At Home with John Waters - Metro Weekly, Dec. 12, 2019

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DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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DECEMBER 12, 2019

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CONTENTS

LOVE QUAKE

The queer-themed Guatemalan drama Temblores charts a man’s uphill battle towards sexual and religious freedom.

By André Hereford

AT HOME WITH JOHN WATERS

The legendary icon on the holidays, his book collection, his parents, and why it’s going to be so hard to beat Trump.

Interview by Randy Shulman Photography by Todd Franson

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Volume 26 Issue 31

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LITTLE FOXES

Charlize Theron’s captivating turn as an embattled Megan Kelly dominates the Fox News exposé Bombshell.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: A VERY MERRIWEATHER CHRISTMAS p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.20 STAGE: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS p.35 STAGE: THE WOMAN IN BLACK p.35 NIGHTLIFE: UPROAR p.37 NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS p.38 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.39 LAST WORD p.46 Washington, D.C.’s Best LGBTQ Magazine for 25 Years 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 Illustrators David Amoroso, Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, 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 Patricia Ann and John Samuel Waters 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.

© 2019 Jansi LLC.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF HILLWOOD

Spotlight

A Very Merriweather Christmas

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HERE ARE VERY FEW PLACES LIKE HILLWOOD for the holidays. “The mansion always has these beautiful glittering trees,” says Lynn Rossotti. “And the gardens are approaching their winter stages. It's always kind of a peaceful, nice holiday experience. Most people just don't expect this little oasis — it's such a surprise right in Washington, D.C.” Rossotti is the Director of Marketing and Visitor Experience at Hillwood, an estate tucked away in the leafy, hilly Van Ness area of Upper Northwest. Each year, the mansion is bedecked with Christmas trees, and this year’s decorating theme stems from a new biography about Hillwood’s founder, Marjorie Merriweather Post, with a particular focus on “the characteristics and the values that really made Marjorie who she was and why she was such an important woman in the 20th century.”

“My favorite tree is a tree that is decorated completely in floral, [and that] has live orchids tucked in all over it,” says Rossotti. “[Post bequeathed] Hillwood to the public so that people could continue to be inspired by this passion that she had for beautiful things for generations to come. So this tree is

really to celebrate her passion and that gift that she left.”

Another tree in the mansion has a tulle skirt and is decorated with ornaments of musical notes and birdhouses — all nodding to her philanthropic work of helping shape cultural institutions ranging from the Washington Ballet to the National Symphony Orchestra. “Her imprint on Washington is really important,” Rossotti says, adding that her impact extended far beyond the Beltway. “She was one of the first women to sit on the board of a publicly-traded company,” that of General Foods, the parent company of the Post Cereal Company founded by her father. “It’s a story that can really resonate with younger women today, to understand the progress that we've made [and] how important people like Marjorie in the mid20th century were to opening up those doors.”

Rossotti notes that Hillwood’s gift shop has “some great distinct gifts for holiday shopping,” but that the decorations are up past gift-giving season. “A lot of people love to come [visit] between Christmas and New Year’s. They still have their friends in town or they are still off of work. It’s really a fun thing to do with other people.” —Doug Rule

A Very Merriweather Christmas is on display through Jan. 12 at Hillwood Estate, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Suggested donation is $18. Call 202-686-5807 or visit www.hillwoodmuseum.org/events/christmas.

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Spotlight FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE

Two years ago, director Bartlett Sher and his team wowed Broadway with a new take on this classic, scooping up 10 Tony Awards, including a special statue for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time.

The show, by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick, focused on a small, tight-knit Jewish community in Imperial Russia over a century ago and is timeless in its exploration of the overarching theme of tradition vs. modernity. It’s filled with American Songbook standards: “Tradition,” “If I Were A Rich Man,” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” To Dec. 15. National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $54 to $114. Call 202-628-6161 or visit www.thenationaldc.org.

ARTY QUEERS: D.C.’S LGBTQ+ ART MARKET

The DC Center for the LGBT Community offers the chance for local LGBTQ and queer-identified artists to showcase and sell their works on the second Saturday of every month, including Dec. 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prospective art buyers can expect to see original artworks in a range of media, including painting, pottery, photography, jewelry, glasswork, textiles, and clothing. Perfect time to pick up a few extra-special gifts! The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www.thedccenter.org.

GLORIA! A BAROQUE ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

BRITTANY DILIBERTO

A seasonal focus by the Folger Consort on the early music of Italy continues with a festive Venetian holiday program featuring baroque orchestra, vocal soloists, and a women’s choir. Arcangelo Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D will be performed along with lesser-known Christmas-themed works

by Alessandro Scarlatti and Francesco Geminiani by the renowned early music ensemble led by co-founders Robert Eisenstein and Christopher Kendall. Soprano Emily Noël, trumpet player Joelle Monroe, and oboist Margaret Owens are among the featured performers at a string of concerts presented in association with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Performances are Friday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14, at 4 and 8 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m., and Monday, Dec. 16, through Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m. St. Mark’s, Capitol Hill, 301 A St. SE. Tickets are $52. Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

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DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Spotlight XMBPHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY THE WASHINGTON BALLET

THE WASHINGTON BALLET: THE NUTCRACKER

It isn’t holiday season in Washington until you’ve made it to The Washington Ballet’s unique, local take on this classic. Former artistic director Septime Webre first staged his twist on the family favorite 14 years ago, setting it in D.C.’s historic Georgetown neighborhood with George Washington as the titular figure and King George III as the Rat King. Feel free to apply your own parallels to modern-day politics. To Dec. 29. Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Call 202-889-5901 or visit www.thewashingtonballet.org.

JOSH SHARP

A Comic to Watch according to Comedy Central in 2016, the lanky, gay comedian has more recently been featured on HBO’s hilarious and queer-friendly 2 Dope Queens as well as one of two gay “Citizen Journalists” from Comedy Central’s The Opposition with Jordan Klepper.

Also a long-standing featured member of New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade, Sharp comes to D.C. for a weekend run of standup in the run-up to Christmas.

Friday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 21, 7 and 9 p.m.

Drafthouse Comedy, 1100 13th St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-750-6411 or visit www. drafthousecomedy.com.

MIRACLE ON 8TH STREET: CHRISTMAS CLASSICS

From now until the last Sunday before Christmas, the Miracle Theatre in the Barracks Row section of Capitol Hill screens several holiday-themed movies. The lineup over the next week includes the new Last Christmas, inspired by and featuring the music of George Michael, showing on Friday, Dec. 13, at 9:15 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m.; The Polar Express, as part of a “Pajama Party” on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 11 a.m., and then a regular screening Friday, Dec. 20, at 4 p.m.; the animated caper Arctic Dogs on Friday, Dec. 13, at 4:30 p.m.; Elf on Friday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m.; and the early classic, White Christmas starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney, on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $6 to $8. 535 8th St. SE. Call 202-400-3210 or visit www.themiracletheatre.com.

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TERESA CASTRACANE

Out On The Town

SHE THE PEOPLE

Like a team of crack fighter pilots, the women of Second City’s She the People: The Resistance Continues! (HHHHH) are on a hilarious and irreverent mission — the strafing of sexist absurdities of every stripe. A whirlwind rotation of sketches punctuated by a comically clubby soundtrack, this isn’t so much man-bashing as a full-scale outrage at everything society expects of women. It’s is a giggle-worthy, rebellious, political, laugh-out-loud middle finger to all that truly sucks about 21st-century womanhood. If the odd moment is a tad teachy, most are funny AF, and there is one that might even bring a lump to the throat. That’s pretty good stats for an evening of bombshells that arrive at a breathless rate. Being a Second City production, the talent hails from multiple corners of the comedy world and it makes for a fascinating tapestry of styles.

Carisa Barreca and Sayjal Joshi are loud, proud and polished, while Katie Caussin and Jo Scott bring a strong alternative vibe. Kazi Jones is seamless in her comic timing and offers a whiff of actorly charisma. Finally, Alex Bellisle makes for a hilariously ironic sketch artist who looks like she could carry off just about anything she puts her mind to. There are too many stand-out moments to count, but Barreca’s take on “am I too old to wear this,” Scott’s phenomenal improv stunt, and the Rubenesque song-and-dance number hit gold. These are six comics you want in your foxhole. To Jan. 5 at Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $100. Call 202-393-3939 or visit www.woollymammoth.net. (Kate Wingfield) Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM AFI HOLIDAY CLASSICS

Between now and Christmas Eve, the American Film Institute screens 14 seasonal films, ranging from classics (It’s A Wonderful Life, White Christmas) to favorites (A Christmas Story, The Muppet Christmas Carol) to curiosities (Die Hard, Gremlins).

