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What's cool in DC (and what's coming up this week)

7/30/2014

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This week I have been flying solo. It's weird having my lovely wife out of town. On the one hand, I can feel free to go to whatever cool-sounding (or riskily-probable-that-it-will-not-be-cool-sounding) happening around town. But on the other hand, (a) she is better at booking things than me and doesn't find herself standing at the door of a sold out show as I did twice this week, and (b) it is more fun when there's a ready made entertainment companion ready to jump to attention. 

All of this to explain how I ended up at some slightly offbeat experiences. The first of which was a Mystics game. I learned that Mystics was a women's basketball team, that there is a 'Night OUT' series of sporting events descended upon by gay people (the next one is soccer in September), and despite a lack of enthusiasm for sports, found myself purchasing something called 'tater tots' and taking my seat in the Verizon Center. Now, I avoid going to sporting events when I can... so my comparisons between US and UK sport are not statistically valid, being based on one game in living memory. But I will note that in Britain, people seem quite focused on the game. In the US, people seem more conducive to chatting, and are more focused on getting shown dancing on the big screen. Which frankly is preferable for me! I didn't dance, but I waved my tater tots... Afterwards, after me declining an unpleasant 7th Street sports bar, we went to City Taphouse. For a slightly sporty style bar, I rather liked the ambience and the array of craft beers. The people having their flatbreads seemed happy too. And there were plenty of seats. I'd return here. 

The next morning I walked down to the Corcoran and indulged in a free art class. I can't believe this is the first time I've gone: really worth checking out if you like pottering around with art. There were about 30 people, mostly adults. We were given a range of different exercises, including drawing with string, left-handed drawing, thinking about the story behind a picture in the Gallery, and negative space drawing. I have to say: I had a lot of fun. This was an impressive informal free class. The next is on the 9th August. Though I still say that for paid informal art classes, CHAW is hard to beat! On Monday we made a plaster cast of our faces and next week we turn it into a wax cast. I find this prospect exciting. 

Being famous for my chocolate enthusiasm, my brother had months ago bought me a chocolate tasting walking tour for two people for my  birthday, but I'd never got round to booking it. I was impressed to see the level of Yelp enthusiasm for this tour, so I decided today was the day, commandeered a friend, and together we embarked on the U Street tour (they also have Dupont and Georgetown but I felt more than familiar with the chocolate options in these two places!). We met at Cocova on Saturday afternoon and I was impressed - already a chocolate shop I'd never encountered! And it was a lovely one. The tour was quite enjoyable. We ambled from Cocova (where we heard how chocolate is made in the little back room, and sampled different types - delicious), to Pleasant Pops (where we ate an intriguingly spicy chocolate pop). Then we swung up to Meridian Hill Park for a bit of history (this tour is supposed to be of the area, but this was the main bit of non-chocolate info, and I found it surprisingly informative, given I know the area fairly well). Then we veered down to Cake Love in U Street for an unremarkable cupcake, to the lovely new home of the Wydown coffee bar for chocolate chip cookies and a drink (they tried to persuade me they were better than Blind Dog cookies: impossible), to Ted's Bulletin for chocolate pop tarts (urgh), along side streets for some more history chat, to  Hans Pedr Kaffee for some in-house chocolate (looked impressive; tasted mediocre), then the final stop was to be Tamarindo for enchiladas with chocolate sauce but the tour guide mistimed it so we ended up back at Cocova, selecting a final tasty chocolate. For those reviewers who said they were so full they couldn't eat dinner, I say: amateurs! Not only did I eat a bar of chocolate before the tour, I ate everything on the tour and was absolutely ready for dinner (this perhaps says nothing good about me...). SO was the tour worth it? I think yes. Everything we ate and drank was included, which was quite generous. The tour guide Bonnie was very pleasant, and all the establishments we met were very friendly as we were with her. The bits of history were enjoyable. This is a good way to see a local area if you're a tourist - but everyone on my tour was local, and we were all surprised by some of the places we went! Essentially, a cheery, quirky way to spend an afternoon, and learn a few new facts and sights about our city. And much more fun than going round these venues alone. Look out for bargains on Yelp and Groupon!

