yet you just didn’t care that it wasn’t cool.

Nick Dillenburg as Proteus and Andrew Veenstra as Valentine in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by PJ Paparelli. Photo by Scott Suchman.

For best friends Valentine and Proteus (Andrew Veenstra and Nick Dillenburg), the raucous bromance of youth is about to be disrupted by love – Proteus for Julia (Miriam Silverman), Valentine for Sylvia (Natalie Mitchell), then Proteus for Sylvia and back again. Leaving behind the parking lots of suburbia for the glamorous clubs of the big city, they’ll find alliances challenged and changed by the heightened risk of falling in love and growing up. When the plot’s laid out this simply it does scan like a teenage romance movie, though the reverberations of greater works to come – a bit of Romeo in Valentine, a shade of Iago in Proteus – suggest more depth than you might initially think. But above all, Two Gentlemen is a comedy, and the boys’ servants provide a lot of it. Valentine’s skateboarding messenger Speed (Adam Green) and Proteus’ woeful courier Launce (Euan Morton, bravely playing off a scene-stealing dog) keep the mayhem in balance with brilliant comedic timing that proves Elizabethean humor can still get laughs.

Paparelli’s concept is ably aided by Walt Spangler’s glitzy design, all gleaming metal and thrusting catwalks, like a disco dystopia. Paul Spadone’s risky Elizabethean hybrid costumes add a touch of 1980’s music video kitsch. And a special nod to Fabian Obispo’s sound design for taking risks (how do we know Proteus is the one who’ll turn bad? He listens to Rage Against the Machine!) that caught the audience off guard.

Though at times the modernization rings painfully earnest (anguished arm cutting during a U2 cover borders on the excruciatingly earnest, though it does serve to alert the viewer we’re about to go somewhere much darker), its pay off at other times is rich. The vigor of the actors’ commitment to making the text immediate and vibrant makes this a powerfully funny and poignant production. Their conviction to bringing the forceful danger of fickle youth to life make for moments of truth you wouldn’t expect from a “lesser” Shakespeare play. It comes through with a punch to the gut when the comedy turns. It’s both hilarious and hopeful, just like those coming-of-age movies you made light of but secretly loved.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona performs at Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Lansburgh Theatre now through March 4. The Lansburgh is located at 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004. Closest Metro stop: Archives/Navy Memorial (Yellow/Green lines) and Gallery Place/Chinatown (Red/Yellow/Green lines). For more information call 202-637-7000.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner; Photo courtesy National Geographic

As spring looms on the horizon, so does National Geographic Live’s new season. For the third year in a row, the National Geographic Museum is offering WeLoveDC readers a monthly chance to enjoy one of their premier events. We’re giving away two pairs of tickets to readers and entering is simple. Look through the great programs coming up in February and pick two you’d like to attend. Then in the comment field, simply enter your choices. (Make sure you use your first name and a valid email address!) Winners for February will be chosen at random in the afternoon on Tuesday, January 31.

All programs (unless otherwise noted) will take place in Grosvenor Auditorium at 1600 M Street, NW.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.nglive.org, via telephone at (202) 857-7700, or in person at the National Geographic ticket office between 9 am and 5 pm. Free parking is available in the National Geographic underground garage for all programs that begin after 6 pm.

Uncovering Hidden World ($20)
Tuesday, Feb. 7; 7:30 pm

As a staff photographer with National Geographic, Jodi Cobb has worked in more than 60 countries—celebrating the best of the human spirit and spotlighting some of its worst abuses.

She is best known for lifting the curtain on worlds closed to outsiders, such as Japan’s geisha, Saudi Arabian women, the grim underworld of human trafficking. Experience a retrospective of her most important work as she also shares images and stories from her most recent assignment, a story on twins for the January 2012 issue of National Geographic.

