By Eliza Berkon, Winn Duvall, Stefanie Gans, Beth Kellmurray and Lynn Norusis
In the week ahead, Northern Virginia Magazine‘s editors are looking forward to seeing Signature Theatre’s new thriller Midwestern Gothic, learning how to make our own hot sauce at The Cookery and seeing a concert at Lincoln Theatre.
Musical Horror
March 14-April 30
I’m not really one for musicals, I left behind my desire for horror flicks after watching The Ring, and I definitely don’t live in the Midwest, so I’m not sure what my desire is to see Midwestern Gothic, but Signature Theatre’s world premiere of Royce Vavrek and Josh Schmidt’s thriller has me intrigued. Maybe my love for musicals and horrors in the Midwest will bring me back to hiding under a blanket while taking in more tales of gore, or maybe it will cement me to the East Coast. Either way, I’m buying tickets for opening week. –LN // The Village at Shirlington: 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington
Make Your Own Hot Sauce
March 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
There are a lot of food events these days, but I’ve never seen this one. The Cookery is hosting a hot sauce-making class ($25) led by She Peppers. Each attendant can create a bottle with different local peppers and heat levels. Next week: a bitters class. –SG //4017-B Campbell Ave., Arlington
Seeing the Magnetic Fields Perform at Lincoln Theatre
March 18-19
Last week, I was excited to hear 50 Song Memoir, the newest release from the Magnetic Fields, and now, I’ll get the chance to see Stephin Merritt perform it live in D.C.—at least in part. You see, because Merritt takes 50 songs, five discs and roughly two and a half hours to retread his half-century on this planet, he’s spending two nights in each city along his tour behind the album to play it in full and in order. In an interview with The New York Times, Merritt even said he “dreaded” people listening to the album out of sequence. Being economical, though, I’m only attending the second of the two nights, but hey, everything interesting happens after you turn 25, right? –BK // 1215 U St., Washington, D.C.
Welcoming home and thanking a returning vet and friend
Not to get too patriotic and contemplative for a Monday morning, but I’m about to: Our good friend Karl, husband and father to a very near and dear family, is returning from a year in Iraq this week. On Friday night, my neighbors and I are throwing him a welcome home party that we hope lets him know how much we appreciate both him and his service. Karl is the first veteran I have personally known, and it’s really the first time I’ve seen firsthand just how challenging it is for a family to sacrifice one of life’s most valuable gifts—time—for the sake of the country. –EB
Cooking up a sweet treat
In a rare moment of feeling virtuous, I decided to nix all added sugars this month, and at almost two weeks in, my chocolate cravings are still hanging on. Fruit as dessert can only go so far. Thankfully, Instagram led me to this recipe for brownie energy bites that I’ll be trying out this week. The name is promising, and while it’s not exactly in the spirit of the challenge, the ingredients stay within my somewhat arbitrary parameters, so I’m going for it. Fingers crossed these hit the spot. –WD
Find out more of what’s going on in NoVA this week at our things to do page.
