SERIES The second season of the Netflix hit series “Bridgerton” is bigger and better. B4
THEATRE Student-directed musical “Violet” triumphs with stellar acting and live music. B6
CONCERT Indie-pop star Mitski struggles to connect with her audience on stage. B7
APRIL 8, 2022
TEDxGU Explores Rebirth Amid COVID-19 TEDxGeorgetown returns to Gaston Hall following two years of virtual programming.
Lucas Balon and Clayton Kincade Hoya Staff Writers
ILLUSTRATION BY: ALLIE YI/THE HOYA
Entering a New Age: The Return Of In-Person TEDxGeorgetown
COURTESY ALEXA HILL
Speakers from the Georgetown community and beyond gathered in Gaston Hall to self-reflect and discuss the lessons learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Clayton Kincade and Lucas Balon Hoya Staff Writers
When Kearney Capuano (NHS ’24) set foot on the Gaston Hall stage, situating herself next to the iconic TEDx block letters and reveling in the applause from the audience, she accomplished a lifelong goal — to deliver an official TED Talk. “I started watching TED talks when I was like eight years old,” Capuano told The Hoya. “I used to gather my family around my living room from ages 12 to 17 to be like, ‘Listen to me,’ give a TED talk inside, make them popcorn and make them listen to me.” On March 26, 2022, the speakers and audience members flocked to the Hilltop to attend the first in-person TEDxGeorgetown since October 26, 2019. This year’s theme for the student-run
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conference was “Renaissance and Renewal,” spotlighting the rebirth of passion, art and culture in a post-pandemic world. Highlight speakers included Christopher Bradshaw, Taylor Cassidy, Chi Ossé, Omar Alshogre and Anna Marie Tendler. Far from a mere series of presentations, this year’s conference theme focused on the collective “renewed interest in learning, discoveries, and the beginning of our new modern world.” After a series of talks, speakers reflected on how the pandemic gave them time to use their creative abilities to enact social change and explained how reframing perspective could change one’s worldview.
sub-themes, one of which was “Painting a New Picture,” dedicated to exploring the avenues in which individuals can re-format archaic ways of thinking about themselves and the world to hopefully create a more progressive world. Speaker Anna Marie Tendler, an artist known for her handmade Victorian-inspired lampshades, said the conference allowed her to underscore the importance of facing emotional conflict head-on and discuss the use of art in the face of personal grief and tragedy. Tendler’s speech, titled “Rooms in the First House,” is a reference to the first astrological house in the zodiac chart. This title also references the photo series of the same name Tendler In a New Light shot in her house. The conference’s larger theme of “Renaissance In her address, Tendler approached the difficuland Renewal” was divided into three poignant ty of being a woman in a patriarchal society and
Speakers like makeup and textile artist Anna Marie Tendler brought their stories to Georgetown’s campus, delivering rousing talks on topics ranging from newfound hobbies discovered during the pandemic to learning to sit in your deepest emotions.
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022
how to properly confront grief during the process of rebirth. While these processes and internal revelations were forced because of tragedy in her life, Tendler said she is optimistic about the future. “Imperative is the skill to be alone; to sit with yourself without distraction and to marinate in who you are, both the sweet and the unsavory,” Tendler said in her speech. “Trust me, it’s hard. It’s really, really hard. But ultimately you will be better for it.” Tendler said her talk emphasized the value of embracing our emotions and teaching ourselves adaptability and resilience, a skill the world recently had to learn during the pandemic, and continues to refine. “Not running away is the best advice. For myself, sitting in somewhat uncomfortable emotions and head spaces was really necessary to come out on the other side,” Tendler said in an interview with The Hoya. “Both in society and personally, we are told to push our emotions aside or to not experience them — that it will be okay all of the time — and I think not doing so does us a great service. Being able to lean into our feelings and feel it all will leave you with the truth.” Tendler said she hopes that all women will eventually have the space to express their emotions artistically. “Women are incredibly complex and filled with so much emotion that is both full of light and incredibly dark — there is a lot of anger and rage. We are entering into a time where that is going to come to the forefront, and there needs to be a space for it,” Tendler said. Tendler’s artistry was apparent in her address, bringing innovation not just through the words she spoke but how she delivered them, inspiring audience members like Katherine Landler (COL ’24). “I was surprised by Tendler’s talk because it wasn’t in the format that I associate with a typical TED talk, but I appreciated its artistry, and it felt very poetic,” Landler told The Hoya. Following the themes of artistry, Nick Cruz Velleman, an artist of Peruvian and Filipino descent who used to teach studio art at Georgetown Day School, delivered a presentation entitled “Paint and Prejudice,” in which he gave the audience an elementary-school lesson on the color wheel and shared insights he gained from studying at an art school in France. In his TED talk, Velleman discussed the importance of art in daily life and its distinct influence on humanity, especially how the visual arts inform and refine our senses and allow us to more deeply connect to one another. “Art classes are some of the only opportunities we get to deliberately practice being attentive to what we’re perceiving with our senses without our minds getting in the way,” Velleman said in his speech. To Velleman, our senses are among the most important things about us, and without art, humanity as we know it would not be the same. “All human knowledge comes from the senses. Our senses are what connects us to the world and to the present moment.”