I went on the community paddleboard on Friday at 7am again. Very nice. Nothing much to report; mostly just mentioned it to brag. But I also went out on Sunday on a kayak and have to say, I love paddleboarding so much that I forgot how lovely kayaking also is. And around 6-7pm is such a lovely time for it. 

And I went to two Capital Fringe shows. The Program Assistant was the best show I saw at the Fringe (except ours of course), though I managed to miss every show that won a prize: oops. But hooray: Fringe was great fun. I'm so sad it's moving east next year - H Street is clearly the place to be. 


What sounds cool in the coming week


I know, I know: summer is bad for cool DC stuff. But we'll manage... In particular, you should get tickets for Stupid F**king Bird at Woolly Mammoth - everyone's going nuts on social media about how awesome it is. And it won loads of Helen Hayes awards. I have my ticket. It's on til August 17th but will likely sell out. There's also an improv festival called Binge with shows through to August 9th.

Wed 30th July - Cocktails and do-gooding at once at Chefs Behind Bars. Or get to that free outdoor screening of Sense and Sensibility at Dumbarton House that we missed last year thanks to the rain! Or go hear SpeakeasyDC students' stories for free. 

Thu 31st July - If you liked the sound of the Big Maze but were put off by the prospect of wading through a kindergarten of screaming, racing children, it's open 5-9pm tonight. Or else embrace your inner miniskirt with an outdoor screening of Clueless at Heurich House 

Fri 1st Aug - It's the weekend, so why not celebrate with another outdoor movie, this time, aptly, Nine to Five in Rosslyn?

Fri 1st - Sun 3rd Aug - It's the city's Outwrite LGBT book festival. Small but sweet, check it out. The full schedule is here. I'm planning to go to 'Quick and Dirty' on Saturday at noon. They will also have lots of used books for sale. I love a book sale!

Sat 2nd Aug - Check out the Appetite Festival at Strathmore - not cheap, but it sounds cool anyway. Or go buy random stuff at the Studio Theatre's annual garage sale, 10am-4pm.

Sun 3rd Aug - It's the last night of Carrie the Musical at Studio Theatre. You should probably go see it.


If anything else cool crosses my radar, I'll add it. Have a great week!


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What's new in DC (and what's coming up this week)

7/23/2014

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We had such a fun time doing Perfect Liars Club at the Capital Fringe Festival. As well as the delight of doing our four shows, all different, all sold out, and all hilarious, it's been lovely being in the Fringe ambience - hanging out at the beer tent with other arty types (or DC pseudo-arty types), going to see all sorts of diverse shows, and recreating my youth at the Edinburgh Festival on a tiny but cool scale. They asked us to do more shows, but too many of us were unavailable so no more shows til September! But the festival's on for another week, so go enjoy some other shows this week!

As you know, I'm not reviewing Fringe shows out of solidarity and angst... but I'll tell you what else I've been up to this week.

I checked out the first in the Dumbarton House Jane Austen outdoor movie festival series, Emma, and it was really lovely. Everyone sits on the grass behind Dumbarton House, and the setting is idyllic. Plus you can buy wine and popcorn. A charming evening. And free. Sense and Sensibility's tomorrow... If you're more of an indoor cinema kinda person, I also really recommend Boyhood, which I saw at Landmark E Street Cinema. This is a subtle, beautifully rendered examination of a young boy's life as he grows up - shot over 12 years! The fun of watching the family age is sufficient novelty to attract to this film, but it was also very enjoyable.