Dennis Luxion-Michael Raynor Quartet; Photo courtesy National Geographic

The Rhythm Road – American Music Abroad (Free; No Tickets Required)
Thursday, Feb. 9; 6:00 pm & 7:15 pm

The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is designed to foster cultural exchange worldwide. Between March 2011 and February 2012, ten talented American jazz, urban, gospel, blues, and roots music artists will visit Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America. International tour activities include concerts, workshops, demonstrations, and collaborations with local musicians. The program also incorporates free performances by each group at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and for National Geographic Live.

6 pm: Ari Roland Jazz Quartet This New York-based group takes inspiration from the Golden Age of Jazz. The ensemble’s repertoire includes pieces by jazz legends Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billie Holiday, as well as their own original compositions.

7:15 pm: Mountain Quickstep Combining the bluegrass, and early country music of the Adirondack,Appalachia, and Smoky Mountain regions, this group showcases the diversity of American rural music, through lively fiddle tunes, lonesome folksongs, and fancy footwork.

A Portable Life ($20)
Friday, Feb. 10; 7:30 pm

Travel writer Pico Iyer brings a unique perspective to the issues of cultural globalization. His essays appear in National Geographic Traveler, Time, and Harper’s, and he has authored a dozen books, including The Open Road: The Global Journey of the 14th Dalai Lama. Join Iyer and Traveler magazine’s Don George, former Global Travel Editor of Lonely Planet Publications, for a conversation about the challenges and rewards of letting yourself be vulnerable in foreign places.

Conquering the 14 ($20)
Monday, Feb. 13; 7:30 pm

A decade ago, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner worked as a nurse saving money for cherished climbing trips. In August 2011, she became the first woman to summit the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen with her daring climb of K2, to be featured in the April 2012 issue of National Geographic. Meet this intrepid mountaineer and share her odysseys to the world’s highest places.

Jim Davidson; Photo courtesy National Geographic

Global Glimpses: Foreign Language Film Nominees ($8 per Film)
Feb. 17 – 19; times vary; check www.nationalgeographic.org/allroads for titles and schedule

Join us for elite screenings of the five films nominated as Oscar® winners for the 2012 Best Foreign Language Film Award, one week before the 84rd Academy Awards ceremony. All screenings include receptions before or after the films.

The Rhythm Road – American Music Abroad (Free; No Tickets Required)
Thursday, Feb. 23; 6:00 pm & 7:15 pm

The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is designed to foster cultural exchange worldwide. Between March 2011 and February 2012, ten talented American jazz, urban, gospel, blues, and roots music artists will visit Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America. International tour activities include concerts, workshops, demonstrations, and collaborations with local musicians. The program also incorporates free performances by each group at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and for National Geographic Live.

6 pm: Dennis Luxion / Michael Raynor Quartet This Chicago group plays original, hard-swinging jazz inspired by saxophone improvisation, from introspective solo explorations to powerful group performances.

7:15 pm: Legacy From East Orange, NJ, this group creates music about faith, love, struggle, and the pursuit of beauty in life. Legacy’s alternative hip hop sound is influenced by various genres of music including West African, house, jazz, and breakbeat.

The Ledge ($20)
Wednesday, Feb. 29; 7:30 pm

Descending from the summit of Mount Rainier one day in June 1992, Jim Davidson fell through a snow bridge, dragging his climbing partner with him into a hidden 80-foot deep crevasse. Davidson’s new book The Ledge, named one of Amazon.com’s Best Outdoor & Nature Books for 2011, tells the dramatic story of how he witnessed his partner’s death and survived the fall, making an impossible climb up a sheer ice wall.

photo by Sandy Kim

Cass McCombs turned Baltimore’s Ottobar into a spacey dreamworld during his set Saturday night. In the midst of his US winter tour,  he played with a full backing band, including keys, bass, guitar, pedal-steel guitar and drums. Opening was Frank Fairfield, along for the duration of the tour, and Walker and Jay. 

First to the stage was the Baltimore based trio Walker and Jay. Gathered close around one microphone, with only acoustic instruments, they looked and sounded like they could have walked right out of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?. There was an upright bass, providing the backbone and rhythm for the set, a fiddle, and the lead singer switched between playing banjo and what looked like some kind of steel guitar. Their old-timey country/bluegrass/blues was both lovely and rousing, and set an intimate mood for the evening. 

