The Legacy of Michael Kahn - April 21, 2019 by Metro Weekly

CONTENTS

April 18, 2019

Volume 25 Issue 49

SPECIAL TOUCH

It made perfect sense that Ryan O’Connell portray a version of himself on Netflix’s latest LGBTQ series Special. By André Hereford

THE LEGACY OF MICHAEL KAHN

All’s well that ends well for the departing artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Interview by Randy Shulman • Photography by Todd G. Franson

CASHED OUT

Junk makes the world of banking genuinely interesting, but lacks any human connection. By Kate Wingfield

SPOTLIGHT: FILMFEST DC p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 SPECIAL TOUCH: RYAN O’CONNELL p.12 SHE’S THE BOSS: CECE PENISTON p.15 THE FEED p.19 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.21 COVER STORY: MICHAEL KAHN p.24 STAGE: GRAND HOTEL p.33 STAGE: A COMEDY OF TENORS p.34 STAGE: JUNK p.35 NIGHTLIFE p.37 SCENE: CHERRY POP p.37 LISTINGS p.38 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.39 SCENE: DINING OUT FOR LIFE AT FREDDIE’S p.44 LAST WORD p.46 Real LGBTQ News and Entertainment since 1994 Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla Patron Saint William Shakespeare Cover Photography Todd G. Franson Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830 All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight

Clockwise from top left: Echo in the Canyon, Ladies in Black, Rafiki

Filmfest DC

OW IN ITS 33RD YEAR, THE WASHINGTON, DC International Film Festival will present 80 films from 45 countries over a span of 11 days beginning next Thursday, April 25, with Ladies in Black, an Australian comedy-drama about a group of department store employees in Sydney at the dawn of Australia’s cultural awakening and women’s liberation in 1959, will screen at AMC Mazza Gallerie, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The lineup this year features the usual assortment of thrillers, comedies, dramas, and shorts, plus documentaries grouped into themes including “Foodflix” — such as Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen, about the mythical Michelin Guide, and

The Best Sommelier in the World, about the prestigious World Sommelier Competition — Music — led by Andrew Slater’s documentary Echo in the Canyon, tracing L.A.’s 1960s folkrock explosion, with a post-screening concert featuring Jakob Dylan, Cat Power, and Jade Castrinos, at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St. NW) — and Justice Matters — ranging from Rafiki, an LGBTQ drama set (and banned) in Kenya, to Dear Walmart, which showcases those workers at America’s largest private employer who are fighting back against unfair labor practices. Another highlight is the world premiere of DC Noir, a crime anthology series by George Pelecanos and adapted from his acclaimed short stories.

Filmfest DC runs Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, May 5. Call 202-234-FILM or visit www.filmfestdc.org for a full schedule and more information. April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight JANE FRANKLIN DANCE: COMPLETE DOGNESS

JIM TURNER

Barky is a dog with bad habits who learns new tricks in this family-friendly work from choreographer Jane Franklin’s local dance troupe incorporating spoken word, imaging, and animation by Hong Huo, and interactive participatory activities for young children, along with movement and music. A quartet of female dancers — Andie deVaulx, Kelsey Rohr, Brynna Shank, Rebecca Weiss — perform some gymnastic style moves as they work to bring to life the dog’s tale, complete with dog sounds of barking, whining, and growling. John Kamman and David Schulman provide proper musical accompaniment. Saturday, April 27, and May 4, at 4 p.m. Theatre on the Run, 3700 South Four Mile Run Dr., in Arlington. Tickets are $10 to $15, or $45 for a family of four. Call 703-933-1111 or visit www.janefranklin.com.

THE HUMP! FILM FESTIVAL

Sex advice columnist Dan Savage offers up a sex-positive, rough-around-the-edges assortment of homemade pornography — gay, straight, fetish, you name it. “Hump!” is less erotic than it is avant garde. While definitely not soft-core, it’s less about titillation than breaking down sexual barriers. Savage has curated the annual festival since 2005, with each year bringing a new batch of shorts, each clocking in at less than five minutes, featuring amateurs revelling in sexual expression. Thursday, April 25. Doors at 7:30 p.m. Also Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27. Doors at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Black Cat Mainstage, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-667-4490 or visit www.humpfilmfest.com.

MORTIFIED: LIVE PODCAST

An unsent love letter he had written as a teenager didn’t just send David Nadelberg on a wistful trip down memory lane. It sparked the idea for a project focused on the strange, extraordinary, or just plain embarrassing things people create as kids. Launched in 2002, Mortified is a spin on the popular genre of curated storytelling shows in which strangers from all walks of life take to the stage — as well as the airwaves a la podcast — to “share the shame” of their “teen angst artifacts,” created when they were all so young and impressionable. Revealing such memorabilia, organizers say, can be a revelatory experience: “You’d be surprised what you discover in the process.” Saturday, April 20. Doors at 8 p.m. Black Cat Mainstage, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $17 in advance, or $20 at the door. Call 202-667-4490 or visit www.blackcatdc.com. 8

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight ALAN CUMMING: LEGAL IMMIGRANT

CHRISTOPHER BOUDEWYNS

The Scottish-born, all-purpose talent returns to the area for another round of provocative cabaret consisting of songs and stories from the award-winning actor, all focused on his life and loves in the decade since he became a U.S. citizen. The setlist is as eclectic and idiosyncratic as Cumming himself, running the gamut from Sondheim to P!nk, Kander & Ebb to Edith Piaf, not to mention original mashups, such as one combining Schubert with Peggy Lee. Wednesday, April 24, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $35 to $85. Call 301-5815100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

STAGE FRIGHT

URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD, FOR NATASHA, 2015; CEDAR AND GRAPHITE, 9 FT. 1 IN. X 6 FT. 7 IN. X 3 FT. 6 IN.; © URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD, COURTESY OF GALERIE LELONG & CO.; PHOTO BY MICHAEL BODYCOMB

While not among the best-known Hitchcock’s, this 1950 British noir from the master of suspense is bolstered by fine performances from Marlene Dietrich, Jane Wyman, and the great Alastair Sim. Capital Classics, the popular series at Landmark’s West End Cinema, revives the movie on Wednesday, April 24, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m. 2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: THE CONTOUR OF FEELING

The National Museum of Women in the Arts currently has on display monumental sculptures made from wood and other organic materials, including leather, silk, and hair, all created by this German artist with the intent of evoking the grandeur and power of nature. A wall installation and an additional nine works on paper are included in this, the most ambitious presentation of works to date by von Rydingsvard, one of the most influential sculptors working today. Mark Rosenthal formerly of the National Gallery of Art guest-curated the exhibition, which was organized by Philadelphia’s Fabric Workshop and Museum. On exhibit to July 28. 1250 New York Ave NW. Admission is $10. Call 202-7835000 or visit www.nmwa.org.

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

COURTESY OF AWESOME CON

Out On The Town

AWESOME CON

A celebration of geek-dom, from comic books to movies to video games, and its influence on today’s pop culture, D.C.’s annual comic-con offers three days of costume contests, gaming tournaments, trivia, kid-centric activities, an Awesome Con Short Film Fest, and talks with a whole galaxy of celebrities, comics, scientists, and science-fiction stars. Highlights among the many featured guests this year: Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Val Kilmer (Batman Forever), Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid), John Barrowman (Doctor Who), Kate Flannery (The Office), Tom Payne (The Walking Dead), Milo Ventimiglia (This is Us), Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica), Michael Biehn (Terminator), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Anthony Michael Hall (The Breakfast Club), Susan Egan (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway), Brent Spiner (Star Trek), KJ Apa and Cole Sprouse (Riverdale), and Grammy-winning pop parodist par excellence “Weird Al” Yankovic. The LeftField Media-produced event, which attracted over 71,000 participants to last year’s sixth annual outing, has unsurprisingly been a draw for the LGBTQ community since its inception. The popularity has only increased in the past few years with the launch of Pride Alley and programming specifically geared to gaymers curated by Geeks OUT, organizers of New York’s LGBTQ-focused Flame Con. Friday, April 26, from 12 to 8 p.m., Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Tickets are $40 to $55 for a single-day entry or $80 for a three-day pass; VIP passes ranging from $150 to $574.99 are also available. Call 202-249-3000 or visit www.awesome-con.com.

Compiled by Doug Rule

STAGE AMERICAN COLLEGE THEATER FESTIVAL

All week long, the Kennedy Center has been hosting outstanding theater students from universities across the nation as part of the 50th anniversary of this annual national festival, which offers master classes and visits to leading D.C. theater companies. The festival concludes with a public performance of the finalists in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships and National Award

Presentations. One student, along with a scene partner, from each of eight regions of the U.S. auditions before a panel of theater experts, who will determine who will win a $5,000 scholarship along with $1,000 for their scene partner, with second place earning $2,500 scholarship and $1,000 for their partner. “You really get blown away by these kids,” marvels Gregg Henry, a former Irene Ryan finalist from 1979 who now runs the festival for the Kennedy Center. The evening also sees awards going to finalists among university stage directors and choreographers as well as designers in

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and technology and properties, plus students of arts journalism/ criticism. Friday, April 19, at 7 p.m. Terrace Theater. Tickets are $25. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www. kennedy-center.org.

BECKETT TRIO, PART 2 PINTER REP

Short plays by Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter — two theater giants and Nobel Laureates — are presented in repertory on alternate evenings by Scena Theatre and directed by the company’s Robert McNamara. Beckett Trio,

Part 2 features the Irish architect of absurdism’s black comedy-rich Ohio Impromptu, Come and Go, and Catastrophe, with a six-person cast including Buck O’Leary, Kim Curtis, and Jen Bevarelli. Pinter Rep, meanwhile, finds a nine-person cast, including Christopher Henley, Irina Koval, Karin Rosnizeck, and Robert Sheire, bringing to life a political trio “portraying terror and its consequences” from the legendary British playwright: One for the Road, Mountain Language, and The New World Order. To May 5. Lab II in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are

$14 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.scenatheatre.org.

CLOTHES FOR A SUMMER HOTEL

NETFLIX

The LGBTQ-focused Rainbow Theatre Project continues its sixth season with an evocative “ghost play” by Tennessee Williams focused on the tumultuous marriage and creative lives of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The couple revisits their youth in a haunting and poetic theatrical tale that blurs past and present and includes ghosts of characters who influenced the two, including Ernest Hemingway. Greg Stevens directs a production featuring Sara Barker as Zelda, Aidan Hughes as Scott, and Matty Griffiths as Ernest leading an eight-person cast. To April 28. District of Columbia Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets are $35. Call 202-462-7833 or visit www. rainbowtheatreproject.org.

INTO THE WOODS

HHHHH

SPECIAL TOUCH

It made perfect sense that Ryan O’Connell portray a version of himself on Netflix’s latest LGBTQ series, Special.