I also went to Carrie The Musical at the Studio Theatre. I may be the only person in the world who hasn't seen Carrie the horror film (due to excessive levels of fear) but I accidentally won tickets, so commandeered a stoic friend into holding my hand at the scary bits. In fact the musical is not really scary. But it is excellent. This tale of an unpopular girl oppressed by school bullies and her overprotective, religious mother, til she cracks did not seem at first glance conducive to the musical genre. But the songs are great, the energy fizzes, the performances are delicate and intimate and well realized and haunting and powerful, and the story is compelling. This is absolutely worth seeing. It's on til 3rd August. 

I was feeling quite impressed with Carrie til I went to the Shakespeare Theatre last night to see a National Theatre Live production from London, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. I loved the National Theatre when I lived in London, and it is an absolute treat that they are recording some of their best plays and streaming them to theatres around the world. If you want to see what I consider to be absolute top class theatre: script, performances, staging, the works, go see this show. It is on once more, on Thursday, and you'd be mad not to go if you love theatre. It surpasses anything I've seen this year.

We went to a science-themed comedy night at Bier Baron, A Scientist Walks Into A Bar, and while the comedy was of course variable in quality, Adam Ruben was hilarious - and nice to get some intelligent comedy. Feels like this could evolve into something like the UK's Bright Club. Alas I think it was just a one-off for now... The Bier Baron is a great venue - I especially liked their strawberries and nutella dish. I'm going to pretend I didn't lick the plate...

After living in DC for ages, walking in Rock Creek Park between Georgetown and the zoo, and cycling down Beach Drive, we always loved Rock Creek Park, but we knew there was more to it. And this weekend we found it. We took an Uber up to Boundary Bridge, from which point two different trails (Valley Trail and Western Ridge Trail), each around 5 miles long, start, veering down either side of the park, down to the zoo. We chose Western Ridge as a random website said it was Rock Creek Park's hidden gem. And it was rather lovely. Entirely surrounded by trees, and with a nice, demarcated dirt track, we ambled up hill and down dale and across an occasional stream, past the park visitor center, across a few roads interrupting the trail, and had a really nice walk. We veered off at the zoo to Adams Morgan, for a tasty reward lunch at Tryst. 

We also went on a super-paddleboard, further up the Potomac than we've gone before, since the weather was so lovely this weekend. On the riverbanks there were deer. In the water there were turtles. I felt far from Washington. Though I was probably in reality only about a mile from the boathouse! Tip: take water. I nearly got sunstroke and had to beg some from a friendly family on a boat tethered in our path! 

And we went to the Big Maze at the Building Museum. As an enthusiast of their annual summer minigolf, I was interested to see this summer's interactive offering: the Big Maze, especially as I love mazes. It costs $17 to get in, as part of the museum's general admission, and alas, is not really worth it in my opinion. It's made of a sort of plywood, like walking around something made in Ikea. It has a few dead ends, but the whole thing is easily solvable in under 5 minutes. (you can go in as many times as you want - we went twice). But what moves the maze experience from dull to unpleasant is the massive flow of shrieking, running children who tear through the maze, screaming at you to get out of the way as they attempt to solve the maze at high speed. Which might sound charming, but if you're a grown up trying to enjoy the experience, don't hold out too much hope. It's like being in a children's playground. Which is maybe what it's designed for... The only thing that was nice was looking up from within the maze, at new perspectives on the lovely architecture of the building museum. If you plan to visit the big maze, and don't plan to have ten squealing, running children in tow, they have some late night openings which I very much recommend as the way to enjoy the maze.

What cool stuff is happening this week

It's the last week of Capital Fringe Festival, so go see cool stuff! And also Carrie at Studio Theatre. Especially as there's not loads of other compelling one-off activities this week. But here's a few, and I'll add more if they cross my radar:

Wed 23rd - It's Sense and Sensibility at Dumbarton House's Jane Austen outdoor movie screening tonight, free but with wine and popcorn for purchase.