Naturally, Friday the 13th (of December) ushers in a week of Christmas curiosities, including Bob Clark’s 1974 Black Christmas, widely credited as the first “slasher” film (a remake of which hits screens this week as well), plus two 35th anniversary screenings: the original Gremlins, Joe Dante’s comic cult classic about a cuddly mogwai gone awry, and then Silent Night, Deadly Night, billed as one of the

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most controversial slasher films of all time, which has been restored from the original camera negative.

Gremlins screens Friday, Dec. 13, at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14, at 9:15 p.m., and Monday, Dec. 16, through Thursday, Dec. 19, at 3 p.m.; Silent Night, Deadly Night is Friday, Dec. 13, at 7:45 p.m., and Monday, Dec. 16, at 9:45 p.m.; and Black Christmas is Friday, Dec. 13, at 9:30 p.m., and Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 9:45 p.m. To Dec. 22. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring.

Tickets are $10 to $13 plus $1 service fee. Call 301-495-6720 or visit www.afi.com/Silver.

ARLINGTON DRAFTHOUSE’S CHRISTMAS MOVIE FESTIVAL

Though it’s far more than a cinema palace these days, this Arlington venue is still one of the best places to see movies, which screen while

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

servers bring food and alcohol tableside. And this Sunday, Dec. 15, the Drafthouse presents its annual Christmas movie marathon, where you can come and go throughout the day and see up to four classic movies. Robert Zemeckis’s Tom Hanks-starring CGI adventure The Polar Express is up first at 12:30 p.m., followed by the James Stewart classic It’s A Wonderful Life at 2:45 p.m., National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase at 5:45 p.m., and Elf with Will Ferrell at 7:45 p.m. Arlington Cinema N' Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike. Tickets are $10.

Call 703-486-2345 or visit www. arlingtondrafthouse.com.

BLACK CHRISTMAS (2019)

The second remake of the 1974 slasher film, focused on sorority girls being stalked and killed as their college quiets down for

the holidays. Except these women aren’t going to wait around to get murdered — they’re actively hunting down the killer as they unravel the mysteries and dark underside of Hawthorne College. It’ll likely be terrible (it was not screened in advance for critics), but production company Blumhouse has also given us Get Out, Paranormal Activity, and Insidious, so there’s some hope.

Opens Friday, Dec. 13. Area theaters. Visit www.fandango.com.

(Rhuaridh Marr)

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION

Chevy Chase plays Clark Griswold, the everyman father who goes to hilarious, electrifying extremes in his attempt to give his family the perfect suburban Christmas. Every year there are multiple opportunities to see this John Hughes-

Holiday Gift Guide

To Advertise in December's Holiday Gift Guide, visit www.metroweekly.com/giftguide2019 or call 202-527-9624.

penned classic, widely considered to be the best sequel in National Lampoon’s Vacation film series, one also starring Beverly D’Angelo as mama Griswold, Juilette Lewis and Johnny Galecki as their children, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as their snobby neighbor Margo, and of course Randy Quaid as crazy Cousin Eddie.

Yet 2019 is extra-special because it marks the comedy’s 30th anniversary. In honor, Landmark’s West End Cinema closes out its Capital Classics series for the year with three screenings. Wednesday, Dec. 18, 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 each.

Call 202-534-1907 or visit www. landmarktheatres.com.

SMITHSONIAN’S FA-LA-LA-LA-FILMS

LOVE QUAKE

The queer-themed Guatemalan drama Temblores charts a man’s uphill battle towards sexual and religious freedom.

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N ULTRA-RELIGIOUS FAMILY IN GUATEMALA CITY IS ROCKED BY seismic shifts both geological and metaphorical in filmmaker Jayro Bustamante’s tense, Spanish-language coming-out drama Temblores (Tremors). The film depicts the quake-prone city’s residents as perpetually on the edge of shaky ground, an apt reflection of lead character Pablo’s unsettled life, since everyone in his conservative world has discovered his relationship with free-spirited masseur Francisco.

In its harrowing depiction of religious and cultural oppression, Temblores also reflects the harsh reality that, as Juan Pablo Olyslager, who stars as Pablo, points out, “There are no legal protections for gay people in Guatemala.” A distraught Pablo, pressed by his devout wife Isa (Diane Bathen), and his fundamentalist Christian parents and siblings, must enter conversion therapy to be “cured” of his attraction to Francisco (Mauricio Armas Zebadúa), or else forfeit any legal right to see his kids.

The misguided and strangely homoerotic reprogramming practices might cause more trauma than they could possibly cure, and, as importantly, “They don’t work at all,” says Olyslager.

“I think gay people are born this way,” he says. “I don't think they are made. So there's nothing to change according to my view. I think [these therapies] are ridiculous, they are humiliating, and they can have the potential to destroy somebody.”

The actor, who also costars in Bustamante’s award-winning 2019 thriller La Llarona, researched his sensitive role in Temblores by attending evangelical church services. He hopes the film might raise awareness “that gay people are being oppressed in many parts of the world. There is real suffering there.”

“I would like to reduce prejudgment, or judgments on gay people. I think the movie depicts a real human being with real struggles, who really does love somebody of the same sex, and is going through these struggles. And I hope — this is very maybe naive on my part — maybe to motivate people who are in the closet to come out, and live the life that they really want to live, instead of living the life that others want. I think I would love people to be real to themselves, and what they really are, and just come out if they can.” —André Hereford Temblores screens Tuesday, December 17, Thursday, December 19, and Sunday, December 22 at Suns Cinema, 3107 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. Tickets are $10.

Visit www.sunscinema.com.

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For most of the month, the Warner Bros. Theater in the National Museum of American History will screen holiday-themed films, mostly classics but a few oddities, such as the two comedies that will close out the series the weekend after Christmas: 2013’s The Best Man Holiday starring Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, and Terrence Howard, and 1983’s Trading Places featuring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. The series continues over the next week with Die Hard on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 3:15 p.m., National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3:50 p.m., Love Actually on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m., Elf on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 3:50 p.m., and A Christmas Story on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 3:50 p.m. To Dec. 29. 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 plus $3.50 in fees. Call 202-6331000 or visit www.si.edu/theaters.

THE CELLULOID CLOSET

Like And the Band Played On just two years before it, 1995’s The Celluloid Closet took a work of written history and translated it to the screen — in this case, very appropriately, given that author Vito Russo’s work chronicled both Hollywood’s portrayals of homosexuals onscreen and the closeted lives of the homosexuals who made the movies both in front of and behind the camera. Of course, the movie poster for Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s documentary says a lot about Hollywood — Harvey Fierstein and Lily Tomlin are billed below such straight (but supportive) luminaries as Susan Sarandon, Tom Hanks, and Whoopi Goldberg. Still, The Celluloid Closet ranks as one of the few films that should be required viewing not only for anyone who cares about LGBTQ issues, but for anyone who cares about how our entertainment culture subtly — and sometimes overtly — shapes our opinions of those we consider ”others.” Part of the December Screen Queen series at the cozy Suns Cinema in Mount Pleasant.

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STAGE A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS

Olney presents the 10th anniversary run of the one-man portrayal of the Dickens classic by Paul Morella, who bases his adaptation on Dickens’ original novella and reading tour. To Dec. 29. The Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org.

