SYNETIC THEATER is unique in Washington — or, indeed, anywhere. Its willingness to reinvent the classics through an amalgam of dance and theater is unmatched, and they've been very successful with stories everyone knows, like "Hamlet" and "Frankenstein."
But the best (and first) Synetic show I ever saw was "Host and Guest," a retelling of a Georgian legend about war, humanity, and the importance of hospitality to strangers. And it's back! Man, are you lucky they're revived it. Otherwise this just would have been me going on and on about this great show that was over and that you'd never have a chance to experience, but now everything's gonna be fine.
»Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 N. Kent St., Arlington; 8 p.m. Thurs-Sat., 2 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 9, $15-$40; 703-824-8060. (Rosslyn)
Photo by Raymond Gniewek
THIS ONE MIGHT be rained out, folks, but just in case the weather guys have it wrong (as usual), we'll let you know about it anyway. Gateway Park will be the setting for the 18th Annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival this Saturday — a great way to get outside, relax and enjoy the dwindling days of summer (unless there's a tropical storm hanging around, that is).
If the show does go on, you can expect performances from Holly Cole, Frederic Yonnet, Lafayette Gilchrist and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Do your best sun dance, grab your lawn chair and enjoy the music.
» Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Hwy., Arlington; Sat., Sept. 6, 12:30-7 p.m., free; 703-228-1850. (Rosslyn)
Photo by Gerald Martineau for the Washington Post
IT'S GETTING COLDER, as I'm sure you've noticed. Yes, yes, hallelujah, we know. Summer in D.C. sucks. However, this weekend is supposed to be gorgeous, so spend it outside listening to music at the Planet Arlington World Music Festival.
Personally, I'm looking forward to Celtic band Solas and Lebanese singer Talia Saleh, but there are acts for every taste as long as you're not expecting to hear Americana.
» Netherlands Carillon, Arlington Boulevard and Meade Street, Arlington; Sat., Aug. 30, 4 p.m., free; 703-228-1850. (Rosslyn)
Photo courtesy Planetarlington.com
UNFORTUNATELY FOR Pierce Brosnan, the ascent of Daniel Craig has rendered him the third-best James Bond.
And there are no bronze medals in this business, folks.
Still, Brosnan did his time as the tuxedo-ed killing machine, and he did it well. Finish up one of the myriad summer Bond festival with Friday's screening of "Die Another Day."
» Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Hwy., Arlington; Fri., Aug. 22, 8 p.m., free; 703-522-6638. (Rosslyn)
Photo courtesy MGM
THERE'S NO SIGN OUTSIDE Ray's Hell-Burger. And no advertisements that I've seen. And no French fries on the menu. So judging by the crowd gathered outside the place when I wandered past, it's clear that Ray must have one hell of a hamburger.
There's nothing fancy about this spin off of Ray's the Steaks. It's burgers, plain and simple. Well, sort of.
You can get a classic 10-oz. burger for just under $7 sans cheese, although there are variations like burger au poivre for the adventurous. Since the meat Ray's uses is so high-grade, I decided to stick to a simple Muenster cheese on my burger, but brie and Chimay (only $4 extra!) cheeses are just a few options.
I noticed many burgers came out with bacon, just in case you needed extra meat products on your ginormous meal. They'll cook the burger any way you like, but the recommended temperature is pink-going-on-red, which is slightly rarer than what I normally shoot for at home. That being said, the burger had an excellent texture and my friend and I scarfed down our patties with delight.
BEFORE MTV — in fact, before music videos, before Madonna even — there was the Scopitone. Scopitone players look like video jukeboxes, or maybe robots in a hypothetical Pixar movie.
You can take a look at this forgotten craze — including a glitzy Broadway version of "If I Had a Hammer" — during Arlington's Arts Al Fresco on Friday. Or you could dig up your backyard in search of a time capsule, but that's so messy.