Thu 24th - You'd  be crazy not to get tickets for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time if you're interested in world class theatre - they're only $20 and there are currently tickets left. But if not, the city's self-billed largest underground art show, Pancakes and Booze, is happening, with over 50 emerging artists, body painting, and an all-you-can-eat pancake bar. It's at Penn Social. 

Fri 25th and Sat 26th - learn about space stuff with fancy pictures and top experts... to the sounds of funky jazz? Yes, that does sound both cool and a bit mad. I don't have a full vision of what this event is, but it is quite possibly quite awesome: Life Out There: A Space Journey with the House Band of the Universe - and word on the street is if you log on to the Smithsonian Associates website (which you have to do to buy tix anyway), and use the promo code 205703, you reduce the cost from $42 to a delightful $25.

Tue 29th - Intrigued by the sound of Little Salon, in a house in Pleasant Plains. It seems to be a sort of art/literature/music salon. Could potentially be very cool indeed. BYOB. 
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What's new in DC (and what's coming up)

7/16/2014

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It's been a giddy whirl of Capital Fringe fun this week. We had two sold out shows, with our first ever reviews - and you're officially right to love us, dear reader: the reviews were great! Furthermore, I am officially 'delightful'. Hooray! And we're having a lovely time doing shows, hanging out at the Fringe bar, including the preview night and opening night party, and going to see lots of other people's shows. There are just a handful of tickets left for our final Perfect Liars Club Fringe shows, on Satuday at 10pm (I will need a disco nap!) and Sunday at 7:15. Get tickets here.


I'm finding it hard to review Fringe shows for you, because I now know all too well the cruel stab in the heart from receiving even the tiniest criticism of your beloved Fringe show. Plus I actually know quite a few people in some of the shows I have seen so far. So since I entirely lack perspective, I will restrain myself from actual reviews, and just tell you to check out DC Metro Theater Arts for some ratings to help you choose!


Luckily I've also been doing other fun stuff, which I can review with emotional impunity. I found myself at a Washington Improv Theatre show at the Source Theatre on Saturday night. They're having their own festival of sorts, called Binge. And the two groups we saw were truly excellent (King Bee, and Dummy). I haven't laughed so hard at improv since a glorious Austin event that I stumbled into... But as you know, I find improv is often performed for the amusement of the performers and their friends, rather than for the entertainment of an objective  audience, and I was impressed that the scenes produced by both these groups were genuinely impressive. Shall perhaps investigate more improv.


I also finally ventured to the delightful National Portrait Gallery to see three art shows I've been planning to see for ages, but never quite managing. I was particularly delighted by Face Value, an exhibition of portraiture in the age of abstraction. It looks at that transition period where traditional portraiture that is intended to look like a photograph is ditched in favor of exciting new abstract methods. There are some really nice pieces and the whole thing feels quite exciting and dynamic. One of the best exhibitions I've seen for ages. In the same building but different museum, I was interested but less enchanted by Ralph Fasanella's post-war, socialist-style detailed paintings; I preferred the Modern American Realism exhibit. All three are worth a visit. 


In terms of food, you may recall that I went to Flight Wine Bar on its opening week, and was disappointed by the inattentive service and the fact that every time I decided on some menu item, the waitress told me they didn't have it. I've been reading lots of positive reviews about it, and I really wanted to like it. So I decided I'd been mean, being so judgmental on opening week, and returned on Saturday to give Flight a second chance. It turned out my first impressions stand. Whenever I asked for a particular wine from their menu, they told me they didn't have it. Their bread basket is still an unjustifiable $7. And while the food is good, it doesn't dazzle. But most of all, the service remains inexplicably inattentive. Despite the good reviews I've seen, the customers are speaking with their feet: it was pretty empty on Saturday night.


I did, however, very much enjoy Dangerously Delicious Pies, while waiting to go to a Fringe show at the Atlas (always a bit of a trek, especially on a bicycle!). Simple, not fancy, but some of the most delicious pies I've had! I enjoyed the tofu curry and strawberry and rhubarb pies. And a hefty mimosa. Don't judge me... 