LL THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SARDONIC BUT SWEET TONE OF THE new Netflix comedy series Special — about a young gay writer named Ryan, who happens to have a mild case of cerebral palsy — can be read in the show’s hilariously blunt tagline: Living. Laughing. Limping. The show’s creator, executive producer, and star Ryan O’Connell, who is gay and does have cerebral palsy, also penned each of the series’ eight episodes, based on his life and memoir I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. Like his book, Special doesn’t shy away from the challenges of living, working, and dating with CP, especially as the 28-year old embraces his independence away from a doting mom, played by Tony-nominated stage and screen vet Jessica Hecht (Friends). O’Connell considers her character and the complex mother-son relationship they share to be like a love letter to his own mother. “I think it's interesting and weird for my mom to watch the show,” he says. “But she's been so incredibly supportive and loving. She's just very happy for me, like a true mom.” And seeing versions of themselves on-screen isn’t just a weird, new experience for O’Connell’s mom. While he had gained solid industry cred writing for the short-lived VH1 comedy Daytime Divas and the successful comeback season of Will and Grace, Special marks O’Connell’s acting debut. Yet, his assured performance belies any trepidation he might have felt before shooting some intense scenes, including his first love scene, a very funny and sexy encounter opposite actor-comedian Brian Jordan Alvarez (Jack’s new hubby, Esteban, on Will and Grace). “Obviously, I was very nervous leading up to it,” confesses O’Connell. “I barely ate all day. I was so miserable. But, honestly, I'll give credit to Brian because [he] has such a loving, non-judgmental energy. And he's just like a unicorn. He's hard to explain but...his energy is very light. He made me feel immediately at ease. “In the beginning, I was dreading it, and at the end, I wouldn't say I was loving it, because it was still me getting fake fucked for six hours, but it was an incredible scene to do. I feel like what you see in that scene was just what was happening. My responses are very authentic. There was a lot of improv from Brian, a lot of surprises. It just felt like very — I mean, I can't avoid this word — special. What have I done, calling the show Special? I just want to say special all the time. But it did. It felt very special and unique. And I feel like that energy translated onto the screen.” —André Hereford Special is currently streaming on Netflix. Visit www.netflix.com. 12

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Somebody’s hauled a fabulous eightpiece orchestra into the enchanted forest of Ford’s Theatre’s production of Into the Woods, and the brilliant, Tony-winning score, conducted by music director William Yanesh, sounds great. The mostly sharp delivery of director Peter Flynn’s talented cast can keep the listener hanging on every word of Stephen Sondheim’s winding lines. These are treacherous woods, less an idyll for peaceful strolls to grandma’s house than a fateful crossroads of change. Milagro Ponce de León’s forest set, rippling layers of flattish trees and vines, definitely carries through Sondheim and frequent book writer James Lapine’s image of the woods as a foreboding place and time, a field of dark unknowing. Flynn and company do a marvelous job delineating every major and minor character in this vast storybook population of kings, commoners, cows and chickens — as derived from fairy tales — even with some actors performing several roles. Flynn’s absorbing staging marches with gusto into the second act, which examines, or pokes holes in, the contentment that comes after Happily Ever After. But the show hits a few roadblocks. The pace slackens, and the fire wanes, until a hardy finish. As a whole, Ford’s production beautifully conveys the weight and lightness of Sondheim and Lapine’s journey into the woods, where characters forced to coerce, deceive, or steal from strangers can find whatever they believe might bring them happiness. To May 22. 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $83. Call 888616-0270 or visit www.fords.org. (André Hereford)

THE DUPONT UNDER(WORLD): THE LOST & THE FOUND

Founded by Strother Gaines and nurtured at Capital Fringe, TBD

12. Dupont Underground, 1500 19th St. NW. Tickets are $35. visit www. tbdimmersive.com.

MUSIC CAPITAL JAZZ

COURTESY OF COTT

A presentation at Strathmore that is part of a two-concert showcase of artists from the local jazz scene — one that is not to be confused with the unaffiliated but similarly named Capital Jazz Fest, presented by Capital Jazz Productions (which is held in June at Merriweather Post Pavilion). The diverse lineup of jazz, soul, and funk artists is touted as “indisputable proof that the depth and breadth of locally grown D.C. jazz rivals the best in the world.” Elijah Jamal Balbed, David Schulman’s Quiet Life Motel, Akua Allrich, Mark G. Meadows, and Rochelle Rice will all perform vibrant renditions and original compositions, transforming the Mansion into an intimate jazz club for the evening. The second concert in the series is presented May 2 and features a different roster of artists. 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Tickets are $30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

THE WHO’S TOMMY

Casey Cott, star of the CW’s Riverdale, takes on the title role in the Kennedy Center’s limited, semi-staged concert production of the musical tale penned by Pete Townshend in 1969 about his childhood and later struggles with fame as a founding member of the Who. Tonywinner Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher) and Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton) co-star as Tommy’s parents Captain Walker and Mrs. Walker in this Broadway Center Stage presentation directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella). Offered as a 50th anniversary toast to the groundbreaking concept album and rock opera, the version on stage was adapted in 1992 through a collaboration between writer/director Des McAnuff and Townsend, with Townsend’s original music and lyrics embellished by additional music and lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon. Manu Narayan, Kimberly Nichole, and Wesley Taylor are also featured in the Kennedy Center run. Opens Wednesday, April 24. To April 29. Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $69 to $219. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

Immersive — which stands for Tradition Be Damned — is hardly theater as usual. The company’s variation on devised, participatory theater centers the audience, with each attendee becoming an active participant, choosing their own way into and around the chief story, such that they ultimately become a co-creator of what results, building on the work of the mainstage performers and the company’s devising playwright Jenny Splitter, with additional assist from producing improvisation director Dana

Malone Heiser. Next up from TBD is an intimate, hour-long guided experience through a series of interactive installations transforming the subterranean Dupont Underground into a passageway to the Underworld. A maximum of 10 patrons will explore at the same time, and they will journey from life to death or from death to life — depending on their assigned path, with no two journeys ever alike — exploring the wonder, pain, and beauty of the unknown along the way. Opens Friday, April 19. To May

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

FINGHIN COLLINS

The Washington Conservatory of Music offers a solo piano concert featuring one of Ireland’s most in-demand classical musicians. Collins will perform Mozart’s Sonata in A Major “Alla Turca”, Brahms’ Vier Klavierstücke, and Schubert’s Sonata in A Major. The concert will be followed by an informal Wine & Words Q&A with Collins and complimentary beverages. Saturday, April 20, at 8 p.m. Westmoreland Congregational Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle. Bethesda. Tickets are free, with a suggested donation of $20. Call 301320-2770 or visit www.washingtonconservatory.org.

LUTHER RE-LIVES

It takes some smooth crooning to come close to the vocal greatness that was Grammy-winning R&B legend Luther Vandross. But William “Smooth” Wardlaw comes close enough to live up to his billing as the featured voice of the concert experience he’s fronted for nearly a decade. “We try not to say tribute or impersonation,” Wardlaw tells Metro Weekly. “That's why we're called ‘Luther Re-Lives,’ because we want people to relive those moments when Luther was onstage.” The Alexandria native relives his own love for Luther’s music and vocal prowess by performing the artist’s songs, accompanied by two backup singers and a five-piece band. The show is a full, Vegas-style performance that Wardlaw says aims to recapture not just the sublime musical effect of

Luther live, but also “the flamboyance, the lighting, the wardrobe.” Saturday, April 20. Doors at 6 p.m. Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 7719 Wisconsin Ave. Tickets are $49.50, plus $20 minimum purchase per person. Call 240-3304500 or visit www.bethesdabluesjazz.com. (Andre Hereford)

OPERA LAFAYETTE: LA SUSANNA

A local company chiefly focused on performing 18th-century opera using instruments from the period closes its 24th season with a well-timed co-production with Heartbeat Opera focused on the story of Susanna and the Elders from the Book of Daniel. Alessandro Stradella’s original adaptation, circa 1681, of the Bible’s iconic story of sexual harassment and the perversion of justice featured a male narrator and male savior, but here females are cast in the roles instead to make it a more powerful and complicated work for 2019. Directed by Heartbeat Opera's co-artistic director Ethan Heard, Lucía Martín Cartón makes her debut as Susanna, with Sara Couden as Testo, Ariana Douglas as Daniel, and Patrick Kilbride and Paul Max Tipton as the Elders. Opera Lafayette’s Ryan Brown serves as music director with Jacob Ashworth. Sunday, April 21, and Monday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $25 to $135. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www. kennedy-center.org.

WICKED JEZABEL

Pauline Anson-Dross’ popular lesbian all-covers party-rock band Wicked Jezabel has been rocking — as well as raising money for various good causes — all over the region for a decade now, originally under the name The Outskirts of Town. The next concert from the Jezabels is a charity event to ring in Earth Day: “Respect Your Mother...She is the Only One You Have.” Friday, April 19, at 9 p.m. JV’s Restaurant, 6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church. Cover is $10. Call 703-241-9504 or visit www.wickedjezabel.com.

DANCE ARTSCENTRIC: SNAPSHOTS

This “color-conscious” performing arts organization opens its new season with another revival of a popular and timely original work co-created by local stage powerhouse Kevin McAllister, who is also the founding artistic director of ArtsCentric. First presented in 2016, this “dancical” tells a nominally fictional story, primarily through dance and movement, that largely tracks what really happened in Baltimore in 2015: the series of mass protests that erupted in the wake of the police-committed homicide of Freddie Gray. Here, the focus is on Damon, a kid obsessed with

photography who, inadvertently, posthumously, sparks a revolution in his community after becoming another senseless casualty at the hands of law enforcement. The emotionally gripping piece, co-presented by Explicit Dance Works, features a 29-member cast, led by Heinz Adjakwah as Damon, performing a wide-ranging assortment of popular music and dance styles — from ballet, step, and tap, to jazz, hip-hop, and liturgical — enhanced by the words of various civil rights leaders. Thursday, April 18, at 8 p.m., Friday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 20, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West Preston St. Baltimore. Tickets are $30. Call 410-752-8558 or visit www.theatreproject.org.

SHE’S THE BOSS

Dance music diva CeCe Peniston is taking care of business with her own label and a new beat. By André Hereford

SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS

Based in New York, this group seeks to breathe new life into traditional Chinese culture, with a particular focus on classical Chinese dance, one of the world’s oldest art forms. Blending beauty, energy, and grace, dancers in dazzling costumes move in seamless, flowing patterns, while a live orchestra and thunderous drums shake the stage against stunning, otherworldly backdrops. Shen Yun returns to the Kennedy Center with its epic production focused on “reviving 5,000 years of civilization,” presented by the Falun Dafa Association of Washington, D.C. To April 21. Opera House. Tickets are $80 to $250. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

READINGS & DISCUSSIONS LANGSTON WILKINS: HIP HOP, CAR CULTURE, AND BLACK FOLK LIFE IN HOUSTON

Next week, the Library of Congress presents a lecture by a former fellow at the Houston Museum of African American Culture focused on two distinct cultural aspects of the Texas city’s black community. In his talk titled “Street Folk,” Langston Collins Wilkins will discuss the links between “Screw,” a variant of hip-hop music native to Houston, and “Slab,” or decorative automotive art pieces made out of outmoded American sedans. Taken together, “screw” and “slab” form a unique local tradition that has engaged and empowered working class black Houstonians across several generations. Wednesday, April 24, at noon. Whittall Pavilion in the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Free with registration. Call 202-707-8000 or visit www.loc.gov.

JONATHAN PLISKA: A GARDEN FOR THE PRESIDENT: A HISTORY

Known for gardening and adventuring in the shadow of the presidents,

ECE PENISTON HAS SIX simple words of advice for artists at any stage of their career in the oft-treacherous music industry: “Get involved in your business. Really.” Peniston, the gospel and theater-trained voice behind classic club hits “Finally” and “We Got a Love Thang” — among her five Billboard Dance Chart No. 1s — might have learned the hard way to take her own advice. “I see a lot of artists — and I was guilty of this for a long time — [who] don't get involved in their business. They're like, ‘Speak to my manager.’ And it's like, ‘No, you have to learn the business.’ And that's why people get taken advantage of — they don't learn the business, and you have to.” Without sharing details, Peniston explains, “I've gone through my very down moments where my money was funny. And I've gone through my moments where just life is happening.” Peniston’s beloved mother, Barbara Anne, passed away last year, “so I was going through that and then being on the road and being an artist at the same time, being just a regular person and feeling some type of way. And I'm like, ‘God, I got to give a show right now and I'm really hurting. But I have to still do my job.’ It's funny because I heard Aretha Franklin say one time, ‘Artists sing happy. We sing sad. We sing brokenhearted.’ And people just don't know, because it's not our job to get up on stage and give you our stuff.” So Peniston channeled the grief of her loss, and the anger she was feeling about other troubles, into her music and her long-standing passion, poetry. After all, the famous lyrics of her international hit “Finally” began as a poem she wrote as a college student. Raised in Phoenix, where she still resides, the singer marvels at how “Finally” has become not just her signature tune but also part of the soundtrack of people’s love stories and coming out stories, and countless drag performances, thanks in part to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. “To see a little poem that you were writing when you were 21-years old turn into this big song that people still love to this day, and has become a classic, is always love for me,” says Peniston of the track, which she’ll certainly perform at her April 21 show at D.C.’s City Winery, along with some of her new music, released through her self-owned label CeCe Pen, Inc. The artist has taken control of her business. “I feel like I'm living my best life right now,” she says. “I'm aware of who I am. I've become more of a businesswoman. I feel like the Cece that people have known is still there, but she's being made new.” —André Hereford CeCe Peniston performs Sunday, April 21, at City Winery. Tickets are $35-45. Call (202) 250-2531 or visit www.citywinery.com/washingtondc.

