Theater

THEATER

The Devil in His Own Words

n Seeking the essence of the devil through the ages. 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Through Aug 26. Taffety Punk Theatre Company at Flashpoint Mead Theatre Lab, 916 G Street NW. $10. 202/261-6612.

Fiona and Friends at the Carwash

n Part of the Heartfriends Musical series. 7 p.m. Friday, 3 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Venus Theatre Company, 21 C St., Laurel. $12-$15. Through Aug. 26. 301/470-2406.

My Children! My Africa!

n Athol Fugard’s tale of friendship between two teenagers, one black and one white, in apartheid-torn South Africa. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday. For additional performances, call for times. Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. 202/232-7267.

Ah, Wilderness!

n A teenage boy learns about life in Eugene O’Neill’s only comedy. American Century Theater at Gunston Theater II, 2700 South Lang St., Arlington. $23-$38. Sept. 7-Oct. 6. 703/553-8782.

The Hothouse

n Harold Pinter’s dark comedy takes place in a mental institution on Christmas Eve. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Through Sept. 9. Longacre Lea Productions, Catholic University’s Callan Theatre, 3801 Harewood Road NE. $12-$18. 202/460-2188.

Lazarus Syndrome

n A lonely man is made to feel alive again through the love of his family. 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Aug. 16-Sept. 9. Theater Alliance, 1365 H Street, NE. $30. 202/396-0050.

Mrs. Farnsworth

n A.R. Gurney’s comedic play about a wealthy woman who tells a college writing class about her days with a man at the highest level of government. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Aug. 22-Sept. 23. Rep Stage at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. $17-$25. 410/772-4940.

Love Letters

n Their correspondence traces the relationship between a free-spirited but unstable artist and a staid, dutiful lawyer in A.R. Gurney’s play. 8 p.m. Aug. 24, 25. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. $28-$56. 202/547-1122.

Private Lives

n Obsessive love and passion plague two couples on twin honeymoons in the Washington Shakespeare Company’s production of the Noel Coward classic. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Through Sept. 23. Playbill Backroom, 1409 14th Street NW. $35. 202/265-3055.

Reefer Madness: The Musical

n The classic parody of the 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film of the same name. 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through Aug. 19. Studio Theatre 2ndStage. 1501 14th St. NW. $35. 202/332-3300.

Shear Madness

n The long-running whodunit comedy continues indefinitely. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday, 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Kennedy Center Theater Lab, F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. $34. 202/467-4600.

Songs for a New World

n Two soldiers in Iraq and their families on the home front grapple with life’s harsh realities in this Open Circle Theatre production. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through Aug. 26. Round House Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $15-$35. 240/683-8934.

33 Variations

n An examination of Beethoven’s life and creative process as he obsessively composes the “Diabelli Variations.” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Aug. 24-Sept. 30. Arena Stage Kreeger Theatre, 1101 Sixth St. SW. $51-$66. 202/554-9066.

365 Days/365 Plays Festival

n Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ tour de force, a play for each day of the year, presented by different arts organizations in weekly cycles of seven plays each. Performances by Longacre Lea Productions at Catholic University through Aug. 26 and by Run of the Mill Theater at Morgan State University Aug. 27-Sept. 2. Free. For information see studiotheatre.org/365.

Three Sistahs

n The blues musical set in the 1960s showcases the lives of three “sistahs” as they revel in their past and present and look forward to their future. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through Sept. 9. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. $35-$38. 800/494-8497.

The Unmentionables

n American do-gooders stir up tension and trouble in an isolated African village in Bruce Norris’ satire. Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. Aug. 27-Sept. 23. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St. NW. First week previews $24-$51, regular run $35-$57. 202/289-2443.

West Side Story

n The Bernstein-Sondheim classic. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Aug. 28-Sept. 2. Wolf Trap Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. $18-$68. 877/965-3872.

STAGE

The Capitol Steps

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202/397-SEAT.

n The musical and political satire troupe. 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $31.50.

Comedy Sportz D.C.

Ballston Common Mall, Old Vic Arena, 4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703/294-LAFF

n Teams of comedians battle each other in competitive improvisational comedy sketches. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday. $8-$12.