“The U.S. and Russia were fighting over Argentina,” explained one audience member at Olney Theatre’s production of Evita, “and the Soviets had Che Guevara overthrow Juan Perón.” Anyone who sees Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical about Eva Perón can be forgiven for any confusion they may leave with, given the liberties he took with some details about Argentina’s sainted former first lady, starting with the fact that Eva and Che never met. Olney’s production is toned down compared to the 1996 screen adaptation starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, but it retains Webber’s back-to-back musical numbers, and it’s packed with Freudian, Madonna-whore complex stuff as we follow Eva’s rise from tawdry origins to a beloved champion of the poor and Christian Dior. Read more >>>The musical runs June 23 to July 31 at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney. $23–$80. (301) 924-3400. olneytheatre.org. (Mike Paarlberg)
EAT THIS
3 Stars Brewing is obsessed with all things #madeindc. See for yourself at the brewery’s 4th Annual Artists & Artisans Summer Jam on Sunday. At the DJ-fueled event, they’ll pour some rare brews while you shop at local vendor booths, plus expect food from Dirty South Deli, Sloppy Mama’s BBQ, Dolci Gelati, and others. The event runs from 2 to 7 p.m. and tickets cost $20, which includes a goblet and your first beer. 3 Stars Brewing Company, 6400 Chillum Pl. NW. (202) 670-0333. 3starsbrewing.com. (Laura Hayes)
OH AND ALSO
Friday: Sufjan Stevens brings his energetic live show to Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, where he performs with Northern Virginia-bred rock band Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. 8 p.m. at 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. $35–$65.
Friday: Synth pop artist Young Summer (also known as Bobbie Allen) takes the stage at U Street Music Hall with opening acts Indiginis and The Galaxy Electric. 7 p.m. at 1115 U St. NW. $15.
Friday: 99: A Rock Opera, a musical set during the Occupy movement about a man who’s forced to confront his relationships and question his work as a government official, opens at the Silver Spring Black Box Theater. 7 p.m. at 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $15.
Saturday: The traditional version of Stravinsky’s The Firebird uses a standard-issue Russian fairy tale ingredient list: a prince, a princess, a bird with magic feathers, and an evil sorcerer. Janni Younge’s reimagining is still a story propelled by dualities, but the focus has shifted from a generic good-versus-evil to a battle between creation and destruction, while puppeteers and contemporary African dancers replace the original ballerinas. Its concluding message isn’t quite the fairy tale happily ever after, but it speaks to the potential of transformation. Read more >>> The performance begins at 8:15 p.m. at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. $20–$65. (703) 255-1900. wolftrap.org. (Emily Walz)
Saturday: Clarinda, Iowa, population 5,000, is about a five-hour drive from the site of the cornfield where the movie Field of Dreams was filmed. But for D.C.-based journalist Mike Tackett, the heart and soul of baseball resides to the southwest through flat farmland, in Clarinda. That’s where Merl Eberly coached summer-league collegiate ball for five decades, developing scores of major leaguers, most notably Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. Tackett, currently an editor for the New York Times, didn’t learn about Eberly from a journalistic assignment; rather, it was because his son ended up playing ball in Clarinda. Read more >>> Michael Tackett reads at 3:30 p.m. at Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. (202) 364-1919. politics-prose.com. (Louis Jacobson)
Saturday: Spread out your picnic blanket and settle in for a night of folk rock at Merriweather Post Pavilion with music from Brandi Carlile, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Dawes. 6:30 p.m. at 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. $45–$75.
Sunday: Love is wonderful. Love is pain. Love is happiness. Love is suffering. Love is loss. That’s, in essence, the emotional panorama explored in Love, the brooding new album from Portland, Oregon, duo Muscle and Marrow. It follows Kira Clark and Keith McGraw’s wonderfully dense and doom-y debut album, The Human Cry—one of 2014’s most striking records. The gloom isn’t gone on Love, but amplified, as Clark and McGraw give into their goth and industrial musical tendencies while continuing to investigate heavy themes. Read more >>> Muscle and Marrow performs with Marissa Nadler and Wrekmeister Harmonies at 8 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $13–$15. (202) 483-5000. dcnine.com. (Matt Cohen)
Sunday: Cut footloose at the Birchmere when rock duo The Bacon Brothers (Kevin and Michael) close out their weekend-long stand. 7:30 p.m. at 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $45.
Sunday: Rapper Joey Bada$$closes out the weekend with a performance at the Howard Theatre featuring Kirk Knight, CJ Fly, and Jay IDK. 9 p.m. 620 T St. NW. $29.50–$69.50.