Celebrate Blackbyrds’ 50th Anniversary, view “Latin American Architecture in Circulation” exhibit at NGA, and more.
Happy New Year, DC!
We hope exploring the area’s cultural events is a part of your new year goals. If so, here’s some fun options to get you started.
10 Best Things to Do in DC
by Pat Padua
Museums
“Latin American Architecture in Circulation”
January 8–April 26
National Gallery of Art
The NGA’s library is overlooked by many visitors, but it’s worth investigating. This exhibit in the library atrium showcases early-20th-century books, maps, and photos documenting the early modern period of Latin American architecture (1450–1800). It’s an intriguing era during which temples from Mexico City to Guatemala blended Indigenous and colonial styles.
Theater
Love, Love, Love
January 10–February 18
Studio Theatre
This decades-spanning play, which opens in swinging-’60s London, follows a single couple as their relationship–and the world–changes over the next 44 years. Playwright Mike Bartlett is an elder millennial, and his work wryly observes the lives of these baby boomers.
Music
Noseda Conducts “The Ring Without Words”
January 11–13
Kennedy Center
Ever wonder what Richard Wagner’s Ringcycle would sound like sans Brünnhilde? Gianandrea Noseda (left) takes on Lorin Maazel’s “condensed” version, which captures the power of Wagner’s music independent of its narrative–and all of that singing.
Books
Filterworld by Kyle Chayka
January 16
Politics and Prose (Connecticut Avenue)
Remember when we got book and movie recommendations the old-fashioned way: via genuine word of mouth? For better and for worse, the 21st century has given us the almighty algorithm, which presumes to know what we want to consume. But does it? Chayka is a New Yorker staff writer who specializes in digital technology, and his new book examines how algorithms are transforming our culture. We recommend it.
Music
“Music and Satire”
January 19–21
Folger Theatre
The stately Folger Consort presents the biting satire of 16th-century iconoclast François Rabelais. This reverently irreverent program, featuring a contemporary standup comedian, showcases music that Rabelais mentions in his writings, including pieces by Josquin des Pres, Loyset Compère, and Pierre Sandrin.
Music
Blackbyrds 50th Anniversary
January 20
Howard Theatre
With hits like “Walking in Rhythm” and “Rock Creek Park,” the R&B group has been a part of DC’s musical fabric since 1973. This year, the band celebrates the anniversary of its formation at Howard University, with original members Keith Killgo and Joe Hall joined by younger musicians.
Museums
“Building Stories”
Opening January 21
National Building Museum
What better place for an immersive exhibit about the architecture featured in fairy tales and young-adult fiction than one of the most magical structures in Washington? The museum will feature hands-on activities, media installations, sketching, and reading, and also give children the chance to build stories of their own.
Music
Wednesday and Hotline TNT
January 23
9:30 Club
The North Carolina quintet Wednesday (above) merges rootsy vocals with an old-fashioned six-string crunch, while Brooklyn’s Hotline TNT looks back to 1990s shoegaze for inspiration. Both bands boast a guitar-heavy sound that’s become ever more of an anomaly in the digital age.
Books
Filibustered! by Senator Jeff Merkley
January 23
Politics and Prose (Connecticut Avenue)
Senator Jeff Merkley and his chief of staff and cowriter, Mike Zamore, add a new volume to the growing anti-filibuster library. At this appearance, expect them to discuss why the filibuster rule is so destructive as well as the history and future of political gridlock.
Theater
Broadway Center Stage: Tick, Tick . . . BOOM!
January 26–February 4
Kennedy Center
After the successful 2021 film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s pre-Rent musical, the show returns to the stage under the direction of actor Neil Patrick Harris (above). The semiautobiographical work tells the story of a budding composer struggling to make a name for himself in New York’s highly competitive theater scene. Will he make it to the big time?
Want More Things to Do?
by Briana Thomas
Art and culture:
- Refresh and meditate at a guided yoga session hosted by The Phillips Collection (every Wed, free, virtual).
- Ahead of Martin Luther King Day, sit in on a discussion with author Jonathan Eig about his new Dr. King biography (January 8, free, virtual, Smithsonian African American History and Culture Museum).
- View the paintings of two renowned artists in a single exhibition, “One-on-One: Ugo Rondinone / Louis Eilshemius” before it closes (through January 14, $20, Dupont).
- Watch a screening of the classic Japanese film Ikiru (January 10, free, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art).
