Fashion, Fun and Sounds of Sweden

By Lavanya Ramanathan
Saturday, November 29, 2008

For us, an ideal day might just be brunch, a museum and wantonly neglecting all chores and errands.

This must be our week, because brunch will bring with it an opportunity to explore international sounds and a museum is offering a chance to sip sake and learn how to wrap a present like an art star. Chores? Ooh, sorry. We're not going to be available. We have a date to see a "Project Runway" alum dish about the fashion business.

· This weekend is the last one this year to grab Swedish coffee and pastries -- Swedes call this sort of coffee break a "fika" -- at the House of Sweden's new weekly Café Bites & Sounds event. Volunteers serve up Löfbergs Lila coffee and an ever-changing menu of handmade sweets that might include cinnamon buns or chocolate squares; you can get a snack and check out seven genres of music coming out of Sweden (even the indie pop, such as Jens Lekman's stuff). It plays in the cafe, or you can visit music stations to sit and listen through headphones, or sit in chairs that have speakers built in. A coffee and pastry will run you about $5. Free admission. Today and tomorrow, noon-5 p.m. (Note: If you can't make it, the event will return in the spring.) House of Sweden, 2900 K St. NW. 202-467-2600.

· Daniel V, how far you've come. Every time one of the "Project Runway" alums rolls through town, it seems all of Washington's beautiful people show up dressed in the edgiest things they own. But we're expecting that Daniel Vosovic's talk at the Corcoran next week won't be just another see-and-be-seen event, because the charming second-season runner-up is coming to talk about his new book -- which, refreshingly, is not just another makeover tome. The book, "Fashion Inside Out: Daniel V's Guide to How Style Happens From Inspiration to Runway and Beyond," is about making it as a designer, with all sorts of tips and advice for newbies. So grab your portfolios and put on your best creations but please, leave to someone else the questions about what to wear to the holiday party. $22; members, $18. 7 p.m. Monday. Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. NW. 202-639-1770 or get tickets at http://www.corcoran.org/calendar (select December on the pull-down menu).

· The Phillips Collection's next Phillips After 5, set for Thursday, is a collaboration with the Japanese Embassy, which means a couple of things. One: Sake. The cash bar will feature the Japanese rice wine in addition to the usual fare. Two: Furoshiki. Meaning: Guests can learn how to wrap presents for the holidays with colorful Japanese fabrics. You'll also be able to visit the galleries to see a show tracing Christo and Jeanne-Claude's next project: swathing the Arkansas River in Colorado in silver fabric, and see a documentary about the artists' 1991 installation of umbrellas in Japan and California. Admission is $12; seniors and students, $10; 18 and younger, free. 5--8:30 p.m. Thursday. 1600 21st St. NW. 202-387-2151.

Save the Date

ON STAGE: No Such Thing as Too Much of "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" Chicago's Neo-Futurists first performed in Washington during the 2007 Capital Fringe Festival and have since made the city a semi-regular stop. Next month will mark the troupe's third visit to Woolly Mammoth, where its signature show is again on the bill. The conceit is this: The frenetic and intensely physical troupe aims to finish 30 mini-plays (some so short, they're practically haiku) in just one hour. The result is as funny as a nightclub comedy act. "Too Much Light" is different this time around: Expect some holiday-themed material thrown in. $30 (opening night, Dec. 15, is pay-what-you-can; New Year's Eve tickets are $50). Dec. 15-Jan. 4. Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW. 202-393-3939.

CONCERT: National Symphony Orchestra with Itzhak Perlman The respected violinist returns to helm the NSO after conducting the season opener in September. This time, he performs J.S. Bach's Violin Concerto in A Minor and conducts the NSO in selections by Mozart and Tchaikovsky. $20-$80. Thursday at 7 p.m. and Friday at 1:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 2700 F St. NW. 202-467-4600.