While Tendler and Velleman discussed how their backgrounds in art informed their experiences during and after the pandemic, other speakers and student organizers also talked about the pandemic and the trials, breakthroughs and unexpected events that came from it.
Pandemic-Induced Passions
Peering out from the side of the stage, David McDaniels (COL ’23), co-chair of TEDxGeorgetown, could see a captivated audience filling the once-empty seats in Gaston Hall and knew, without a doubt, that the challenging undertaking to host this conference on campus was completely worth it. “It was incredible being back in person. Seeing my family and friends in the audience meant the world to me. After planning last year online, it was night and day having the in-person experience,” McDaniels said in an interview with The Hoya. For Alexa Hill (SFS ’25), director of human resources for TEDxGeorgetown, focusing on insights gained from the pandemic was an effective way to show a grand return to form. “All of the talks tended to focus on different talents or different abilities that were harnessed during the pandemic and how isolation made it possible for people to focus on what skills or capabilities they truly possessed,” Hill said. Another theme of the conference, “Sculpting Innovation,” explored how people in both their public and private lives created change in the midst of the pandemic, reflecting the attitudes of the team behind TEDxGeorgetown. However, as Christopher Wade (COL ’24) — one of the conference’s internal speakers, who were selected from Georgetown’s community — noted in his talk “Pondering Pandemic Pastimes,” drastic societal changes from the pandemic also occurred at the individual level: during free time away from the world, we confronted what made us passionate and entertained, and that brought all of us together. “We have sculpted innovation in times of incredible social duress,” Wade said in his talk. “The renaissance of hobbies is a unique social event because it is something that we can all relate to and understand.” In preparing for his TED talk, Wade was forced to ask himself self-reflective questions about hobby culture and the pandemic’s impact on it. “What were my motivations for getting into this hobby? What were my motivations for staying in this hobby? What about my motivations for breaking out of it or changing it? What about how I act and feel during my time locked away from the world?” Wade told The Hoya. “It was a lot of journaling and introspection to figure out what drove me to behave like I did.” Not only did the very act of preparing for TEDxGeorgetown push Wade to delve deeper into who he is and what motivates him in his daily life post-pandemic, but participating in the conference and being able to hear from the other speakers taught him lessons he had never learned before.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM
COURTESY HAILEY WHARRAM
With the pressure to deliver a successful in-person conference after two years of virtual TEDxGeorgetown, student organizers like David McDaniels (COL ’23) set a new precedent for the future of the event.
