MONDAY Murder, urban intrigue, and the promiscuous pen of Edgar Allan Poe are the ingredients of Daniel Stashower’s treatise on the evolution of the detective story, The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allen Poe, and the Invention of Murder. Chapters, 445 11th Street, NW., 1pm. TUESDAY Head on over to the Baird Auditorium at the National Museum of Natural History to hear Andrea Mitchell discuss Talking Back: . . . to Presidents, Dictators, and…

FRIDAY: >> It’s going to be a stormy, steamy night in the District, so we’d recommend heading over to catch one of the Capital Fringe Festival’s most buzzed-about plays, Rorschach’s The Arabian Night, at the Sanctuary Theatre at Casa Del Pueblo. The space doesn’t have air conditioning, so take a cue from our theater critic: “All in all, the dreamy, smoldering Arabian Night is worth every sweltering moment. But follow the cue of the play’s…

An atmosmpheric set, a skilled group of supporting women and a fascinating premise make Signature Theatre’s Nevermore an ambitious project fueled by talent, but ultimately add up to a well-intentioned but flawed gothic musical. Nevermore, a 90 minute musical without intermission, chronicles the life and loves of Edgar Allen Poe, and relies largely on Poe’s own words for its lyrics. At times, the poems can deliver haunting phrases (“From childhood’s hour, I have not been…

Animal Care, Management at Zoo Improves, Says Report: Despite some highly publicized reports of animal deaths and mismanagement at the National Zoo, a report prepared by a committee of the National Academy of Sciences says that all in all, the Zoo takes good care of its animals and manages its facilities well. While there are still improvements to be made, as the Post reports, “important strides” have been already made. The Zoo responds to the…