Hello and welcome to our revamped arts newsletter! To Do Today is now To Do This Week, and this week you can do just about anything—from practicing experiments in sound meditation to exploring the deep dark of the oceans. You’ll also find some reviews you can use, and be sure to scroll all the way down to see the hot-selling tickets going on sale. —Kayla Randall
FRIDAY
The KillersBurt Lancaster began his entertainment career as a circus acrobat, but an injury forced him to look for less physically demanding work. So it’s perhaps apt that, in his 1946 screen debut, The Killers, he uses his commanding physique to play a broken man. Lancaster stars as a gas station attendant known as the Swede who’s murdered soon after we meet him. Read more>>> The films screen at 7:30 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $8–$15. (301) 495-6700. afi.com/silver. (Pat Padua)
Union Stage hosts Psycho Killers, a Talking Heads tribute group. 9 p.m. at 740 Water St. SW. $15–$25.
Author Jane Sherron De Hart speaks at Politics and Prose about Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life, her biography of the 107th Supreme Court justice. 7 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
Jersey Shore star DJ Pauly D performs at Echostage with DJ Ruckus. 9 p.m. at 2135 Queens Chapel Road NE. $25.
SATURDAY
Playing ChangesThe long shadow of New Orleans jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is everywhere in Playing Changes, jazz critic Nate Chinen’s analysis of the current state of the genre and its development. The iconic trumpeter and educator is an overt presence in the book’s first three chapters, which focus varying lenses on his strict-constructionist agenda and how it directly shaped every corner of the jazz world. Read more>>> Nate Chinen speaks at 7 p.m. at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. (202) 364-1919. politics-prose.com. (Michael J. West)
Anacostia Arts Center hosts a Flash of the Spirit Festival matinee in which a host of emerging and independent artists perform their music. 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 1231 Good Hope Road SE. $10.
U Street Music Hall presents Blackout, a dance party and musical celebration of pop star Britney Spears. 10 p.m. at 1115 U St. NW. $10.
English punk band The Damned performs at Black Cat. 8 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $28–$30.
SUNDAY
Lily AllenAfter a few years out of the spotlight, Lily Allen returned this year with a one-two punch of a new album, No Shame, and a memoir, My Thoughts Exactly. The English singer-songwriter has plenty to talk about—her children, the dissolution of her marriage, her substance abuse issues, a terrifying ordeal with a stalker—and both the album and the book are forums for the fearless audacity that put her on the map in the first place. Read more>>> Lily Allen performs at 8 p.m. at the Fillmore Silver Spring, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $35. (301) 960-9999. fillmoresilverspring.com. (Chris Kelly)
Brooklyn folk rock group Big Thief performs at 9:30 Club. 7 p.m. at 815 V St. NW. $20.
Solid State Books hosts an evening of poetry readings with poets Lindsay Bernal, GennaRose Nethercott, and Will Schutt. 6 p.m. at 600 H St. NE. Free.
The National Postal Museum continues its run of John Lennon: The Green Album, a collection of the Beatles member’s many stamps. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Free.
MONDAY
Mountain ManWith their quiet harmonies, Mountain Man invoke images of a stream barely burbling, a campfire’s coals gently glowing, and your favorite t-shirt. The trio of Amelia Meath (the voice of pop duo Sylvan Esso), Molly Erin Sarlé, and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, who became critical darlings after 2010’s Made The Harbor, have returned after eight years with another record, Magic Ship, of delicate and often a cappella Appalachian folk. Read more>>> Mountain Man perform at 7:30 p.m. at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. $25. (202) 408-3100. sixthandi.org. (Justin Weber)
The National Gallery of Art continues its run of Water, Wind, and Waves: Marine Paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, an exhibition of stunning Dutch marine art. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free.
Blues singer-songwriter Samantha Fish performs at The Birchmere. 7:30 p.m. at 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $25.
Wisconsin alt-rock band Garbage performs at The Lincoln Theatre. 8 p.m. at 1215 U St. NW. $55.
TUESDAY
Experiments in Sound MeditationHow often do you think about sound? Or, to put it differently: Have you ever thought about the way we perceive sound in a mindful way? The legendary experimental composer Pauline Oliveros changed the way we listen in more ways than you think. Read more>>> The event begins at 7 p.m. at Rhizome DC, 6950 Maple St. NW. $5–$10. rhizomedc.org. (Matt Cohen)
D.C. indie rock three-piece The Slang performs at DC9. 8 p.m. at 1940 9th St. NW. $10.
Cuban salsa band Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor performs at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. 6 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. Free.
Rosedale Library hosts a screening of thrilling 2017 hit Get Out. 6 p.m. at 1701 Gales St. NE. Free.
WEDNESDAY
Dorie GreenspanIf your latest Great British Bake Off binge has made you want to learn to bake, do yourself a favor and pick up a book by Dorie Greenspan. The photos of completed dishes will make you drool and her detailed instructions are pretty much foolproof, so long as you remember to take the pan out of the oven. Read more>>> Dorie Greenspan speaks at 7 p.m. at Politics and Prose at Union Market, 1270 5th St. NE. Free. (202) 544-4452. politics-prose.com. (Caroline Jones)
Author Daniel Mason talks about his new novel The Winter Soldier, about the everlasting personal ramifications of war, at Kramerbooks & Afterwords. 6:30 p.m. at 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
The National Museum of African Art opens Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women, a new exhibition examining the production, display, and circulation of gold in Senegal. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 950 Independence Ave. SW. Free.
The Fillmore Silver Spring presents Seattle indie rock band Minus The Bear on their farewell tour. 8 p.m. at 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $25.
THURSDAY
Exploring Ocean WorldsThe deepest parts of our ocean world contain some of the most awe-inspiring insights that our planet has to offer. Thanks to extensive research conducted by acclaimed scientists and researchers, we are now able to take a glimpse into the possible oceans of other planets. Read more>>> The talk begins at 7:30 p.m. at Gilbert H. Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW. $25. (202) 857-7700. nationalgeographic.org/dc. (Malika T. Benton)
Iconic Australian rock ensemble Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds performs at The Anthem. 8 p.m. at 901 Wharf St. SW. $60–$100.
The co-founders of Betches Media talk about their book When’s Happy Hour?, a hilarious and honest look at what it takes to be successful at work, at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 7 p.m. at 600 I St. NW. $15–$42.
Electronic music project Big Data performs at Songbyrd Music House. 7:30 p.m. at 2477 18th St. NW. $18–$20.
REVIEWS YOU CAN USE
Film: Melissa McCarthy debuts a stellar dramatic performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Theater: The Fall celebrates the power of students.
Theater: Synetic Theater gets spooky in a movement-rich Sleepy Hollow.
OFFICE OF FUTURE PLANNING
Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. for comedian Iliza Shlesinger, performing at the Warner Theatre on Jan. 11, 2019. 7 p.m. at 513 13th St. NW. $37.50–$45.
Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. for legendary R&B singer Charlie Wilson, performing at The Theater at MGM National Harbor on Dec. 19. 8 p.m. at 101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill. $72.28–$122.73.
Tickets go on sale Saturday at 12 p.m. for rapper Jay Electronica, performing at the Howard Theatre on Nov. 24. 9 p.m. at 620 T St. NW. $35–$59.99.
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