And another random shout out for FroZenYo on 7th between G and H. I don't normally get excited about chain frozen yoghurt shops... and if I did, I'd usually be secretly swooning at Pinkberry, but while waiting for Perfect Liars Club, we popped into FroZenYo to grab a yoghurt and found they'd laid out lots of board games, and the tables were full of people playing Jenga and Connect 4. This just seemed such an unlikely neighborhood hangout. I was rather delighted. (And won) 


Only one film this week, Begin Again, which is about musicians, and their romantic relationships, in New York. A common theme currently, but quite enjoyable.


What cool things are coming up


Wed 16th July - You could take advantage of the cooler weather today to go see the Austen movie Emma, screened in the pretty environs of Dumbarton House's lawn. Doors at 7:30 for non-members, and it's free. Or if you're feeling 'trashy', go to the Story League storytelling night at Busboys and Poeat - doors at 8:30, show at 9!


Thu 17th July - The Encyclopedia Show is a hard-to-explain fun local variety show where they enact encyclopedia entries - tonight's is 'corruption'. Or if you're feeling arty, head to Brookland, try out Smith Public Trust for their edamame hummus, and go to the Monroe St Arts Walk. 


Fri 18 July - Hmmm I'd decided not to go to the Smithsonian's Garden of Wonders, then it sold out, and I had regrets. They do have some  tickets on the door though... But I'll probably be over at the Bier Baron's science-themed comedy night, This Scientist Walks Into A Bar, which is free and sounds rather fun!


Sat 19th July - Obviously the event of the evening is Perfect Liars Club at 10pm. Though I'm also hearing talk of a crazy Weird Science fundraising party. If that's your thing.


Sun 20th July - The final Perfect Liars Club is at 7:15pm. Or if you're looking for an excuse to visit the Anacostia Arts Centre, maybe it's Yelp's 10th birthday party...


Mon 21st July - Screen on the Green is back. While it's charming to go to neighborhood outdoor screens, the spectacle of a movie on the National Mall needs to be experienced at least once. It's Karate Kid tonight. 

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What's cool in DC (and what's coming up)

7/8/2014

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This week has been a whirl of rehearsals: our Capital Fringe Perfect Liars Club shows are on 10th, 13th, 19th and 20th July, so make sure you get your tickets asap! Every night is going to be different - so our last few days have been spent rehearsing 16 different stories! Plus there will be prizes, and they are really good prizes, from tickets to most of the best theatres and story events in DC, to trapeze classes. We have commissioned a very cool theme song. And it's all going to be fantastic. Did we mention we're donating profits from our ticket sales to Miriam's Kitchen? So do come!

Otherwise it's been a busy week. I went to Capital City Showcase's free comedy night at the Brixton where they 'roast' a chosen topic... in this case, the Brixton itself. Mockery soon turned to the original Brixton, in London, UK. And when it became clear that few of the comedians had done their homework on my hometown, I took to Twitter to jokily voice my discontent at the mischaracterization of my fair city. One thing led to another and I was made to put my money where my mouth was. Or rather put my impromptu first ever comedy performance where my Tweets were... What fun!

Just one theatre trip this week - to Sideshow at the Kennedy Center. I didn't quite know what to expect from this musical about conjoined twins... but it was actually charming and excellent. Lovely performances. Nice songs. Engaging plot. Great look and ambience. I shed a tear. One of the nicest new musicals I've seen in a while. I recommend going to see it if you like this sort of thing - plus we got cheap tickets on the Goldstar app.