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THEN/AGAIN: DCAC GALLERY EXHIBITION 30 YEARS LATER

MARK WILLIAMS HOELSCHER

A showing of contemporary work from nine of the 16 artists from the inaugural show at the District of Columbia Arts Center, which opened to great hype in the wake of controversy and outrage over the Corcoran’s cancelling of the Mapplethorpe exhibition the week before. Presented as part of a celebration of DCAC’s 30th anniversary, the exhibition, curated by Philip Barlow and Pat Goslee, includes work by David Emerick, Lida Husik, Jenny Jenkins, Sherwin Mark, Darrow Montgomery, Fredrick Nunley, Michael Platt, Beverly Ress, and Greg Staley. On display to April 28, when it closes with an Artist/ Curator Talk & Reception. 2438 18th St. NW. Call 202-462-7833 or visit www.dcartscenter.org.

TODD G. FRANSON

CHRISTOPHER K. MORGAN & ARTISTS

The executive artistic director of Dance Place next presents — as well as performs with —his namesake contemporary troupe in its second annual season performance as a resident company of the arts venue and Brookland neighborhood anchor. The mixed repertory program serves as a showcase of the Hawaiian native’s expressive, precise works in choreography, including the premiere of On Defen(c)e, which examines concepts of origins, migration, and the lingering impact of the past — intentional and otherwise — as we set about to move forward. This new work will also feature the debut of several company dancers, while Washington Ballet dancers Lucy Nevin, Ashley Murphy-Wilson, and Maki ONuki join for a special collaborative performance of Morgan’s 2014 work In the Cold Room, with live accompaniment by electric cellist Wytold performing his original score. Morgan himself will perform his acclaimed solo Rice to round out the program. Saturday, April 27, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 28, at 7 p.m. Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Theater, 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $25 to $30. Call 202-269-1600 or visit www.danceplace.org.

Jonathan Pliska is the author of A Garden for the President: A History of the White House Grounds as well as The White House Easter Egg Roll: A History for All Ages. The White House Historical Association, a privately funded nonprofit, invites Pliska to come to its White House History Shop across Lafayette Square from the People’s House to sign copies of his books and meet fans. Monday, April 22, from 12 to 2 p.m. 1610 H St. NW. Free and open to the public. Call 800-555-2451 or visit www.shop.whitehousehistory.org.

ART & EXHIBITS HEDONIST BUDDHIST

The Washington Project for the Arts presents another exhibition intended to be more than just a display of art. Instead, curator Joseph Orzal adds a reading room plus meeting space for a project, housed in an empty storefront in Shaw, billed as “a solution-oriented community space that provides sanctuary for people feeling the

consumptive pressures of gentrification, the loss of cultural connection, and the inevitability of displacement.” The primary focus is on artworks exploring issues of class and race through the experiences of artists including Amna Asghar, Demian DinéYazhi, Eliseo Angel Casiano, Lordy, PLAKOOKEE, Sheida Soleimani, April Steele, Renée Stout, Aristotle Theresa, Uptown Art House, Asia Vianna, and Monsieur Zohore. Books will be on hand offering a deeper dive into the themes addressed by the art as a way for visitors to join together in common cause “to cultivate new methods of resistance.” Now to June 23. WPA Annex, 1921 8th St. NW. Call 202-234-7103 or visit www.wpadc.org.

ORCHIDS: AMAZING ADAPTATIONS

Right now, the Smithsonian Gardens offers an attractive alternative to Washington’s cherry blossom madness with the 24th annual orchid show. And unlike

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

those fickle, fleeting cherry trees, you don’t have to wait for, or make last-minute arrangements to see, the hundreds of orchids in brilliant bloom as part this joint collaboration with the U.S. Botanic Garden. From now through the end of April you can see the stunning variety of orchids filling eight large marble planters in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, nestled between the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in the former Old Patent Office Building complex. For optimal viewing, officials recommend you visit either as soon as the courtyard opens at 11:30 a.m., in hopes of catching the whiff that orchids give off to attract pollinators in the morning, or in the hour or two before it closes at 7 p.m., when there should be fewer people and more chances of catching an orchid bloom popping open. To April 28. 8th and G Streets NW. Free. Call 202-633-2220 or visit www.gardens.si.edu.

A few memorable photos that you may remember from covers of this very magazine — Jim Graham as Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra, say, or the infamous Leather Kewpie for MAL — will be on display as part of the latest exhibition at the DC Center for the LGBT Community, all from Franson, Metro Weekly’s central portrait photographer for most of the past 23 years as well as the magazine’s longest-serving Art Director. Yet the focus is on artworks the professional photographer and graphic designer has created for other projects and pursuits, all of which are available for sale. The exhibition goes as far back as Franson’s days as a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, with four stylized gloves from the series Wear & Tear: Inspired by Irving Penn, newly reborn and printed on aluminum. A more recent passion of Franson’s has been capturing artistic shots of foliage, blooms, and landscapes at the National Arboretum. And then there are the dazzling and quirky photographs that come closest to conveying Franson’s personal sensibility — perhaps none more so than Dancing Bear, a vividly colored image of a bustling amusement park at dusk foregrounded by a giantsized teddy bear wearing a propeller beanie. Ongoing. The Center Arts Gallery, 2000 14th St. NW. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www. thedccenter.org.

WHERE WE COME FROM & WHERE WE’RE GOING

The precarious status of immigrants in the U.S. is explored in the latest exhibition at Logan Circle’s small but influential gallery Transformer featuring works by Chicano painter and Oklahoma native Eliseo Casiano, New York-based Indian visual artist Dhanashree Gadiyar, California-based experimental media and filmmaker Gelare Khoshgozaran, Brooklyn visu-

al artist Keisha Scarville, and Pennsylvania-based multidisciplinary artist Karina Aguilera Skvirsky. Kimi Kitada curated the show, which looks at immigration through the mining of family histories and personal narratives, with works that investigate the topics of displacement, isolation, cultural assimilation, and government surveillance, among other pressing issues. The underlying, unifying message of the show is that all individuals are part of collective humanity. Closes Saturday, April 20. 1404 P St. NW. Call 202-4831102 or visit www.transformerdc. org.

ABOVE & BEYOND GEORGETOWN FRENCH MARKET

More than 35 boutique shops, antique stores, restaurants, salons, and galleries in Georgetown’s Book Hill area participate in the 16th annual open-air market and sidewalk sale, where merchants offer up to 75-percent off their wares and restaurants and cafes present special French fare, from sweet and savory crepes, grilled merguez sausages, pastries, and macarons. The Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) presents the affair, intended to evoke the outdoor markets of Paris. All throughout you’ll find whimsical street performers,

face painters, a caricature artist, and live French music and gypsy jazz. Plus, the first 250 people who drop by the Georgetown BID tent in the TD Bank lot (16111 Wisconsin Ave. NW) both weekend days will receive a free beret and will be entered to win tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s Volta. Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, April 28, from 12 to 5 p.m. Wisconsin Avenue between O Street and Reservoir Road. Visit www.georgetownfrenchmarketdc.com.

SMITHSONIAN CRAFT SHOW

Touted as the most prestigious juried show and sale of American contemporary fine craft, the 37th annual event, presented by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee, features 120 of the field’s leading artists. All facets of contemporary design and jewelry are represented, including wearable art, basketry, furniture, glass, leather, and mixed media. Joyce J. Scott is this year’s recipient of the Smithsonian Visionary Artist Award in recognition of the Baltimore native’s work using off-loom hand-threaded beads and blown glass to create jewelry pieces as well as figurative sculptures and wall hangings. Scott will be the focus of a “Convo with the Visionary” session and Q&A led by Stephanie Stebich of the Smithsonian American Art

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Museum, on Thursday, April 25, at 6 p.m. Proceeds from sales go toward funding research at the Smithsonian’s 28 institutions, from its museums on the mall to the National Zoo. Thursday, April 25, from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., including a Friends Night Out after-hours event starting at 5 p.m. with snacks and a cash bar, Friday, April 26, through Saturday, April 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Daily admission is $20, or $17 purchased online in advance; the Convo with the Visionary session is $45 and includes all day Thursday admission and one complimentary drink. Call 202-2722448 or visit www.smithsoniancraftshow.org.

THE DC WEIRDO SHOW: QUEER SIDESHOW

Held the third Friday of each month, the DC Weirdo Show bills itself as the longest-running variety show in the city — and also, as “Queen Weirdo and Producer” Dr. Torcher puts it, “increasingly the D.C. go-to show for local performers of color, queer performers, and womxn in the circus, sideshow, and variety performance arts.” For the month of April, organizers have gone a step further by making it an explicitly LGBTQ affair, showcasing a cast of “D.C.’s weirdest

queerdos” performing “amazing physical feats of fabulousness” in everything from juggling to bellydance to daredevil acts — and of course drag, in both queen and king varieties. And because all recent shows have sold out in advance, they’ve added a second night at host venue the Dew Drop Inn in Brookland. “Queerlesque” artist Carlita Caliente, “fat burlesque” artist/bellydancer Ophelia Zayna Hart, “drag King of Glitter” Mich, mermaid Ché Monique, and juggler/ musician Frankie Nonsense will perform at both shows — Friday, April 19, at 9 p.m., and Saturday, April 20, at 8 p.m. — while burlesque/spoken-word artist Uma Hurtman and fire manipulator Eva Mystique are scheduled for Friday only, and South Asian Telugu “gender-nonconforming bearded” drag queen Kamani Sutra is exclusive to Saturday. Sideshow Bro, a fire-eating/sword-swallowing drag king, will host both shows and shenanigans, all of which comes with the warning: “contains SHOCKING and RARE FEATS...plus NUDITY (horray!)” 2801 8th St. NE. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 at the door, with reserved VIP seating $25 and a two-night pass available for $25. Call 202-791-0909 or visit www. dcweirdoshow.com. l

theFeed

PUBLIC APOLOGY

Upstate New York town must pay $25,000 to gay couple for refusing them a marriage license. By John Riley

N UPSTATE NEW YORK TOWN HAS AGREED to pay $25,000 to a gay couple who were denied marriage licenses by the town clerk. The clerk, who denied their license due to her personal religious beliefs, was also required to publicly apologize to the couple. On July 30, 2018, Dylan Toften and Thomas Hurd visited the clerk’s office in Root, N.Y., about 50 miles from Albany. After they applied for a marriage license, Laurel “Sherrie” Eriksen refused to process their request, claiming she could not do so because she opposed same-sex marriage. Toften and Hurd sued, alleging that the denial of their license violated New York’s Marriage Equality Act, as well as federal and state civil rights laws. The couple subsequently obtained a license in the nearby town of Cobleskill and were eventually married. On Thursday, Lambda Legal, representing Toften and Hurd, reached a settlement with the town of Root. As part of the settlement, Eriksen has agreed to abide by the town’s official policy, which states that any qualified couples who apply for a marriage license must be granted one, regardless of their sexual orientation. The settlement also called for the town to pay $25,000 and issue an apology to Toften and Hurd. “No government official should be able to refuse to perform their duties because of a constituent’s identity, sex, or sexual orientation,” Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, a senior attorney

at Lambda Legal, said in a statement. “The law recognizes the equal dignity of same-sex couples, and so too must every government official. We hope this serves as a reminder to government officials in every town -- no matter its size -- that marriage equality is the law of the land and that religious beliefs do not grant a license to discriminate.” At the town Board meeting last Wednesday, Eriksen read aloud the public apology she issued to Toften and Hurd. “In my capacity as town clerk, it is my responsibility to provide marriage licenses to all couples, regardless of sex or sexual orientation, so long as they meet all applicable New York State legal requirements,” she said. “As such, my office, and I personally, will issue marriage licenses to any couple, without exception, who is legally entitled to be issued one. On July 30th of last year, there was an unfortunate incident involving Mr. Thomas Hurd and Mr. Dylan Toften who came to my office seeking a marriage license. I am sorry for any harm or inconvenience my actions caused the couple.” The couple celebrated their victory, saying they feel “vindicated and grateful” that the town will respect their family and all other same-sex couples going forward. “We are happy the state of New York supports our marriage and that we were able to not allow this one town clerk in our town to get away with violating the law and discriminating against LGBT families,” Toften said in a statement. l

RISING DOUGH

Ryan Reynolds, Jane Lynch, Rupert Murdoch’s son donate to Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. By Rhuaridh Marr

WO DAYS INTO MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG’S official presidential campaign, and it seems a number of celebrities are throwing their support behind him. Buttigieg kicked off his historic campaign in his home city of South Bend, Indiana, on Sunday, alongside his husband Chasten. And the quickly rising Democrat, who has polled behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders in recent surveys, has drawn some big name donors according to his financial reports. Variety combed through Buttigieg’s donors and noted a number of prolific contributions, particularly from LGBTQ members of the entertainment industry, including Glee star Jane Lynch, The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken, Game of Thrones executive producer Carolyn Strauss, and How to Get Away with Murder creator Peter Nowalk. Buttigieg also drew donations from Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, This Is Us’ Mandy Moore, West Wing’s Bradley Whitford (Buttigieg-Bartlet, anyone?), and Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, A Star Is Born).