Rebirth and Reframing
The COVID-19 pandemic’s continued impact was a running theme during the TEDxGeorgetown conference. Some presenters, like Capuano, another Georgetown student speaker, used their platform to discuss how we can take what happened to us during the pandemic and apply those lessons to bettering the world. “We need to learn how to do ‘helping people’ better,” Capuano said during her speech. Her talk, titled “What if we all learned how to best help the world?: Lessons from Effective Altruism,” cited the inadequacy of Instagram activism beyond spreading information and strove to introduce audiences to more concrete, yet still accessible, ways to help others. “This is the message that I feel like everyone should hear, especially kids at Georgetown who are going to have the power and money to do what they can to help the world,” Capuano told The Hoya. “I feel like we should probably learn how to, and I kind of wanted to spread that message to others.” Capuano outlined the basic tenets of a philosophy called effective altruism in her talk, drawing references from neuroscience for a discussion of rewiring your brain to seek out opportunities to do good. At the end of her talk, she even handed out copies of a book — “Doing Good Better” by William MacAskill — that personally motivated her to hook others on the idea of effective altruism. Omar Alshogre (GRD ’24) gave the last speech of the conference, titled “How Did Being Tortured Save My Life?” Alshogre inspired the audience to fight against injustices across the world, like those seen in his birth country, Syria.
Alshogre turned to activism at 15 to protest against Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship and stand with the Syrian Revolution. At 17, Alshogre was thrown in prison where he was starved and tortured for three years until he was smuggled into Turkey and seeking refuge in Sweden. Alshogre said his painful experiences have shaped him into the person he is today. “They showed me that pain could have a purpose,” Alshogre said in his speech. “That it had the power to wake you up, to make you anew. Pain can transform you from a broken, hopeless prisoner to a resilient warrior.” Alshogre’s rousing presentation on strength, perseverance and unyielding activism inspired audience members like Rachel Tao (COL ’25), who found the conference, and the sentiments delivered from the speakers, to be a resounding success. “I was thoroughly impressed with both student and external speakers, especially Anna Marie Tendler and Omar Alshogre,” Tao said in an interview with The Hoya. “Having a panel discussion after speeches was also intriguing — definitely interesting to see how speakers with such different ideas and perspectives answered the same questions.” TEDxGeorgetown’s first in-person presentation since the pandemic proved that “Renaissance and Renewal” are deeply human experiences that every person shares, whether they manifest themselves as newfound hobbies or learning to embrace difficult emotions in the face of struggle. “I was inspired by the conference because it brought passionate people together to share their ideas and stories,” Landler said.
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@BRIDGERTON/TWITTER, @NETFLIX/TWITTER
Although imperfect, the second season of Netflix’s hit show “Bridgerton” has left audiences glued to their screens with striking costuming and compelling characters.
SERIES
‘Bridgerton’ Returns with Pomp and Glamour Mason Stempel
Hot-headed Anthony eventually meets his match in Miss Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), the eldest daughter of a family that has recently Dearest gentle reader, hold on to your bonnets arrived in London from India. However, it is not — because the enchanting costumery and sizzling Miss Sharma on whom Anthony initially sets his sexual tension of the second season of “Bridgerton” sights but her charming younger half-sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran). will knock your stockings clean off. The season follows many conventions set up Though far from perfect, the return of “Bridgerton,” the Netflix series based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling by preceding period dramas and romance stories, novels, will undoubtedly have you glued to your Net- namely by positioning Anthony and Kate in a diaflix account for its masterful use of tropes in its love metrically opposed, enemies-to-lovers situation rife with sharp dialogue and sexual tension. story or its wildly frivolous happenings. The best parts of “Bridgerton” happen when AnAfter the rousing premiere of “Bridgerton” on Christmas Day 2020 and the happy conclusion thony and Kate take center stage, fighting a battle of to Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon’s (Re- wills, as well as their own internal battles between gé-Jean Page) love story, millions of wannabe love, obligation and societal expectation. Senior Guide Editor
Not every bit of dialogue in the show lands lords and ladies have been waiting with bated well, but the viscount’s candlelit, midnight-in-thebreath for the next installment. The second season stars Jonathan Bailey as An- library declaration to Kate — that she is “the bane thony, the Bridgerton family’s de facto patriarch. A of [his] existence and the object of all [his] desires” gruff and brooding leading man, he has been man- — makes every second worth it. While there are some bouts of analysis of the aging his family’s finances and social standing since his father’s death years ago. In the second season, he injustices and oppression faced by characters of color, “Bridgerton” sticks to what it knows best: finds himself in need of a viscountess.