AMADEUS

63 UP

In 1964, Michael Apted was a young research assistant on Seven Up!, a British documentary exploring the class system through the eyes of 7-year-olds. “It was going to be a oneoff,” recalls Apted of the first film. “When it broadcast [on British television], it drove the country to madness. It was successful, popular, and clearly important to the audience because it dealt with things that they were all thinking about. Now here we are nine films later.” Indeed, Seven Up! film would famously spawn into a landmark documentary series, revisiting the participants every seven years to check in on their lives, their shifting ideals and dreams, their growth, or in some cases, their personal stasis. Apted, whose dramatic films include Gorillas in the Mist and Coal Miner’s Daughter, has directed all of the Up series after the first. His latest, 63 Up (HHHHH), hits theaters this weekend and it’s a stunner, as the participants discuss regrets, illness, Brexit, even Trump. The British class system is still at the film’s core, but the richness comes from Apted’s exceedingly wellpaced construct, as new interviews are cleverly interspersed with the old, exhibiting that, in essence, human beings don’t really change their stripes over time. We are who we were at seven. Apted calls the film “a piece of living history,” while noting, “I'm 78 now. I think this is the first time I've thought I may not outlive the next one.... [And] if a lot of them pass away, I'm not quite sure [there will be a 70 Up]. We'd have to make a decision about that. If eight of them die, for God's sake, then it might be a fucking terrible unhappy thing.” 63 Up opens Friday, Dec. 13, exclusively at the Landmark E Street Cinema. Visit www.landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c. (Randy Shulman)

Monday, Dec. 16, at 8 p.m. 3107 Mount Pleasant St. NW. Tickets are $11.49 including service fee. Visit www.sunscinema.com.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Landmark's E Street Cinema presents its monthly run of Richard O’Brien’s camp classic, billed as the

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longest-running midnight movie in history. Landmark's showings come with a live shadow cast from the Sonic Transducers, meaning it's even more interactive than usual.

Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, at midnight. 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit www. landmarktheatres.com.

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Genius and jealousy collide in 18th-century Vienna as the mediocre Antonio Salieri does everything in his power to destroy his musical rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Folger Theatre offers a production of Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play directed by Richard Clifford and featuring a 13-person cast led by Ian Merrill Peakes as Salieri and Samuel Adams as Mozart. To Dec. 22. 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $27 to $85. Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

AN IRISH CAROL

For the ninth year in a row, Keegan Theatre offers company member Matthew Keenan’s homage to Dickens, albeit with biting Irish humor and incisive candor. Mark A. Rhea directs a cast featuring Kevin Adams, Josh Adams, Dave Jourdan, Timothy Hayes Lynch, Mike Kozemchak, Jon Townson, Josh Sticklin, Jessie Power, and Mick Tinder. In previews. Opens Sunday, Dec. 15. Runs to Dec. 31.

1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $41 to $65. Call 202-265-3767 or visit www.keegantheatre.com.

DISNEY’S NEWSIES

A band of underdogs become unlikely heroes when they stand up to the most powerful men in New York in this musical featuring a score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman and a book by Harvey Fierstein, and based on a 1992 film that initially bombed at the box office. Molly Smith puts her stamp on the show in a production at Arena Stage. To Jan. 12. Fichandler Stage in the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org.

EUREKA DAY

“How do you find consensus when you can’t agree on the facts? A comedy for our moment,” is how Mosaic Theater Company bills Jonathan Spector’s new play, set in a California private school whose progressive-minded, vaccine-flexible values are put to the test by a mumps outbreak. Serge Seiden directs Regina Aquino, Lise Bruneau, Erica Chamblee, Sam Lunay, and Elan Zafir. To Jan. 5. Lang Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts Center,

1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $65. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www. atlasarts.org.

JAMES JOYCE’S THE DEAD

SCENA Theatre presents Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey’s Tonywinning musical adaptation of the classic short story by James Joyce that wrestles with themes of lost love and the search for meaning in life. Robert McNamara directs a production full of “drama, dance, and song,” and featuring a 13-member cast including Danielle Davy, Andrea Hatfield, Buck O’Leary, and Rosemary Reagan. In previews.

Opens Saturday, Dec. 14. Runs to Jan. 12. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $50. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

What begins as an investigation into the grisly death of a neighbor’s dog results in a remarkable coming-ofage journey for a 15-year-old. Ryan Rilette and Jared Mezzochi direct a Round House Theatre production of this recent Broadway hit. To Dec. 22. 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Tickets are $50 to $60.

Call 240-644-1100 or visit www. roundhousetheatre.org.

THE SNOW QUEEN

Virginia’s Synetic Theater offers a whimsical, movement-driven adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s beloved fairy tale, directed by Ryan Sellers and adapted by Emily Whitworth. To Dec. 29. 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. Call 800-494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org.

MUSIC BOHEMIAN CAVERNS JAZZ ORCHESTRA: A BOHEMIAN CHRISTMAS

Its namesake U Street venue may have shuttered several years ago, but the 17-piece big band, led by baritone saxophonist Brad Linde and trumpeter Joe Herrera, lives on — at least for special occasions.

The Atlas Performing Arts Center in the H Street Corridor offers the next special, helping the ensemble, founded by Linde almost 10 years ago, revive its popular holiday show. Monday, Dec. 16, at 8 p.m.

Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $35. Call 202399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON: SONGS OF THE SEASON

Scott Tucker leads the local vocal ensemble along with Brandon Straub in its annual run of holiday shows at the Kennedy Center.

Soloist Kristina Lewis, mezzo-soprano, will join the Choral Arts Chorus and the Choral Arts Youth Choir to perform holiday carols and

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Ave. NW. Tickets are $41 to $46, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit www.bluesalley.com.

Halsey returns as the top LGBTQ draw on the local stop of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, which also sees the return of prior Capital Pride Ally performer Charlie Puth.

Khalid, Niall Horan, Lewis Capaldi, and Why Don’t We will also take the Capital One Arena stage courtesy of “D.C.’s #1 Hit Music Station.”

Monday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. 601 F St. NW. Call 202-628-3200 or visit www.capitalonearena.com.

Artistic Director Christopher Bell directs the annual “A Candlelight Christmas,” featuring the 130-voice chorus singing familiar carols and holiday songs accompanied by the National Capital Brass ensemble plus organ, plus audience singalongs, and a candlelight processional. Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m.

Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.

Also Sunday, Dec. 15, at 1 and 4 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 22, at 8 p.m.

Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Tickets are $19 to $82. Call 202342-6221 or visit www.thewashingtonchorus.org.

LESLIE ODOM, JR. WITH THE NSO: A HOLIDAY POPS

DANCE

RYAN MAXWELL

HOT 99.5 JINGLE BALL: HALSEY, KHALID, CHARLIE PUTH

THE INFINITE TALES

The ambitious, adventurous 4615 Theatre Company continues its third season with a world-premiere production, weaving together tales of Irish mythology adapted by Gregory Keng Strasser, a local gay theater artist as well as the company’s new producing director. The Infinite Tales is a thrilling fantasy about four children struggling through a curse that has removed them from their homeland and transformed them into swans. An exploration of national identity, the adaptation, which features live music, shadow puppetry, and ensemble movement work, was inspired by Strasser’s upbringing as a Chinese/Irish-American who has lived on both sides of the world. Company members Melissa Carter and Seth Rosenke are featured in a nine-person cast, while the company’s founding artistic director Jordan Friend serves as sound designer and composer. To Dec. 29. The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St. in Bethesda. Tickets are $16.50 to $20. Call 301-928-2738 or visit www.4615theatre.com.. seasonal classics. Sunday, Dec. 15, at 8 p.m, Monday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m., and Tuesday, Dec. 24, at 2 p.m. Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 to $72. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

CHRIS PUREKA

Chris Pureka’s fraught-folk style reflects slightly, subtly, on the gender-queer artist’s background in science: She was a research microbiologist at Smith College before she became a fulltime musician a decade ago. As she told Metro Weekly a few years ago, “It’s almost like I come up with a hypothesis for each song and then fill it out....

It’s not necessarily causal. It’s a correlation.” The Portland, Ore.based singer-songwriter returns

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for a near-annual stop at Virginia’s Jammin Java, this time a co-headlining show with Massachusettsbased artist Kris Delmhorst. Friday, Dec. 13. Doors at 6:30 p.m. 227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $18 to $25. Call 703-255-3747 or visit www.jamminjava.com.

FREDDY COLE

Freddy Cole plays his own instruments, just like his late brother Nat King Cole, but his voice is raspier, smokier, jazzier. The New York Times has hailed him as “the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive.” He drops by Blues Alley for a weekend run of his seasonal show, “For the Holidays.” Thursday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 15, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

THE WASHINGTON CHORUS: A CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS

The Choral Arts Society of Washington joins the NSO, led

by Steven Reineke, for a concert featuring the Tony-winning star of Hamilton. Odom will perform favorite yuletide songs in a show “complete with Santa” and “even snow!” Friday, Dec. 13, at 8p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 14, at 2 and 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Tickets are $29 to $109. Call 202467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

NATIONAL CHAMBER ENSEMBLE: HOLIDAY CHEER!

