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Falls Church and the surrounding region will welcome April with a packed weekend of home tours, concerts, circus performances, theater and art exhibitions. One of the biggest local draws is the ninth annual Falls Church Home & Garden Tour, featuring 11 distinctive properties on Sunday, April 6.
Falls Church Home & Garden Tour
The self-guided tour runs from 1 to 5 p.m. and includes a historic residence, contemporary architecture, new developments and notable gardens throughout Falls Church.
Advance tickets cost $30 and are available through Friday, April 4. Attendance is limited to adults 18 and older, and registered guests will receive the tour locations before the event.
Proceeds benefit the Falls Church Education Foundation, which supports educational opportunities for students in Falls Church City Public Schools.
Live music
Drummer and composer Keith Butler Jr. and his quintet Seysew will premiere “Rest/Imagine: Themes for a Bloodline” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at The Falls Church Episcopal. The work, written for voice, flute, piano, bass and drums, considers literacy, Black imagination and family histories that often remain unspoken.
Butler will perform with vocalist Jaquay Smith, flutist Alex Hamburger, pianist Drew Kid and bassist Stephen Arnold. Tickets are $25, while students, young people and recently laid-off federal workers may attend free. Half of ticket-sale proceeds will go to Teaching for Change, a nonprofit that provides educational resources and programs for teachers, school staff and parents.
Crooked Sparrow will perform from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave. The trio pairs singer-songwriters Valeria Stewart and Kevin Dudley with fiddler Jenny Smith, blending Latin, Texas, folk, blues, jazz, western swing and Americana influences.
Latin rock musician Draco Rosa takes the stage Friday, April 4, at the State Theatre, 6111 Arlington Blvd. Doors open at 7 p.m., followed by the show at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $39 for limited early-bird admission to $59 on the day of the performance. Guests must be at least 18 unless accompanied by a parent, and valid identification is required.
“Girlfriend in a Coma,” a tribute to Morrissey and The Smiths, comes to The Vault at Capital One Hall on April 4. Doors open at 7 p.m., and tickets cost $19. The set draws from The Smiths favorites such as “This Charming Man,” “How Soon Is Now” and “There Is a Light,” along with songs from Morrissey’s solo career.
Theater and circus
Cirque Mechanics brings “Pedal Punk” to George Mason University’s Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 5, with performances at 2 and 8 p.m. The afternoon show will be audio described.
Set in a steampunk-inspired world, the production centers on a 22-foot pedal-powered platform called the Gantry bike. Aerialists, jugglers and clowns perform alongside penny-farthings, unicycles and tandem bicycles in an all-ages show lasting about 85 minutes plus intermission.
Tickets cost $33, $47 or $55, with half-price admission for children and teenagers through Grade 12. Artist discussions will begin 45 minutes before each performance in the Monson Grand Tier, with lobby livestreams available when seating fills.
“Bad Books,” Sharyn Rothstein’s new play about a dispute over appropriate reading material, runs through April 27 at Round House Theatre in Bethesda. Directed by Ryan Rilette and featuring Kate Eastwood Norris and Holly Twyford, the production follows a librarian and the mother of a troubled teenager as an initially reasonable conversation escalates into a confrontation with unexpected consequences.
Ford’s Theatre presents “Sister Act” through May 17. Based on the 1992 film, the Tony-nominated musical follows a nightclub singer who hides in a convent while fleeing the mob. Jeff Calhoun directs and choreographs the production, which features music by Alan Menken. The approximately two-and-a-half-hour show is recommended for ages 12 and older.
Creative Cauldron’s bilingual “Snow White/Blancanieve” continues through April 6 at 127 E. Broad St. in Falls Church. The irreverent adaptation features music by Conner and Smith, with adult tickets priced at $20 and student admission at $18.
Providence Players of Fairfax concludes its run of Jerry Mayer’s “2 Across” on April 5. The romantic comedy follows two strangers working on New York Times crosswords aboard a San Francisco BART train at 4:30 a.m. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at 2855 Annandale Road.
“In the Heights,” the Tony Award-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, runs through May 4 at Signature Theatre in Arlington. Set in New York City’s Washington Heights, the story follows a neighborhood confronting gentrification while residents contend with love, loss, ambition and a potentially life-changing lottery ticket.
At Folger Theatre, Lauren M. Gunderson’s “A Room in the Castle” continues through April 6. The roughly 85-minute play revisits “Hamlet” through Ophelia, Queen Gertrude and Ophelia’s handmaid as they navigate an increasingly dangerous Danish court. Tickets range from $20 to $84.
José Rivera’s “Your Name Means Dream” also runs through April 6 at Theater J. Starring Naomi Jacobson and Sara Koviak, the tragicomedy follows an older woman named Aislin and Stacy, an AI caregiver designed to appear human, as their developing relationship raises questions about consciousness, friendship and humanity.
Priyanka Shetty’s world-premiere production “#CHARLOTTESVILLE” continues through April 13 at Keegan Theatre. Built from interviews with more than 100 residents, civil-trial transcripts and news reports, the solo work examines the white supremacist rally and violence of Aug. 11 and 12, 2017, from Shetty’s perspective as an immigrant from India. Yury Urnov directs.
The Little Theatre of Alexandria presents Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” through April 19. Set in modern-day New Orleans, the production follows the combative courtship of Beatrice and Benedick and the deception threatening Claudio and Hero. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Reserved tickets are $26.
“Testosterone,” an adults-only adaptation of the Grimm tale “The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear,” runs through April 6 at Atlas Performing Arts Center. The 90-minute satire pits security-conscious Ingo against his fearless brother Raul in an exploration of toxic masculinity, privilege, courage and justice. The production contains coarse language, sexual material, prop weapons and intense references to violence.
Visual arts and family activities
Pamela Huffman’s solo exhibition, “In the Absence of Nurture… Nature,” remains on display at Rare Bird Coffee Roasters in downtown Falls Church through June 15.
“Light & Dark: Contrast” closes April 6 at Falls Church Arts, 700-B W. Broad St. Juried by Aimee George, the exhibition features color and black-and-white photographs exploring contrasts between illumination and shadow.
The Arlington Artists Alliance presents “A Brighter Light” through May 4 at Alliance Gallery, 2700 Clarendon Blvd., Suite R330. The member-juried exhibition uses color, texture and shadow to consider hope, renewal, optimism and resilience during uncertain times.
Families can make spring wreaths at Arlington Mill Community Center from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 5. Every participant, including adults, must register, and each child must be supervised by a participating adult.