Next up was another musical anachronism, Frank Fairfield. Looking a little like a young Theodore Roosevelt, minus the glasses, he took the stage alone, seated on a chair in the middle of the stage, and started his set with an amazing number on the fiddle, accompanied by some foot-stomping. Again, he used only a microphone on the stage as amplification. The singer of Walker and Jay had mentioned him in their set, joking/praising him as being “on the cutting edge of antiquated music.” He was certainly extremely talented at what he did. He played a pretty long set, and switched between playing banjo and fiddle, sometimes singing, but softly and far enough from the mic that it was challenging to understand what he was singing. It really felt like he had been plucked from the beginning of the last century and dropped onstage via time-machine.   The only critique I would place on his spot as opener, was that instead of revving the crowd up for the headliner, he kind of lulled us into a tranquil(ized) space.

Finally Cass McCombs and his band took the stage. I was super happy that he started his set off with my current favorite of his songs, “Love Thine Enemy,” from his latest album Humor Risk, released in November 2011 on Domino Records. However, that proved to be one of the most upbeat moments of the set. Most of the songs hovered in ambient dreamland, soft, mellow, beautiful, hypnotic almost to a fault. The sleepiness of the atmosphere was not helped by the fact that he required all the lights in the house to be off, even stopping between songs to ask that the christmas lights overhead be turned off. There were no lights shining on him or his band either, the stage was only backlit by a wall of honeycomb-patterned, fuzzy, blinking lights. It created a beautiful effect, but combined with the super mellow music it had a bit of a narcotic effect. If I hadn’t been extremely caffeinated I might have slipped into slumber myself.

As far as the set went, he did a good job of mixing in songs from albums old and new. Highlights included the newer “Robin Egg Blue,” “My Master,” from his 2004 album A ,”My Sister, My Spouse,” from 2009’s Catacombs, and another of my favorites “County Line” from his earlier 2011 release Wit’s End.

Celtics star Point Guard Rajon Rondo was ruled out of today’s game against the Wizards with a sprained right wrist. In the second quarter Ray Allen left the game with a jammed left ankle. Slumping and battered, the Celtics looked like a prime target for the Wizards, who have been improving their play game-by-game this week.

However Paul Pierce took the team on his shoulders with a season-high 34 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds as the Celtics continue to own the Wizards this season with a 94-100 loss.

Without Rondo, the Celtics were forced to start second-year Avery Bradley at point, and proved to be a liability going 1-6 in the field with six turnovers.

“We kept it as simple as a game plan as we could keep it- the thing is that we ran the same stuff and it gave him a chance to operate offensively,” Coach Rivers said after the game. Bradley was easily owned by Wall, McGee, and anybody else he was matched-up with.

It was quite the opposite on the Celtics side of the ball. The Wizards threw everybody at Pierce but the kitchen sink. Nothing could stop #34 from putting up 34.

John Wall led the Wizards with 27 points and Nick Young scored 19. Andray Blatche had a bounce back game after a 0-7 performance Friday night. He went 4-10 with 8 points and received much less boos from the crowd (mostly Celtics fans). When asked about Blatche, Doc Rivers remarked that the only way to get the boos to stop is to keep playing.

“Fans want to see winning basketball even if you aren’t winning.”

The Wizards are starting to get competitive enough to stay in games, now Washington just needs to find the way to close them out. Even their opponents are noticing the difference.

“They are so much better, they are so much better- you can just see it,” Rivers said. Pierce backed his coaches’ comments as well.

“I think they are playing a lot better, even though the wins don’t really show I think they are playing the right way.”

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The Wizards had a little swagger in their step as they took the court Friday night. Coming off a big win over the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder, the ‘zards went up against the Denver Nuggets and pummeled them in the first quarter. Washington scored a season-high 37 points and were in the game down to the end.

However the Wizards could not solve Denver’s Al Harrington, who led the Nuggets with 29 points. His dunk with 7.9 seconds left in the game sealed the Wizards’ fate in a 104-108 loss.