The three finalists for the NCE’s 2019 Outstanding Young Artist Award piano competition — Michael Chen, age 13, Tucker Stone, 16, and Daniel Chen, 14 — join the ensemble in a performance of classical masterpieces by Mozart, Granados, Prokofiev, and Gershwin. A group of young violinists also join to perform some of Shostakovich’s festive film music.

It’s all part of the annual holiday program, directed by Leo Sushansky, which also sees the return of tenor and media personality Patrick D. McCoy to sing “Comfort Ye,” the aria “Every Valley” from Handel’s Messiah, and to lead the carols singalong. Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church, 4444 Arlington Blvd. Tickets are $18 to $36. Call 703-892-2565 or visit www.

NationalChamberEnsemble.org.

THE 9 SONGWRITER SERIES

Folk-rock musician Justin Trawick formed this collective a decade ago as a means to book larger venues for shows featuring Trawick and fellow local musicians, giving them a bigger audience and opportunities to improvise and collaborate, and giving audiences an easier way to discover a songwriter or band to love. Next week performers in the series coalesce for the annual family-friendly holiday extravaganza presented by Listen Local First D.C. and featuring traditional and seasonal songs. Thursday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

COYABA DANCE THEATER: KWANZAA CELEBRATION

Sylvia Soumah directs the annual Kwanzaa Celebration at Dance Place featuring the West African dance and music organizations she founded and runs, Coyaba Academy and Coyaba Dance Theater, plus special guests. The focus is on the seven principles of the AfricanAmerican holiday and includes dancing, singing, drumming, storytelling, and more. Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $30. Call 202-269-1600 or visit www.danceplace.org.

STEP AFRIKA!: MAGICAL MUSICAL HOLIDAY STEP SHOW

The local percussive dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping presents its annual holiday step show intended for audiences aged four years and up. The focus is on getting North Pole animals — polar bears, penguins — to step. And all to music by “Frosty the Snowman,” putting the needle on the record as special guest DJ. In addition to the show featuring friendly, furry characters, this holiday tradition at the Atlas Performing Arts Center includes pre-show instrument-making workshops, photo ops, and a dance party. To Dec. 22. The Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $25 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

COMEDY FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL: VOL. 9

Comedy writers Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher, whose credits include The Onion and The Colbert Report, return with another collection of found videos drawn from garage sales, thrift stores, warehouses, and dumpsters — including curiously produced industrial training videos and cheesy exercise videos. This “guided tour through the weird and wonderful

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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Theater, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15 to $18. Call 202-204-7770 or visit www.witdc.org.

ART & EXHIBITS THE LAST HOLIDAY STARKILLERS

Three years ago, local painter and mixed-media artist Andrew Wodzianski curated an exhibition of playful works from fellow Star Wars-inspired artists and pegged to the release of The Force Awakens.

Now comes a third and final show of paintings, photographs, and mixed-media sculptures by artists including Wodzianski, Metro Weekly contributor Scott G. Brooks, Chris Bishop, Jared Davis, and Steve Strawn. Opening Reception is Saturday, Dec. 14, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Now to Jan. 5. 609 H St. NE. Visit http://wodzianski.com/news.html.

MANIFESTO: ART X AGENCY

MAMA’S BLACK SHEEP

Ashland Miller and Laura Cerulli, who together make up the soulful folk-pop band Mama’s Black Sheep, both felt like the black sheep of their respective families. Why? Because they’re struggling artists, pursuing their artistic dreams.

“We're still [just] pickin' and a grinnin' in the beer joint, as my father likes to put it,” Miller once joked to Metro Weekly before a Capital Pride performance. Whatever you call them, just see them live — they’re really good. And they keep good company, too: Mama’s Black Sheep offers another heady lesbian folk double-bill with Philadelphia’s Christine Havrilla, who returns to Jammin Java two months after opening for out country star Chely Wright. The show is a benefit for local music education nonprofit The MusicianShip.

Wednesday, Dec. 18. Doors at 6:30 p.m. Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $20 to 30. Call 703-2553747 or visit www.jamminjava.com. world of VHS,” includes a mysterious tape labeled “bonion surgery,” home movies taken at a Canadian hose factory, the 1988 Miss Junior America Wisconsin pageant, and a collection of Christmas videos “that will leave you nightmares.” Friday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. Arlington Cinema N’ Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington. Tickets are $16. Call 703486-2345 or visit www.arlingtondrafthouse.com.

THE SECOND CITY: LOVE, FACTUALLY

The seasonal satire from the cleverly twisted minds of the legendary improv/comedy company returns to the Kennedy Center for another holiday run. The show, as you might surmise from the production’s title, is a parody of a certain nauseating yet popular movie. Expect original comedy, music, improv, and audience participation. To Dec. 29. Kennedy Center Theater Lab.

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Tickets are $49 to $79. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

WASHINGTON IMPROV THEATER: SEASONAL DISORDER

Washington Improv Theater's annual holiday extravaganza features shows based on audience suggestions, showing you the good, the bad and the ugly of the season — all laughs to get you through. Each show is different, but all offer a grab bag of spontaneous comedy and long-form improv, including The Heist, “an improvised bank robbery gone wrong” ensemble, the all-womxn Hellcat, the improvising playwrights of iMusical, and holiday horrorists from Die! Die! Die! This year’s run also features a special The Interview session with Gina Schaefer, co-founder and CEO of 11 area Ace Hardware stores, on Saturday, Dec. 21, followed the next day by a grouping of “Hanukkah Shows” with “acts to be announced.” To Dec. 29. Source

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

More than 100 works of art and ephemera created over the past century are currently on display in this group exhibition at the Hirshhorn. The specific focus is on artist manifestos and their impact, exploring how artists have used these statements of principles or theories to engage with the political and social issues of their time, including the present day. Manifesto: Art X Agency is named after a multichannel film by German artist Julian Rosefeldt that features actress Cate Blanchett performing excerpts from some of the great manifestos of the past century. Dating to 2015, Rosefeldt’s film makes its Hirshhorn debut as part of the exhibition, which is mostly comprised of seminal works from the museum’s permanent collection made by Alexander Calder, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, Guerrilla Girls, Adrian Piper, Nam June Paik, and Glenn Ligon. To Jan. 5. Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Call 202-6331000 or visit www.hirshhorn.si.edu.

RISE UP: STONEWALL AND THE LGBTQ RIGHTS MOVEMENT

A groundbreaking exhibition commemorating what happened at New York’s Stonewall Inn 50 years ago, when patrons stood up and pushed back for the first time against the widespread police raids and antigay harrassment of the era. As seen through artifacts, images, and historic print publications, the Newseum’s Rise Up spotlights the Stonewall uprising as the key spark helping ignite the modern LGBTQ movement. Yet the exhibit also puts things in proper perspective by examining other pivotal moments of history, including the 1978 assassination of Harvey Milk, one of the country’s first openly gay elected officials; the creation of the rainbow flag as a powerful symbol to represent the

community; the pioneering advocacy of early movement leaders, none more so than hometown hero Frank Kameny; the impact of the AIDS crisis; and the more recent cultural progress in terms of military representation and marriage equality.

The role of the news media and popular culture in general is also naturally touched on in an exhibition hosted by the Newseum’s Freedom Forum Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for a free press and the First Amendment. And in particular, freedoms granted by the First Amendment are touted as having emboldened activists fighting discriminatory practices against LGBTQ Americans in housing, employment, and public accommodations. To Dec. 31. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $22.95 for general admission. Call 292-6100 or visit www.newseum.org.

SEASON’S GREENINGS: AMERICA’S GARDENS

This year’s annual holiday show at the U.S. Botanic Garden showcases iconic scenes from 24 of the nation’s botanic gardens, from Hawaii to Maine. Plant-based recreations bring to life everything from Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s vibrant red Japanese torii gate, to the flamingo topiaries of Franklin Park Conservatory in Ohio, to the NASA space nodes and rockets of the Rocket Garden in Alabama’s Huntsville Botanical Garden. In addition, the Garden Court features the traditional collection of plantbased D.C. landmarks, including a botanical replica of Washington’s Union Station, while the West Gallery features a decorated tree with its own model train. Also on view throughout the conservatory are thousands of blooms, including a showcase of heirloom and newly developed poinsettia varieties. All that, plus live holiday music on Tuesdays and Thursdays in December, when the conservatory, which normally closes at 5 p.m., will stay open until 8 p.m. Next week’s offerings, kicking off at 6 p.m., is local Irish rock band 40 Thieves on Tuesday, Dec. 17, followed by rousing klezmer and Jewish folk ensemble Lox and Vodka on Thursday, Dec. 19. On display to Jan. 5. 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Call 202-2258333 or visit www.usbg.gov.

