Theater and Dance

THEATER

All the Great Books

• A compact compendium of the world’s greatest books. 7:30 p.m. Monday-Sunday, 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. June 10-Aug. 1. Reduced Shakespeare Company at the Kennedy Center, Terrace Theater, F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. $36-$41. 202/467-4600.

An American Daughter

• A political comedy about a woman’s potential nomination for surgeon general and the controversy that surrounds it. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Through June 1. Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. $35-$53. 202/488-3300.

The Anastasia Trials in the Court of the Women

• An audience-interactive play that explores the still-debated life of the last czar of Russia. 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday. Through June 7. Venus Theatre Company at District of Columbia Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. $12-$15. 202/462-7833.

Bea’s Niece

• An exploration of the mind of a female novelist. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through June 8. MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria. $25. 703/218-6500.

Beauty and the Beast

• The Broadway smash hit version of Disney’s movie. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 6:30 p.m. Sunday, matinees vary. Through June 7. National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. $35-$75. Tickets, 800/447-7400. Information, 202/628-6161.

Blazing Red/Rojo Carmin

• A comedy about marriage and man and woman. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday. June 5-28. Teatro de Luna at Gunston Arts Center, Theatre II, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington. $20-$25. 703/548-3092.

Buried Child

• A journey into the disintegration of the American dream. 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. No performance Wednesdays. Through June 14. In repertory with “A Lie of the Mind.” The Keegan Theatre at Clark Street Playhouse, 601 S. Clark St., Arlington. $25. 703/527-6000, Ext. 2.

A Class Act

• A musical autobiography of Edward Kleban. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday; 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Through June 22. The Studio Theatre, 14th and P streets NW. $25-$44.25. 202/332-3300.

Come Fly(e) with Me!

• Songs, sketches and cabaret performances celebrating the month of May. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 4 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Through June 1. Interact Theatre Company at Arena Stage Old Vat Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. $30-$35. 703/760-9863.

Count Basil

• World premiere of a tragedy about what happens when sensual desire intertwines with political strategy. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, 3 p.m. Saturday. June 5-29. Horizons Theatre at Theater on the Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington. $12-$22. 703/243-8550.

Don’t Sing No Blues for Me

• An abandoned boy discovers both is past and future when he travels to a small town in North Carolina that he has never visited to attend the funeral of a mother he never knew. June 5-8. Howard University, Ira Aldridge Theatre, 2455 Sixth St. NW. $22.50-$27.50. 301/808-6958.

Flying Lessons

• Charts a cycle of reactions to September 11 from a woman’s viewpoint. 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sunday with occasional additional performances. Through June 8. George Washington Masonic National Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria. $20. 703/739-9338.

Follies

• The story of aging chorines who return to their glory days for a hindsight glimpse of roads not taken. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through June 1. Signature Theatre, 3806 S. Four Mile Run, Arlington. $40. 703/820-9771.

Ghosts

• Duty to society’s expectations and a father’s sin haunt a family. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. June 3-July 27. The Shakespeare Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW. $16-$66. 202/547-1122.

Hamlet

• The Shakespeare Free for All. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. May 29-June 8. The Shakespeare Theatre at Carter Barron Amphitheater, 16th street and Colorado avenue, NW. Free. 202/547-1122.

If You Had Three Husbands

• Semi-autobiographical story by Gertrude Stein adapted for the stage. 9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday. June 5-29. The Stanislavsky Theater Studio, 1742 Church St. NW. $15-$25. 202/265-3748.

Kenneth, What is the Frequency?

• Based upon the 1986 attack on Dan Rather and December 2001 article in “Harper’s Magazine.” 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday. June 6-July 26. Cherry Red Productions at the Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. $15. 202/298-9077.

Lackawanna Blues

• The variety of misfit characters that inhabit Nanny’s boarding house never stop talking about themselves, but ultimately the story they tell is a picture of a woman at the center of her community. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. June 6-22. The Studio Theatre, 14th and P streets NW. $30.25-$44.25. 202/332-3300

A Lie of the Mind

• An exploration of the destinies of two families linked by marriage but set apart by violence, jealousy and distrust. 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. No performance Wednesdays. Through June 15. In repertory with “Buried Child.” The Keegan Theatre at Clark Street Playhouse, 601 S. Clark St., Arlington. $25. 703/527-6000, ext. 2.