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delivering a soapy story that, although sprinkled Whistledown strains her personal relationships and with serious discussions, mainly shows two beau- turns her into a character that viewers now scorn tiful people falling in love. rather than pity. Penelope comes across as petulant, Where “Bridgerton” fails in delivering inno- perhaps because the show seems to have forgotten vative, creative television, it succeeds in giving to give her a good reason as to why she’s keeping up audiences something pretty and even camp. In her gossip column. addition to the impossibly beautiful cast, the fanSome characters, however, are welcome additastical, flower-decked ballroom sets and empire- tions to the people of Georgian London. Kate gracewaist gowns of every hue make each frame of the fully avoided the stereotypical, feisty attitude so often show reminiscent of a Fragonard painting. seen when writers try to make female characters “difHowever, a lot of care is given to the leads’ cos- ferent,” instead allowing herself to embrace and love tumes and fleshed-out designs that the rest of the her femininity while maintaining her quiet strength. cast can be nearly forgotten or, unfortunately, ruined Kate and Edwina’s mother, Lady Mary by weird writing choices. Sharma (Shelley Conn), beautifully subverted Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson)’s bohemi- the evil stepmother trope, while Lady Feathan charm takes a turn for the arrogant as he spends erington (Polly Walker) unexpectedly ended his time sleeping with models at his new art acad- the season as a hero, turning the tables on her emy, and Francesca Bridgerton (Ruby Stokes) com- Lady Tremaine-style villainy. pletely disappears without an explanation. While the second season of “Bridgerton” has moDaphne is shoved into scenes to give annoying ments that force you to question why you’re still bits of unsolicited “wisdom” to Anthony and make watching, the otherworldly chemistry between Anviewers wish she, too, had left “Bridgerton” like her thony and Kate pulls you back, cementing the show’s on-show spouse did. reputation as a solid, trustworthy watch for anyone Penelope (Nicola Coughlan)’s double-life as Lady looking for a quality love story with Jane Austen flair.
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022
FILM WITHOUT FLUFF
Judd Apatow Bursts ‘The Bubble’ With Unlikable Characters Elena Martinez Columnist
Against every attempt to escape the debilitating reality of COVID-19, audiences seeking refuge in the comfort of media will be disappointed upon watching Judd Apatow’s 2022 film “The Bubble.” The film is a pitiful vanity project rooted in poor performances and canned-beyond-expiration-date humor. Released by Netflix on April 1, the film forces viewers to witness a talented ensemble cast seemingly try to give their worst performances in an almost distasteful satire of the lockdown experience. “The Bubble” follows struggling actress Carol Cobb (Karen Gillan) who returns to the film franchise that originally shot her to fame. Taking place during the height of the COVID-19
pandemic, the mockumentary-style comedy witnesses an ensemble cast struggle to film the sequel amid health restrictions, overbearing producers and quarantine. Fred Armisen appears as the misunderstood indie director Darren Eigan, who must direct a group of actors including mid-divorce oncepower-couple actors Dustin Mulray (David Duchovny) and Lauren Van Chance (Leslie Mann), edgy veteran performer Dieter Bravo (Pedro Pascal), and over-excited comic relief Howie Frangopoulous (Guz Khan). Those familiar with the happenings within the film industry during the pandemic will recall that “The Bubble” references Universal’s controversial decision to continue filming a very similar action-adventure sequel. Every character’s assigned trope is excessively played up to the point that their intentional insufferability is nearly too much to bear. For example, when Howie accosts executive producer Gavin (Peter Serafinowicz) for strict health protocols, the disconnect between celebrity and
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Average Joe mirrors the lack of self-awareness put into the script written by celebrities. When TikTok influencer Krystal Kris (Iris Apatow), whose status as a social media maven qualifies her to join the film, is recorded sneaking out of the COVID-19 quarantine bubble to party with production assistant Carla (Galen Hopper), her world of celebrity comes crashing down. It is instances like these where “The Bubble” exercises just enough consciousness that it seeks to critique Hollywood without exactly reaching the clearest conclusion about what makes the elite so ignorant. The inclusion of the younger Apatow daughter — who ironically was placed in this film because of her social media stardom and her last name — as a vapid teenage celeb unfortunately draws more attention to Hollywood nepotism than the consequences of partying during a pandemic, which her character is meant to portray. “The Bubble” is perhaps evidence that we have reached the end of the era of celebrity culture,
in which Hollywood’s attempts to relate to the common folk have become feeble against the prevalence of narcissism and excessive luxury. “The Bubble” made the problems of such a trend abundantly clear as one cannot help but want to scream at the TV at the film’s glamorization of the very serious pandemic. If anything, the romantic subplots and personal conflicts did not humanize the characters, but rather drove a wedge further between them and the viewers. Most people’s concerns in 2020 were not the inability to party or socialize, but the unavoidable fear of losing their loved ones or themselves to the pandemic. Apatow attempted to emphasize how far removed Hollywood was from the struggles of Americans going through lockdown and illness, but he ironically only succeeded in reinforcing Hollywood’s tenuous grasp on reality. Elena Martinez is a first-year in the SFS. Film Without Fluff appears in print and online every other week.