» Lubber Run Amphitheatre, 200 N. Columbus St, Arlington; Friday, 8:30 p.m., free; 703-228-1850. (Rosslyn)
WHO IS THIS bowler-hatted little tramp? No, not Charlie Chaplin! You lose! In fact, it is Larry Semon, a lost genius of the silent era.
But he not entirely forgotten: the folks behind Slapsticon 2008, the annual silent comedy festival, are featuring his film "The Barnyard" this Saturday at 8 p.m., along with the intriguingly titled "Ladies Night in a Turkish Bath." These guys didn't need words. They had faces. They also had falling down in puddles and running away from bears in a comical fashion.
» Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 N. Kent Street, Arlington; Sat., 8 p.m., $30 for a full-day registration, which includes several films; 703-228-1850. (Rosslyn)
Photo courtesy Slapsticon
THE FOLKS over at Slapsticon 2008 are trying to showcase the lesser-known talents of the silent screen. Meaning they offer no Chaplin. However, one of the most famous silent comedians is represented — Buster Keaton.
His face is made of stone and his legs are made of rubber. Catch two of his movies (and though they're silent, they're unbelievably funny) at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
» Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 N. Kent Street, Arlington; Sat., 2 p.m., $30 for a full-day registration, which includes several films; 703-228-1850. (Rosslyn)
Photo courtesy AFI
THERE WAS A TIME — say, around 6:45 p.m. or so last night — when I thought I might never leave the Rosslyn Metrorail station.
I thought I had found a clever way to avoid dealing with the aftermath of the Metro derailment that snarled traffic on the Orange Line for the evening. After my workday came to an end, instead of using the Court House station as I typically do, I hoofed it to the Rosslyn station to catch the Blue Line. Problem solved, right?
Wrong. Although plenty of fellow Orange Liners seemed to have the same idea — the sidewalks on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington were more crowded than usual — I realized when I made it down into the belly of Rosslyn that single-tracking on the Orange Line meant that Vienna-bound trains were using the upper level of the station instead of the lower level as usual. Which meant that my bullet Blue Line train had to cool its heels — in record heat, of course — at Arlington Cemetery while discombobulated Orange Line trains cycled through the station.
I was bored. So like any nerdy reporter, I whipped out my notebook. Here's how the trip went down:
» 6:15 p.m.: Left the office.
» 6:37 p.m.: Made it to Rosslyn's upper platform a sweaty mess. The place is packed, but nowhere near as crowded as the lower platform.
» 6:42 p.m.: The first train arrives: An Orange Liner bound for Vienna. It's not terribly crowded.
» 6:44 p.m.: A Blue Line train to Franconia-Springfield chugs up to the lower platform. It's a mob scene, with passengers packing through every open door.
Continue Reading "Derailment Makes for a Hot, Slow Ride on Metro" »
WHILE THE IDEA to re-route some rush-hour Blue Line trains between the Franconia-Springfield station and the District via the Yellow Line has been stewing in recent years, Metro officials will formally propose such a service pattern at this week's board meeting.
The goal of the re-routing?
To relieve the bottleneck at Rosslyn, where trains on the packed Orange Line merge with those on the Blue Line before heading into their shared tunnel into the District.
As The Post's Get There blog reports today:
While the transit authority staff points out in a report to the board that ridership is growing more quickly at the stations on the eastern side of downtown, this proposal is almost certain to be controversial among riders. The concept has been discussed before as a way of creating more room in the Rosslyn tunnel. It factors into planning for the Metrorail line to Dulles, which would send even more trains through the tunnel.Don't expect the proposal to go into effect in the immediate future. Although the plan will be presented to Metro's Customer Services, Operations and Safety Committee, there won't be a formal board recommendation until June.
» "Blue Line Diversion Proposed" [Get There/WaPo]
» EARLIER: "An Inevitable Metro Marriage: Blue and Yellow?" [Free Ride/Express]
Image courtesy WMATA
Addison Road