TREATIES BETWEEN THE U.S. AND AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONS

With the lead title Nation to Nations, this long-term exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian tells the story of the treaties signed between U.S. leaders and influential Native diplomats. Most Americans today live on land that was originally promised to Native Nations via (obviously broken) treaties. And while most of the documents date to the

early days of the American republic, the exhibit, which has been on display since 2015, has recently been updated to end with an 11.5-foot-tall mile-marker post created by activists protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota — touted as the largest gathering of Native Americans in protest. In other words, the treaties are hardly something relegated to museums and history books but in fact very much an ongoing, present-day concern.

On display through 2021. National Museum of the American Indian, Independence Avenue at 4th Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit nmai.si.edu.

ABOVE & BEYOND BREAKING BREAD: STORIES

BY CELEBRITY CHEFS AND INDUSTRY INSIDERS

Over the summer, celebrity chef and TV personality Carla Hall appeared on the cover of Metro Weekly in advance of a Story District discussion that was ultimately postponed due to a freak thunderstorm-induced power outage at the Lincoln Theatre. Rescheduled and relocated to the more intimate Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, Breaking Bread features Hall along with fellow Top Chef alum and James Beard Awardwinning chef Kwame Onwuachi of D.C.’s Kith and Kin, Washington

Post Food Editor Joe Yonan, Pati Jinich of PBS’s Pati’s Mexican Table, plus three other culinary experts, all sharing food-related personal stories. “I’ll be talking about one of my experiences when I was on Top Chef: All Stars and the first time that I made an African dish, pretty much, in public,” Hall told Metro Weekly. “When I get up and talk to people, it’s pretty nerve-racking and scary. Even though people assume, ‘Oh, you do television all the time,’ it’s something very intimate and it makes you feel very vulnerable to be on stage telling a story in a succinct manner.” Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 7:30 p.m. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 202-408-3100 or visit www.sixthandi.org.

CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE

A decade ago Neil Goldberg, creator of Broadway's Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, launched this holiday extravaganza with over 30 artists pulling stunts, from gingerbread men flipping in mid-air to toy soldiers marching on thin wires to puppets caroling. It’s all performed to an original score plus some holiday favorites, and on a set that includes colossal candy canes and 30-foot towering toy soldiers. Friday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 22, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and

Monday, Dec. 23, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Theater at MGM National Harbor, 7100 Harborview Ave., Oxon Hill, Md. Call 844-346-4664 or visit www.mgmnationalharbor.com.

DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY MARKET

Over 150 artisans rotate among sixty tents set up on two blocks in the heart of downtown. Now in its 15th year, the holiday market offers a vast, eclectic, and international assortment of gifts and souvenirs, collectibles and wearables — from prints and photographs, to pottery and glassware, to custom jewelry and accessories. Each day also brings free staged concerts by local musicians, and options for food and non-alcoholic drink. Daily from noon to 8 p.m. to Dec. 23. Located on F Street between 7th and 9th Streets NW. Visit www.downtownholidaymarket.com.

ENCHANT CHRISTMAS WASHINGTON, DC

The outfield of Nationals Park will be transformed into a twinkling maze of light displays, the infield will house an ice-skating trail adorned with lit archways, and all around on the concourse will be a Christmas Market stocked with more than 60 local food and artisan vendors. This weekend sees the D.C. debut of a multi-city offering touted as “the biggest and fastest-growing holiday event in North

America,” further advertised as “the World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze and Market.” Runs from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 or 11:30 p.m. daily to Dec. 29 except closed on Dec. 9.

To Dec. 29. 1500 South Capitol St. NE. Tickets, not including fees, are $19.99 to $33.99 for general admission, $78.99 for a multi-day Season Pass, or $89.99 for VIP entrance with free ice skate rentals and access to the PNC Diamond Club box with festive buffet. Visit www. enchantchristmas.com.

ZOOLIGHTS

More than 500,000 colorful Christmas lights illuminate lifesized animal silhouettes, dancing trees, buildings, and walkways, plus a light show set to music, during this annual holiday event at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. New at ZooLights this year is “Entre Les Rangs,” an art installation featuring dozens of large, glowing animal lanterns stationed throughout the park. The second weekend in December ushers in the Grump holiday market, a European-style outdoor fair featuring local artisans set up at the Zoo’s entrance. ZooLights runs nightly (except Dec. 24, Dec. 25, and Dec. 31) through Jan. 1 from 5 to 9 p.m. National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. Call 202-633-4800 or visit nationalzoo. si.edu. l

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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Community FRIDAY, DEC. 13 GAMMA is a confidential, vol-

untary, peer-support group for men who are gay, bisexual, questioning and who are now or who have been in a relationship with a woman. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Ave NW. GAMMA meetings are also held in Vienna, Va., and in Frederick, Md. For more information, visit www.gammaindc.org.

WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES (AND THIRTIES), a social

discussion and activity group for queer women, meets at The DC Center on the second and fourth Friday of each month.

Group social activity to follow the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, 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.

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.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds

a practice session at Howard University. 6:30-8 p.m. Burr Gymnasium, 2400 6th St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

Walker Health. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW. For an appointment, call 202-7457000 or visit www.whitman-walker.org.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBTaffirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202319-0422, www.layc-dc.org.

SATURDAY, DEC. 14 ADVENTURING outdoors

group hikes several strenuous miles along the Potomac Heritage Trail from Rosslyn to Chain Bridge, then returns via the C&O Canal Towpath and Key Bridge, for a total circuit of nine miles. Bring plenty of beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, and the $2 trip fee. Meet at 10 a.m. by the station attendant’s kiosk inside the Rosslyn Metro Station. For more information, contact Jerry, 571-241-3787, or visit www.adventuring.org.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture

group visits the Phillips Collection near Dupont Circle to see its exhibition “Bonnard to Vuillard.” Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors.

Lunch in neighborhood follows. Meet at 11 a.m. inside the main entrance at 1600 21st St. NW. For more information, contact Craig, 202-462-0535 or craighowell1@verizon.net.

LULAC LAMBDA invites the

Queer Latinx community to its HOLIDAY PARTY, which will also serve as a fundraiser for its annual scholarship fund benefitting queer Latinx people attending District of Columbia educational institutions. The program will be presented in English, Spanish, and ASL, featuring folkloric dancers, DC Drag Legend Sylvanna Duvél, and DJ Nico DiMarco.

Empodérate will offer free HIV testing on site. 8 p.m.

Chastleton Ballroom, 1701 16th St. NW. For more information, visit www.lulaclambda.org.

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 703823-4401. www.kiservices.org.

The DC Center hosts a monthly meeting of UNIVERSAL PRIDE, a group to support and empower LGBTQIA people with disabilities, offer perspectives on dating and relationships, and create greater access in public spaces for LGBTQIA PWDs. 1-2:30 p.m.

2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, contact Andy Arias, andyarias09@gmail.com.

METROHEALTH CENTER

Weekly Events

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

offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange

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an appointment, call 202-8498029. www.metrohealthdc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

practice session at Montgomery

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

College Aquatics Club. 8:3010 a.m. 7600 Takoma Ave., Takoma, Md. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/ walking/social club welcomes runners of all ability levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards. Route distance will be 3-6 miles. Walkers meet at 9:30 a.m. and runners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW. For more information, visit www. dcfrontrunners.org.

SUNDAY, DEC. 15 CHRYSALIS arts & culture group visits the new International Spy Museum in L’Enfant Plaza.

Admission is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors. Meet at 11 a.m. by the Plaza exit of the L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station. Lunch in neighborhood follows. Lunch in the Plaza’s food court. For more information, contact Craig, 202-462-0535 or craighowell1@ verizon.net.

Weekly Events BETHEL CHURCH-DC pro-

gressive and radically inclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m.