By Lindsey Powell
ALEX ISLEY AND JACK DINE ‘MARIGOLD’
‘AS IT WAS’
“Marigold” is a solid debut album shaped by R&B songstress Alex Isley’s dreamy vocals and Grammy-nominated Jack Dine’s smooth production on each track. Some of the standout songs include “Love Again,” “Such A Thing” and “Still Wonder.” This nine-track album is perfectly crafted for relaxing and enjoying the rest of spring.
This latest single is the first song from Harry Styles’ highly anticipated new album “Harry’s House,” which is slated to be released May 20. For the most part, the fast-paced nature of the instrumental portion of the song takes precedent — at times outshining Styles’ melodious vocals while still offering a fun, melodic jaunt for the listener.
@LOVEALEXISLEY/TWITTER
HARRY STYLES
@HARRY_STYLES/TWITTER
RED HOT CHILI PEPPER ‘UNLIMITED LOVE’
CHRISTOPHER WINTERBAUER
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have made their return to music with “Unlimited Love.” This album features frontman Anthony Kiedis’ catchy wordplay and introduces listeners to new tunes like “Black Summer,” “Whatchu Thinkin’” and “She’s A Lover.” Although the 17-track album is a bit drawn out at times, critics have suggested that this album is a bit more true to the band’s style in comparison to its previous album “The Getaway.”
The new HBO Max film adds a sci-fi twist to the romantic-comedy genre, as it’s set in a future world where commercial space exploration is the norm. The film focuses on two young adults who travel to Mars for their respective significant others. At times, it is difficult to determine if the film is celebrating space exploration or attempting to critique growing focus on the commercialization of space travel.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM
‘MOONSHOT’
@CHILIPEPPERS/TWITTER
MOONSHOT/IMDB
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COURTESY NATHAN POSNER
Directed by Margaret Gleason (COL ‘22), “Violet” tells the story of a young woman who departs her small hometown and travels via Greyhound bus to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
THEATER
Student-Directed Musical “Violet” Captivates with Vulnerable Performances Haley Resnick Hoya Staff Writer
While most Georgetown seniors pursuing theses choose to make their theses 60 to 80-page papers, Margaret Gleason (COL ’22) chose to direct a 1997 musical to culminate her theater and performance studies major. Her chosen musical, “Violet,” opened March 30 at the Davis Performing Arts Center on campus, and the show is a product of a collaboration between Georgetown University’s theater and performance studies program, the Mask & Bauble Dramatic Society and the university’s music program. Although a thesis is not required for the theater and performance studies major, Gleason applied to do one in spring 2021. “It was a great opportunity to grow my skill set with direct mentorship from theater professionals,” Gleason wrote to The Hoya. “Directing a musical has been my plan ever since I
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learned that you could direct a show as a thesis. Musicals have been part of my life since childhood and directing has been a passion since high school, so merging those two for my senior thesis was exciting to me,” Gleason wrote. “Violet” is the sixth show Gleason directed and her first full-length musical. Set in 1964, “Violet” tells the story of a young woman, Violet, played by Caitlin Waugh (COL ’24), who departs from her small rural town in North Carolina on a Greyhound bus to Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Tulsa, she seeks to meet the Evangelical preacher she had seen on television in the hopes that he will heal the scar that has disfigured her face after a freak accident during her childhood. On the bus, Violet meets two young soldiers — Flick, played by Caitlin Frazier (COL ’23), and Monty, played by Sam Kehoe (COL ’23) — who she travels alongside the rest of the show. As Violet struggles to come to terms with her appearance and what it means for her identity, she is haunted by memories
