The Washington Times

Get Out: The Week’s Pocket Picks by Samantha Sault

July 19, 2013

Pick of the Pack: Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

Growing up in the Newark, N.J., projects, Francesco Castelluccio seemed destined to work his whole life cutting hair — if he didn’t end up in the mob or jail like many others. After seeing Frank Sinatra perform in New York City as a young child, however, Mr. Castelluccio decided he would do anything to become a singer. He eventually renamed himself Frankie Valli and with Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio formed the Four Seasons, who rocketed to international fame after performing “Sherry” on “American Bandstand” in 1962. The doo-wop group boasts dozens of Top 40 hits, including “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night),” and “Stay,” to name a few. Mr. Valli and his famous three-octave voice have also had numerous solo hits like “Grease” and “My Eyes Adored You.” On Sunday, the group will perform at Wolf Trap, preceded by a discussion with Dave Adler of WGRQ-FM, the Virginia oldies and classic rock station. Sunday at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, Va. 877/WOLFTRAP. Web: wolftrap.org.

Dining: Hemingway’s Birthday

Ernest Hemingway contributed significantly to American culture before his suicide at the age of 62 in Idaho. In addition to winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature for “The Old Man and the Sea,” he wrote many other celebrated works of fiction and nonfiction, including “The Sun Also Rises,” “A Farewell to Arms” and reportage from historic events like the Spanish Civil War and the Normandy landings. Mr. Hemingway also deserves credit for his contributions to the American cocktail canon, popularizing the Bloody Mary, the Mojito and, of course, the Hemingway Daiquiri, a refreshing concoction of white rum, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime and grapefruit juices that the writer drank while living in Cuba. On Sunday, the U Street Corridor’s Bar Pilar — named for Mr. Hemingway’s fishing boat and a character in his novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls” — will celebrate what would have been his 114th birthday with half-price tapas and Hemingway cocktails all day. Sunday at Bar Pilar, 1833 14th St. NW. 202/265-1751. Web: barpilar.com.

Concert: The Monkees

Hey, hey, the Monkees are in town this weekend to monkey around with their fans. The chart-topping ‘60s foursome got their start on a television sitcom called “The Monkees,” which chronicled a (then-fictional) boy band on a quest to become the next Beatles. After the show went off the air in 1968, stars Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones continued to work together and perform their signature mix of pop and comedy, with hits including their theme song as well as “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m A Believer” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” Though Jones died last year of a heart attack at age 66, the remaining three are honoring his memory with a 25-city tour that stops in Washington on Sunday. Sunday at the Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. 202/783-4000. Web: warnertheatredc.com.

Theater: The Audience

Actress Helen Mirren has played so many British queens that she may know more about life in Buckingham Palace than even the royals. Miss Mirren, who began her esteemed acting career with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1960s, has portrayed Queen Charlotte in the 1994 film “The Madness of King George,” Elizabeth I in a television miniseries and, of course, Elizabeth II in “The Queen,” which earned her the Oscar for best actress. In 2013, the actress reprised the latter role in London’s West End for “The Audience,” a play that imagines Elizabeth II’s weekly, private meetings over 60 years with 12 prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron. Starting Monday, Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre will broadcast the Laurence Olivier Award-winning performance on a high-definition screen, thanks to National Theatre Live, which brings the best of the London stage to audiences all over the world. Through July 30 at the Shakespeare Theatre Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. 202/547-1122. Web: shakespearetheatre.org.

Culture: Mystical Arts of Tibet

The Drepung Loseling monastery was founded in Lhasa, Tibet, in 1416 and served as the home of tens of thousands of monks over the centuries, including the Second Dalai Lama. After China invaded Tibet in the 1950s, thousands of monasteries were closed or destroyed, but 250 Drepung Loseling monks escaped and rebuilt their center in India, where 2,500 monks live today. The monastery’s Mystical Arts ofTibet troupe will arrive in Washington this week to construct a mandala sand painting during a multiday performance and exhibition of sacred Tibetan arts. The event opens Tuesday with a ceremony during which the monks will consecrate the site of the painting with chants, music and mantra recitation, and begin laying the millions of grains of sand that will eventually make up the piece. The live sand painting will be accompanied by an exhibit that includes some of the Dalai Lama’s personal objects, ancient and contemporary art works from the monastery’s long history and photos of sacred sites. Through July 28 at Unity of Fairfax, 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton. 703/291-1767. Web: unityoffairfax.org.

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC and Samantha Sault