“Tonight was a tough night- not making shots and not really controlling the game like I did the other night,” Wizards Point Guard John Wall said after the game. According to ESPN’s John Hollinger, Denver averages 98.6 possessions per game- the most in the league. Washington is tied for sixth in the league with 96.

What that means is that Washington plays fast but Denver plays just a little bit faster.

“The pace that [Denver] played at- that’s how they always play, you know we don’t always play at that pace. I think some of our guys got winded,” Coach Flip Saunders said in the post-game press conference.

There is a little bit of hope to walk away with tonight’s loss. Now at 2-13, the most we can ask of the Washington Professional Basketball Team is to play competitive- and they did for the most part.

John Wall put up another great game and was only one rebound away from a triple-double (13 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds). Nick Young started the game hot racking up 17 points in the first quarter. He ended the night with a team-high 25. Even Jordan Crawford looked respectable going 6-14 in the field with 18 points.

“Tonight we put ourselves in a position to win, so now we’re competing at a good level- now what we gotta do is we gotta put ourselves in a position to close out games,” said Saunders.

However one player that did not do well was Andray Blatche. The boos kept coming as he went 0-7 with two points.

“It’s tough playing through that situation but we’re here as a team and in the locker room we’re cheering him on, telling to keep taking those shots,” Wall said when asked about the boos. Flip noted that while the fans maybe frustrated with his play, booing isn’t the answer.

“Booing is not going to help somebody play better- I know that. I don’t think all of a sudden [Blatche] is going to get 20 points and 15 rebounds because we’re booing him- if that was the case everyone would do it.”

On the Denver side of the ball Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari both scored 21 points in an offense that ultimate out ran the Wizards.

The Wizards take on the Celtics this Sunday. While it is disappointing to follow a big win with a loss, the team is now in a mindset to win according to Crawford.

“We feel like we can win any time- that’s what we got out of the last two, even though we lost this one.”

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photo courtesy of Cass McCombs

Cass McCombs brings soulful, mellow, dreamy rock to Baltimore’s Ottobar this Saturday night. He has received high praise from the likes of John Peel and Pitchfork Media, and has performed or toured with Cat Power, Andrew Bird, Blonde Redhead & Modest Mouse among many others.

His sixth album (and second in 2011), Humor Risk, was released in November of 2011 , to much acclaim, and landed him a cover story on Fader.

I am currently addicted to the single “Love Thine Enemy,” from Humor Risk, but I can’t find that anywhere online to share, so check out “The Same Thing” also on the new album.

Cass McCombs

Saturday, January 21, 2012, Ottobar

w/Frank Fairfield 

Walker and Jay

doors 9pm/show 9:30

$12

What’s really great about a viral meme based on stereotypes is that it can be easily replicated. The problem about a viral meme based on stereotypes is that it can easily be replicated.

We roared at My New Haircut, laughed at My New Haircut: Asian Edition, groaned at My New Haircut: Irish Edition.

So when Shit Girls Say came out it was only a matter of time before a billion other versions were produced. The meme was even embraced by yoga apparel company Lululemon Athletica and Public Relations Agency Hunter PR.

If you weren’t sure if the meme has hit critical mass or jumped over the shark then hold on to your butts- the meme has gone local with Shit DC Says.

DC’s Living Social blog, SocialStudiesDC, produced the video and it made the rounds all-day yesterday.

Let’s break it down.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video does a fairly good job in hitting some of the idiosyncrasies that we experience living in The District. Here’s a complete play-by-play:

• The trademark opening question in any Happy Hour, Reception, or Networking event: “What do you do?”
• “Where are you from originally?” Because nobody is really from DC- right?
• Ah the job at an NPO/NGO, almost as frequent as “I work on The Hill” or “I work at [insert government agency].”
• Washington, DC is all about connections- and all of us know somebody that knows somebody that can get us a sweet West Wing Tour of the White House.
• Stand right, walk left- the one thing every DC local knows and the one thing tourists do not. Out of all the Metro references there should of been complaints of single tracking or just a general, “F*ck Metro!”  Or at least some #unsuckmetro.
• Complaints about humidity? Not so sure, but as an original Bostonian I can agree it is humid here sometimes.
• Complaints about not being able to vote? Oh ya. A SOPA Blackout couldn’t stop that convo.
• I’ve never dated a republican either… I think…
• Obligatory Mayor Gray reference combined with obligatory Marion Barry quote. It’s not DC if we’re not hating on the Mayor right?
• DC is very fierce about their restaurant scene, one that is certainly not second-tier.
• Food phenomena DC loves: Brunch, Food Trucks, Cupcakes, Jumbo Slice, Hamburgers. That’s pretty comprehensive, but I think FroYo could of been dropped as well. Also some nods to all the lovely ethnic restaurants around would have been good too. Ethiopian? Pho? (I didn’t just mention it because that’s my name, there’s Pho places everywhere in DC!) Also how could we forget Ben’s Chili Bowl: the mecca for drunk people at 3 AM? Also I think an, “Obama’s eaten here” line would have worked.
• DC is a great bike city but not as good as Minneapolis.
• “____ is the next _____” is fine, but I would think “The place is really gentrifying!” would have nailed it.
• I’ve never lived in an English Basement but I have heard references to listservs from all my friends.
• Why no curse for the Nationals? Is it because Living Social thinks nobody in DC cares about them? Good call on the Bullets reference.
• Does Ovi really go to Russia House? I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been inside.
• I was going to talk about how I don’t know anything about Fugazi but I won’t. The YouTube comments hint that it’s an appropriate reference.
• H Street is a hike! Is that trolly finished yet?
• Anacostia is dangerous I guess, but real DC people wouldn’t even think about going out there typically white young professionals silently acknowledge the stereotype of southeast DC. Also some complaints about leaving the District lines would of worked too. “Go out to Arlington?” “Ugh Silver Spring?”
• What would have been better than acknowledging the local brew? “Have you been to ______ the beer selection is amazing!”
• “I’m not even drunk”- the anthem of Adams Morgan at 3 AM.
• Mumbo sauce? Haven’t had it- it sounds good though.

The reaction? DCist says it’s a bit forced, Huffington Post says it’s spot on, and TBD notes that it is mostly what white people in DC say.

And before you say it’s so DC for us to hate on a video about DC, a video about New Yorkers was also released at the same time and New Yorkers hate it.

As much as some of you might hate it- you know you got just as excited about the video as you did when Remy did that Arlington Rap.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

This quote was posted inside the Wizards locker room tonight, very apropos for the game. The Wizards came in tonight as the worst team in the NBA at 1-12, facing off against the best team in the NBA in the 12-2 Oklahoma City Thunder. The Verizon Center was packed with fans that wanted see Baltimore’s own Kevin Durant, and expected a big game from him against the Wizards. Boos came from all directions at Andray Blatche, who has lost all respect with the fans. It wasn’t shaping up to be a good night for the Wiz.

But tonight the Washington Professional Basketball Team demonstrated that they could compete with the best of the best in a thrilling victory over the Thunder 105-102.

“Usually [The Thunder] intimidate you and we showed, our whole team showed, that we weren’t going to be intimated tonight,” coach Flip Saunders said after the game. After Monday’s loss to Houston, he commented that he wanted to see strong performances from three or four players- not just one or two.

Well he got a complete team performance tonight: John Wall led the team with 25 points followed by Nick Young with 24. Jordan Crawford got on the board with 18 points and Andray Blatche fought the boos and put up 12 points of his own.

The entire night the fans inside the Verizon Center appeared determine to boo anything Blatche did- good or bad. Threw up an airball? Boos. Drained a three? Boos. Blatche tried hard not to let the fans get to him.

“They were just in my head- just in my head,” he said to reporters after the game. Andray added that his teammates including Roger Mason Jr. helped him through the boobirds.

“These fans pay a lot of money to come see their team play they have the right to do whatever they want to do,” Mason said when I asked him about the boos for Blatche. Mason and others feel that Blatche is playing differently ever since returning to the court from a should injury.