of her younger self, played by Thea Belle Flanzer (COL ’24), and her father, played by Nick Giotis (COL ’23). The Georgetown production exhibited tremendous poise, as each singer perfectly executed their notes, and each actor delivered their lines with the emotion required to bring the scene to life. “Violet: An American Chamber Musical” is based on “The Ugliest Pilgrim,” a short story by Doris Betts. The musical itself was written by playwright and screenwriter Brian Crawley and its music was written by Tony award-winner Jeanine Tesori. The musical first premiered off-Broadway in 1997, later opening on Broadway in 2014 for a limited run. “Violet” touches on racism, ableism and prejudice in a way that feels applicable to today, even though the musical takes place 70 years ago. The show’s somber ending, which includes Monty entering the war and Violet unsuccessful in her mission to be healed, also leaves the audience with many questions that, on the surface, are about Violet
but are also about audience members themselves. Despite the cast’s youth, each actor gave an impressive performance that could have been found on any professional stage. The leads had impeccable chemistry with each cast member they interacted with, changing their inflection and body language with each conversation. The cast also masterfully displayed their emotionally turbulent and vulnerable characters. The live band woven into the set design added to the music’s appeal, featuring a professional guitarist, bassist and drummer. The band proved especially entertaining when they were incorporated into sets, such as the church Violet attends for healing or the nightclub that Violet, Flick and Monty go to in Memphis. Gleason chose “Violet” because she “wanted to do a show that straddled the line between thought-provoking and heart-warming.” “I think musicals are sometimes undervalued for how good they are at tackling difficult questions in between or even during catchy tunes and big dance numbers,” Gleason wrote. Yet, Gleason’s production of “Violet” did not undervalue anything, instead handling the most difficult subjects with the utmost care. Every choice, including lighting, sound effects, and incorporation of the audience seemed perfectly calculated, because it was. From the moment she began the production, Gleason thought about every detail and did not let anything go unnoticed. The unfortunate timelessness of “Violet” was also important to highlight, according to Gleason. “Racism, ableism, war, and prejudice have not gone away between the show’s 1964 setting and today,” Gleason wrote in her director’s note. Viewers see this racism in the show’s treatment of Flick, one of the Black leads, and how even as a respected soldier, he is disrespected by the government and those around him. Ableism underlies the show’s entire premise: Violet coming to terms with her facial scar that has defined the way others treat her and how she treats herself. Indeed, “Violet” does not provide conclusive answers to its many conflicts, including how women conform to beauty standards and how people reconcile their past, including the racist history of the United States. But, it is this confusion that adds to the musical’s beauty. “Let us all leave this theater today ready to hold each other through the frightening times and move forward, hopefully, desperately, inevitably towards the light,” Gleason wrote.
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022
@MITSKILEAKS/TWITTER
Mitski performed at The Anthem March 28 after previously claiming she would retire. The show included entrancing bits of theater and choreography to supplement her vocal performance.
CONCERT
Mitski Stuns With Expert Vocals, Fails To Engage Live Audience at The Anthem Sanskriti Reddy Hoya Staff Writer
Fresh off of claims of retirement and a few days late due to a crew member catching COVID-19, Mitski strolled out in front of a glowing white door at The Anthem to a crowd of young adults. Rocketing to fame after her songs “Washing Machine Heart” and “Nobody” went viral on TikTok, Mitski has come to embody the “sad indie girl” stereotype — someone to turn up after shutting the door to the bedroom and yelling into a pillow. On tour for her sixth and most recent album, “Laurel Hell,” Mitski reckons with the trappings of para-social relationships as an incredibly private individual in an increasingly connected world. Mitski is renowned for her eccentric, clear ruminations on love and desperation. As she began singing about spoons and the moon in “I Bet on Losing Dogs” and “Your Best American Girl,” Mitski tried to croon into her trademark melody of longing, but she seemed restrained by the physical elements of live performance.
