A Great Show for A Great Cause

This weekend, DC Insider Tours headed to a neighborhood we don’t often get get to visit, H Street! Located in Northeast DC, just east of Union Station, H Street is in the middle of a revival. Efforts are being made to restore it to its former popularity, replacing boarded-up shops with bustling boutiques, eateries, and bars. So far, it’s working, and the introduction of the streetcars later this year (supposedly) may help with H Street’s transportation problems resulting from being over a mile from the nearest metro station.

So when a friend of mine, Rebecca Adelson, mentioned a few weeks ago that she’d be performing as part of the Congressional Chorus in a show called New York, New York, An American Cabaret, Bo and I jumped at the chance to spend an evening in H Street. The ticket prices were steep at $45 a pop, but all the money goes to support programs to offer music classes to children who don’t receive any musical instruction at school.  So, we were happy to get a chance to give back to the community and spend a night on the town all at one time.

The show was at the Atlas Theater, a relic from the 1930’s that suffered along with the rest of H Street when the neighborhood was in decline. But the Atlas recently got a makeover, and has been hosting arts performances of all kinds ever since. The Congressional Chorus sold out of every performance at the Atlas in advance, a sure sign of locals’ willingness to venture to the H Street Corridor once again.

With a sold-out show and seating hard to come by, our hopes for the show were high, and the Congressional Chorus did not disappoint! The singers were talented, the choreography was impressive, and it was great to see a group of people so diverse coming together to put on a show. And when it came time for her solo, my friend Rebecca truly blew us away and stole the show!

All in all, we were more than satisfied that we’d seen a great show for a great cause, and it was nice to see H street on its way up in the world. Next time you’re in DC, make sure to stop by H Street and catch a show at the Atlas to see a neighborhood truly in resurgence!