2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202248-1895, www.betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds

a practice session at Wilson Aquatic Center. 9:30-11 a.m. 4551 Fort Dr. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS run-

ning/walking/social club welcomes runners of all ability levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards. Route distances vary. For meeting places and more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

FAIRLINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH is

an open, inclusive church.

All welcome, including the LGBTQ community. Member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. Services at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. 3900 King Street, Alexandria, Va. 703-671-8557.

For more info, visit www.fairlingtonumc.org.

FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON meets for wor-

ship, 10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW, Quaker House Living Room (next to Meeting House on Decatur Place), 2nd floor.

Special welcome to lesbians

and gays. Handicapped accessible from Phelps Place gate.

Hearing assistance. Visit www. quakersdc.org.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, God-centered

new age church & learning center. Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. Visit www.isd-dc.org.

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites all

to Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare is available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for 25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE. Visit www. reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted) and 11 a.m.

Children's Sunday School at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. For more info, call 202-638-7373 or visit www.mccdc.com.

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH, a Christ-centered,

interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. For more info, call 202-554-4330 or visit www.riversidedc.org.

UNITARIAN CHURCH OF ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ wel-

coming-and-affirming congregation, offers services at 10 a.m.

Virginia Rainbow UU Ministry.

4444 Arlington Blvd. For more info, visit www.uucava.org.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIAL CHURCH, a wel-

coming and inclusive church.

GLBT Interweave social/service group meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m., Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St. NW. For more info, call 202-387-3411 or visit www.universalist.org.

MONDAY, DEC. 16 CENTER FAITH, an inter-

denominational network for LGBTQ people and LGBTQaffirming churches, holds a monthly meeting at The DC Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

GLAA, the all-volunteer, non-

partisan political organization that defends the rights of LGBTQ people in the nation’s capital, holds its monthly meeting at The DC Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.glaa.org.

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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The Metro D.C. chapter of PFLAG, a support group for parents, family members and allies of the LGBTQ community, holds its monthly meeting at The DC Center. 7-9 p.m.

2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

practice session at Dunbar Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 101 N St. NW. For more information, visit www. swimdcac.org.

DC’S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

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.

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.

Visit www.ushelpingus.org.

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.

TUESDAY, DEC. 17 CENTER BI, a group of The DC

Center, hosts a monthly roundtable discussion around issues of bisexuality. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Visit www.thedccenter.org.

THE HEALTH WORKING GROUP

of The DC Center hosts a “Packing Party,” where volunteers assemble safe-sex kits of condoms and lube.

7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club welcomes runners of all ability levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards.

Route distances vary. For meeting places and more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

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DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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.

THE GAY MEN'S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free

HIV testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday.

5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St. 703746-4986 or text 571-214-9617. www.inova.org/gmhc

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS

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.

STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. 10 a.m.-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.

Support group for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 meets at SMYAL. 4-7 p.m. 410 7th St. SE. For more information, contact Dana White, 202567-3156, or visit www.smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a support

group for black gay men 40 and older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. Call 202-446-1100. www.ushelpingus.org.

Whitman-Walker Health holds its weekly GAY MEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC. Patients are seen on a walk-in basis. No-cost screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes testing available for a fee.

Testing starts at 6 p.m, but should arrive early to ensure a spot. 1525 14th St. NW. For more information, visit www.whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18 BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s

gay-literature group, discusses Speak My Language and Other Stories, an anthology of gay fiction edited by Torsten Højer, at The DC Center. All are welcome. 7:30-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Visit www. bookmendc.blogspot.com.

Weekly Events AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-

versation, meets about 6-6:30 p.m., Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome. For more information, call Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

holds a practice session at Dunbar Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 101 N St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

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.

HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH

offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. All welcome.

118 N. Washington St., Alexandria.

703-549-1450, www.historicchristchurch.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, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.

METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. For more information, call 202-849-8029 or visit www.metrohealthdc.org.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV

testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington.

Appointments: 703-789-4467. Visit www.novasaludinc.org.

STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. 10 a.m.-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.

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.

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 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 exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards.

Route distances vary. 7 p.m. 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. 7:30-9:30 p.m. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. For more info, call 202930-1058 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.

THE DULLES TRIANGLES

Northern Virginia social group meets for happy hour at the Cosmopolitan Lounge inside the Sheraton Hotel in Reston. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, Second Floor. For more info, visit www.dullestriangles.com.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

THURSDAY, DEC. 19

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.

AGLA BOOK CLUB meets at

STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Federico’s Ristorante Italiano to discuss The Price of Salt, by Patricia Highsmith. Everyone welcome. 7:30-9 p.m. 519 23rd St. S., Arlington, Va. Please RSVP in advance by emailing info@agla.org.

Join other LGBTQ military, national security, and DoD workers for the monthly DOD PRIDE HAPPY HOUR at Freddie’s Beach Bar. 5-8 p.m. 555 23rd St. S., Arlington, Va. For more information, visit www. facebook.com/DoDPrideEvents.

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 202-4461100. www.ushelpingus.com. l

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

23

At Home With

John Waters The legendary icon on the holidays, his book collection, his parents, and why it’s going to be so hard to beat Trump.

Interview by Randy Shulman • Photography by Todd Franson

D

ON’T LOOK AT THE CHRISTMAS CARDS! THEY’RE not ready to be seen!” shouts John Waters as we trundle into the basement of his Baltimore home for a cover shoot. There are stacks and stacks of cards on a long, rectangular dining table, all turned upside down, waiting to be stuffed into envelopes, addressed, and mailed to those fortunate enough to be on his holiday list. Waters’ assistant, Jen, briskly moves the cards off the table and a red tablecloth is laid out. Waters takes his place at the head of the table, a rubber Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer head positioned before him. He holds a sharp knife in one hand, serving fork in the other. There is a noticeable glint in his eye.

“I thought you were going to bring a real reindeer head,” he says in mock disappointment. Then he laughs. “PETA’s not going to like this idea.”

During the shoot, Waters makes every possible face imaginable, from genteel to bemused to downright evil. It’s like watching a master class in expressions.

This magazine has interviewed Waters so many times in 25 years, we’ve lost count. The first interview occurred in 1996, in the very same residence we’re in now, where he’s lived since 1990. It’s our first time back in the home, and the first thing one notices are the books, stacks and stacks and stacks of them everywhere, filling shelves, tables, almost any available space.

The variety is astounding, and some of the titles of the art books catch you off guard, like Dian Hanson’s “The Big Penis Book” and “The Big Book of Legs.” There’s fake novelty food, all of which looks alarmingly real, scattered throughout the house — a toppled Starbucks cup complete with spill; a bowl of what appears to be oatmeal with fruit, a spoon sticking out one side; a gorgeous strawberry-topped cake; and lots of sushi. All of it delectable, none of it edible. There’s also movie memorabilia — a prop machine gun from Guys & Dolls given to Waters by Johnny Depp; a demonic Chucky doll from 2004’s Seed of Chucky, which Waters appeared in; and not one, but two “Tinglers” nestled on his living room mantle.

And then there’s an item that we are not permitted to photograph, or, presumably, mention.

It’s a remarkable place, this home. It’s cozy, comfortable, 24

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

weird and wondrous, filled with character and adventure at every turn. It’s everything you’d expect the home of John Waters to be.

In person, Waters is congenial, friendly, warm, funny. The man responsible for such subversive cinematic classics as Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble — and who also created a singular sensation with Hairspray, which broadened his appeal worldwide — hasn’t directed a movie since 2004’s A Dirty Shame. He doesn’t miss it.

“I'm busier than I've ever been in my entire life,” says the 73-year-old, who, when pressed, cites Serial Mom as his favorite film. “I think Kathleen Turner’s great in it, and I think that she elevated everyone else's acting in the whole movie. She made everybody even better. And I think it looks beautiful. We had $13 million. The only time I ever really had enough money to make a movie.”

He also notes that “Hairspray is the only devious movie I ever made. Because it snuck in mid-America, and it's still sneaking in.

And it's playing wider than I ever could possibly imagine. Even racists like it. They don't even get that my ideas have snuck in their family. A fat girl fights for integration. All you need is a good idea, and it was a good one.”

