Happily Ever After ‘Rivals’ Opens Shakespeare Theatre’s Season With Light Fare by Lisa Troshinsky “The Rivals,” written by late 18th-century playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan and currently at the Shakespeare Theatre, is a sufficient season opener: a crowd-pleasing, entertaining, classic comedy without the depth and intensity one often finds at the theater in the thick of a season. In other words, an appetizer to the year’s later meat and potatoes and well-deserved, rich desserts. The play has a familiar plot and theme—mistaken identities, misconceptions of love, and bumbling, rich nincompoops whose mistakes we laugh at but who find their way in the end. There are no villains or serious conflicts, most everyone ultimately gets the girl, or boy, and there is no reason for everyone not to live happily ever after... Drawing on Memory ‘Drawer Boy’ Terrific Canadian Comedy With Riveting Ending by Heather Nalbone Knowing nothing about the play, I went to see “The Drawer Boy” expecting some eccentric personality to be played out on stage. What is a drawer boy? I was almost expecting some sort of rampant monologue from a boy who hangs out in a dresser. A “drawer,” as it turns out in this case, is a “draw-er,” as in someone who draws. Or, more accurately, someone who did draw until a tragic accident during World War II rendered his mind bumbling and empty. The “boy” is represented onstage as a grown man whose short-term memory is not able to retain anything other than the face of the farmer friend he’s known since childhood... Silver Passion Former Diplomat Finds Full-Time Job in Collecting Middle Eastern Jewelry by Carolyn Chapman Marjorie Ransom bought her first piece of Middle Eastern jewelry—a silver cuff bracelet—as a Columbia University graduate student in Damascus, Syria, in 1960. Back then she had no idea that the small purchase would lead to a lifelong passion for collecting Middle Eastern silver jewelry, as well as a remarkable collection of more than 1,000 pieces—many rare and valuable items—which was recently presented at the Bead Museum and is set to be displayed at other museums in the future... Dog Fight Studio Opens Season With Volatile Masterpiece ‘Topdog/Underdog’ by Lisa Troshinsky The Studio Theatre made a wise decision when it jumped on the timely bandwagon to produce Suzan-Lori Parks’s 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning script, “Topdog/Underdog.” Joy Zinoman, Studio’s founding artistic director and director of this production, has a reputation for producing contemporary, harsh, urban scripts. It only makes sense that she would swoop up this racially charged tragedy about two down-and-out African American brothers, Lincoln (or “Linc”) and Booth (their father meant their names as a “joke”), who are trying to make it in their world of alienation, loneliness and crumbling illusions... God Is in the Details ‘Love and Yearning’ Depicts Amazing Intricacy in Persian Works by Heather Nalbone What stands out most about the Persian-inspired pieces now on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is the detail—it’s astonishing. There are only 26 pieces of ancient artwork on display in “Love and Yearning: Mystical and Moral Themes in Persian Poetry and Painting,” but one could easily spend 20 minutes gazing at each one... See Related Story: Out-of-Place ‘Perspectives’ by Heather Nalbone The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, among the last of the Smithsonian art institutions to steer clear of controversial modern installations, has all at once latched onto the new age art craze. Thankfully, “Perspectives” isn’t permanent... Rousing ‘Perversity’ World Bank Exhibits Nigerian Painter Who Won U.N. Poster Contest by Jen DeGregorio Since 1997, the World Bank Art Program has featured emerging international artists whose works call attention to their own national cultures as well as global themes and concerns. On that note, the World Bank recently opened an exhibition on the artwork of Nigerian painter Ibiyinka Olufemi Alao, which will remain on display through next year...

Events Listing Featuring art, dance, lectures, music, receptions and theater, our comprehensive listing offers an array of options for those interested in international events. Included is a list of all major event locations in the Washington, D.C., area... Events Locations Worldly Sounds Fall Music Lineup Includes Traditional, Diverse, Rare Performances by Carolyn Chapman Washington’s fall music season reflects the city’s diverse flavor with a wide range of offerings from rare concerts at the Cuban and Chinese embassies to the best flamenco straight from Seville to Cape Verde blues at Lisner Auditorium... Real ‘Fakes’ Shakespeare Forgeries Not Only Entertaining, but Hold Historic Value by Gary Tischler Do you like to squint? Do you enjoy using a magnifying glass and delight in reading footnotes? Do you think that fine print is really fine? Do you think the Bard is God, and anything relating to Shakespeare, true or false, is hot and sexy? Then, boy, do the folks at the Folger Shakespeare Library have a show for you... ‘Shakespeare,’ Baby Arena’s Production of Ludwig Play a Comic Romp of Movie Culture by Carolyn Cosmos Ken Ludwig’s new play, “Shakespeare in Hollywood,” at the Arena Stage, resembles the champagne that was served at its Sept. 12 premiere—a tad intoxicating, with comic sparkle and a slight bite. It’s a whimsical alternative to eating your veggies in a desperately serious world... Local Latino ‘Voices’ Exhibit Centers on Hispanic Identity in U.S. by Area Artists by Gary Tischler For the past 11 years, the Cultural Center of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has showcased the artistic contributions of its 46 member countries with numerous focus exhibitions on the cultural trends and developments south of the U.S. border. In “Our Voices, Our Images,” the Cultural Center explores an entirely new frontier: the art and artists of the Washington, D.C., area... Big Fish Oceanaire Restaurant Is Seafood Lovers’ Answer to Steakhouse by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana The first thing you will notice about the Oceanaire Seafood Room is that it is big: big bar, big dining room, big tables, big places at the tables and big fish on the walls... International Film Clips Film Locations ‘Hotel’ Opens New Doors Director Figgis Pushes Limits With Daring Experiments by Ky N. Nguyen Since the mainstream success of “Leaving Las Vegas,“ maverick British director Mike Figgis has reverted to pushing film boundaries with daring experiments: “The Loss of Sexual Innocence,” “Timecode” and “Hotel.” The latter finally reaches a Washington-area theater after being pulled at the last minute as the closing night selection of Filmfest DC 2002... See Also: ‘Revolution’ Restored Modern-Day English Western Rosemary and Time Repertory Notes