The Mad Dancers

• A man from 19th-century Poland gets transplanted to 21st-century San Francisco. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday; 8 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Through June 1. Theater J at the Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater, DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. $21-$34. 800/494-TIXS.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail

• Ponders the cost of ideological and intellectual rigidity. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday. Through June 14. Catalyst Theater Company at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. $10-$25. 800/494-TIXS.

Pippin

• The Tony Award-winning musical. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Saturday, Sunday; 7:30 p.m. selected Sundays and Tuesdays. Through June 22. Round House Theatre, Corner of East West Highway and Waverly Street, Bethesda. $29-$37. 240/644-1100.

Private Lives

• A divorced couple reignite the flames of passion when they happen to be honeymooning with their new spouses in adjoining rooms. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sunday; 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Through June 29. Olney Theatre, 2001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd., Olney. $25-$30. 301/924-3400.

The Rainmaker

• A charismatic out-of-towner promises to bring rain to a drought-filled town and love to a plain girl’s heart. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sunday; 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Through June 15. The Pearlstone Theater at CenterStage, 700 N. Calvert St., Baltimore. $10-$50. 410/332-0033.

1776

• A humorous and musical retelling of the country’s founding. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; noon Wednesday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Through June 8. Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. $29-$45. 703/218-6500 or 202/347-4833.

Shear Madness

• 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. $32. 202/467-4600.

Thief River

• Explores the effects of choices on the lifelong and largely unexpressed love between two men from a Minnesota farming community. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Through June 7. Theater Alliance at the H Street Playhouse, 1365 H St. NE. $20. 800/494-8497.

Underneath the Lintel

• A librarian in the throes of a midlife crisis embarks on a quest to discover how and why a certain book came to be returned 113 years overdue. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Saturday, Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sunday. Through June 8. Round House Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $27-$36. 240/644-1100.

Valentine’s Day

• The area premiere of the “heart” of Foote’s “Orphan’s Home Cycle.” 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. May 30-June 29. The Quotidian Theatre Company at The Writer’s Center Auditorium, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda. $13-$15. 301/816-1023.

What Ever Happened to Black Love

• Ernest Thomas, Bern Nadette Stanis and Terri J. Vaughan star in this play about the condition of the black family. 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Monday and Saturday. May 29. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. $25-$32. 202/432-SEAT.

White Biting Dog

• A disenchanted lawyer gets a message from a talking dog and embarks on a journey to help his father. 8 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday. Through June 5. Project Y Theatre Company at Source Theatre Company, 1835 14th St. NW. $15-$20. 202/462-1073.

STAGE

Bethesda United Methodist Church

8300 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. 301/424-8296.

• “Viva Espana!” Coral Cantigas. 7:30 p.m. May 31. $12-$18.

District of Columbia Arts Center

2438 18th St. NW. 202/462-7833.

• “Fire & Ash.” Adriane Shawn Harjo. 7:30 p.m. May 29, 30. $8-$10.

• Queering Sound 03: Re:united. 3 p.m. May 31, June 1. $4-$5.

Kensington Town Hall

3710 Mitchell St., Kensington. 301/891-1129.

• “Myth America.” Carol Birch. 8 p.m. May 31. $9-$12.

Lincoln Theatre

1215 U St. NW. 202/265-7337.

• Jim Hightower. 8 p.m. June 12. $20-$50.

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202/432-SEAT.

• The Capitol Steps, musical and political satire troupe. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday. $31.50.

The Stage Door Restaurant and Bar

1324 King St., Alexandria. 703/798-1064.

• Under the Beltway Improvisational Comedy. 8:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday. $9.

Warehouse Next Door

1017 7th St. NW. 202/526-4417.

• “Heaven Between our Teeth.” Monologues, music and poetry. 8 p.m. May 30, 31, 4 p.m. June 1. $5-$10.