“He doesn’t get enough credit for the kind of teammate he’s been lately,” Mason said. Coach Saunders also noticed Andray’s improved effort.

“Since he’s come back from his injury, he’s trying to play the right way- he’s playing with a good amount of energy, he’s playing team basketball.”

Oklahoma started the game as if they were already looking ahead to the next. Kevin Durant and the high-scoring offense of the Thunder appeared slow to start in the first half. The Wizards’ plan against OKC was to contain them- not stop them.

“We wanted to try and contain [Harden, Westbrook, Durant] as much as possible but eliminate all the other guys and not let, outside of Harden, not let anybody get 8,10,12 [points],” Saunders explained.

The plan appears to have worked, Russell Westbrook led OKC with 36 points and Kevin Durant followed-up with a total 33 points for the night. However outside of them the next best scorer was James Harden with 13 points.

Is this a turning point for the Wizards? We’ll see on Friday when the team take on the Denver Nuggets, but John Wall is confident that the team has turned a corner.

“We know we’re better than our record is.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cartoonist Jules Feiffer doesn’t ink funnies. Instead he speaks his mind through art, be it what a woman thinks or how the nation elects a President. So when you consider the dangerous world of New York City depicted in American Century Theatre’s “Little Murders“, you have to realize that a premise that is a tad over-the-top is simply part of his craft as a cartoonist. The environment is exaggerated because he wants to make a point about forces he thought was creating a turning point in America at the time.

The play takes place in 1966 New York where Fiffer takes liberty in highlighting the rise of urban violence of the late 60’s, a wave he observed in the wake of the assassination of JFK. Fiffer and director Ellen Dempsey satirically illustrate the city falling deeper and deeper into a state of lawlessness and chaos. One cannot venture outside his home without getting mugged, one cannot walk down the street without getting shot at. Gunshots become a regular cue throughout the show, with many shots nearly missing members of the cast.

Caught in he middle are members of the Newquist family. Parents Marjorie and Carol (Emily Morrison and Craig Miller) are victims to a freak shooting that takes the life of their war hero son. Daughter Patsy (Robin Covington) is an independent woman who brings home her latest partner/reclamation project Alfred (James Finley), who has decided to take an extremely passive approach to the situation. Even though he towers  over most people, he refuses to fight anyone and as a result is often bruised and battered by muggers who beat him up until they grow too tired to throw anymore punches. Instead of dealing with life’s troubles he would rather daydream until the moment passes. Rounding out the family is the somewhat closeted Kenny (Evan Crump), who’s sissy mannerisms hints at him being a secret homosexual.

The family dynamics of the Newquists are anything but ideal. The family dinner is filled with so much arguing you would think it was ripped from this SNL sketch. The eventual wedding between Patsy and Alfred becomes a comedy of errors as Alfred’s atheism results in the hiring of an oddball existentialist minister (Bill Gordon) who flies off the handle.

However Little Murders isn’t really about the Newquist family but about the forces of violence and incivility that Feiffer believed was sending America into a nervous breakdown. The local homicide detective (Steve Lebens) is worn down from the hundreds of unsolved murders. Father Carol calls for martial law, stronger government involvement, and more surveillance in a chilling speech that is very foreboding in today’s post 9-11 world.

Feiffer’s observations are interesting but they are lost in the show’s delivery. The acting fluctuates between 1 and 11 throughout the show. Unlike Elliot Gould’s subtle yet poignant performance as Alfred in the 1971 film adaptation of the play, the Alfred in this production goes from cardboard stiff to completely normal. Arguments go from intense screaming to intense crying to resigned silence.

At 40 years old, Little Murders still has a message for the audience. Even though America is working to decrease the senseless sort of violence the show depicts, the theme of growing disrespect and incivility is one that still rings true today.

Would we reach the boiling point at that ends the show in spectacular fashion? With a more sensitive generation of Americans that are subjected to bullying, trolling, and online harassment, perhaps.