The District

Today

FILM: Charlie Chaplin's "The Immigrant" Chaplin channels the Tramp in this 1917 silent film that tells the story of American immigration. The movie, which will be screened today at the National Gallery of Art as part of a double feature, follows the penniless Tramp as he makes his journey to New York by boat. After "The Immigrant," stay for "The Docks of New York," another silent, made in 1928 and starring George Bancroft and Betty Compson as a pair thrown together by fate; Bancroft plays a ship's stoker who saves a prostitute (played by Compson) when she attempts to commit suicide. The second film is shown with live accompaniment. Free. 4 p.m. National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

Tuesday

ON STAGE: Stella Together, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain created the cult TV sketch show "The State" and movie "Wet Hot American Summer." After a hiatus of a several years, the comedy trio, which goes by the name Stella, dons suits again to take the stage at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue next week. Tickets are $27.50 in advance, $29.50 the day of the show (but we've got a feeling this will sell out, so don't wait). Doors open at 7 p.m., show at 8. 600 I St. NW. Get tickets through the synagogue to save service charges (the box office re-opens Monday); call 202-408-3100. To get tickets through Ticketmaster, call 202-397-7328.

HOLIDAYS: "A Christmas Carol" May the holiday season begin: Ford's Theatre's annual production of the Charles Dickens classic (subtitled "A Ghost Story of Christmas") starts Tuesday. Ford's is under renovation till early next year, so you won't be able to see the show at the historic theater; for the second year, it will be at the nearby Lansburgh. $33-$65. 7:30 Tuesday; Wednesday and Thursday at noon and 7:30 p.m. Various times through Dec. 28. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW. 202-547-1122 or visit http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/harmancenter for tickets.

Maryland

Today

ON STAGE: "Peter Pan" Turned Upside Down Olney Theatre's latest production is J.M. Barrie's story of an ageless, impish boy who'd prefer never to grow up. This musical, however, ditches conventional ideas about the story's casting and has adults in the roles of children, and a young man, rather than a woman, in the role of Peter. $25-$48; younger than 18, $21-$25. Today at 2 and 8 p.m., tomorrow at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Various times through Jan. 4. Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd., Olney. 301-924-3400 or visit http://www.olneytheatre.org.

Tomorrow

THE HOLIDAYS: A One-Night Walk-Through of Gaithersburg's Winter Lights Every year, the 2.2-mile light display at Seneca Creek State Park has been a drive-through affair, but this year visitors have a chance -- just one -- to see the display on foot. The city will shut down the park to drivers tomorrow to let families see the displays from outside their cars. Registration is recommended; sign up online. $12; ages 3-12, $5; ages 2 and younger, free. 5-8 p.m. Park at 9 W. Watkins Mill Rd. to catch a free shuttle to the festival site (shuttle runs between 5:15 and 7:45 p.m.). The Winter Lights Festival, at Seneca Creek State Park, 11950 Clopper Rd., Gaithersburg, through Jan. 3. 301-258-6350 or http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/winterlights.

Northern Virginia

Today

HOLIDAYS: Bull Run's Festival of Lights It's a good thing gas prices have dropped: The big holiday light display in NoVa is an expansive drive-through showcase that's more than 2 1/2 miles long. This year, it includes lights themed for "The Wizard of Oz." Friday-Sunday admission is $20 for cars and vans with up to 14 people. Monday-Thursday admission is $15. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays; and Fridays, Saturdays and holidays 5:30-10 p.m. Bull Run Regional Park, 7700 Bull Run Dr., Centreville. 703-631-0550 or visit http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/brfestoflights.

Monday

EXHIBIT: "Skin: America in Black & White" Solomon T. Wondimu's new show, a thesis exhibition opening Monday at George Mason University's Fine Arts Gallery, features new-media pieces including digital prints, sculpture and video. Wondimu attracted some attention last year for a show at the McLean Project for the Arts in which he used the same technique: He photographs the skin of hundreds of people and uses their skin tones as the pigments for images exploring the subject of race. Free. The reception is from 6 to 8. The show is up through Dec. 11. George Mason University Center for the Arts, 4400 University Dr. 703-993-8888.