Other notable names include Susan Rice, former National Security Adviser to President Barack Obama, and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy. One curiosity comes in the form of a donation from James Murdoch, former chairman of Twenty-First Century Fox and son of noted conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch — who created Fox News and is reportedly in frequent contact with Donald Trump. The younger Murdoch reportedly describes himself as politically centrist, and donated $2,800 to Buttigieg’s campaign. Buttigieg’s campaign reportedly pulled in $7 million in donations in the first quarter of this year, and the millenial mayor gained $1 million in donations in the four hours following his announcement speech. Presenting himself as an antidote to President Trump and his “scorched earth” brand of politics, Buttigieg branded himself as a youthful, once-in-a-generation leader who is uniquely poised to lead the country in a progressive direction. “That’s why I’m here today. To tell a different story April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

theFeed than ‘Make America Great Again,’” he said during his speech. “Because there’s a myth being sold to industrial and rural communities: the myth that we can stop the clock and turn it back. It comes from people who think the only way to speak to communities like ours are through resentment and nostalgia. They’re selling an impossible promise of returning to a bygone era that was never as great as advertised to begin with.” l

BATTLING THE BAN T

American Medical Association calls Trump’s transgender troop ban medically “deficient.” By John Riley

HE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION IS BLASTing the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members, arguing that the use of the word “deficiency” to describe transgenderism is unfair and not based in science. The AMA has taken issue with the policy, which went into effect on Friday, and specifically its use of the word “deficiency” to describe the status of transgender people who wish to transition from their assigned sex at birth — but are prohibited from doing so under the recently implemented policy. The AMA also objects to the classification of the need to transition to another gender as one of several “administratively disqualifying conditions” that include those the Pentagon has labeled as “congenital or developmental defects,” reports the Associated Press. “The only thing deficient is any medical science behind this decision,” AMA President Barbara McAneny told the AP. For its part, the Defense Department claims its use of the word “deficiencies” is military jargon for when an individual fails to meet standards to maintain a lethal force, according to Lt. Col. Carla Gleason, a department spokeswoman. It is not intended to be a reference to gender dysphoria that transgender individuals may experience. Under the new policy, a service member can be discharged if they have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria or if he or she is “unable or unwilling to adhere to all applicable standards, including the standards associated with his or her biological sex, or seeks transition to another gender.” But the policy also says that individuals found not to have met those standards cannot be discharged until after they have been “formally counseled on his or her failure to adhere to such standards” and been given an opportunity to correct their behavior. “They can dress it up in whatever words they want, but when you carefully look at this, it’s total disrespect for these human beings by saying a core piece of them is not acceptable,” former acting U.S. Army Surgeon Gen. Gale Pollock said. The AMA and the medical community has been outspoken about bans on transgender service since before the Obama administration passed its open service policy, finding no scientific justification for limiting military service to only cisgender individuals. Last year, the group once again reiterated its claim that there is “no medically valid” reason to bar transgender individuals from serving in the military. A much-cited 2015 study by the Palm Center also found that medical costs associated with allowing transgender individuals to serve openly would be “negligible” and would amount to “little more than a rounding error” when compared to the military’s massive budget. l 20

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Community THURSDAY, April 18 AGLA hosts a meeting of its MONTHLY BOOK CLUB at

Crystal Thai Restaurant to discuss A Walk on the Wild Side: A Novel by Nelson Algren and Russell Banks. Everyone welcome. Please RSVP in advance. You may also wish to optionally dine (separate checks) if you desire. 7:30 p.m. 4819 1st St. N., Arlington, Va. To RSVP or for more information, email info@agla.org.

DIGNITY/NOVA sponsors a

Holy Thursday Mass for LGBT community, family and friends. Pizza supper following Mass. 7:30 p.m. Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. For more information, visit www. dignitynova.org.

GLAA celebrates its 48th

anniversary by presenting Distinguished Service Awards to Center Global, Compassion & Choices, and Diego Manuel Sanchez. Reception at Lost Society. Tickets are $50 each, available at the door. 6:30-8:30 p.m. 2001 14th St. NW. For more information, visit www.glaa.org. Rayceen Pendarvis hosts “RAYCEEN, FIX ME UP!,” an evening of icebreaker games for people who want to socialize, network, and meet new people. Attendees must be age 21 and over. Admission is free. 7-10 p.m. XX+, 1926 9th St. NW. For more information, visit www. teamrayceen.eventbrite.com. The DC Center holds a meeting of its POLY DISCUSSION GROUP, for people interested in polyamory, non-monogamy or other nontraditional relationships. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Visit www. thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

offers free HIV testing and HIV services (by appointment). 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center, 1400 Decatur St. NW. To arrange an appointment, call 202-291-4707, or visit www.andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

session at Takoma Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/ walking/social club welcomes runners of all ability levels for

DIGNITY/NOVA sponsors an exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards. Route distances vary. For meeting places and more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s

LGBTQ square-dancing group, features an opportunity to learn about and practice various forms of modern square dancing. No partner required. Please dress casually. 7:309:30 p.m. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. For more info, call 202-930-1058 or visit www.dclambdasquares.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice. The team is always looking for new members. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www. scandalsrfc.org or dcscandals@ gmail.com.

THE DULLES TRIANGLES

Northern Virginia social group meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar. For more information, visit www.dullestriangles.com.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:305 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE. For an appointment, call 202-745-7000 or visit www.whitman-walker.org.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES, 20 S. Quaker

Lane, Suite 210, Alexandria, Va., offers $30 “rapid” HIV testing and counseling by appointment only. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Must schedule special appointment if seeking testing after 2 p.m. Call 703-823-4401.

METROHEALTH CENTER

offers free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an appointment, call 202-849-8029.

STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2-3 p.m. at both 1525 14th St. NW and the Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. Testing is intended for those without symptoms. For an appointment call 202-745-7000 or visit www. whitman-walker.org.

US HELPING US hosts a

Narcotics Anonymous Meeting. The group is independent of UHU. 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. For more information, call 202-446-1100.

FRIDAY, April 19 GAY DISTRICT, a group for GBTQQI

men between the ages of 18-35, meets on the first and third Fridays of each month. 8:30-9:30 p.m. The DC Center. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www. gaydistrict.org.

Easter Vigil Mass for LGBT community, family and friends. All welcome. Dessert potluck following Mass. Please bring Easter treats to share. 7:30 p.m. Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. For more information, visit www.dignitynova.org.

The DC Center hosts an LGBTQ GAME NIGHT where participants can play board and card games and socialize with other people from across the LGBTQ spectrum. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Visit www.thedccenter.org.

KHUSH DC, a support group

Weekly Events

OutWrite, an LGBTQ literary organization, presents “HIDDEN

BET MISHPACHAH, founded by

members of the LGBT community, holds Friday evening Shabbat services in the DC Jewish Community Center’s Community Room. 8 p.m. 1529 16th St. NW. For more information, visit www.betmish.org.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-

affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, www.layc-dc.org.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a

social atmosphere for LGBT and questioning youth, featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and games. 4-7 p.m. For more info, email rebecca.york@smyal.org.

SATURDAY, April 20 ADVENTURING outdoors group

takes a strenuous 13.4-mile hike with 2500 feet of elevation gain in the central part of Shenandoah National Park, featuring scenic overlooks and waterfalls. Experienced hikers only. Bring plenty of beverages, lunch, bug spray, sunscreen, sturdy boots, and about $16 for fees. Optional dinner follows. Carpool at 9 a.m. from the East Falls Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. For more information, visit www. adventuring.org.

BOOK READING UPLIFTS HIS SPIRIT (B.R.U.H.S.) presents

Bros, Prose, N’ Homos IV: “Dream Variations,” celebrates National Poetry Month with an evening of poetry, music, dance, spoken word, and song by local self-published literary and performance artists within the local same-gender-loving/LGBTQ community of color. Join them for a performance inspired by the movie Looking for Langdon by Isaac Julien. Cash bar and restaurant open for food and drink. ATM available. Please bring proper ID to purchase alcohol. 5-9 p.m. Underground at the Meeting Place, 1707 L St. NW. For more information, email darscorpius@gmail.com.

for LGBTQ South Asians, hosts a meeting at The DC Center. 1:30-3 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ khushdc.

HISTORIES: WRITING, RESEARCH, AND QUEER LIVES,” a standalone panel

discussion where the panelists will explore the way that LGBTQ stories are often hidden or buried in historical records, and what that means for writers and historians who are trying to tell our varied stories. Panelists include Dr. Jake Newsome, Meg Metcalf, Jose Gutierrez, and Rasha Abdulhadi. Additional panelists and moderator to be announced. All welcome. Free and open to the public. 6:308:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more info, visit www.thedccenter.org/outwrite.

SUNDAY, April 21 ADVENTURING outdoors

group strolls several easy miles through the National Arboretum in Northeast D.C. to see azaleas and other spring flowers. Bring beverages, lunch, bug spray, sunscreen, and a few bucks for fees. Carpool at 9 a.m. from 20th and Q Streets NW at the top of the escalators for the Dupont Circle Metro Station. Return by 2 p.m. For more information, visit www. adventuring.org. Volunteers are needed to help prepare CASA RUBY’S MONTHLY DINNER. Held on the third Sunday of each month, in conjunction with The DC Center and Food Rescue DC, the event provides a hot meal to those housed at Casa Ruby. Homemade or store bought meals welcome. 7-8 p.m. Casa Ruby Shelter, 1216 Kennedy St. NW. For more information, contact lamar@thedccenter.org, jon@ thedccenter.org, or visit www. casaruby.org.

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

MONDAY, April 22

TUESDAY, April 23

The Committee on Government Operations, chaired by Councilmember Brandon Todd, will hold a BUDGET HEARING

DC LATINX PRIDE will hold a meet-

FOR THE OFFICE OF LGBTQ AFFAIRS, as well as for the Offices

of Latino Affairs, African American Affairs, African Affairs, and Asian Pacific Islander Affairs. The hearings begin with the Office of Latino Affairs, followed by the Office of LGBTQ Affairs. Community members who wish to speak out about the budgeting priorities of the D.C. government are urged to attend and testify. 10 a.m. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Room 500. To testify, email governmentoperations@dccouncil. us or call 202-724-6668. The Latino GLBT History Project and Create Your History are holding a series of IMAGE AND JOB CONSULTING SESSIONS for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. Sessions include resume writing and review and free haircuts provided by Fancy Nancy DC. 6-8 p.m. The Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW. For more information, contact Danny, 202-682-2245, or danny. mendoza@thedccenter.org.

discussion group for people who identify outside the gender binary, meets at The DC Center on the fourth Tuesday of every month. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds prac-

tice. The team is always looking for new members. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www.scandalsrfc.org or dcscandals@gmail.com.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS

Weekly Events DC’S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

WEDNESDAY, April 24

The DC Center hosts COFFEE

DROP-IN FOR THE SENIOR LGBT COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000

14th St. NW. For more information, call 202-682-2245 or visit www. thedccenter.org.

