The DC Traveler

Enjoy a wonderful Chanukah celebration of the diversity of today’s Jewish music by Washington, DC artists. Tomorrow night, at Strathmore in North Bethesda, musicians from around the DC area are staging a live version of the Strathmore Music Center-produced CD, A Chanukah Feast.
From klezmer bands to hip hop, hard rock and honky tonk; this should be a concert for the whole family to enjoy.  It’s a unique collection of some of the best of the annual Jewish holiday celebration songs.
With classics (and not so classics), like O Khanuke, O Khanuke, (I have a little) Dreydl, Honky Tonk Hanukkah and …read more

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We all know the Lewis Carroll novel, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, and the young girl who follows the White Rabbit down his rabbit hole and discovers another world.
Enjoy as Alice partakes in a race where everyone wins, a mad tea party, stolen tarts and her dream-filled escape to a strange land of amazing creatures, including the Madd Hatter, King and Queen of Hearts and the grinning Cheshire Cat.
The World Premiere of Alice, at Round House Theatre in suburban Bethesda, blends the childlike fantasy with a wildly imaginative theatrical experience that should delight both children and adults alike. 
Alice
Round House …read more

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The children’s musical, Miss Nelson is Missing, is based on the children’s book by Harry Allard and James Marshall (The Stupids, George and Martha series). 
In a play perfect for children ages 4 and up, Imagination Stage brings back this musical comedy about the “worst behaved class in whole school” – the fifth graders of Room 207 at Horace B. Smedley Elementary School.
The unruly and spitball shooting students are so bad, even during story time, that their behavior drives their beloved and sweet Miss Nelson away. The next day, the appearance of the dreaded and not-so-sweet substitute, Miss Viola Swamp, …read more

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A couple years ago, I laughed my butt off at the off-Broadway play, Jewtopia.  It’s the story of Chris, a nice Gentile guy who decides he wants to meet and marry a nice Jewish girl, but to do so, he needs to pass himself off as being Jewish.  Between looking for a possible mate at the Jewish singles mixer at the local synagogue and posting a profile on a Jewish singles dating site, he meets up with Adam, a shy and inexperienced Jewish former neighbor who agrees to keep Chris’s secret. 
In return, Adam has been dating non-Jewish girls, but his …read more

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For close to 60 years, pianist and composer, Burt Bacharach, has been a power in pop music. And he’s performing at Strathmore next Sunday.
The first hit he co-wrote was the country hit “The Story of My Life” sung by Marty Robbins in 1957.
His most productive hit maker was Dionne Warwick, who had 22 Top-40 hits written by Bacharach. Other singers and bands also had success turning his songs into top hits and many, into American standards. The Shirelles, The Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, Tom Jones, Luther Vandross and Seal, along with many other singers all scored big with his …read more

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Especially for the under-12 crowd, Imagination Bethesda brings youngsters together for a “just for kids” street fair.
Roving costumed entertainers, dozens of activities and hands-on crafts, dance troupes, plus music and theatrical performances make this a special afternoon…just for kids.
Children can watch a 10-foot tall stilt walker, grab an animal balloon from one of the balloon artists, or have their face painted.
Last year, kid’s activities included:

puppet, mask and bookmark making booths
canvas bag, picture frame, cookie and tile decorating stations
tours of Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad vehicles
radio station music, games and prizes
bicycle safety instruction
yoga for kids

This year, the …read more

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We all know teenagers can be cruel to each other. Self doubt, the need for group acceptance, the desire to be popular, to lead or quietly blend into the background, all play a role in the maturing process on the road to self-awareness.
In William Golding’s classic 1954 tale of human nature and the lust for power and control, Lord of the Flies, a group of British school boys become stranded on a deserted island, with no adults to help or manage them. 
In the book, the reason the boys, most from different London prep schools were all on the …read more

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I had walked by the Califorina-influenced winebar/restaurant Grapeseed in Bethesda many times over the years.  As one of DC’s highly rated restaurants, I recently decided to have dinner there.
It’s billed as a sophisticated California wine bar and bistro, but I must say, I did not get a very comfortable feeling when I entered the restaurant and looked over the wine bar. It seemed a bit too casual, colorless and cold. Definitely not what I would call hip California casual.  Based on its reputation as a DC favorite (in the “expensive” category), I had incorrectly assumed that patrons would be …read more

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Suburban Bethesda, MD, especially around the Woodmont Triangle boasts some great restaurants, including Black’s, Grape Seed, Centro, Persimmon, and David Craig Bethesda, plus a favorite of mine, Mon Ami Gabi, not because the food is fantastic, but their melt-in-your-mouth Steak Bordelaise with mounds of caramelized onions in a red wine sauce is pretty yummy, but because it reminds me of several places I used to hang out with in Chicago with good friends. 
At the Taste of Bethesda, you can sample food from the menus of 50 Bethesda restaurants and enjoy five stages of live music from 11:00 until 3:00 p.m.  Sadly, none …read more

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