Enough to make throats catch, she repeated it, tight and in-tune, she was unable to envelop hind her movements came off contrived. Mitski is the crowd in a haze of desperation like the defined by the way she resonates personally with quivering and intense, almost a whisper to herself. listeners; she is the voice that echoes around bed- This song falls flatly on the album due to its heavy, angst within her lyrics.
Unlike the similar crowd that drove her to renounce her role as a performer in 2019, Mitski actually seemed to draw her energy from attendees at The Anthem, crouching, kicking, bopping and flailing her head to their feedback. After all, for this tour Mitski has incorporated studies of theater and choreography to supplement her performance, working with Monica Mirabile of FlucT and reading actors and directors alike to lend an edge to her performance. As she gracefully collapsed after the energetic, pop-infused anthem “The Only Heartbreaker,” it was apparent Mitski was on stage as not merely a singer but also an actor and dancer. It was as if she could not even see the audience. Trapped within the narrative of her performance, Mitski dragged the microphone across her neck during “Working for the Knife” and chased paper airplanes during “Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart.” Yet since each lyric was interpreted in a literal While Mitski’s voice remained controlled, manner with her gestures, the intentionality be-
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM
room walls when no one is around. Acting out the lyrics imposes a strictness of interpretation against her highly emotional outpourings, disconnecting the crowd from their personal renderings of her music. In fact, Mitski never acknowledged the audience during her performance, abstaining from checking in on their stamina or cracking jokes, setting a fine boundary like a character in a play. Mitski’s choreography and her carefully delivered lyrics underscored how the audience was only supposed to peer into her life, not directly engage with it. Nonetheless, it felt indecent to listen to her voice emanate from a stage instead of from a pair of headphones, floating in and out of a dimly lit, smoke-screened audience. But amid this distance, vulnerability was laid bare to glisten between registers. Mitski collapsed and stumbled in a trance of emotion, rising slowly and sprawling out again before beginning “Geyser” with a soft, determined, “You’re my number one.”
faux-movie score strings, but in person, “Geyser” grasped the audience as Mitski stripped it down to that one, raw lyric. On the red drenched stage for “Heat Lightning,” she tasted every intonation of “I surrender,” so delicate and heartfelt compared to the removed and somewhat mainstream tone of the album. But these sweet interludes couldn’t mask the chilly, sterile efficiency of the entire show.
The encore seemed heavily rehearsed — the crowd did not bother waiting with bated breath. Mitski didn’t hesitate before taking the stage again for the slow, waltzing “Two Slow Dancers,” despite no calls of encore. Still, the witty opening lyric, “Does it smell like a school gymnasium in here?” was still met with twinkling laughter. Mitski ended her performance by swinging open the portal-like door framing the stage and stepping through it, disappearing for the night. It was only in the brief silence thereafter that the arena truly felt like the confines of a bedroom.
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DC HIDDEN HISTORY
Exploring DC’s Hidden Gems, From Old Stones to the Old Stone structure still standing in the city. The house was built in 1765 on land originally purchased by Christopher and Rachel Layman, a decade before the Declaration of Independence was signed and when D.C. was little more than a riverside colony. Mistaken by locals for one of George Washington’s D.C. meeting places, the house was never demolished but purchased by the government in 1953. Ironically, Washington’s actual home was bulldozed in 1907. So to this day, the house remains D.C.’s oldest structure and a portal to life in the pre-revolution colonies. Now under the governance of the National Park Service, the exterior grounds are open daily, and the inside hosts a storefront and replicas of what the kitchen and other rooms would have looked like in the 18th century.