This week was a cinema extravaganza. Starting with a trip to the Angelika Pop-Up cinema behind Union Market (in the same building as Dolcezza ice cream factory and coffeeshop... just saying...). My goodness, the Angelika Pop-Up cinema is an absolute delight! It's just what you want in an art house cinema. Fab decor with big vintage movie posters on black walls. Delightfully hipster array of delicious snack items and beverages. Excellent popcorn. Three screens. And a proper, attractive, comfortable and cool bar area where you can hang out with said pretentious snack items and beverages and read fashion books. I love it. The only real flaw that it's so far from my house. After some delicious Korean tacos at Union Market, we headed over to see Snowpiercer. I hasten to add that the movie itself was not the main driver: we wanted to see the cinema. But after ten minutes of abject terror during which this horrifying movie about a dystopian future filled us with nightmares, we ran out and the very sweet staff let us switch to see Chef instead. Which as you know, we'd already seen, but its charming cheeriness acted as a much-needed wuss balm to the trauma we'd just experienced at Snowpiercer. Also this weekend we saw They Came Together at the the West End Cinema, a charming and entertaining pastiche on the romantic comedy genre. Personally, I feel they could have taken the knowing mockery a bit further, but it was enjoyable. And finally, we rounded off the weekend with Jersey Boys at the AMC in Georgetown, which, though a bit long, provided a rollicking good time - I left with a grin on my face.

But July 4th weekend was, as promised, about getting out of town, and we managed three day trips. First, we went hiking in Prince William Forest Park. For some reason, despite this being a mere 45 minute drive from central DC, I'd never even heard of it, til it was mentioned by the Washingtonian. It doesn't have big views but the scenery and hike itself were both some of my favorites in the whole area. Heartily recommended! Then we drove to Fort Royal for our first US tubing adventure. The scenery was lovely as we floated down the Shennandoah River, along with about a thousand drunk but courteous college students. I would have liked some more rapids, but in general, what a lovely day. And we didn't even get too sunburned. Finally, we went to Harpers Ferry, and after a little lunch in the quaint town, we drove up to the Visitors Centre and did the Murphy Farm hike - our first hike with cannons and other civil war items. Interesting and fun. Frankly, after that weekend, I'm exhausted!

We watched the fireworks from a friend's roof in Columbia Heights, which is the best spot I've found so far for the fireworks: lots of different official and unofficial displays to be enjoyed from every angle. And the opportunity to try Maple on 11th Street - I really enjoyed their gnocchi, and their fennel salad, though the tonic they used in their G&T was less delicious. It's embarrassing and just a bit weird how my lovely wife and I have become tonic snobs in this country!

So all in all, an excellent week.

What's coming up this week

It's all about the Capital Fringe Festival this week, ladies and gentlemen!

Perfect Liars Club is on the 10th, 13th, 19th and 20th July, so make sure you get your tickets here. We've already been selected as a pick this week by the Washingtonian, District Insider, and Bisnow, and are hoping it's going to be a smash hit!

But you should absorb the whole Fringe experience. Tonight there is a free Fringe preview party at the Baldacchino Tent Bar,607 New York Avenue NW: essentially the buzzy, arty, atmospheric epicentre of Fringey fun. With prosecco on tap. There will be very short exerpts of 20 different Fringe shows, plus live music. It'll be a great way to get in the Fringe mood. We'll be there from 7:30. And on Thursday there will be an opening night party for the Fringe in the same location. We're all planning to head there right after our show (it's a 5-minute walk from our venue, the Goethe Institut), and we'll be there around 8. Perfect Liars Club and an opening night party: what could be a better way to kick off the Fringe.

There are loads of cool-looking shows at Capital Fringe. Check out the full program. We'll be seeing shows and writing picks and reviews etc throughout the next two weeks, so watch this space!

Tuesday 8th July: It's both the Fringe preview night AND SpeakeasyDC has a story night with a theme of happy accidents - take your pick or squeeze in both! They're just a mile apart, and the preview party goes on til the wee hours.

Wednesday 9th July: why not go to Dumbarton House for their Jane Austen free outdoor film festival. first up is Emma, around 8:30pm.



