You already know Tuesday is Election Day. After you vote, make plans to see some Shakespeare or feast at a food fête with events focused on cake, cocktails and even maple syrup.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5
COCKTAIL THROWDOWN: DMV Black Restaurant Week continues with the first annual R. R. Bowie Cocktail Competition, named after the founder and first president of the Black Mixology Club. (Service Bar DC, 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., $15)
LEAVES OF GRASS: The upcoming 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth serves as inspiration for I Sing the Body Electoral. The program of songs and speakers features poetry and conversation centered on the meaning of the American dream. (Washington National Cathedral, 7 p.m., $65)
WOULDN’T IT BE NICE: A medical emergency earlier this year postponed Brian Wilson’s performance of Pet Sounds. For Monday’s show, one of the final dates of his current tour revisiting the seminal 1966 record, Wilson is joined by Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin, and a 10-piece orchestra. (The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 8 p.m., $59-$499)
MORE: Eye to I: Self-Portraits from 1900 to Today (National Portrait Gallery, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m., FREE) Inside Netflix’s The Staircase and Making a Murderer (Lincoln Theatre, 6:30 p.m. doors, $35)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6
SET SAIL: Anything Goes sets the songs of Cole Porter to a high seas story about a love triangle, a nightclub singer, a gangster, and one really cute dog aboard the the SS American. The musical runs through December 23 at Arena Stage, with a cast that includes Corbin Bleu and Soara Joye-Ross. (Arena Stage, 7:30 p.m., $92)
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE: A musical adaptation of the Shakespearean comedy As You Like It by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery gets its D.C. premiere. The space has been altered for this production to make the show feel more immersive, with seating on all four sides of the stage. Tuesday night’s staging is an Industry Night special featuring $25 tickets; the production runs through December 2. (Keegan Theatre, 8 p.m. $25)
GOTV: First, get informed. Then vote. Afterwards, eat, drink and watch the returns. The Bird will feature food inspired by swing states, and DC9, Roofer’s Union, and other bars or restaurants are hosting free watch parties.
MORE: St. Lucia (9:30 Club, 7 p.m. doors, $32.50), Ghostland Observatory (Sixth and I, 7 p.m., $27.50-$30), Yaeji (Black Cat, 7:30 p.m. doors, $25), Harry Potter Trivia (Pinstripes Georgetown, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., FREE)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7
BYO PANCAKES: In the spirit of all things autumn, join Amanda Voyer, executive director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association, for Maple Syrup: Tapping Into New Trends. The evening is an exploration of the sugary stuff and ends with a tasting, including a maple cocktail. (S. Dillon Ripley Center, 6:45 p.m., $30 member, $45 non-member)
BIG LITTLE LIES: Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies went from paperback to small screen with an HBO adaptation starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. In her latest, Nine Perfect Strangers, Moriarty’s characters convene at Tranquillum House, a remote health resort. At Sixth and I, the author is joined in conversation with Bethanne Patrick. (Sixth and I, 7 p.m., $20-$50)
FIT FOR A KING: Though popularly performed in the Victorian era, Shakespeare’s King John hasn’t seen much stage time in modern theater. Directed by Aaron Posner, Folger Theatre’s presentation of the play runs through December 2. Check out our review. (Folger Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $25-$64)
MORE: Women & Whiskey Wednesday: Win Then Whiskey! (Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 6:30 p.m. FREE), Tenacious D (The Anthem, 6:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $55-$95), Broncho (Rock and Roll Hotel, 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $15), West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 8 p.m., $45-$155)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8
CEREAL MILK & COMPOST COOKIES: Christina Tosi joins Washington Post food reporter Tim Carman for a Smithsonian Associates conversation about her latest cookbook, Milk Bar: All About Cake. And because no Milk Bar-centric event is complete without a treat, stick around for samples from the bakery’s Logan Circle outpost. (Hirshhorn Museum, 6:45 p.m., $30 member, $45 non-member)
BRIGHT LIGHTS: November’s Evenings at the Edge: After Hours draws inspiration from daylight saving time with artistic studies of shadow and stargazing on the roof. Explore the National Gallery of Art and sample black-and-white cookies and dark-and-stormy-style cocktails. (National Gallery of Art, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., FREE)
TOP CHEF, D.C. EDITION: It’s the 15th anniversary of DC Central Kitchen’s Capital Food Fight. Tom Colicchio and Ryan Zimmerman act as celebrity judges as The Salt Line’s Kyle Bailey, Rappahannock Oyster Company’s Autumn Cline, Alex McCoy of Lucky Buns and Kevin Tien of Himitsu battle for best in town. (The Anthem, 6 p.m., $275-$500)
MORE: After The Races: Roll Call’s Election Impact Event (National Union Building, 8 a.m.-10 a.m., FREE), Richard Thompson (Lincoln Theatre, 6:30 p.m. doors, $35), Midland (9:30 Club, 10 p.m. doors, $20)