Waters has authored several books — the latest of which Mr. Know-It-All (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $27) — was released last spring to critical acclaim. He’s currently working on a novel, but the details are under wraps. And he’s now on his annual whirlwind tour of his Christmas Show, which he writes fresh annually, and which will be at The Birchmere next Wednesday, Dec. 18. It’s something he looks forward to every year.

“The first night's scary,” he admits of the 70-minute monologue, “because I don't bring notes. People pay good money to see me, I should learn my lines. It's my anti-Alzheimer's exercise.”

Long a cultural touchstone for not just the LGBTQ community, but for the world, John Waters is filled with opinions that quickly take their own turn toward dark, laugh-out-loud humor, all the while making a strong, salient, hard-to-refute point. A conversation with him, especially in the comfort of his home, is without a doubt, one of the greatest pleasures on earth.

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METRO WEEKLY: To start, I’d like to set the scene. We are sitting

in your Baltimore home, in a room filled to the absolute brim with books. Would you call this room a library or a living room?

JOHN WATERS: Living room. But every room in my house is the library, because there's books in every room.

MW: There are books piled everywhere, even on your infamous electric chair. It is an astonishing amount of books. Almost overwhelming.

WATERS: I have 11,000 in total. But that's in three homes, one in San Francisco and one in New York.

MW: What does a person do with 11,000 books?

WATERS: You read them.

MW: You’ve read all 11,000?

WATERS: No. There are at least five hundred I haven't, but plan to. They're in a section “To Read.” I'm not bragging. I wouldn't come out and say “I've read 10,500 books.” But you asked me, and I guess I have. I'm 73 years old. I've been reading and collecting books since I was 14. I like to read. That's how I relax.

MW: Is there a specific genre you prefer in particular?

WATERS: I like all kinds. I like nonfiction, I like biography, I like show business. But I plead full ignorance on science fiction.

That's one genre I am completely clueless on. I wouldn't know if it was good or bad. And I do not have a sports section.

MW: How long have you been in this house?

WATERS: Since 1990. I've only lived a few places. I talk about it in Mr. Know-It-All. I plan to haunt 315 East 25th Street. That was my first apartment. Then I lived at 3900 Greenmount Avenue, which is where we shot Pink Flamingos. That was the Marbles' house in that movie. I just heard it’s for sale. I'm sure the people that have it for sale might not even know that we made Pink Flamingos in that house. Then I lived at Temple Gardens Apartment, which is in Druid Hill Park. And then I've lived here since 1990.

MW: Do overeager fans find your home?

WATERS: Not really because it's publicized that I get all of my fan mail and everything at Atomic Books in Baltimore. If you do ever find where I live and write to me, I don't care how good it is, I will never answer it. But at Atomic Books, I do answer. So I'm selective. Very selective. Also, my neighbors watch out for me, in case there's any snoopers. Once, they saw them taking my garbage. But I have shredders. You won't get anything.

MW: This house is both like a library and a museum.

WATERS: And a private mental institution! It has wooded

grounds, which always remind me of a private, mental institution.

MW: I was looking around at some of the things that you have — WATERS: Snooping!

MW: I... I... was snooping.

WATERS: [Laughs.] I'm just kidding.

MW: You have a plate painted with cigarettes.

WATERS: That's a Damien Hirst. I know people that have whole sets. I only have one plate.

MW: And then the Buildings of Destruction scattered about.

WATERS: I have many, many of them. That's the Unabomber birdhouse. That's exactly like a real one, but I don't put it outside, because birds go in and they don't get out.

MW: You have a Tingler on the mantelpiece.

WATERS: I have two Tinglers. I have one I bought online and the other one a fan gave me that they crocheted.

MW: I'm also just amazed by the artwork on the walls. There's a great shot of somebody getting a shave.

WATERS: That's Rock Hudson. It’s a still from a movie called Seconds.

MW: What art makes it on your walls? How do you choose?

WATERS: It has to be art that at first kind of makes me angry, and then I love it.

MW: So it should provoke a response.

WATERS: That is contemporary art's job: To infuriate. I like the kind that baits people that hate contemporary art to say, "Oh my God, my kid could do that." That's the kind I like.

MW: There’s a painting of a house on that wall. That doesn’t seem infuriating.

WATERS: My parents, when they died, I got that from their house. It’s the family home I grew up in.

MW: What were your parents like?

WATERS: They were very loving, and very normal, upper-middle class, and straight. They were horrified by what I did, but encouraging to me, because they knew I was passionate about it. I've written about them a lot. In that book I have, Make Trouble, which was a commencement speech, I talk about how you should deal with your parents. Parents come to me now and ask how to deal with their troubled children. Who would have

“[Pink Flamingos] still works.

Not many things in the arts hold up in the startling department, and a seventeen-year-old hip kid that sees it today has the same reaction: THEY CAN’T BELIEVE THEY SAW JUST WHAT THEY SAW.” 26

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“I DON’T THINK TRUMP HATES GAY PEOPLE. I THINK HE’S AN ASSHOLE. I think he has to say he hates them now, but he used to be at Studio 54.

He was a liberal.

He’ll say what he has to say.” ever thought that that would happen? But it does. And I don't give bad advice!

MW: What advice do you give?

WATERS: Be lucky if your kids have an interest, even if you don't like it. Encourage that interest, because it'll keep them out of trouble. When they don't know what they want to be, is when they take drugs and get angry.

Now, if you do know what you want to be, you can take the drugs and be angry too, but usually you handle it better. I was the opposite. When I got success, I stopped taking drugs. Usually that's when people start taking drugs.

MW: At which point did you stop taking drugs?

WATERS: When Pink Flamingos became successful is when I stopped. I never had a bad experience with drugs, but people I took them with in the beginning are now dead from drugs. So it depends. The new opioid thing is this generation’s AIDS. MW: The '70s were so drug-infused that you would think that....

WATERS: The '60s were more for me. I took LSD in 1964. It wasn't illegal till '67. I was ahead of my time. But then when ecstasy came out, no. I wasn't about to get in a cuddle pile with anybody. Wear pajamas in a cuddle pile with a pacifier? I saw that and it was enough to scare me straight.

MW: When your parents first saw the avant-garde films you were making....

WATERS: Avant-garde wasn't what they would have called it.

And I wouldn't either. Avant-garde seemed like underground movies with colors jumping around, that kind of thing. Which I hated! I like them now, but I didn't like them then.

MW: What would you call your movies back then?

WATERS: Underground movies. Definitely. They were just underground movies. I was influenced by Kenneth Anger, and the Kuchar brothers, Andy Warhol, and that whole school of underground. Not Ed Emshwiller and Stan Brakhage, and that whole group who were more poetic than I ever wanted to be.

MW: Did your parents ever see Pink Flamingos?

WATERS: They didn't ever see Pink Flamingos. They paid for it, and I paid them back with interest. They were the only people I ever got money from who wished I hadn't paid them back.

Because then I wouldn't ask them again. They were the only backers that prayed it flopped, so it would all be over.

My mother came to see Mondo Trasho, and said, “You're going to die in a mental institution, O.D., or go crazy.” I said, “Oh, you liked it?” My father saw Female Trouble way later — he had to because the Baltimore Museum gave me this retrospec-

tive and he couldn't get out of it. They came to the premiere of probably everything from Polyester on. They were very relieved at Hairspray. But at A Dirty Shame, they were kind of horrified.

My father was 80, and I thought, “God, does he need to know what a plate job is?” Afterward he said, “It was funny. I hope I never see it again.” That was a real blurb to put on the poster.

Director's father.

Today what would shock my father is that I'm on the Nike ad. That would shock him more than anything I ever did in my whole life. Because he was very much a sports enthusiast, and I never was. So that would be the thing that would mostly startle him, that I'm one of the three spokesmen in the new Nike ad. I even get to say, “Just Do It!” Now, the only thing left is I want to say, “This is CNN.” MW: Did you ever formally come out to your parents?

WATERS: No. They were afraid to ask if I was gay. But they just knew, I'm sure. It was pretty obvious. They were confused because I hung around with girls. And I hung around with straight guys. And I hung around with drag queens. And so they couldn't quite figure it out.

MW: Did they know Glenn?