US HELPING US hosts a black gay

men’s evening affinity group for GBT black men. Light refreshments provided. 7-9 p.m. 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9

p.m. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, contact Tom, 703-299-0504 or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit www.wetskins.org.

WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH HIV/AIDS SUPPORT GROUP

for newly diagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m. Registration required. 202-939-7671, hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

GENDERQUEER DC, a support and

holds an LGBT-focused meeting every Tuesday, 7 p.m. at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from Virginia Square Metro. Handicapped accessible. Newcomers welcome. For more info, call Dick, 703-521-1999 or email liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.

welcomes musicians of all abilities to join its Monday night rehearsals. The group hosts marching/color guard, concert, and jazz ensembles, with performances year round. Please contact Membership@ DCDD.org to inquire about joining one of the ensembles or visit www. DCDD.org.

ing at The DC Center to plan for the 2019 celebration of Latinx Pride later this year. 6:30-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

The Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce hosts its 11TH ANNUAL MEGA NETWORKING EVENT, the D.C. area’s largest annual LGBTQ professional event. Connect with various professionals to make employment connections, strengthen social networks, and have a great time. 6-9 p.m. City Winery, 1350 Okie St. NE. For more information, email mega@caglcc.org or visit www.caglcc.org. The LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meets at the Dignity Center, across from the Marine Barracks, for Duplicate Bridge. No reservations needed. Newcomers welcome. 7:30 p.m. 721 8th St. SE. Call 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

Weekly Events FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

group for LGBT people looking to quit cigarettes and tobacco use, holds a weekly support meeting at The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support program for job entrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more info, visit www.centercareers.org. l

The Legacy of

Michael Kahn All’s well that ends well for the departing artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Interview by Randy Shulman • Photography by Todd G. Franson

OME ARE BORN GREAT, SOME ACHIEVE greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” The line, one of William Shakespeare’s most famous, hails from Twelfth Night, one of the bard’s most popular comedies. Though the Shakespeare Theatre Company has produced the play numerous times, it was directed only once by Michael Kahn, in 1989, three years into the artistic director’s three-decade tenure. To say the phrase can be applied to Kahn is something of an understatement. One could argue Kahn, departing the Shakespeare after 33-years, was born to be one of the world’s greatest directors of stage (and opera), and that, upon taking the helm of The Folger Theatre in 1986, achieved for the intimate Capitol Hill-based theater a surge of greatness that brought it the kind of international prestige most regional theaters only dream of. As for having greatness thrust upon him, that would come in the form of all the actors, designers, collaborators, and dreamers handpicked by Kahn to bring their own talents to light in each new production, adventure, or risk the company undertook. Shakespeare has always been relevant, of course. But Michael Kahn took it to new levels in Washington, D.C. When Kahn — who had already served as artistic director at the American Shakespeare Company in Stratford, Connecticut and the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey — first arrived in D.C., The Folger was on its last gasp, having been defunded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Within his first three years, Kahn had turned things around. By 1990, his seasons had become so popular, there weren’t enough seats to accommodate audience demand. The company ultimately left the Folger (which, under the watch of Janet Alexander Griffin has had its own separate, brilliant, award-winning run that continues to this day) for the Lansburgh Theatre. If over the past 33 years you’ve been fortunate enough to see one of Kahn’s sixty-odd productions at The Shakespeare, then you are abundantly aware of the meticulous care he brings to everything — from Shakespeare to Molière, from Pinter to Williams. That doesn’t mean every production is an out-of-thepark hit, or even a solid work of art, but there is a certain high level of quality associated with him that rises above all others. Every Kahn-helmed production exhibits the effort, creative muscle, careful thought, and, most of all, joy for creating theater 24

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that he and his collaborators put into their work. “Michael doesn't give an actor a character to play,” says Ted van Griethuysen, an actor who Kahn convinced to join the resident company in the mid-80s and who became a Washington star in his own right. “He figures that's your job, that's why he's hired you. He can be demanding, he can occasionally be difficult, but very rarely. Michael expects a lot. He's very smart, and in some ways I feel Michael's been punished by being very smart. He's a taskmaster, but he's the taskmaster on behalf of your very best. One of the things I realized with Michael was that he really can't stand watching an actor doing less than what that actor is capable of doing.” The 84-year-old van Griethuysen credits Kahn with giving him a second life. “When I arrived in Washington, I was 52,” says van Griethuysen. “You would think that by that time, the high point of a career had likely been passed, but I can't say it was. In a fashion, at that point in my life, I was ready to do a lot of work of one kind and another, and Michael gave me the opportunity to do the parts that I wanted to do. He gave me parts I'd never dreamt of doing. I'm not sure that I would have reached my present age of 84 in fairly good health had it not been for the work that Michael provided me in those 30-some-odd years.” He concludes, “A lot of actors will tell you that acting and life are pretty much the same thing for us, and in a fashion, Michael gave me life and opportunities to express what I had seen and learned as a human being about myself, about life, about the arts, about Shakespeare. He gave me room to breathe.” Kahn is leaving the company he built in what he feels are good hands — Simon Godwin, the 40-year-old Associate Director of London’s National Theatre. “He's very smart,” Kahn says of Godwin, who recently revealed his first full season for The Shakespeare. “He's very energetic and committed to work. He's got a wonderful personality that is very engaging and quick. He's got tremendously interesting experience as a director. And he cares deeply about Shakespeare. The staff is already rather enchanted by him. He's got that kind of personality. I think he was absolutely, absolutely the right person of the candidates. I think the board made a correct decision.” Kahn — who graciously took time from a demanding rehearsal schedule for his epic final show, Ellen McLaughlin’s adaptation of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, to sit for a cover interview (his

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JOAN MARCUS

fourth with Metro Weekly) — seems at ease with his decision to leave, though at the time of the announcement a few years back, the news hit the local theater community with a palpable sadness. In the ’80s, Kahn, along with Joy Zinoman and Howard Shalwitz, former heads of The Studio and Woolly Mammoth, and the late Arena Stage founder Zelda Fichandler, laid the foundation for a thriving Washington, D.C theatrical community

Washington. I went up the stairs, and for some reason in the middle of the night, I had chest pains. I'm not a hypochondriac, but I said to Frank, "Something's wrong." He said, "We'd better go down and find a taxi." It was like one o'clock in the morning. And so a taxi came by and I said, "I need to go to the hospital." I got in, and then he drove about four blocks, and stopped for another passenger. I finally got into the emergency room and a very nice doctor examined me and said he didn't see anything wrong. He asked if there was anything happening in my life that might cause anxiety. I said, "Well, actually, I'm the new artistic director at the Folger Theatre," and he said, "That's it. That's it." The next day, I walked into the Folger office, which I'd never been to before — it was in a little building on the corner of Third and East Capitol. Everything was in it — the costume shop, everything. It was a former undertaking establishment. Pinned to the bulletin board was a letter from an artistic director of a theater in Washington commiserating with the staff that this “carpetbagger” had arrived. MW: The carpetbagger being you. KAHN: Yeah. I don't know who put that up there. I mean, I ended up liking that staff enormously, and vice versa. But that was Romeo and Juliet (1986): Pat Carroll as the Nurse, Laura Hicks as Juliet the first day. So those were ill omens, but I was excited about doing it. That evening, that, creatively and collaboratively, is unmatched in any other I went to a little restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue and I was American city, save, perhaps, New York. eating dinner with the managing director at the time, MaryAnn The Brooklyn-born Kahn, who came out publicly early in his de Barbieri, who I became very fond of, and Teddy Kennedy tenure at The Shakespeare, has been an advocate for LGBTQ walked in. I thought, "I'm in Washington." I got all that patriotic causes (he even served as a judge for this magazine’s Next fever. Generation Awards). He’s had two significant, long-term relaThen, on the opening night of Romeo and Juliet, our first tionships, the first ending tragically when his longtime partner show, I walked to the theater and sunset was coming over the Frank Donnelly died of natural causes two days after the events Capitol, and it was so beautiful, it was so Washington. I just of Sept. 11. Several years ago, Kahn began dating again, settling knew at that moment I was glad to be here. down with Charles Mitchem. The pair were married on May 17, MW: What prompted you to take the job here? 2015, by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. KAHN: It was all a surprise. I had stopped being an artistic direc“I still think about it,” says Kahn of that day. “It was a really tor — I'd left McCarter, I'd left Stratford, and I was teaching. I wonderful experience.” For his part, he’s looking forward to thought I was done with Shakespeare when I left Stratford after wrapping things up at the Shakespeare Theatre and settling ten years, and I thought I didn't have anything more to give to permanently in New York City. “I'm looking forward to moving this extraordinary playwright. And so I didn't think I should do back to New York and living with Charles,” he says. that anymore. And then I left McCarter. I didn't want to do budThe rest of us will undoubtedly feel the loss, particularly the gets and deficits. So I started teaching at Juilliard and Circle in artistic contributions he made to this community — although the Square and at NYU. I was teaching in all three schools. The you’ll get one more look at his magnificent Hamlet, starring joke was that if you didn't want to study with me, you had to go Michael Urie in a brilliant take on the character, which is making to Chicago. But I liked it because every restaurant I ever went to a return as this summer’s Free-for-All. I got free drinks, because the waitstaff were always people who For 33 years, Michael Kahn called Washington his creative were my students in one way or another. home. And, in the process, he forged a remarkable, lasting legacy Anyway, I was called down here to talk to the board of the that our city can be forever grateful for. Folger when they were going to close the theater to discuss what a classical theater should be. I don't know how many months METRO WEEKLY: Do you remember the first day you took the reins later I got a call asking if I was interested in being the new artisat the Folger Theatre? tic director. I had known the theater was having a lot of trouble. MICHAEL KAHN: Yes. I remember a lot of things about the first MW: It was on the precipice of shutting down. day that I got here. The night I got here — at that time, it was KAHN: It was gonna close, and I'd been on the NEA panel that with my [late] partner Frank. We were put into an apartment on had, quite frankly, defunded the theater for artistic reasons. I East Capitol Street. It was a three-floor walk-up. I didn't even had an idea that maybe working in Shakespeare again after all know where I was in Washington. I'd only come to Washington that time, and working in an intimate theater would be someto go to the Kennedy Center, so I actually thought that was thing that I would love — I used to work in very big theaters. So 26

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I said, "Yes." I thought I would be here for two or three years. I mean, I had a life in New York: I had a partner, I had a job at Juilliard, an apartment — which is still where my current husband and I live in now — and I thought I would be here for a few years just to see if we could make it work. MW: That turned into 33 years. KAHN: Well, what happened was when I had an idea, we did it, and every time we had a plan, we did it. One by one. The Free Shakespeare. The school. I mean, things just kept happening, and the audiences came. So there was no reason to leave. All these projects were exciting. There was always something ahead that we were planning to do. MW: I still remember your first production — Romeo and Juliet. I was a theater critic at that time, and it was a revelation. We had simply not seen Shakespeare like that at the Folger under your predecessor. I especially remember Pat Carroll as the Nurse. KAHN: That was her first Shakespeare. MW: That's one thing that you did for this town that no one had really achieved — to bring wellknown names from either New York stage or film and television into our intimate environs. You brought in Pat Carroll. Over time, you brought in Avery Brooks, Andre Braugher, Tom Hulce, Patrick Stewart, Dixie Carter, Stacy Keach. But the people in your resident company — Ed Gero, Floyd King, Fran Dorn, Ted van Griethuysen — you made them stars in their own right. KAHN: They are stars. And people miss them when they're not in shows now. They've all scattered to the wind. But no, I just went about doing things that I've been doing all my life. Our budgets at The Folger were very small, but there were people who were well-known who wanted to do this material, who had trained for it, who had the ability to do it. Pat Carroll had never done Shakespeare, but she had this incredible ability to do language. I just thought she'd be amazing. It was a great success for her, and she played loads of parts for us. Stacy, I had known in New York as one of the best Shakespearean actors in America, and so I was very grateful when he said he wanted to do Richard III. That was at the Folger, which was a 274-seat house, so the fact that he would come and do that — and he didn't get any more money than Floyd King was getting. It was the same salary — they weren't coming for that, they came because they wanted to do that material. And so when Dixie Carter came, or Kelly McGillis came, the people that were recognizable, they had the skills to do it. Kelly had studied four years at Juilliard. You didn't like her, I remember. MW: You never fail to bring that up. KAHN: [Laughs.] That's okay. Well, listen, you were not alone. You were not alone. MW: I liked Dixie! KAHN: Well, Dixie was wonderful. No, I just was thinking that you were not alone in not liking Kelly. Lots of other people didn't like Kelly. I created a whole season for her that she then couldn't do because then she got pregnant, if you remember. MW: Let me ask you a question about the Folger, specifically, because it's a replica of an Elizabethan stage. Was there a certain magic to being in that space, surrounded by the library with its folios and the historic documents? KAHN: I didn't have romanticism about it. What I liked about it was how small it was for me to be able to work intimately with an audience and actors. I'd never had that opportunity with

