Billy Porter Works with Acting Legends in ‘80 for

He’s been around for decades, achieving tremendous success on stage, TV, and film, but even Billy Porter was awed by his co-stars in the new film, “80 for Brady.” Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno star in the comedy about four friends who decide to go to the 2017 Super Bowl and see their icon Tom Brady in action. It’s based on a true story that the actor was not familiar with until after reading the script.

“As a student of the arts, these actresses have been inspirational to me for a very long time, not just the work but their lives off-screen, their philanthropy, the activism, the engagement with community,” Porter told Georgia Voice “All of those things so publicly have been a blueprint for me in terms of how I understood how to show up once I got my opportunity to be in this space. I never dreamed I would be in a movie with any of them, much less all four at the same time. It was magical.”

Porter appears in the film as Gugu, who he sees as “fabulous,” a director and choreographer of huge stadium shows who has a chance encounter with the four women.

“I imagine he is the master of those type shows,” he said. “In my mind’s eye, that is how I played it.”

He loves the fact that the film features vital women in their 70s and 80s, a Hollywood rarity, as well as an affirming message.

“This reminds people that there are no time limits on your dreams,” Porter said. “Continue to live your life to the fullest. It’s not over until the wheels fall off. I know that that kind of representation matters because when you see it actively, one can then filter that. It’s inspiring and encouraging.”

Someone told Porter this was the gayest sports film ever made, and he agrees.

“It cracks open such a subversive conversation in a way that we need right now to remind us that we are all human and the only healing is through love,” he said, jokingly calling the movie “Golden Girls” meets “Bridesmaids” on crack.

“80 for Brady” also examines the role of extended family.

“I don’t know anyone who can live without unconditional love and it doesn’t always necessarily come from blood relatives,” Porter said. “Often it comes from people and energies that you curate to be in your life.”

Atlanta Falcons fans may not be happy with the project. The film painfully recreates the Falcons’ loss to the New England Patriots in what is considered the greatest sports choke of all time.

The series “Pose” changed the world for Porter. He won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Pray Tell and the show was celebrated for its authenticity.

“I lived through the AIDS crisis,” he said. “I am 53 years old and have been HIV positive since 2007. I always wondered why I survived. I had survivor’s guilt for a very long time — and then ‘Pose’ came along and it was clear to me. I have always known there was a calling in my life, but it was ‘Pose’ that sat me in the center of that calling. The fact that my community was finally seen in the mainstream has cracked open a different kind of conversation, a space where we are no longer unconsciously or unknowingly dehumanized.”

Out Front Theatre Company’s new “I Wanna F***ing Tear You Apart” tells the story of two friends and the wedge that comes between them when a third enters the picture. The show is directed by Melissa Foulger, who is working with the company for the first time.

Leo is a gay man who has been friends with Sam for approximately 15 years. They are writers who went to college together and remained “Will and Grace”-type best buds into their 30s. Sam is overweight and struggling with selfesteem issues. The two spend almost all their time together, bingeing “Grey’s Anatomy.”

“They rely on each other as being on the outside, not accepted by society, and that is what links them together and makes them a team,” Foulger told Georgia Voice

Over time, Leo decides that, as he gets older, he wants more than just one friendship and begins hanging out with Chloe from his office, who is in her 20s.

“Sam gets jealous and it breaks things up in their relationship,” Foulger said. “The way Leo and Chloe interact is the way Leo and Sam used to interact.”

One reason Foulger wanted to do this piece is getting to examine the idea of this specific friendship.

“That relationship has an unhealthy nature to it,” she said. “There is some dysfunction, and it’s fun to explore all of that.”

Written by Morgan Gould, the show is making its Southeastern premiere and will also be staged at Fort Lauderdale’s Island City Stage with the same two lead performers.

Foulger has been watching Out Front for a long time, and when she was contacted, she was proud to be able to do something at a theater that represents her community.

“I was excited to do something that is about a relationship I have been in and I love the work they do, putting such a spotlight on the LGBTQ community,” she said.

“80 For Brady” is now in theaters

“I Wanna F***ing Tear You Apart” runs through February 18 at Out Front Theatre Company.

Jim Farmer

FEBRUARY 3, 6 TO 10PM

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART

Atlanta’s favorite DJs join every first Friday for High Frequency Friday, a cultural experience designed to raise the vibration. Take in the High Museum of Art’s collection, create a piece of art, and participate in a docent-led tour. Grab a drink and food and meet new friends where Atlanta and art collide.

