Improv's Electoral Collage

By Lavanya Ramanathan
Thursday, September 4, 2008

Another election season, another near-archaeological dig for disgruntled former associates, business deals gone awry and long-forgotten hotel-room hanky-panky -- and at the end of it, for better or worse, another president of the United States.

Washington Improv Theater's second edition of "POTUS Among Us," opening tomorrow, mines the tragicomic qualities of presidential elections as it offers a sort of funhouse-mirror version of the campaign process. Each performance lasts about an hour, with a different result every time.

The show begins with five archetypal candidates (the maverick, the wide-eyed neophyte, the single-issue guy, etc.) throwing their hats into the ring and presenting platforms to launch their campaigns.

The catch: The audience decides what causes the candidates will champion. Some theatergoers will be canvassed as they enter and, based on their responses about the real issues, the actors will get their stump assignments just moments before the show. (Imagine, a District resident might actually be able to influence the outcome of a national election . . .)

Whether the issue is parking tickets or abolishing all stupid laws (easily read as: "the end of Big Government"), the candidates stick to their positions -- lest they be called flip-floppers -- in hopes of going all the way to the White House.

What you won't see are sendups of Sarah Palin or Barack Obama or anyone else actually running for office in 2008. Rather, the shows will stick to the recurring themes in politics -- you know, tabloid exposés, Sunday-morning roundtables dissecting candidates' every move, and, um, surprising vice-presidential selections.

The show, the main program of a slate of WIT politically inspired performances, opens tomorrow at Source. $15. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 27. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. 202-315-1305 or 866-811-4111 or get tickets in advance through http://www.washingtonimprovtheater.com.

SAVE THE DATE

FOR KIDS Boo at the Zoo May the pandemonium begin: The Friends of the National Zoo's perennially sold-out event has been announced, and it's set for Oct. 23-26, which means Washington area parents have one additional day to take their little precious. Kids ages 2 to 12 (but really, it's better for the young ones) dress in their costumes and spend the evening at the zoo, which is decorated and hosts keeper talks and more than 40 snack stations boasting candy and other sugar-coma-inducing treats. Tickets just went on sale to the general public (don't wait to get them; this is one of the fall's hottest tickets). $25, which covers food, crafts and entertainment (kids younger than 2 are free and don't need tickets). 5:30-8:30 p.m. each day, Oct. 23-26. 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Get tickets through Ticketmaster, 202-397-7328, or save fees and get them in person at the zoo visitor center front desk from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Visit http://nationalzoo.si.edu/activitiesandevents/celebrations/boo/default.cfm.

CONCERT Common and N.E.R.D. It seems odd to pair Common, whose trajectory has been increasingly commercial, with the infinitely experimental rock-rap act of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shay Haley. But it makes plenty of sense when you consider Common has long been seen as the sage of rhyme, more poet than rapper (even Jay-Z famously rapped, "Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense"); and N.E.R.D. is musically what Common is to the lyric: always on the fringe, but greatly respected. In addition to dates each will play separately, they are on a tour together that will bring them to Rams Head Live in Baltimore on Oct. 6. $37; $40 at the door. 20 Market Pl., Baltimore. Get tickets at http://tickets.ramsheadlive.com.

EXHIBIT "Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power" Avedon is iconic for his role as a fashion photographer for Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and plenty of advertising campaigns. But he also took on varied assignments, including a Rolling Stone series in the mid-1970s that had him capturing portraits of 69 people in the political system. And he died in 2004 in the midst of a project for the New Yorker in which he was shooting Americans (politicians as well as non) as the election approached; the work was published by the magazine under the heading "Democracy." The Corcoran Gallery of Art gathers about 250 photos -- some never published or exhibited, some from "Democracy" and the Rolling Stone project, called "The Family" -- for "Portraits of Power," a retrospective of Avedon's political and "power" portraiture that opens Sept. 13. $14; seniors and military, $12; students, $10. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays-Sundays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays. Sept. 13-Jan. 25. 500 17th St. NW. 202-639-1700.

THE DISTRICT

Today

CLOSING Sounds in the Square Fresh off a show at the 9:30 club, local alt-rock act No Second Troy (whose members are trying very, very hard to make it big) closes the season of the "yp"-favored outdoor concert series. Free. 5-7 p.m. Farragut Square, Connecticut Avenue and K Street NW. For details, visit http://www.gtbid.com.