Little Murders performs in the Gunston Theatre Two now through February 11. The Gunston Arts Center is located at 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA 22206. Closest Metro stop: Crystal City (Blue/Yellow line). For more information call (703) 998-4555.

In between the 3rd and 4th quarter of today’s Washington Wizards match against the Houston Rockets, Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like An Eagle” filled the Verizon Center. I thought it was fitting since it is the first track on the Space Jam soundtrack and coach Flip Saunders recently commented that the team, “looked like ‘Space Jam’ where everyone lost all their talents and couldn’t do anything there for a while.”

Listening to those lyrics it was very clear that for the Wizards time was indeed slipping as the Wizards lost the game 106-114.

John Wall reached a career high 38 points including 18 in the final quarter but the Wizards couldn’t catch back up after keeping it competitive in the first half. Wall looked aggressive, attacked the hoop, and landed a spectacular dunk in the third quarter.

Wall wasn’t the only Wizards slamming the boards today, JaVale McGee had several highlight worthy finishes including a second half dunk that caught Flip’s eye- not for good reason however.

With 9:32 left in the third quarter McGee took a fast break across the court and shot the ball into the backboard, catching the rebound for the dunk.

UPDATE – Video of the dunk:

The self alley-oop occurred when the Wizards were behind 58-64 and Coach Saunders wasn’t too happy with the showboating.

“I told [McGee] that’s unacceptable,” Saunders said after the game, “maybe I’m too old school but save that for the All Star Game- not during a game.” Saunders went on to say that he thought there were some players on the team that look for highlights rather than substance. He offered Jan Vesely as a player that played with substance. Saunders also recognized Andray Blatche’s (back from a shoulder injury) performance, commenting that it was some of the hardest playing he’s seen from him in a couple of years. Blatche went 4-8 with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

McGee on the other hand thought there was nothing wrong with his dunk.

“Apparently if you get a fast break and you throw it off the backboard in the third quarter and you’re 1-11 you’re not supposed to do stuff like that,” McGee said in the locker room post-game, “I feel I was just trying to get the team hyped and trying to make a good play.”

Just another case of JaVale being JaVale. All the highlight dunks and blocks mean nothing if the end result if a loss.

Four players on the Rockets reached double-digit points. Houston was led by Kevin Martin (25 pts)- Samuel Dalembert (20), Luis Scola (18), and Kyle Lowry (16) were also in the double for points.

After a strong effort game against the Knicks and a win against the Raptors last Tuesday, the team is still searching for some consistent performance from all of their players in a game- not just one or two players. This week the Wizards will take on Oklahoma City, Denver, and Boston- all teams that Washington will need all hands on deck in order to keep pace.

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Holly Twyford in Time Stands Still. Photo: Scott Suchman

Watching Time Stands Still is to witness a relationship cracking apart, as two people whose entire shared experience has consisted of an adrenaline rush that can’t be sustained, irrevocably come off the high. Its success then rests on strong performances rooted in naturalism, and luckily that’s a strength Studio Theatre has perfected. Otherwise, you might be asking yourself why you are watching yet another slice-of-life about relationship woes.

Time Stands Still begins in the aftermath of war zone trauma for Sarah, a photojournalist physically battered by an explosion, and James, a reporter psychically wounded. Sarah can’t wait for her body to heal so she can jump back in, photographing atrocity after atrocity despite the nagging moral conflict of non-engagement. James has had enough, and wants a normal life (albeit a “normal” live lived in a nice loft in Brooklyn deconstructing horror movies instead of real-life horrors). This framework might be enough for an exploration of what happens when you repeatedly put yourself in harm’s way for the sake of bringing people news they don’t want to see, but playwright Donald Margulies raises the stakes in pretty pedestrian ways. Relationship woes like infidelity, mid-life crisis and delayed parenting are highlighted. How different the play might be had the core plot revolved around Sarah’s battle to keep her shattered limbs intact, a very relevant and brutal struggle many who’ve been in war zones have faced.