FEBRUARY 3, 8PM, THROUGH FEBRUARY 19

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

Freddie Ashley directs “Urinetown the Musical,” a co-production by Actor’s Express and Oglethorpe University.

FEBRUARY 4, 8PM, THROUGH FEBRUARY 18

OUT FRONT THEATRE COMPANY

In “I Wanna F**ing Tear You Apart,” Samantha and Leo are a team— best friends and roommates, fat girl and gay guy against the world— until a new friend upends their cozy co-dependent diet of mutual self-loathing and “Grey’s Anatomy” marathons. The play is an ode to the complications of friendship in its many messed-up forms, with a special nod to a kind of love that sometimes looks a lot like rage.

FEBRUARY 6, 7 TO 8PM FOR YOUTH, 8 TO 9PM FOR ADULTS

CHARIS BOOKS AND MORE

Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender and aspiring allies, providing a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and activism around social issues.

FEBRUARY 8 THROUGH FEBRUARY 21

MULTIPLE VENUES

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, the city’s biggest film festival, returns with its usual slate of international films and many queer films. Learn more at ajff.org.

FEBRUARY 9, 11:45AM

HENRY’S MIDTOWN

OUT Georgia Business Alliance hosts its Business Builder Lunch (BBL) Midtown, hosted by Chip Ivie at Henry’s Midtown Tavern on the second Thursday of each month. The Business Builder Lunch networking series brings small groups together across Atlanta and Georgia with a focus on building business connections and driving referrals over lunch. Registration is free for members and guests, but seating is limited and each attendee is

FEBRUARY 10, 7:30PM, THROUGH MARCH 5

ALLIANCE THEATRE

Winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “The Hot Wing King” is a fierce new comedy about the risks and rewards of celebrating who you are. It’s time for Memphis’s annual “Hot Wang Festival,” and Cordell knows he has the wings that’ll make him king. Supported by his beau Dwayne and best friends who serve as his fry crew “The New Wing Order,” the group settles in for a fun night of pre-competition prep. But when a family emergency forces Dwayne’s troubled nephew into the mix, it quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. Suddenly, the first-place trophy isn’t the only thing that Cordell risks losing. This is directed for the first time by its award-winning playwright Katori Hall (TV’s “P-Valley,” Broadway’s “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”). (Photo via Facebook) responsible for their own lunch bill.

FEBRUARY 9, 7:30PM

STATE FARM ARENA

The Atlanta Hawks host Pride Night tonight, with in-game programming and performances that celebrate members and allies of the LGBTQ community, as well as a rainbow lighting of the iconic Atlanta letters and a performance by Keri Hilson.

FEBRUARY 10, 10PM

HERETIC ATLANTA

DJs Caz10 and Aesthetic headline Ritual’s Moulin Gothic Valentine Party.

FEBRUARY 12, 7PM

OUT FRONT THEATRE COMPANY

Out On Film and Lesflicks present a ten-year anniversary screening of the comedy classic “Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?,” starring Guinevere Turner, Carrie Preston and AnnMargarita Albelo, about a young woman who inspires a director to make an all-female version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

FEBRUARY 15, 8PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

It’s a local favorite!

FEBRUARY 17, 7:30PM

VIRTUAL

Charis welcomes Francesca Royster in conversation with Julietta Singh for a discussion of “Choosing Family: A Memoir of Queer

Motherhood and Black Resistance,” a brilliant literary memoir of chosen family and chosen heritage, told against the backdrop of Chicago’s North and South Sides. As a multiracial household in Chicago’s North Side community of Rogers Park, race is at the core of Francesca T. Royster and her family’s world, influencing everyday acts of parenting and the conception of what family truly means. Like Maggie Nelson’s “The Argonauts,” this lyrical and affecting memoir focuses on a unit of three: the author; her wife Annie, who’s white; and Cecilia, the Black daughter they adopt as a couple in their forties and fifties. A powerful, genre-bending memoir of family, identity, and acceptance, “Choosing Family” ultimately is about joy — about claiming the joy that society did not intend to assign to you, or to those like you.

FEBRUARY 17, 9PM TO 2AM

DOMAINE ATLANTA

Let the good times roll at the Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball. Domaine Atlanta is bringing New Orleans to Atlanta. Start your Mardi Grass weekend off right with Cajun delights, traditional New Orleans-style drinks, stilt walkers, and more! Put on your best mask and come party.

FEBRUARY 19, 2:30 TO 4PM

SPIRITUAL LIVING CENTER

The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets in person today.

FEBRUARY 19, 7:30PM

LIPS ATLANTA

Hostesses Bubba D. Licious and Erica Lee and special guest performers will delight, amaze, and shock you as they call bingo, put on a show, and help raise money for PALS Atlanta. Tonight’s theme is Fat Tuesday — Mardi Gras.