Thursday 10th July: Make sure you're at the opening night of Perfect Liars Club at 6:30, then onwards to the Fringe opening night party. The perfect start to the Fringe Festival.

Friday 11th July: SpeakeasyDC are doing a storytelling/improv mashup at Source Theatre.

Sunday 13th July: At 10:30am you can take part in or cheer on A Day at the Races - a Brompton (British folding bicycle) derby, complete with tweed and suchlike acoutrements. Then at 6:30pm come to Perfect Liars Club for a completely different, completely awesome show.
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What's cool in DC this week (and what's coming up)

7/1/2014

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REVIEWS: Smith Public Trust, Speakeasy DC's Story Showdown, Buyer and Cellar at the Shakespeare Theatre, Grounded at the Studio Theatre, Cloak and Dagger at the Signature Theatre (and the cycle to get there), Mix at the Museum, Key Bridge Boathouse 7am Community Paddle and the Pride party at the White House. Phew, a busy week!


We've been busy rehearsing our suspects for their stories in our Capital Fringe Festival edition of Perfect Liars Club (get your tickets soon - they're selling fast!), but in a fit of storytelling gluttony this weekend, we also went to Speakeasy DC's Story Showdown at the Dance Place in Brookland. First, can I comment that the last time I went to Dance Place, Brookland felt like a bit of a wasteland. This weekend the area was bustling with cool new businesses. We went to the soft opening of Smith Public Trust - a new hipster haunt with exposed brick, craft beers and cool food choices aplenty. I was very impressed with their food - their nachos were delicious, their matchstick fries a treat, their arugula salad tasty, but the star of the show for me was the edamame hummus plate. Delightful. And then to the Dance Place for the storytelling event I've enjoyed most my entire time in DC. Turning storytelling into a The Price Is Right gameshow format looked like it was a huge amount of work, but it was inspired, hilarious, and very engaging. At one point I got to be a contestant, and was very smug to win a Ken Barbie doll by proving my memory skills on the details of a story I'd just heard. All I want to do now is go to more story nights with special themes!


But it's not all storytelling. Thanks to the gloriously cheap tickets offered by the Goldstar app, we ended up at the theatre no less than three times last week! First up was Buyer and Cellar at the Shakespeare Theatre. Since the run is finished now, I won't dwell on it, except to say that this one man storytelling-type show about an imagined experience of a gay actor employed to work in Barbara Streisand's fake shopping mall in her basement delivered an excellent performance, some laughs, some poignant moments, and a quiet feeling that someone should have edited about 30 minutes out of the script. 


Next up was Grounded at the Studio Theatre, which happily has been extended til July 6th so you still have a chance to see it. A one-woman show about the impact of drone warfare on the soldiers who have been transferred from the battlefield to an office where they wage war by remote control and go home to their families in the evenings. It isn't the show to go to if you're hoping for something heartwarming and upbeat... but the performance is powerful, the script is excellent, and the themes are thoughtful. Definitely worth checking it out. I was intrigued because I'm always complaining about unconvincing British accents... but this play features a British actress doing an American accent, which sounded fine to me. I'd love to know if Americans think she pulled it off convincingly?


Finally, after a beautiful 9 mile cycle along the Mount Vernon Trail and Four Mile Run, made a tad less beautiful by the sunstroke I acquired while doing it (sorry, Busboys and Poets in Shirlington, for my dizzy, hysterical wail for water when I arrived!), we went to the Signature Theatre. We had never been before, but so many of the Helen Hayes award-winning shows came from there that we decided we had to check it out. I can't imagine Cloak and Dagger will be winning one of these awards next year, but I thought it was quite good. It's a musical whodunnit set in New York, a sort of combination of 50s film noir, pantomime, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The performances were strong, and there were lots of funny and charming bits. If you fancy that, it's on til 6th July too. Signature Theatre is not public-transport-friendly, perhaps, but other than the blazing sun, I can't fault the lovely cycle, and a matinee, combined with a Busboys and Poets brunch practically next door: makes for a pleasing day out.