Here, you’ll get a rather safe depiction of facial scars that will slowly fade, like the relationship questions we all face and ultimately survive through. No one loses an eye or a leg here in their quest for that beautiful photograph of a baby’s burns after a market bombing. Margulies and director Susan Fenichell are lucky to have four talented actors making the psychic wounds interesting to the audience.

L to R: Greg McFadden, Dan Illian, and Laura C. Harris in Time Stands Still. Photo: Scott Suchman

Holly Twyford is a master at delivering lines so naturally you’d think they were improvised, and here she gives Sarah an acidic etching – you can almost see her skin bristling with the indignity of being trapped back in her safe apartment while the wars go on without her lens. Greg McFadden subtly telegraphs that James has the relief of the lesser talented partner – back on safe ground, his yearning to a normal couple is really a desire to step into a more traditional, perhaps even dominant role, to Sarah’s brighter star. As their editor Richard and his cute trophy wife Mandy, Dan Illian and Laura C. Harris flesh out what could just have been the stock characters of a May-December romance – the jokes at Mandy’s expense point to the danger of Margulies’ dialogue, dancing at the edge of cliche. Illian and Harris embue them with an inner life.

The production design is gorgeous – a Brooklyn loft by set designer John McDermott and lit by Mary Louise Geiger – though the original composition by Eric Shimelonis seemed forced into a horror movie motif, and Sarah’s facial injuries a little too safe. The ensemble acting is the key here, a quartet expert at illuminating inner lives, as they explore the moral uncertainty of making art, making a living, out of the suffering of others. Does that art spur ordinary people to action against atrocity, and if not, is it worth doing? It’s just one question the play asks. There are others the actors ask, in the moments between words.

Time Stands Still performs in the Metheny Theatre at Studio Theatre now through February 12. Studio Theatre is located at 1501 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. Closest Metro stop: Dupont Circle (Red line), McPherson Square (Orange/Blue lines), U Street/Cardozo (Green/Yellow lines). For more information call 202-332-3300.

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With the acquisition of center Tyson Chandler, the New York Knicks hoped to enter the season with their own “Big Three”: Chandler, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony. Like many other recent “dream teams” in sports, the Knicks have started off slow winning only two of their first six. Tonight the story was different as Anthony, Stoudemire, and Chandler combined for 72 points in a 99-96 win over the Washington Wizards.

Unlike the Wizards’ previous game- where the team was doomed after starting the game 0-12 in the field, the Wiz played competitive all four quarters. The Wizards outscored the Knicks 32-18 in the opening quarter but cooled off towards halftime. The Knicks regained the lead early the third quarter but Washington kept it close. Nick Young missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that could of sent the game into overtime.

“They played hard- one thing they didn’t do was hang their head,” Coach Flip Saunders said after the game. Before the game he described it as a “must play hard” situation- and it looks like the Wizards did that at least.

Before practice on Thursday Maurice Evans called a players-only meeting where the players talked about their franchise-worst 0-6 start, aired out some grievances, and talked about being more accountable.

It looks like it worked- in my eyes the team played with hustle and energy we haven’t seen yet this year.

“I believe the talk we had, the sit down we had, got everything out in the air,” Young said in the locker room. Young led Washington with 24 points, many of them coming from John Wall who flashed his moves in the transition game. After starting the game with back-to-back fast-breaks that did not result in points, Wall found the connection with Young and the two combined for 22 points in that first quarter.

“First quarter me and Nick had it going,” Wall said after the game.

Also looking good on the floor was rookie Chris Singleton, known for his defense the Florida State alum showed some offense with a pair of dunks in the first half. He ended the night with 12 points.

Despite the valiant effort, Washington couldn’t solve Carmelo Anthony, who racked up 37 points. He carried the Knicks through early parts of the game where Amar’e Stoudemire struggled to find his shot (only landed two of his first seven attempts) and late in the game helped seal a victory with a three-pointer 15.9 seconds left in the game that put New York in the lead for good.

“That’s a prime example of getting beat by a pro player,” Saunders said.

The next two games are against Minnesota and Toronto, two very winnable games if the Wizards come back to the floor with the same kind of hustle they brought out today.

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