The election is practically around the corner, and with that comes... a timely opportunity for many local companies to delve into the world of political theater, it seems. What are we talking about? Well, RepStage is producing the politically-charged Intelligence (Oct. 8), Arena has the one-man show Citizen Josh (Oct. 9), Forum's Drunk Enough To Say I Love You? deals with U.S. foreign policy (Oct. 11), Journeymen's As America As has a homeland security theme (Oct. 22) and Theater J's Honey Brown Eyes takes us back to Bosnia (Oct. 22). Whew!

What else is up? Solas Nua opens up its season with Take Me Away (Oct. 2), an IT-focused comedy. And the folks over at Landless Theater Company are convinced that President Hardy Is A Rock Star.

Also this month

• The Kennedy Center's Broadway: Three Generations samples from Girl Crazy, Bye Bye Birdie and Side Show (Oct. 2).
• Catch Anyone Can Whistle for one night only at Signature (Oct. 6).
• The off-Broadway hit Altar Boyz debuts at Bethesda Theater (Oct. 8).
• Folger Theater stages Henry IV, Part I (Oct. 8).
• Woolly Mammoth has a special event, MacHomer (Oct. 8).
• Constellation Theater tries its hand at the Faust story in Temptation (Oct. 9).
• MetroStage serves us Pearl Bailey...By Request (Oct. 16).
• Ireland's Galway DRUID theater does two shows at the Kennedy Center: The Shadow of the Glen & The Playboy of the Western World (Oct. 22).

Still playing
This weekend marks the end for American Century's Dr Cook's Garden, the Taffety Punk take on Romeo & Juliet and Catalyst's chilling 1984, as well as the close of the GLBT Fall Arts Festival; the Oct. 12 weekend is the last time to catch Gala's The Aging Of the Plum, and Round House's How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents; you've until the Oct. 18 weekend to see Romeo & Juliet at Shakespeare Theater , Olney's rendition of The Underpants and Studio's emotional The Road To Mecca; while Synetic's Host And Guest, Shakespeare Theater's The Way of the World, Signature's Lieutenant of Inishmore and Toby's The Producers all stretch into November.