FRIDAY:
>> Seems like everyone’s talking about the new nightlife options on H Street NE these days, thanks almost entirely to local bar Tsar Joe Englert. Englert’s latest creation, Showbar Presents the Palace of Wonders (though we hear a lot people refering to it simply as the Freak Show Bar) has been open for a few weeks already to mixed buzz — the decor is cool, the drinks are standard, and the food is terrible. This weekend, however, is the joint’s official grand opening, which will feature the kinds of performers we can apparently expect to appear regularly at Palace of Wonders from now on. These include burlesque act Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey, the one-man human sideshow Todd Robbins, western rope and whip champion Chris McDaniel, and last but not least, Charon Henning, sword swallower. The $15 ticket is a little steep, but pretty damn hard to resist with this line-up. Shows start promptly at 8 p.m.
>> A few of us will likely be dropping in on the other big draw on H Street this month: Michael Dove’s production of the most famous playwright/former president of a country Vaclav Havel’s Memorandum at H Street Playhouse. It’s getting some rave reviews, and features the acting talents of Alexander Strain, Sasha Olinick, Kate Debelack, DCist contributor Jason Linkins, and others.
>> Washington Improv Theater is bringing something they call iCabaret, an evening of completely improvised cabaret songs, to Busboys and Poets this evening. It sure sounds like the kind of thing that will either be genius or really, really uncomfortably bad, but it’s also apparently a sneak peek of their forthcoming iMusical: the Improvised Musical, planned for the fall. Might be worth a look. 8 p.m., $10 in advance, $12 at the door.
SATURDAY:
>> Popular MP3 guru DJ Fluxblog and former District resident DJ DCSOB, visiting from Chicago, will join the regular crew of blogger/DJs for a special night of Bluestate. Black Cat’s backstage, free, 9:30 p.m.
SUNDAY:
>> Hong Kong’s stylish, artsy cult director Wong Kar Wai’s most recent film is 2046, a typically bizarre examination of modern love in three different languages and across time. There’s even sex with androids, so you know it really is the future. The free, 2 p.m. screening is part of the Made in Hong Kong Film Festival at the Freer Gallery, which continues through August.
>> Unbuckled alumni and rising stars Georgie James have just begun a month-long national tour with Camera Obscura, and we couldn’t be prouder. Before they stray too far from home, catch them at Black Cat and send them off with warm fuzzy feelings. $12, 8:30 p.m.
Image take from a photo by Flickr user inked78, used under a Creative Commons license.