Shakespeare, where you could see the faces and the eyes. But to be honest, I went down and looked at the folios maybe once. MW: You moved the company to The Lansburgh in 1991. KAHN: We left because our shows were selling out. The board that brought me down to save the theater space realized that it was the company that what was important, not the space. Luckily we looked around and the Lansburgh was being built, so we moved. That was still an intimate theater, about 400 and

“I walked into the Folger office, which I'd never been to before. Pinned to the bulletin board was A

LETTER FROM AN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR... COMMISERATING WITH THE STAFF THAT THIS ‘CARPETBAGGER’ HAD ARRIVED.” some odd seats, so it didn't really change the aesthetic. But it did allow for a different kind of production. Then [in 2007] we opened the Harman — it’s bigger by another 400 seats. MW: Until I started seeing your productions of Shakespeare, I didn't realize how much I was missing. I started to understand the work more fully through the plays you personally directed. You have this connection to Shakespeare, I think, that so many others do not. KAHN: I'm very pleased when people say my productions have been very clear. That’s my goal and I work very hard to make that happen. I had done a lot of Shakespeare before I got here. I think I count every word that's said in Shakespeare as being there for a specific purpose. It's not just because Shakespeare's writing. He chose every word at a particular place because of some intention. And so my investigation with the actors has always been, "Why do you say that? What do you mean? Why are you using those words, and what is the intention at this moment? What has just happened before this that makes that happen?" And I work that way through the whole play. So no actor is just saying the words because it's on the page, or they've learned it, or they sort of think they know what it's about. They say it because their character has to say this at that moment — and not with other words, but those words. That leaves a lot of choices for an actor, so that one performance will not be the same as any other. That's why you need a lot of rehearsal. When I first got here, I knew that people hadn't particularly liked the last few years of Folger productions, but I didn't know what the problem was until I got here and I saw that because of budget reasons they cut rehearsal down to something like three weeks. You can't do that. I mean, you can't honor or investigate this writer in a three-week rehearsal. You just cannot. You have to then skip over a lot of things, and the more that you skip over things, the more incomprehensible what's on stage is. I've always said I think they're speaking English. We all understand English, but if you don't understand it, it's our fault, not yours. We are not finding a way to enliven these situations or these words that you can follow us. MW: How do you think your actors would describe you as a director, in general? KAHN: I think a lot of different things. Some say I let them April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

explore, and that I'm a very good editor of what they do, that I don't tell them what to do right away — and I don't. I usually say, "Let me see what you think," and then I edit it. There are other actors who would say I don't give them enough chance to explore. I really like to work with smart actors. I don't mean intellectual actors, but smart actors who have a point of view. They’ll do something that gives me an idea, and then I throw it out, and then they take it and they do something. It's a collaboration. MW: I’ve heard rumors over the years that you can be pretty hard on actors. KAHN: Sometimes I'm sharp. Actors who don't do their work make me a little annoyed. Yet, if you're a strong director with a lot of ideas, you can also shut actors off right away because they think, "Well, he knows everything, and he's not gonna like anything I do, so I won't do it." You have to be careful about that, but sometimes I'm sharp and annoyed. I mostly like actors a lot, but

much of anything, but then I was getting awards from GLAAD and everything for having done this. I don't know why it was such a big thing, that I was being asked to speak here and there, and do stuff like that. I never thought I was a gay representative, I just thought I was somebody who'd been gay since they were 16 or 17. But I was very glad I did that, and then, eventually, I thought that was one of the things I was pleased to have done. And then I was very happy to get married here in Washington in 2015 to Charles. We had Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg marry us. Those are all mighty good things. MW: There are certain productions you directed that in my memory are — KAHN: Are gay? MW: Yes, well, they had a gay aesthetic, or a leather aesthetic, or something. You would take some aspect of a show into some gay territory — it didn't overshadow things, but it was incorporated into it. KAHN: I don't think I do that purposely, because I think I'm trying to create whatever world I feel the play is like. “People have said, ‘I'm so tired of your gay plays.’ But I've had criticism. People have said, "I'm so tired And I say, ‘Well, I don't do gay plays.’ I think of your gay plays." And I say back, "Well, I don't do gay whatever your own passions are come into plays plays.” I think whatever your own passions are come into no matter what. I DON'T THINK I ‘GAY UP’ PLAYS, plays no matter what. I mean, I hope that I have been able THOUGH IF I DID, I SUPPOSE I WOULDN'T MIND.” to portray heterosexual relationships as fully as I think I can. But I suppose whatever lifestyle you have — and I I'm less patient now with actors who don't do their homework, hate to call it a lifestyle — it has to come into the way you work. I or are kind of lazy. I don't know many of those. mean, it just does. I don't think I “gay up” plays, though if I did, I MW: Are there any actors in particular from the old days of having suppose I wouldn't mind. But I have a certain kind of wit, I have a company that you really loved working with? a certain kind of attraction. I mean, all of those things probably KAHN: I think Ed, Floyd, Ted, Fran, and Philip Goodwin were come in. I've never been part of the leather scene, but I guess a gift to have. And then Wally [Acton] joining us. They were all if I put that into a play, I would find that interesting. I wonder gifts, to be able to have a small company who got to know each about that, because what is a gay sensibility? Well, you see cerother, and we could try stuff and do complicated plays. It’s amaz- tain things a certain way. You see characters a certain way, and ing to work with Fran and Helen Carey again in The Oresteia. it comes out. There were so many people I really enjoyed working with, In my early years, I did a production of All's Well That Ends I don't have favorites. I would have loved to have been able to Well, and there was a scene in the barracks, and so I thought, bring more actors who I'd worked with over the years into The "Well, why don't they take a shower?" People are still talking Oresteia, but the parts required certain things. At one point, I about the fact the boys were taking a shower onstage at the thought maybe my last show would have everybody in it, and I Folger. Tom Story says it was one of the great moments of his would do something like You Can't Take It With You or some- life. I thought, "Well, maybe I did that because I think men are thing like that where everybody would be in it. But it worked out attractive." But also I thought, "Well, they could be eating, or for me to do this production of The Oresteia. they could be taking a shower," and I just chose taking a shower. MW: One thing I wanted to hit on is your aesthetic. You're a gay I guess that's gay, but that's also what guys do in the Army, so it man. You were always out, as far back as I can remember. seemed like fun to me. KAHN: No, I outed myself in The Washington Post. I did it in an I'm also very careful. When I was doing Richard II, who probinterview with Megan Rosenfeld. I'd never not been out, but ably was a gay king, I wanted it to be about an irresponsible ruler, not publicly. And then Post was doing this big article — it was I didn't want it to be about a ruler who was irresponsible because maybe two years in or something. We were talking, and I said, he was gay. I didn't want to feed gay prejudice by stressing that, "Well, you know, one of the things I think is really strange here so I worked against that. Because I thought, "I'm not interested in Washington is that I'm invited as a single man to dinners." I right now, in the middle of all the arguments about equality, of said, "I'm reasonably good-looking. Why do people assume I'm showing a gay person being irresponsible." by myself?" I think gay people are as irresponsible as straight people. I She said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Well, I'm always invit- mean, being gay doesn't mean you have to like everybody who's ed as an extra man." I said, "Why do people think I am an extra gay. But I didn't want to let people use that as an argument, so man?" She said, "What?" I said, "Well, because I have a partner. I chose not to do it that way. And yet, I thought it was perfect I've had a partner for 15 years." She said, "Really? Who?" And we in Love's Labor's Lost, for the character Boyet that Floyd did, to talked, and so she said, "Do you want that in the paper?" I said, make him very particularly a sort of gay socialite walker. Why "Yeah, I think I do." So she put it in the article, and I was very was this man running around with five women all the time, and glad she did. talking to them? Well, it seemed to me a very gay kind of thing A wonderful woman who was a big social leader in to do. And Floyd said, "Gee, I hope I'm not playing it gay." I said, Washington I knew, wrote me a note telling me how proud she "Oh, no, Floyd, you're not. That's what it should be." was of me doing that. It didn't strike me at the time as being MW: I think it's interesting you're ending with a Greek trage28

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dy. Why did you choose to close out your career here with The Oresteia? KAHN: I’ve thought about doing The Oresteia since I was in college. It's always stuck with me. Of course, I did Mourning Becomes Electra, so in a way I sort of did it. But this wonderful thing happened, where an actor who had worked with us came into a lot of money. He came to me and said, "Is there something you've dreamt about, that you couldn't do because of resources and money?" So I immediately said The Oresteia and he said, "Well, then, I'll support that." And he supported it very generously. So all of a sudden I'm doing The Oresteia. I don't like to think of it as my final play, just another play in a long history of plays I've been doing. And so it would have

together, and there were all the attending problems of that. Eight years later, we kind of know we're together. MW: Is there still romance? KAHN: I don't know what romance means. I mean, I love him and he loves me, and we hold hands in the movie theater and things like that. But there are days that we're doing the laundry. MW: So much has happened in the LGBTQ community since you first came to Washington 33 years ago. You are a prominent gay figure in our culture, in our city. What changes have you seen? KAHN: I never had felt prejudice or anything when I went to a performing arts high school. For a little while there I was the only straight person in my class, you know what I mean? So I never personally felt the kind of oppression that so many people have felt. But to have seen it become accepted — I mean, the theater is one of the most accepting places in the “Shakespeare shows us that the voice of the world of gay people, and so many people who are gay are in charge of theaters. Agents, directors. But to see the people is important. He didn't imagine that there flowering of gay rights, and to see the incredible progwould be such a thing as democracy. AND WE ress that was made, like to watch now — you thought HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT WE HAVE TO PROTECT maybe for the next 10 years what we were doing would be being taken further, that we’d fight more and more DEMOCRACY, AS FLAWED AS IT IS.” for all other kinds of oppression. But to realize that now for the next ten or twenty years, we have to fight to keep come up, it just happens to be at the end of it. There's something what we have? That I didn't think was gonna happen. Probably about The Oresteia, about revenge and violence and the end of nobody thought that was gonna happen. all of that, that I'm interested in, that I think the world needs I was very worried about the religious right ten years ago. I to hear about. We live in a world of revenge and recrimination said to a friend of mine, "I'm sorry, they're the enemy, and they're and retribution, and we live in it whether we live in Europe and gonna be very powerful." But I don't think we ever thought we the Middle East where it's actually people killing each other, or would see rights being taken away. I thought we would be really whether it's just polarity in our discourse now where you say dealing with other issues. something, then I kill you, and you kill me back — which is what I'm not a spokesman for the gay community at all. I just live our current President has encouraged us to do. So that's what I my life as a gay person and it's never been a problem, and if it's think this play is about, the end of all that. So I thought it would been a problem I've never known. Maybe people secretly denied be a good play to do. me work because I was gay or something, but I've never known MW: And that just happens to be the last one. about that. What I know now as a fact is that people are trying to KAHN: It happened to be the last one, yeah. I had thought about take away the things that we all worked very hard to have, and leaving the company years ago, and the board suggested I stay a that's a fight now that has to be done, and has to be done all the little longer. I'm glad I did, because I got to do the Hamlet that I time now. And it's too bad. For me, that's one of the tragedies of cared about a lot. Trump. MW: The one starring Michael Urie. I loved that Hamlet. One of MW: Do you think that, in this day of Trump, the lessons of the best I’ve ever seen. Shakespeare are relevant? And if so, to what end? KAHN: I was so proud of it, and also loved working on it, so I KAHN: Shakespeare's understanding of power and politics and wouldn't have minded leaving with that show. what people do to get elected and what people lie about to stay in MW: Are you done with directing after this show? power. It's all about that. All you have to do is look at Richard III. KAHN: I don't know whether I want to direct anything anymore. MW: Does Shakespeare show us how to correct the situation? I’ve pretty much been so lucky in my life to direct everything I KAHN: I think what Shakespeare shows us is that this is not the ever, ever, ever wanted to do. If some play hit me, that I thought, way we want to go, which is basically assassination. We don't "This has to be said, and I'm the right person to help say it," I really want to do that. If there were ballot boxes in his time, he would do it. But just to do a play now, I wouldn't do that any- probably would have written a play about that. What he does more. I’ve directed about 175, 180 productions in my life. show us, though, is that the voice of the people is important. He MW: Time to get personal. I’ve interviewed you countless times didn't imagine that there would be such a thing as democracy. over the years and you’ve never told me your age. Will you answer And we have to remember that we have to protect democracy, that question now? as flawed as it is. KAHN: [Laughs.] No. I think most people know how old I am. MW: Do you think you would join the fight? MW: Everyone says in gay life it's over after you're 30. There's no KAHN: That's what I think I'd like to do. But I don't know how romance. to do it. KAHN: No, but certain things are over after you're 30, and you MW: Maybe someone will read this and reach out to you. should just not have those things. I mean, but you can find some- KAHN: Well, that would be fine, that'd be fine. [Laughs.] But I'd body that you are in love with, and that you enjoy being with, like to do more than lick envelopes. l and that you have a sexual relationship with. But it's different. I mean, I met Charles through somebody who introduced us, The Oresteia runs from April 30 to June 2 in Sidney Harman Hall, because they thought I should not be by myself. It took a long 610 F St. NW. For tickets, call 202-547-1122 or visit www.shaketime for us to come to some real feeling that we wanted to be spearetheatre.org. 30

