Spring 2004 Schedule ~ Monday Night at the National

FREE PERFORMANCES!
6 pm and 7:30 pm, in the Helen Hayes Gallery.
Information available at 202-783-3372.

Seating is limited!! Tickets are Required, and are Distributed without charge one Half-Hour Prior to Performance, on a First-Come First-Served policy.

This weekly showcase in the Fall, Winter and Spring, features local performers, and provides free quality live entertainment to the Greater Washington Area community. Original plays, singers, musical ensembles, dance, drama and comedy are on the bill.

January 26 - LARKSONG - EARLY VALENTINES

SORRY - CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER - Get in the mood for February Romance with love songs of the 16th century, performed by LARKSONG, a band of six singers presenting charming a cappella music.They will address love unrequited, love lost, and of course best of all, love found and enduring! Your own heart will come alive with this early St. Valentine’s tribute.

February 2 - TRIVIAL BROADWAY

Hum along at this delightful banquet of beloved melodies from the Golden Age of Broadway, brought to you in an enchanting mix of romance and comedy - with a dash of Trivial Pursuit. ELLEN McDANIEL and her accompanist, Leanne Martin, do songs you remember and songs you've forgotten, by Lerner & Lowe, R&H, Jerome Kern and others - and spice the program with delicious trivia!

February 23 - ONE FAMILY’S AIDS

Created by J’SON M. LEE and starring his brother, KENDELL K. LEE, this One-Man Show tells, from four different perspectives, the story of a young, educated African American man who, diagnosed as HIV+, finds himself in a race with time to make peace with his family and his God. His plight reveals the complexities of love, the damaging results of fear and shame, and the triumph of a relentless quest for truth and understanding.

March 1 - SCRAMBLING THE COSMIC EGG

The Cosmic Egg myth relates to the recent total solar eclipse. GUILLERMO SILVEIRA introduces us to an insane man who hopes to convince the audience that globalization will be possible if we all worship the Cosmic Egg. He sings, recites poetry, dances with cosmic chix, and creates a song with the audience, in his effort to find world unity and peace among nations and generations.

March 8 - MIMI'S AMERICAN BISTRO SINGERS

The singing servers from MIMI'S are coming to the National with the multitude of tasty talents they usually display while serving diners at the restaurant. Tonight they are at your service offering a sizzling “eclectic menu.” You'll taste a slight Mediterranean influence, seasoning the melodic sounds of jazz, musical theater, pop, and opera. This is a musical feast not to be missed!

March 15 - RUBY HAYES SINGS BESSIE'S BLUES

The incomparable Bessie Smith - "Empress of the Blues" - returns to the National in this remarkable impersonation directed by LADY MYRRH. Highlighting Bessie's enormously successful radio career in the 1920's and 1930's, RUBY HAYES brings back songs that Bessie made famous, including Gimme A Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer, Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Trombone Charlie, Do Your Duty and more!

March 22 - CITY AT PEACE

The Young and Spirited make their case in this arresting, absorbing and engrossing musical production woven from the real life stories of the participants. Their sadness, anger and frustration explode in scenes of uncompromising truth, exuberant energy and song. Ultimately they struggle their way through to an agenda of self-worth, hope, victory and joy. It's a shared journey not to be missed!

March 29 - AN EVENING AT THE OPERA

Enjoy the sparkling vocal fireworks of coloratura soprano AUTUMN EATON and Company. Ms. Eaton’s repertoire of arias from Mozart and Handel, along with a glittering array of other musical gems from the baroque period, will dazzle and delight you. Her sparkling cadenzas and astonishing high E-flats invite cheering ovations!

April 5 - AMERICAN DREAMS

A group of determined teen-age friends share the goal of turning their talents into careers in this inspiring musical show from ONESTAGE PRODUCTIONS. Although genuinely gifted, their families object to the idea of depending on their artistic talents as a means of financial security. Their elders think that "dreaming" is foolhardy. The teens are challenged to defend their choices.