FEBRUARY 21, 7:30PM, THROUGH FEBRUARY 25

FOX THEATRE

An uplifting comeback story like no other, “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. Featuring her much loved songs, the musical is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by the internationally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd.

FEBRUARY 23

MY SISTER’S ROOM

DJs Miss Milan, Face and Bomshell Boogie spark up R&B Thursdays.

Katie Burkholder

FEBRUARY 3, 8:30PM

JOYSTICK GAMEBAR

Enjoy improv from Baron Vaughn and Business Bitches.

FEBRUARY 3, 10PM

THE BASEMENT

Scream your lungs out to classics from DJs La Superior, Geezella, and Nena Linda and make friends with other queerdos in español! Tickets at basementatl.com.

DJ HUGEL

FEBRUARY 3, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Tickets at bit.ly/HUGElATL2023.

ROOKIE SOCIAL

FEBRUARY 4, 4PM

OSCAR’S ATLANTA

Hosted by Lauren Phillips with special guest Kitty Love Antoinette.

DJ ISIS MURETECH

FEBRUARY 4, 10PM

HERETIC

Tickets at hereticatlanta.com/ticketlinks.html.

FEBRUARY 4, 10PM

THE BASEMENT

Wear white or neon to glow in the blacklight and dance to your favorite hits from the era of Rainbow Brite, breakdancing, and crimped hair. Tickets at basementatl.com.

FEBRUARY 4, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

This InvAsian is going to be one you’ve never seen before! Get ready for a night of non-stop beats, bubbling drinks, and girl power with an all-female DJ line-up: Chika Takai, Azella, Kydkong, and Krimey. Tickets via Eventbrite.

FEBRUARY 5, 3AM

FUTURE ATLANTA

With Jesus Montanez. Tickets at gaboyevents.com.

TRIVIA TUESDAY

FEBRUARY 7, 8:30PM

THE HIDEAWAY

Enjoy trivia with host DeWayne Morgan. No cover.

ATLANTA ALL STARS WEEK 4

FEBRUARY 7, 9PM

FUTURE ATLANTA

Tickets at future-atlanta.com.

KARAOKE NIGHT

FEBRUARY 8, 8PM

BULLDOGS

Party, sing, drink, and dance at Bulldogs’ weekly karaoke night with your hosts Adonis and DJ Kaye G.

KARAOKE NIGHT

FEBRUARY 8, 9PM

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Hosted by Thad Stevens. No cover.

MARYOKE

FEBRUARY 8, 9PM

MARY’S

FEBRUARY 10, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Tickets at bit.ly/TRITONALATL2023.

FEBRUARY 11, 3AM

FUTURE ATLANTA

This event celebrates all genres of House music, from tech and tribal to soulful and melodic. With Eddie Martinez. Tickets at future-atlanta.com.

FEBRUARY 12, 3AM

FUTURE ATLANTA

With Seth Breezy. Tickets at future-atlanta.com.

FEBRUARY 12, 5PM

FELIX’S ATLANTA

The Superbowl is here, and Felix’s has you covered with food, promotions, & more! Claim your seat at 5pm for kickoff at 6:30pm.

FEBRUARY 12, 5PM

THE HIDEAWAY

Enjoy free tailgate food with a drink purchase, drink specials, surround sound, and big TV views this Superbowl Sunday. Wear your NFL jersey and get your first “TouchDown” shot free!

FEBRUARY 12, 5PM

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Enjoy the Superbowl on over 20 TVs with huge screens and full surround sound and celebrate your team’s win (or commiserate over defeat) with a drag show after the game, hosted by Ivana Humpalot. No cover.

FEBRUARY 14, 8:30PM

THE HIDEAWAY

Enjoy trivia with host DeWayne Morgan. No cover.

ATLANTA

FEBRUARY 14, 9PM

FUTURE ATLANTA Tickets at future-atlanta.com.

KARAOKE NIGHT

FEBRUARY 15, 8PM

BULLDOGS

Party, sing, drink, and dance at Bulldogs’ weekly karaoke night with your hosts Adonis and DJ Kaye G.

KARAOKE NIGHT

FEBRUARY 15, 9PM

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Hosted by Thad Stevens. No cover.

FEBRUARY 15, 9PM

MARY’S

SIDEPIECE PRESENTS KISS AND TELL:

THIRD BASE TOUR

FEBRUARY 17, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA Tickets at bit.ly/SIDEPIECEATL2023.