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MARGOT SHULMAN

Stage

Overbooked

Signature’s Grand Hotel offers eye-popping design and a few fine performances amid a dry, jumbled delivery. By André Hereford

FEAST FOR THE EYES, AND OFTEN FOR THE EARS, ERIC SCHAEFFER’S new production of Grand Hotel, the Musical ( ) at Signature sets an intriguing table, boasting an abundance of glamorous and alluring characters. But intrigue and glamour aren’t enough to overcome a book by Luther Davis that’s overall too stingy in providing many of these characters with meaty storylines. There are far more damen und herren singing and dancing through the halls of this grand Berlin establishment than there are truly involving plotlines to service them all. So, despite scenic designer Paul Tate Depoo III’s spacious, gold-toned lobby setting, with its broad, illuminated floor, and tall, sweeping staircases, the stage feels not just bustling with activity, but severely overcrowded. Voices seem to jostle and fall all over each other in some of the dissonant musical arrangements for the sprawling ensemble. In the busy churn of guests and staff that pass through the hotel’s revolving doors over a weekend in 1928, splurging bookkeeper Otto Kringelein (Bobby Smith) and starry-eyed typist Flaemmchen (Nicki Elledge) are first to emerge from the crowd and create a sympathetic bond with the audience. They might, in fact, be the only ones to break from the pack. That’s due in large part to the fact that, since author Vicki Baum first published the source novel in 1929, Kringelein’s bittersweet story of living out his last days in luxury always has stood out among the interconnected personal dramas playing out in the

hotel. The great Lionel Barrymore made hay with the part in MGM’s Oscar-winning 1932 film adaptation, while the late, openly gay performer Michael Jeter earned a Tony for his performance in the 1989 Broadway production. Here, Smith pulls at the heartstrings with his poignant rendering of the working man relishing perhaps his first, and likely final, adventure. The stately score by Robert Wright and George Forrest lends earnest expression to Kringelein’s stated purpose in the number “Table with a View/At the Grand Hotel.” And Smith’s assured singing conveys a wealth of joy in Kringelein’s delighted duet with Flaemmchen, “Who Couldn’t Dance with You?” Elledge’s Flaemmchen strikes the resonant chord of a modern woman who’s willing to work diligently to get ahead, but who would just as soon hitch her star to whatever passing ship might carry her even an inch closer to her dream of Hollywood stardom. A strong-willed naïf, Flaemmchen supplies the show with the heat of drive and ambition, combined with dangerously low self-esteem. Elledge

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

draws out the damsel’s charms and her flaws with a seemingly effortless appeal. That seductive energy doesn’t flow as powerfully from many of the other characters. Nkrumah Gatling sounds divine singing the role of playboy jewel thief Baron Felix von Gaigern, but, when not singing, he doesn’t capture much other than the character’s caddishness, as the Baron goes about romancing both Flaemmchen and visiting ballet legend Elizaveta Grushinskaya (Natascia Diaz). As the self-doubting diva, Diaz likewise sings and dances the part beautifully, but without conveying much in her non-musical moments beyond the lady’s cool imperiousness. At a crucial turning point, the audience is meant to believe that Grushinskaya and the Baron might genuinely have fallen in love, but the characters’ general self-regard leaves that plot turn feeling a little contrived. Nearly every moment spent

with Kevin McAllister’s disappointingly flat factory director Preysing feels contrived to set up a second-act transgression that adds a nasty whiff — but only a whiff — of peril to the proceedings. More effective are the show’s fleeting glimpses of humor, and the well-placed hints of queer Berlin visible in gestures of devotion made by Elizaveta’s aide Raffaela (Crystal Mosser) towards her boss, or via a male couple blithely waltzing through the hotel ballroom. The play’s twisted circle of dreams, schemes, romances, and confrontations does conjure the enigmatic allure of the Roaring ’20s Weimar Republic humming beyond the hotel walls, but without necessarily bringing that excitement indoors where all this jazz-hot action is supposed to take place. Paradoxically, there’s a lot happening, but not enough going on inside this not exactly Grand Hotel. l

STAM BAROUH

Grand Hotel runs through May 19 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $103. Call (703) 820-9771, or visit www.sigtheatre.org.

No Sole Mio

Everybody plays the fool in Olney’s daft but apparently crowd-pleasing A Comedy of Tenors. By André Hereford

WIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE OF RAUCOUS LAUGHTER THAT greeted Olney Theatre’s opening night performance of Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors (HHHHH) seems like an exercise for only the most committed spoilsport. But it’s not intended to spoil past or future enjoyment to note that Jason King Jones’ hectic staging of Ludwig’s farce landed like a lead balloon on at least one seat in the house. A sequel to Ludwig’s Tony-winning hit Lend Me a Tenor, the show picks up two years later in the lives of opera impresario Henry Saunders (Alan Wade), his former assistant and now son-in-law, Max (Matthew Schleigh), and the mercurial star of Saunders’ next production, renowned Italian tenor Tito Merelli (John Treacy Egan), traveling with his fiery wife of 25 years, Maria (Emily Townley). Also thrown into the Paris-set scenario are Tito’s Russian soprano mistress,

Racón (Patricia Hurley), Tito and Maria’s aspiring actress daughter, Mimi (Allyson Boate), and a young tenor, Carlo (Alan Naylor), whom Tito eyes as competition. The ensuing door-slamming, balcony-vaulting slapstick of misunderstandings and mistaken identities might have filled a decent half hour of Three’s Company. Presumably written more in the mold of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, Tenors nevertheless evokes more standard sitcom than Shakespearean farce. Or, at least, this production does. The cast are capable in their roles — in particular, Egan as Tito and daffy bellhop double, Beppo — but the direction, seizing upon an unreliable rhythm of telegraphed setups and punchlines, doesn’t serve them well. Neither does a hotel room set drowning in beige and stage lighting. Only Seth M. Gilbert’s costumes enliven the ’30s period with a hint of panache. Boate’s Mimi registers endearing enthusiasm about auditioning for a part in a Norma Shearer picture that MGM is shooting in Paris, but otherwise, there isn’t much in the script that fruitfully plants these characters in 1936. And anachronistic lines like Max’s about trying to “take things to a whole new level” aren’t played in a way that helps. Even the on-period wordplay (e.g., “You’re funny like-a Bingo Crosby.”) owes more to full-bodied delivery than linguistic dexterity. On opening night, “Bingo Crosby” brought the house down. So, more power to Saunders, Tito, Maria, Mimi, Max, and their amorous, argumentative company of dim bulb associates. They’re righting wrongs of love, just not for me. l

A Comedy of Tenors runs through May 12 at the Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, in Olney, Md. Tickets are $40 to $84. Call 301-924-3400, or visit olneytheatre.org. 34

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

C. STANLEY

Stage

Cashed Out

Junk makes the world of banking genuinely interesting, but lacks any human connection. By Kate Wingfield

RENA STAGE PRIDES ITSELF, AMONG OTHER THINGS, IN SHOWCASING plays that touch on powerful moments in American history, be they political or cultural. When they work, these theatrical accounts enthrall because they tunnel through the headlines and history books and into the messy stew of all things human. They make the momentous intimate, capturing the truth that no matter how iconic a person may be, they are not a super-species; they are complex people in complex circumstances. If handled well, their place in history will never look the same. Getting to this point is a challenge. The playwright must provide enough (hopefully subtle) expository to provide context, but he or she must spend equal if not more time in evoking the mélange of motives, dreams, vulnerabilities, and needs — half of them vaguely irrational — that tug and nip at the psyche whenever humans act. An audience may not know what it is like to make history, but every audience member will, in their own lives, have lived in such states of untenable suspension and then, for better or worse, made choices. The bottom line is that to truly work, a historical play must exude humanness like an odor. Which brings us to Ayad Akhtar’s Junk (HHHHH). Although the names have been changed, this is essentially a rapid-fire depiction of the havoc wrought in the 1980s by Michael Milken (here dubbed Robert Merkin), and others, who devised a way to use so-called junk bonds to finance immensely-profitable deals. It is, at its heart, a very informative, interesting enactment of how this financing worked, some of the mores behind it, and the casualties left in its wake. The plus here is that Akhtar clearly translates the complex world of bonds, debt, and insider trading into something not just understandable (at least for those who read a newspaper), but intriguing. There is, of course, a fair amount of expository. But Akhtar’s

device using a journalist trying for a book (Judy Chen, played without much nuance by Nancy Sun) covers some, while his round-robin of fast-paced scenes (nicely paced here by director Jackie Maxwell) helps disguise his injection of the rest. It’s almost a game to keep up and it cleverly mimics how hard it must have been for anyone trying to pay attention at the time. If you want to learn something of how current banking and lending regulations came to be, it’s a dynamic vehicle. But — and there is a but — as interesting as all this is, a sense of the actual humans behind it all simply doesn’t survive the high-tensile content. Characters are sketched, key moments outlined, but the surface is never disturbed. Akhtar does try — a few nanoseconds of the Merkin marriage surface first over Robert’s ill-advised insider trading and later over whether he should take a plea deal, but there is absolutely nothing revealed of these people. When the target of Robert’s hostile takeover, Thomas Everson Jr., bemoans the loss of his family business, it is cliched, the references to his personal insecurities tacked on. Attempts to add humanity — Amy Merkin nursing a baby for 30 seconds, a bit of marital groping, and Everson suddenly revealed as suicidal — are paper thin. They cannot resonate without more

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

C. STANLEY

of these characters’ inner landscapes. And although some of the excellent performances bring color, there just isn’t room for more than a smidgen. Case in point is Thomas Keegan’s Merkin. When asked what drives him to win the ever-bigger deal and make more money than he could ever need, Akhtar allows him only a “because I can.” Though Keegan may give the moment his all, the answer is profoundly boring. There must be more, but we are denied it. At two hours with no intermission, as riveting as a junk bond strafing may be, this kind of skimming wears thin. The lack of attention to character and genuine interaction has another knock-on effect. Although Akhtar references sym-

pathetically the antisemitism of the day in several ways, the Jewishness of the main protagonist and his particularly sleazy client, Israel Peterman, comes up with a regularity that, juxtaposed as it is with the ruthless quest for money, veers uncomfortably close to a trope. This was no doubt unintentional, but it highlights a grating lack of subtlety and begs the question of what, without more depth, it possibly adds. It would have been far more challenging — and far more interesting — to get behind the labels and into something human and real. Merkin doesn’t seem to care a toss for religion. Is he an atheist? Where does his mind go when it’s not on money? Who is this guy? Still, Keegan does his best with the material, giving Merkin an intriguing kind of charisma with his unblinking stare and natural bellow. He looks warm-blooded in his shirtsleeves and slacks, it’s too bad we see almost nothing of what makes him tick. For his sheer Aspen-vacation-home swagger, David Andrew MacDonald offers a mesmerizing Leo Tresler, a business rival who seems to be courting a secret, while Edward Gero ably captures the rather schematically-drawn Everson. As Peterman, Jonathan David Martin delivers the required repulsiveness, though almost overplays it. Finally, as Everson’s long-suffering lawyer, Maximilien Cizik, Lise Bruneau subtly suggests more than she is given, but remains another unplumbed mystery. In smaller roles, Elan Zafir delivers an entertainingly well-drawn ne’er-do-well trader Boris Pronsky and Perry Young is a nicely-energetic Raul Rivera, Merkin’s Cuban-American lawyer. In sum? If this may be a spirited retelling, it doesn’t do more than follow the money. l

Junk runs to May 5 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $41 to $105. Call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org.