Columnist
When people picture Washington, D.C., some conjure images of white stone monuments, Smithsonian museums, and reflecting pools. But there are parts of the city’s history that remain untouched and unvisited by the many throngs of tourists that flock to the District with their selfie sticks and segway tours. Finding these hidden gems can be tough, so as your friendly neighborhood columnist, I have compiled a list of less famous but equally incredible sites, from historic homes that are just around the corner from the front gates to FBI Spy House Up the street from the Old Stone House is archaeological sites that give us an insight into Georgetown’s pre-human past, taking education another notable home: the FBI Spy House on Wisconsin Avenue. In 1977, the Soviet Union out of the classroom and into the streets. moved its embassy to a large plot on Wisconsin Avenue, which was lucky for the sellers of the The Old Stone House Only a short walk from Georgetown house at 2619 Wisconsin Avenue, located University is one of the most historic strategically across from the embassy, because buildings that the city has to offer. The Old they sold the house to the U.S. government to spy Stone House sits on M Street and is the oldest on the Soviet Union. The house is not open for
JAPANESE STREET FESTIVAL
555 Pennsylvania Ave NW
The conclusion to Washington, D.C.’s famous cherry blossom season is Sakura Matsuri, the Japanese Street Festival. Come watch artists from across the country perform at this ceremony, the largest one-day celebration of Japanese culture in the nation. The festival will begin April 9 and end April 10.
U.S. BOTANIC GARDEN
100 Maryland Ave SW
With the weather warming up, now is the perfect time to visit the recently reopened U.S. Botanic Garden. This eye-popping vista, open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., features a plethora of wondrous outdoor exhibits and a breathtaking conservatory containing some of the rarest plants from around the world. Do not miss this beautiful national treasure!
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Moon Tree While you’re in Maryland, stop by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to see the Moon Tree. In 1971, over 50 seeds from loblolly pine, sycamore, sweetgum, redwood and Douglas fir trees were orbited around the moon by Apollo 14 in an experiment to uncover the effects of extraterrestrial conditions on plant life. Now, these trees are scattered across the United States, including a thriving sycamore at NASA’s Montgomery County facility. D.C. used to have its own moon tree on the White House lawn, but the loblolly pine did not fare as well as some of its Maryland siblings. When you visit these historic sites, sit back and enjoy the lack of tourists and absence of camera shutter noises. Taking the time to visit some of our city’s lesser-known sites allows you to get a wellrounded view of the area around you and explore topics that may not get a lot of attention in tours or in your history classes. And as it turns out, some of the country’s most historic sites may only be steps away from your dorm.
Dino Park If it is natural history you seek, skip the crowds at the Smithsonian museums and instead experience the D.C.–Maryland–Virginia (DMV) area’s prehistory at Dino Park. North of D.C. in Laurel, Maryland. lies a fossil bed that was discovered in 1858 when miners dug up a 60-footlong Astrodon skeleton dating back to over 100 million years ago. Today, people can team up with scientists to find fossils that may be used for research or taken home. In recent years, dinosaur eggs and baby dinosaurs were discovered at the park, which has enhanced scientists’ understanding of dinosaur lifecycles. If you unearth something noteworthy, there Nikhil Nelson is a first-year in the McDonough is always the chance that it could be displayed School of Business. DC Hidden History appears downtown at the Museum of Natural History in print and online every other week.
By James Pocchia
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USBOTANICGARDEN/FACEBOOK
WHAT TO DO IN DC
with your name next to it.
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ANACOSTIA RIVER FESTIVAL
THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ CHERRYBLOSSOMFESTIVAL/FACEBOOK
Nikhil Nelson
tours but still remains a cool landmark in the city. The U.S. strategy was hardly covert. Passersby often saw cameras in the windows of the house. People were constantly coming and going, and at one point, it was reported that the United States had plans to dig a tunnel from the house to the embassy. The house no longer appears to be owned by the government, as far as we know, but it remains — adorned in Ukrainian flags — across from the Russian embassy.
1900 Anacostia Drive
To officially close out the cherry blossom season, attend the D.C. National Park Service’s eighth annual Anacostia River Festival! The event, which runs from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 10 and celebrates the Anacostia River’s ecology and history, features boating, arts and crafts, and even live performances. Register now!
Has midterm season got you down? Take The Guide’s latest quiz to find your next crying spot on campus!
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022