Warner Theatre

13th and E streets NW. 202/432-SEAT. For information, 202/628-1818.

• Margaret Cho. 7:30 p.m. May 31, June 1; 10:30 p.m. May 31. $29.50-$45.

Wolf Trap: Filene Center

1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Information, 703/938-2404. Tickets, 703/218-6500.

• “A Prairie Home Companion.” Garrison Keillor. 5:45 p.m. May 31. Ticket scale E.

DINNER THEATER

Annie

• An orphan searching for her parents finds love and family with an adoptive father. Through Aug. 23. The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick, Md. $34-$36. 301/662-6600.

Fiddler on the Roof

• A Jewish dairyman attempts to preserve his family’s traditions in the face of a changing world in 1905 Russia. 8:15 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sunday; 7:15 p.m. Sunday. Through June 29. Toby’s Dinner Theatre, 5900 Symphony Woods Road, Columbia, Md. $22.50-$41. 410/730-8311.

One Life to Lose

• Blair Mansion Mysteries. 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; some Thursday and Sunday shows. Continues indefinitely. Blair Mansion Inn Restaurant, 7711 Eastern Ave., Silver Spring. $39.95. 301/588-6646.

The Pirates of Penzance

• Classic by Gilbert and Sullivan. 6 p.m. Monday-Sunday; noon Wednesday, Sunday. Through June 29. West End Dinner Theatre, 4615 Duke St., Alexandria. $33-$39. 703/370-2500.

Murder Mystery Players

• Diamond Bessie’s Revenge. May 31, June 14, 28, July 12, 26 and Aug. 9, 23 at Dave & Busters, 11301 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. $32.95. 301/230-5151.

Murder Upon Request

• The interactive comedy-mystery group performs different plays at two locations: “A Deadly Private Party” at Alfio’s Restaurant, 4515 Willard Ave., Chevy Chase, and “Just Killing Time” at the Arlington Hilton, 950 N. Stafford St., Arlington. 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday. $55. Both run indefinitely. 703/379-8108.

LOCAL THEATER

Arsenic and Old Lace

• What happens when the elderberry wine served by two elderly sisters starts killing people. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. June 6-28. The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria. $12-$15. 703/683-0496.

The Curious Savage

• A wealthy and kind widow suddenly decides to gratify all the whims she has suppressed throughout her life. 7:30 p.m. May 30; 1 and 7:30 p.m. May 31. St. Francis Xavier Bailey Room, 2815 O St. SE. $8-$12. www.serenityplayers.org.

Wit

• A professor diagnosed with ovarian cancer must come to terms with life and death. 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Through June 1. Fell’s Point Corner Theatre, 251 South Ann St., Baltimore. $11-$12. 410/276-7837.

DANCE

Dance Place

3225 Eighth St. NE. 202/269-1600.

• “Roots, Ritual & Rhythm.” Dance Africa DC, 2003. June 2-June 8. Showtimes vary.

Thomas Jefferson Theater

125 S. Old Glebe Road, Arlington.

• Sneak preview of Dance Festival of India, 2003. 4 p.m. May 31. $5-$10.

Kennedy Center

F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. 202/467-4600.

• “Cinderella.” The Washington Ballet. Eisenhower Theater. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday. May 28-June 1. $45-$75.

University of Maryland, College Park

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University Boulevard and Adelphi Road. 301/405-7847.

• “Company Night Out.” Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. 7:30 p.m. May 31, 3 p.m. June 1. $5-$15.

Wolf Trap: Filene Center

1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Information, 703/938-2404. Tickets, 703/218-6500.

• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. 8:30 p.m. June 10. Ticket Scale B.

SOCIAL DANCING

Adelphi Mill Recreation Center

8402 Riggs Road, Adelphi. 301/699-1477.

• Square Roots square-dance teaching club presents a series of dancing lessons. 8 p.m. Monday. $32.

Avalon Studio

15 Mellor Ave., Catonsville, Md. 410/869-9771.

• Swing dancing second and fourth Saturday. Beginners’ workshop 8 p.m.-9 p.m., dancing 9 p.m.-midnight. $10.

