As possibly the most opulent theatre company in town, Shakespeare Theatre is uniquely equipped to tackle An Ideal Husband, Oscar Wilde’s classic that sets society, power and money against love, truth and decency. The resources of the company’s masterful design team been marshaled to knowing, story-supported use —and, hey, that story’s not too shabby, either, thanks to Keith Baxter’s keen, clear-eyed direction.

Ah, Wilderness! is the lone comedy in Eugene O’Neill’s eye-gougingly tragic catalog. It works as a sort of photo-negative of his later, bleaker masterpiece A Long Day’s Journey into Night, with which it shares the setting of a “large small town” in early 20th century New England. Written in the early years of the Great Depression but set in the happier days of 1906, it’s a deliberately idyllic take on the sweet miseries of…

In 1819, Ludwig van Beethoven was middle-aged, almost broke, nearly deaf, and suffering a mid-career cold streak. When music publisher Anton Diabelli asked him to remix a middling beer-hall waltz Diabelli had composed as the basis for an all-star compilation volume, Beethoven first refused, then changed his mind. Over the next three-odd years, the Maestro was intermittently obsessed with Diabelli’s tossed-off little ditty, creating not one, not two, but yes, three-and-thirty variations on a…

Richard Strauss’s Salome (1905) helped set the tone for iconoclastic opera in the 20th century. Shattering most of the genre’s conventions — formulaic plots, vocal characterization, propriety — this tale of lust, incest, and decollation may still shock some viewers, but it has become a modern classic. Although Washington National Opera last staged it as recently as 2002, Washington audiences should be pleased to have another chance to hear it, in an excellent concert version…

FRIDAY: >> You don’t need us to tell you any more about local heavyweights Benjy Ferree, Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, or Greenland. But tonight is Ferree’s first time headlining at Black Cat’s mainstage, so don’t forget to show up and lend your support. 9 p.m., $10. SATURDAY: >> Guitarist Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will spin a DJ set at the Rock and Roll Hotel. $10 after 10 p.m., free before. >>…

DCist theater critic Missy Frederick contributed to this report. Signature Theatre’s production of Urinetown took top honors at last night’s Helen Hayes Awards, D.C.’s local theater awards ceremony, taking home 8 prizes including director of a musical (Joe Calarco), choreographer (Karma Camp), four different acting awards (Will Gartshore is pictured right accepting his award for lead actor in a musical, which he shared in a tie with Michael McElroy from Big River), and outstanding resident…

Was he a man who defied classification, or an individual who would pigeonhole future homosexuals into labels and constructions? Was he an early role model for the gay movement, or a man who denied his identity? And can art be held to moral standards? These questions all play a central role in Moisés Kaufman’s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde now being staged in a fresh production by Theater Alliance at the H…

Looking for something to do before you go off to gorge on ham, eggnog, and candy canes? We’ve got a couple of options for tonight: >>The Hard Tomorrows, darlings of D.C.’s indie scene, hit the Black Cat tonight at 9 p.m., for just $5. Run Silent Run Deep opens. >>Tonight’s one of your last chances to see the bitingly funny rendition of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” at the Arena Stage before it…