Fresh ‘Dream’ Shakespeare Theatre Produces Unusual Version of Bard’s Play by Lisa Troshinsky Despite the countless times and ways “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, has been performed throughout the ages, the Shakespeare Theatre has managed to produce a version so fresh that you will think you’re viewing the latest craze on Broadway. Radically different from the Shakespeare Theatre’s production of “Midsummer” four years ago (whose fairies were innocent and nymph-like), this production’s spirited players carry construction lights and are clad in torn camouflage dungarees and shirts, combat boots and silver, pointed hats that adorn huge brown wings and are almost insect-like... Picasso’s Passion ‘Fernande’ Exhibit Details Lover as Subject of Art Experiments by Heather Nalbone By now, there’s a good chance most local museum-goers have already meandered through the three-room tribute to Pablo Picasso’s early works at the National Gallery of Art. Those who haven’t seen it yet should. Anyone who fails to visit the exhibit before it ends on Jan. 18 will miss quite a show. Even art history buffs would be hard-pressed to find a Picasso exhibit that matches this one... Color and Rhythm Work of Liechtenstein Abstract Artist Büchel Is Bright, Bold by Carolyn Chapman “Have you ever heard of Liechtenstein,” asked Manfred Fritsche as I wandered around the exhibition for Liechtenstein artist Elisabeth Büchel at CP Artspace. I had heard of Liechtenstein, but I had to admit that I unfortunately did not know anything about the tiny principality other than where it is located on a map. That did not seem to phase Fritsche, husband of Ambassador of Liechtenstein Claudia Fritsche, as he continued to tell me about his country—a landlocked mountainous region between Switzerland and Austria that is roughly the size of Washington, D.C . I learned quite a bit about Liechtenstein that night, particularly about its art scene, which is very active and well rounded for such a small nation... Eclectic and Enigmatic ‘Century of Painting in Panama’ Explores National Identity by Gary Tischler There’s a lot to see and enjoy in “A Century of Painting in Panama,” an exhibition that roams 100 years of Panamanian art. There’s eye candy, history, provocative works, thick colors, serene landscapes, idealism and idyllic works... Reveling Roma Style Christmas Show at Lisner Celebrates Gypsy Traditions by Carolyn Chapman A diverse group of cast members make up the Washington Revels’ annual Christmas production titled “The Christmas Revels 2003: Roads of the Roma,” which comes to the George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium for eight shows starting Dec. 5... See Also: Roma Population Often Live in Hardship Bad Blood Stanislavsky Disappoints With Tedious ‘Brothers Karamazov’ by Lisa Troshinsky The Stanislavsky Theater Studio is known for creating miracles, but it bit off more than it could chew when it decided to produce Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s heavyweight epic, “The Brothers Karamazov.”... Scientific Discovery Van Griethuysen Is Bright Star in ‘Life of Galileo’ by Lisa Troshinsky If the idea of watching a personal, keenly acted, live version of the Discovery Channel turns you on, then you’ll love “The Life of Galileo” at the Studio Theatre. Plus, you may never look at the galaxy the same way again... Another Cuba Meridian Displays Unique Oriente Style From Eastern Area by Carolyn Chapman “Cuba Oriente: Contemporary Painting From Eastern Cuba," now at the Meridian International Center, features some 60 works from what is widely considered to be the heartland of Cuban culture...

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 A Woman’s Place Exhibit Shows How Women Overcame Obstacles to Become Entrepreneurs by Heather Nalbone Anyone looking for a relaxing art display is likely to be surprised upon entering “Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The display is intended to tell a story not of painters or photographers, but of the women who comprise a largely overlooked piece of entrepreneurial history in America... Complexities of Collage Bearden Exhibit Breaks Ground With Largest Collection of Work by Carolyn Cosmos According to his friends and fans, 20th-century artist Romare Bearden was a generous man. He would have been pleased then with the ample retrospective of his work now being shown at the National Gallery of Art... No Man’s Land Swedish Artist Hilding’s Out-of-Focus Paintings Are Haunting by Gary Tischler Even though the solid, square-shaped paintings on the wall appear uniform in size from a distance, they have a tenuous feel to them, as if they’d been touched by a fleeting wind and their contents somehow rearranged to seem indistinct and fragile, subject to change at any moment. This is the apparent no man’s land created by Swedish artist Tommy Hilding, whose exhibition of 24 paintings—part of an ongoing series—is now on view at the Swedish Embassy... A Taste of Honey Nectar Welcome Addition to City’s Hotel Restaurants by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana Nectar is a further addition to a trend in Washington that should be welcomed: Small, high-end restaurants in hotels... International Film Clips Film Locations< br> Escape by Bus Documentary Illuminates Reasons for Hostage-Taking Crisis by Ky N. Nguyen “Bus 174,” an illuminating documentary directed by Jose Padilha, recounts the tragic events of June 12, 2000, in Rio de Janeiro when Sandro do Nascimento attempted to rob bus riders, resulting in a hostage crisis that became the top-rated Brazilian television show of the year... See Also: Candid Camera Coup Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Little Schoolhouse on the Mountain Repertory Notes Jewish Film Festival Returns With Global Selection of Films by Ky N. Nguyen The 14th Washington Jewish Film Festival runs from Dec. 4 to 14 at six leading cultural venues around town...