On Friday we enjoyed one of the 'mix at the museum' events put on by the Smithsonian Association. It was themed around the Natural History Museum's DNA exhibition, and they'd made a good effort, with lots of scientists on hand to do various demonstrations of gene-related fun. Though I was quite bitter at the exhibit where you drank lemon juice, then took a pill, then the lemon juice tasted sweet. That was all very well, but I had a delicious 'gene and tonic' cocktail I was looking forward to afterwards, and the side effect of the pill was to render it quite unpleasant! They also had a guy telling gene-related stories from a book he'd published, but sadly right next to the area where the scientists were loudly doing their demonstrations - so nobody could hear anything. While it was definitely not as cool as their Postal Museum event in the winter, we had fun - it's definitely worth checking out these events.


What is a summer weekend without paddleboarding? On Friday we got up early and tried out Key Bridge Boathouse's 7am community paddle. It's a lovely idea - for the price of paddleboard rental (or free if you have a season pass), the boathouse staff take everyone out on a friendly pre-work paddle up the Potomac. It was a delightful start to the day, not too hot yet, and a really nice experience. Plus they let you try their fancy racing paddleboards... Though during the paddle, we heard tell of a secret waterfall. So on Sunday we hopped onto the paddleboards by ourselves and went on an expedition to find it. And aha - we found TWO waterfalls we'd never seen before. One is not-so-secret: look  under the bridge opposite the rocks known as the three sisters... but the other is a little further up, on the Virginia side of the river. Good luck, explorers!


And leaving the most glamorous for last, yesterday evening, my lovely wife and I went to a party at the White House. With the Obamas. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, last night we were part of the gay glitterati. As we entered the house itself, what greeted us? Sure, a big Harvey Milk stamp thing. Sure, a cool military band playing swing-type music. Okay, so there were views out one side to Lafayette Square, and down to the Washington Monument on the other side, from behind the famous white columns. There was Californian sparkling wine in rainbow bottles. And great, Obama did a lovely speech about LGBT rights. But ladies and gentlemen, there was... a cake buffet. You know how I feel about a cake buffet. And in the White House too. What a delight. 


What sounds cool in Washington in the coming week


Pah, July 4th week is never the best week for cool things to do. But we'll manage:


Tuesday 1st July - not sure if it'll be too meta/in-joke-ish, but the fabulous Capital City Showcase Roast comedy show is doing a Roast of its own venue, The Brixton, tonight. 


Wednesday 2nd July - watch Clueless at NoMA Summer Screen since the Woodrow WIlson House vintage games night is all sold out - but get on their website on 3rd July to buy tickets for next month!


Thursday 3rd July - celebrate America at the Phillips Collection After 5 event. Or if you're feeling patriotic but saucy, the W Hotel has a Strip the District burlesque show... And if you're feeling like something not 4th July related, there's an 8x8 show with comedy, storytelling and music - you need to RSVP here to get in.


Friday 4th July - For an air conditioned daytime activity, the Big Maze at the Building Museum opens today. For later, The District Insider lists the best places to watch the fireworks. 


Over the weekend? I can't currently find anything cool. I'm going out of town! But if anything comes up in the interim, I'll add it here.
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    What is this blog?

    Every Friday, Perfect Liars Club MC Layla laboriously curates a list of all the coolest English-accessible things happening in Tokyo for the next week for your delight and entertainment. If you live in Tokyo and like attending great events, you had better sign up.

    How to suggest an event to be included

    Tweet @perfectliarstky or email Layla with details and a link.

    What sort of events does this listings guide include?

    ​Recommendations are biased towards things Layla personally enjoys, like theatre, cinema, sciencey talks, book things, storytelling, comedy, art and random quirky activities.

    Come to my event, Layla!

    You can email Layla to invite her to something cool.

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