Tomorrow

ON STAGE Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking" The actress and author of "Postcards From the Edge" brings her one-woman show to Arena Stage's "re-staged" venue at the Lincoln Theatre for a run that begins tomorrow. With a delicious sense of humor and optimism, Fisher will dish about a life that might have driven her to drink, from when Dad left Mom for Elizabeth Taylor to her days as Princess Leia. Good times. $55-$74 (discounts available for students, and age 30 and younger). Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 and 7:30, various times through Sept. 28. Arena Stage at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. 202-488-3300. See story, C1.

CONCERT Ashford. Simpson. Ashford and Simpson! For three Friday nights each summer, the annual D.C. Grooves free concert series brings in long-gone but definitely not forgotten artists for performances. The suits are very serious about its "intergenerational" appeal, but really, you went because you wanted to see whether M.C. Hammer did in fact still wear Hammer pants -- and to giggle through "U Can't Touch This." This year includes Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the cooing couple famous for penning "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and performing the funktastic "Solid"; they sing tomorrow night. Sept. 12, it's the Commodores, and the series closes with Jon Secada (We know, we know: Who?) on Sept. 19. Free. Tomorrow, 7-9 p.m. Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-312-1300.

Saturday

CONCERT Liam Finn The youthful Finn, the son of Crowded House singer Neil Finn, released his sort-of DIY solo debut, "I'll Be Lightning" this year and drops in at the Rock & Roll Hotel on Saturday for a show. Word is the live performances feature autoharp and that sign of the evolved musician, a theremin. With the Veils. $14. Doors, 8:30 p.m. Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. 202-388-7625.

MARYLAND

Today

FESTIVALS Prince George's County Fair Lasting only a few days, this fair packs a lot into a short time, including the requisite pig races, beautiful baby contest (held today; registration -- local tykes only! -- is at 5:30 p.m.), performances by dance teams, midway rides and a "kiddieland," and a karaoke contest with a prize of $1,000. A fireworks show is tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. The fair opens today and continues through the weekend. Admission, $6; ages 6 to 11, $5; younger than 6, free. (Note that rides are extra; a ride-all-you-can stamp is $26, with a coupon available online at the fair Web site.) Today 4-10 p.m., tomorrow 5-11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Show Place Arena, 14900 Pennsylvania Ave., Upper Marlboro. 301-952-0270 or for a full schedule, visit http://www.countyfair.org.

Saturday

FESTIVALS Irish Weekend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival This weekend, the "English village" that has sprung up in Crownsville stages something of a cultural exchange: performers of Irish song and dance for events all Saturday and Sunday. Also this weekend, the fair extends its hours to 8 p.m. $18; seniors, $15; ages 7-15, $8; ages 6 and younger, free. (Passes available for $28 to $80.) 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; continues weekends through Oct. 19. 1821 Crownsville Rd., Crownsville. 800-296-7304. For full schedule and directions, http://www.rennfest.com.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Today

ON STAGE "The Lost Songs of Broadway 1940-1950" You may have never heard such Broadway offerings as "Cabin in the Sky," "Jamaica," "Mexican Hayride" and "St. Louis Woman," but they drew their music from well-known composers including Cole Porter, Kurt Weill, and Rodgers and Hart. This week, Signature Theatre brings back the "Lost Songs of Broadway" show with a new batch of long-forgotten tunes from the 1940s and '50s. Tonight at 8:30, tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $30. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. 202-397-7328 or visit http://www.signature-theatre.org.

Tomorrow

CONCERT The Gourds Austin's hootenanny outfit has built a following by rejecting the mainstream-country establishment in favor of what they deem "redneck postmodernism" -- music for the "unwashed," who just happen to be "well-read." The band performs at the State Theatre tomorrow with opener Justin Trawick. $16. 9 p.m. State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church. Visit http://www.thestatetheatre.com for tickets, or call 703-237-0300.

Saturday

FESTIVALS The Rosslyn Jazz Festival Charming and upbeat harmonica player Frederic Yonnet and the Grammy-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra are among the great reasons to venture out to Arlington's Gateway Park on Saturday for this day-long festival. Another reason: It's free. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra opens the event, performing from 12:30 to 2 p.m., followed by local jazz pianist Lafayette Gilchrist and the New Volcanoes at 2:30, Yonnet at 4, and vocalist Holly Cole at 5:45. 12:30-7 p.m. Gateway Park, North Lynn Street at Lee Highway (near the Rosslyn Metro Station), Arlington. 703-228-1850 or visit http://www.arlingtonarts.org/RosslynJazz.htm.