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

April 18, 2019 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

Scene

Cherry Pop at the Howard Theatre - Saturday, April 13 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc... Thursday, April 18 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Celebrate Give OUT Day with Equality Virginia, 6-10pm • Chance to win a gift certificate from Freddie’s • Every $10 or higher donation received helps Equality Virginia qualify for funds from its national partners • No Cover, but donations are encouraged • Karaoke, 9pm-close

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • Men in Underwear Drink Free, 12-12:30am • DJs BacK2bACk NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets of Bud Products all night • Sports Leagues Night NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm •

Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • Special Guest: Miz Cracker of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10 • Special Guest Host: Brooklyn Heights • Dancing until 1:30am SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Bottles of Wine, 5pm-close • Paint Nite, Second Floor, 7pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

Destinations A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.facebook.com/alohodc AVALON SATURDAYS Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW 202-789-5429 www.facebook.com/ AvalonSaturdaysDC 38

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Friday, April 19 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Rough House: Hands On, Lights Off, a darklight party • Music

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR 555 23rd St. S. Arlington, Va. 703-685-0555 www.freddiesbeachbar.com GREEN LANTERN 1335 Green Ct. NW 202-347-4533 www.greenlanterndc.com

by DJ Lemz • $5 Cover (includes clothes check) NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Open 3pm • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Weekend Kickoff Dance Party, with Nellie’s DJs spinning bubbly pop music all night NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Friday Night Piano with Chris, 7:30pm • Rotating DJs, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Capital Laughs Comedy Show, Second Floor • Doors open 7:30pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 • Otter Happy Hour with guest DJs, 5-11pm ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Daryl Wilson presents Good Friday: 2 Floors of House and Hip-Hop Music • Guest Dancer Mr. Cali • Drag Show, featuring

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR 900 U St. NW 202-332-6355 www.nelliessportsbar.com NUMBER NINE 1435 P St. NW 202-986-0999 www.numberninedc.com PITCHERS 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.pitchersbardc.com

WARD MORRISON

NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Compiled by Doug Rule

Harmonica Sunbeam • Doors at 9pm, Show at 11:45pm • Cover 21+

Saturday, April 20 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports AVALON SATURDAYS LGBTQ Dance Party, 10pm-close • $10 Cover before 11pm • General admission $15 • Drink specials • Drag Show, 10:30-11:30pm, hosted by Ba’Naka and featuring Kristina Kelly, Deja Diamond, and Anastasia Dior • Open Bar on Tito’s and Jameson, 11pm-midnight

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Saturday Breakfast Buffet, 10am-3pm • $14.99 with one glass of champagne or coffee, soda or juice • Additional champagne $2 per glass • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm • Karaoke, 10pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Bacardi, all flavors, all night long • The Bear Cave, 9pm-close • Featuring DJ Popperz • No Cover NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-3am • Buckets of

SHAW’S TAVERN 520 Florida Ave. NW 202-518-4092 www.shawstavern.com TRADE 1410 14th St. NW 202-986-1094 www.tradebardc.com ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS 1824 Half St. SW 202-863-0670 www.ziegfelds.com

FREDDIE’S EASTER MADNESS Leave it to everybody’s favorite far-from-the-Beach Bar, the over-the-top, tucked-away purple palace, to go all out and throw not one but two Easterrelated eggstravaganzas this Sunday, April 21. Starting at 10 a.m., a few hours after the sun rises on the holy day, Freddie’s launches its annual six-hour Easter Brunch — lasting an hour longer than the restaurant’s weekly to-do. The hour helps make time for a Bonnet Contest offering prizes for those donning the best toppers around. Whatever you do, don’t try to compete with or out-purple the venue’s owner. “I usually do a little bonnet fashion show myself,” Freddie Lutz told Metro Weekly a few years ago. “I change just like Diana Ross.” Reservations are required for brunch, served until 4 p.m. The cost is $29.99 per person and includes several fizzy boozy beverages. After a disco nap, things get hopping again at 8 p.m., with a show presented by the Imperial Court of Washington, D.C. This is not just any drag show — “It’s A Peter Cotton Roulette Easter Show” featuring all the local organization’s majesties, including the reigning Emperor VII, Trace Couture Kennady-Smith, and Empress VII, Athena KS Couture Moore, with hosts Jacque, Ginger, and Rudy. The whole bunny bonanza is a fun fundraiser, where spins of the roulette wheel raise funds for Reign VII Charities, including the True Colors Fund and the DC Royale Pageant. Freddie’s is located at 555 South 23rd St., in Arlington. Call 703-685-0555 or visit www. freddiesbeachbar.com. JR.’S EASTER BONNET CONTEST The original Easter Bonnet Contest, now in its 32nd year, is set to go off this Sunday, April 21, at 7 p.m., with contestants campaigning and parading around in their holiday headdresses starting at 6 p.m. And while what goes down comes a lot closer to being sacrilegious rather than religious, you can always reassure mama and all concerned pious people in your life that yes, you did, in fact, go to Church — Street. JR.’s is located at 1519 17th St. NW. Call 202-328-0090 or visit www.facebook.com/JRsBarDC. ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS: DARYL WILSON’S GOOD FRIDAY Black Pride veteran promoter Daryl Wilson is also getting into the holiday-themed spirit with a special Good Friday — wink wink — fiesta for frisky fellas at Southwest’s massive LGBTQ entertainment complex. This 3rd Fridays in D.C. event offers dancing to hip-hop with DJ Honey in the Ziegfeld’s level and house from DJ Sedrick in Secrets, plus a live stage show and 17 fully nude male dancers. The party’s guest dancer is Mr. Cali, while Harmonica Sunbeam, billed as the Queen of Comedy, is featured drag act. Doors open at 10 p.m. Ziegfeld’s/Secrets is at 1024 Half St. SW. Call 202-863-0607 or visit www.secretsdc.com. l April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Beer, $15 • Guest DJs playing pop music all night

Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers

NUMBER NINE Doors open 2pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • THIRSTY, featuring DJ Chord Bezerra, 9:30pm

TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 • Gay Bash: The Alt Dance Party and Home for Uncoventional Drag in the Nation’s Capital, 10pm • Hosted by Donna Slash • Resident cast: JaxKnife Complex, Salvadora Dali, and Jane Saw • Special guests • Music by The Barber Streisand

PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $15 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Homme Brunch: Britney Edition, Second Floor, 12pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS DC Rawhides LGBTQ Country Western Dancing Lessons. Doors open at 7pm, Line Dancing Lesson downstairs and Line Dancing Hour upstairs from 7-8pm • Open Dance

until 10:50pm • $5 Cover until 9pm, $10 after 9pm • Men of Secrets upstairs, 9pm-close • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald in Ziegfeld’s • Doors open at 9pm, Shows at 11:45pm and 1:45am • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Sunday, April 21 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-12am • $4 Smirnoff and Domestic Cans • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Freddie’s Easter Brunch, 10am-4pm • $29.99 with four glasses of champagne or mimosas, 1 Bloody

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Mary, or coffee, soda or juice • Annual Easter Bonnet Contest — Prizes for Best Master Bonnet • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-1am • All Day Happy Hour • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon,

9pm-close • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open Noon-2am • $4 Smirnoff, includes flavored, $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller Lites, 2-9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Dinner and Drag with Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm • For reservations, email shawsdinnerdragshow@ gmail.com

TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets — Nude Male Dancers • Doors open 9pm • Cover 21+

Monday, April 22 FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Singles Night • Half-Priced Pasta Dishes • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and

April 18, 2019 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

domestic beers all night long • Singing with the Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke Night with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Half-Priced Burgers • Paint Nite, 7pm • PokerFace Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards • Ping Pong Madness, featuring 2 PingPong Tables NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with Jeremy, 7:30pm

TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

Tuesday, April 23 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco Tuesday • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo with Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close NUMBER NINE Open at 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Burgers and Pizzas, 5-10pm

by Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes • Karaoke, 10pm-1am

TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm • Bear Yoga with Greg Leo, 6:30-7:30pm • $10 per class • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long

Wednesday, April 24 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6 Burgers • Beach Blanket Drag Bingo Night, hosted

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8-10pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • $15 Buckets of Beer for SmartAss Teams only • Absolutely Snatched Drag Show, hosted by Brooklyn Heights, 9pm • Tickets available at www.nelliessportsbar.com NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover

PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 l

April 18, 2019 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

Scene

Dining Out For Life at Freddie’s - Thursday, April 4 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

LastWord. People say the queerest things

“My intention isn’t to out him or target him personally, but simply to point out the hypocrisy.” — Political activist and writer JAMES DUKE MASON, in a Facebook post sharing photos that allegedly show former Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock with a crowd of gay men at Coachella. “Normally I wouldn’t comment on something like this, but I am just infuriated by these images of [Shock] partying with a group of gay men at Coachella,” Mason wrote. “The fact that he would think he could show his face in public, particularly when he has NEVER renounced or apologized for his votes against gay marriage, gays in the military and against anti-discrimination laws is astounding.”

“There were certain indications by the time I was 15 or so that I could probably point back and think ‘yep, this kid’s gay.’” — Presidential candidate Mayor PETE BUTTIGIEG, speaking to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow about why he waited until he was 33 to come out publicly. “I guess I just really needed to not be,” Buttigieg added. “There’s this war that breaks out I think inside a lot of people when they realize that they might be something that they’re afraid of. And it took me a really long time to resolve that.”

“Since I’ve already [started transitioning] I can’t go in under this policy. I’d automatically be discriminated.” — MAP PESQUEIRA, a transgender freshman at the University of Texas in Austin, speaking to the Daily Texan after his military scholarship being revoked. Pesquiera, a cadet in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps who has had top surgery and is on hormones to aid his transition, was informed that his scholarship had been voided — a decision he believes is due to Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military.

“As a straight, white male, with so much privilege in this world, I believe my job right now is to pay attention, to listen and to be an ally. ” — ANDREW GARFIELD, speaking to Britain’s The Independent about whether straight actors should play gay roles. “I understand the complaint,” he said. “I think Tony Kushner put it best. He said, ‘It’s illegal for me to ask someone who they f*ck in terms of hiring them for a job. That’s none of my business, who someone sleeps with. The only question I have as the playwright is, are they right for this character?’ He said that if we only let people play who they are, then it’s the death of empathic imagination. I think that’s beautifully put, and I agree with it.”

“Two boys dancing together on Dancing With the Stars. First time in the Anglosphere! ” — Drag queen COURTNEY ACT, on Instagram celebrating after making history with dancing partner Joshua Keefe on the Australian version of reality competition show Dancing With the Stars. Act, real name Shane Jenek, had previously performed in drag, but chose to dance as Jenek in the April 15 episode, marking the first time two people presenting as male have competed together on an English-speaking version of the DWTS franchise. Jenek and Keefe topped the leaderboard, and have progressed to the final.

April 18, 2019 • METROWEEKLY