• Swing dancing 8:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Thursday. $5.

• Yoga, hip-hop, tap, jazz classes available. Call for times. $60-$100.

• Beginning-to-advanced swing dance classes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday in six-week series. $70-$75.

Chevy Chase Ballroom

Swing dance class led by Tom and Debra. 5207 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 8:30 p.m.-midnight (unless otherwise noted) May 30. $12. 202/363-8344.

• Blue Sky Five. May 30.

Dance Factory

954 N. Monroe St., Arlington. 703/528-9770.

• Beginning-advanced ballroom, Latin and swing classes. Monday-Thursday, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Four weeks. $49.

• Ballroom, Latin, swing combo dances. 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday. $9-$10; admission includes lesson.

• Contemporary ballroom dances and practice parties 9 p.m.-midnight Saturday. $9-$10.

• Social ballroom dancing. One hour lesson, 6:30 p.m. $2. 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. dance. Sunday. $9.

Dance Studio Lioudmila

18 Roth St., Alexandria. 703/751-8868.

• Tea Dance. 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday. $7.

• Dance party featuring ballroom, swing, Latin music. 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday. $10.

Friday Night Swing Dance Club

Several locations. Free refreshments. No smoking; no alcohol; no partners necessary. Dance workshops at 8 p.m. 410/583-7337. $12 admission; $10 for members.

Glen Echo Park

Bumper Car Pavilion, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Md.

• American dance. 7:30-8:30 p.m. free contra lesson; 8:30-11:30 p.m. May 30. $6. www.fnd.folkdancer.com.

• Swing dance. 8-9 p.m. workshop, 9-midnight dance. May 31. $10. www.wsdc.org.

• Contra dance. 7:30-10:30 p.m. June 1, 8. $8. www.fsgw.org.

• Traditional American dancing. 7:30-8:30 p.m. free contra lesson; 8:30-11:30 p.m. dance. June 6. $6. www.fndfolkdancer.com.

• Swing dance with the Double Scotch Band. 8-9 p.m. beginners’ workshop, 9 p.m.-midnight dance. June 7. $10. www.wsdc.org.

Hollywood Ballroom

2126 Industrial Parkway, Silver Spring. 301/622-5494.

• Singles dance party. 8 p.m. lesson; 9 p.m. dance. Friday. $10-$15.

• Social ballroom dancing. 8 p.m. Wednesday; 9 p.m. Saturday. $10-$15.

• Contemporary ballroom dancing. 7 p.m. lesson; 8 p.m. dance. Sunday. $10-$15.

• Walt Wagner Dance Band. Free professional dance lesson 8 p.m.; dance 9 p.m. June 7. $15.

Irish ceili and set dancing

• Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann: Ceili 8 p.m. second Saturday (September-June). John C. Wood Center, 3730 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax. Bogwanderers Ceili Band. $6-$12. 703/521-4340.

• Greater Washington Ceili Club: Ceili 5 p.m.-9 p.m. last Sunday of month (September-June). Cherry Hill Park Conference Center, 9800 Cherry Hill Road (north of I-495), College Park, Md. $12 adults, $8 seniors and students, $5 ages 11-15, $30 family maximum. Band members vary. 301/294-3568.

Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia

8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax. 703/982-0937.

• Israeli dancing with Ethan Halpern. 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday. $4-$6.

National Institutes of Health

Fitness Center, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda. 301/942-2831.

• Scottish country dances. Instruction for beginners and social dancing at 8 p.m. every Monday. $3.

Piedmont Hawthorne Executive Hangar

Leesburg Executive Airport, 1005 Sycolin Road, Leesburg. 703/431-2288.

• 1940s Charity Hangar Dance with the Radio King Orchestra. 6-11 p.m. May 31. $20-$25.

The Shark Club

4915 Elmo St., Bethesda. 301/718-4030.

• Swing dance with Tommy Barrick and Friends. Swing lesson during band break. 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. every Tuesday. $7 singles, $10 couples.