- Artists Mariam Ghani and Erin Ellen Kelly stage a performance based on history and memory in Performed Places (January 11, free, Smithsonian American Art Museum).
- Browse new car makes and models at the Washington Auto Show (January 19-28, $20, Walter E. Washington Convention Center).
- Rapper and actor Common discusses his new book And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self with writer Clint Smith at Sixth & I (January 27, $12 for virtual, $42 for in-person ticket and book, Northwest DC)
- Watch giant trucks run over obstacles at Monster Jam (January 27-28, $22+, Capital One Arena).
Theater:
- Disney’s Frozen musical brings Elsa and Olaf to life on the Opera House stage (through January 21, $35+, Kennedy Center).
- See the regional premiere of the one-woman show How To Be A Korean Woman at Theater J (January 4-14, $5+ pay-what-you-can, Northwest DC).
- Theater performer Nova Y. Payton performs songs from Burt Bacharach’s musicals at Signature Theatre (January 16 through February 4, $45+, Arlington).
- Step into a world of illusions and imaginations at Arena Stage’s Mindplay (January 19 through March 3, $41+, Southwest DC).
- Get tickets to the National Theatre’s hopeful Broadway musical Annie (January 23-28, $44+, National Theatre).
- Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal depicts a family struggling to overcome mental illnesses at Round House Theatre (January 24 through February 25, $46+, Bethesda).
- Don’t miss Folger Theatre’s second iteration of the four-day Reading Room Festival (January 25-28, $35+, Southeast DC).
Shows and performance:
- Late Night show host and Emmy Award-winning comedian Seth Meyers has several sold-out stand-up shows at the Kennedy Center. You can find resale tickets on third-party sites (January 12-13, $39+, Kennedy Center).
- Get a live look at the popular celebrity dance show Dancing with the Stars (January 12, $220, National Harbor).
- Have an evening of laughter with comedians Roy Wood Jr. and Jordan Klepper (January 12, 14, $48+, Warner Theatre).
- And That’s Why We Drink podcast is chatting live in DC (January 13, $39+ Lincoln Theatre).
- Laugh out loud at comedy hub DC Improv with Tony Woods (January 14, $25+, Downtown).
- Not Another D&D Podcast is inviting fans of the talk show and game into their Dungeon Court (January 18, $64+, Warner Theatre).
- Actress Kym Whitley comes to DC for stand-up at The Comedy Loft (January 18-20, $30+, Northwest DC).
- Celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic 1989 Batman film with sounds from the movie played by a live orchestra (January 19, $45+, Warner Theatre).
- Funny actor and podcaster Andrew Schulz brings his tour to DAR Constitution Hall (January 19-20, $59+, Downtown).
- Fans of Sonic will geek out over this animated-themed symphony show (January 20, $180+, Warner Theatre).
- Broadway star Liz Callaway performs a musical tribute to Sondheim (January 20, $59+, Kennedy Center).
- If you’re looking for some clean comedy, actor Jim Gaffigan is coming to town for a live show at DAR Constitution Hall (January 25-28, $57+, Downtown).
- The magic of Shen Yun returns to the Kennedy Center (January 26 through February 4, $85+, Kennedy Center).
- Tickets are selling fast for Broadway star Audra McDonald‘s concert (January 30-31, $49+, Kennedy Center).
Music:
- R&B vocalist Charlie Wilson sings at MGM National Harbor (January 13, $183+, National Harbor).
- Major singers Jordin Sparks, Nolan Williams Jr., and Cécile McLorin Salvant headline a musical tribute to Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, free, virtual, Kennedy Center).
- The Del McCoury Band plays their legendary bluegrass music at Wolf Trap (January 16-21, $63+, Vienna).
- Who’s your favorite artist, Beyoncé or Taylor Swift? Dance at 9:30 Club until you decide (January 19, $20, Shaw).
- Listen to covers of Nina Simone at historic jazz venue Blues Alley (January 20-21, $40, Georgetown).
- Singer-songwriter Grace Potter rocks out at The Anthem (January 27, $50+, Wharf).
- Snag a resale ticket to Mayer Hawthorne’s sold-out show at The Atlantis (January 28, $149+, Shaw).
Things to do with kids:
- Kids can see a two-person version of stage play The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe at Adventure Theatre (closes January 7, $25, Glen Echo).
- The entire family can enjoy drumming performances and traditional lion dances at the Kennedy Center’s Lunar New Year Celebration (January 27, free, Kennedy Center).
A version of this article appears in the January 2023 issue of Washingtonian.
Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.