WATERS: They knew him as Divine. The first time my mother ever met him was when we were filming Multiple Maniacs on the front lawn. We had the Cavalcade of Diversion set up. And he came in wearing a white, one-piece woman's bathing suit covered in blood. He was so uptight he took his wig off. Which made it worse. And my mother served us formal tea. She didn't know what to do. Everybody was a little bit uncomfortable.

MW: Still, they sound as though they were supportive.

WATERS: As much as they wished I made another kind of movie.

But they also realized what else could I have done, you know?

This was something they’d better encourage because they couldn't see me fitting in. My father had a company. I worked there one day, and that just didn't work out. Because of him, not me.

I worked in the warehouse — you know, starting at the top.

[Laughs.] I think I put an African American station on the radio, and it was all white people working there. And I was dancing around and I had bleached hair. They weren't mean to me or anything. My father just didn't know what to do, basically. That was a traumatic day, actually.

MW: When you look back at Pink Flamingos, based on all your other films, do you think it's a good movie?

WATERS: It's not my best movie, but it still works. And people DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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say to me, you made such uncommercial movies. It wasn't that uncommercial. It's been playing for 50 years. It played for 10 years in one theater. It was a very commercial movie that cost $10,000. I wanted it to be a commercial movie, because I was trying to think of how to make a new genre, which was exploitation films for art theaters. Which it was. It still is.

It has its moments. It still works, that's one thing I know.

Not many things in the arts hold up in the startling department, and a seventeen-year-old hip kid that sees it today has the same reaction: They can't believe they saw just what they saw. And that was the best thing about it. Even if you hated the movie, you had to tell someone about it. That's what made it a hit. It didn't matter if you liked it or not.

MW: I remember when I first saw it. I was in college and went to a midnight showing in New York. It made my jaw drop. I didn’t know what to think.

WATERS: It was a punk movie, before punk happened, in hindsight. We were angry hippies, and we were making fun of hippies. That's what Multiple Maniacs was. Divine was thought up to scare hippies. We played [live] at the Palace Theater. We used to come out and Divine would say he followed hippies home and killed them and ate their pets and stuff and they'd all cheer. So it was based on hippily incorrect. The same way I make fun of gay rules in my Christmas show. The same way I make fun of all rules. But I make fun of myself first. And so did Divine.

I make fun of both sides. I mean, I say plenty about politics in the show. How can you not have politics in the show right now, with what's going on? We're in a civil war. It's scary to even go home at Christmas, for fear of relatives — oh, my God, suppose they’re drunk? Which, they could be! What do you do, because they'll just be hitting over the head with drumsticks, you know?

Nobody's changing anybody's mind.

That's why liberals are as big fascists as the Republicans.

Because they never think that anybody wouldn't agree with them.

And I'm a bleeding heart liberal. But they never imagine that anybody else wouldn't agree with them. That's a problem, too.

And all the TV stations that are on our side are just as bad as Fox. They're just on the other side. I miss Walter Cronkite. The networks are the best, to me, because they at least pretend they don't have an opinion.

MW: Do you have any thoughts on how this is all going to end?

WATERS: As a journalist, my fantasy is that Trump lost by one vote and he refuses to leave the White House. And we have to have tanks come in to get our own president out of the White House. As an anarchist, that’s the drama I'd hope for. I'm just saying....

MW: There’s a movie in there.

WATERS: As a scenario, it's a good movie plot. The day the tanks came in. “Don't touch the hair! Don't touch the hair!”

MW: Does it bother you that America's going through all this?

WATERS: It's exhausting! But I lived through Nixon. I lived through Ronald Reagan, who was really horrible. I lived through a lot of them. I don't think Trump hates gay people. I think he's an asshole. I think he has to say he hates them now, but he used to be at Studio 54. He was a liberal. He'll say what he has to say.

But the trans thing? I mean, that's easy for him to be against because so many people are so stupid about that, you know?

They go so crazy about that. They act like Big Freedia's going to come in and piss on their kid in school in the bathroom. I hope she does.

MW: Do you think America's going to come out of all this Trump madness for the better or worse?

WATERS: Who knows? If he gets four more years, it is truly a 30

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scary thought.

MW: Who would you like to see beat him in the election?

WATERS: I don't like any of them. I think they're all terrible and they're all going to lose. What fun is it to [be for] Elizabeth Warren? It was fun to be for Obama. But Trump, he’s having fun being an asshole. And so are his supporters. They are having fun.

We aren't.

MW: Will you vote for any of them?

WATERS: Yes, I'll vote for any of them. But that's not how you win.

MW: We could possibly have the first gay president in Pete Buttigieg.

WATERS: What African American is going to vote for him? I'm sorry, I love the idea of a first gay president, sure. I mean, I'm not against him. But he didn't know who Alfred E. Neuman was.

I hold that against him. If you don't know who Alfred E. Neuman is, I have a hard time being for you.

Somebody needs to come from out of the blue. Bill Maher said this and Michael Moore said it, and they're both right. Like Oprah or Michelle Obama. Somebody that you'd be the most shocked to get. And they'd win. But [the current candidates are] going to lose. So we better think of something quick.

MW: You don't think Biden can beat Trump?

WATERS: Who's going to be wildly excited for him? What we had to do is to get a Trump supporter to change their mind. Well, who of the ones are ever going to do that? Maybe Biden. You think they're going to change their mind for Elizabeth Warren?

If they didn't vote for Hillary....

Everybody I know will vote for any of them. What we have to get is the Trump supporters to change their minds. But I don't see that, except maybe Bloomberg or Biden. And I don't care if they're white men. I want to win! Then we'll decide if we can have plastic straws or not. I'm too butch for plastic straws. I'm too butch for straws of any kind.

MW: You don't think the impeachment's going to make a difference?

WATERS: I don't know. It seems like nothing else sticks. It seems like Nixon did way less, and it worked. But I don't know. It seems like nothing matters, really.

MW: John Waters for President. That’s out of the blue.

WATERS: That's in my last show.

MW: Would you run for president?

WATERS: No. I have enough power as it is.

MW: What exactly is that power?

WATERS: I would just say I have extreme power that surprises me. I just came from Australia where I did four cities of my show. I went to Tasmania. I walked in and there was a grown man dressed as Edith the Egg Lady. I thought, “That's as far away as you can get from Baltimore. How did that ever happen?”

That's power.

MW: Do you still enjoy doing the Christmas show?

WATERS: Yeah, I do, because every year it forces me to write all-new material. I memorize a 70-minute speech with no notes from the first night. [The show] keeps my office running for the whole year — if you want to be honest — financially. And I stay in touch with my fans. I see them in every city. We have a signing. Elton John said the day you stop touring, it's over. So I'm in touch. I see all the people that have let me get away with this for so many years, really. And thank them really.

MW: How do you feel about your fans?

WATERS: They're great! Are you kidding me? They're smart.

They get their roots done before they come to see me. They dress well. They read. They're informed. And if they don't get a joke,

“[My parents] were very relieved at Hairspray. But at A Dirty Shame, they were kind of horrified. My father was 80, and I thought, ‘God, does he need to know what a plate job is?’

AFTERWARD HE SAID, ‘IT WAS FUNNY. I HOPE I NEVER SEE IT AGAIN.’” they look it up. I have the best fans.

MW: What do the holidays mean to you?

WATERS: The holidays, to me, are a little bit melancholy, because my parents are both dead now. So that changes things. But my sisters are alive — my brother died of a brain tumor, way too young. It's our turn to have the Christmas dinner. So I have 14 people here. The day after we have the real Christmas. This year it's at my niece's house. I have to buy a million presents. Just like everybody.

MW: Do you think the holidays can be a healing moment for the country?

WATERS: I think a lot of people must hate them. Why do we think that people have to talk about Jesus? For Arabs, and Buddhists, and Jews — I'd be pissed about Christmas. All the time having to listen to it and everything? And who's Santa to be judging everybody? Spying on children? He'd be arrested!

MW: You talk about your parents being dead. You're going to be 74....

WATERS: The last chapter of [Mr. Know-It-All] is how I beat death. You have to buy the book for that!

MW: But don’t you think about your own mortality?

WATERS: Sure. How do you not at 73? I'm not going to live to 146.

I'm not middle-aged.

MW: Well, you could live to 100.

WATERS: I believe in science, but not that much.

MW: Does death scare you?

WATERS: Sure. It scares me only because you can't control it.

You don't get to pick how you die. But I think I've had a great life. If I drop dead tomorrow, the only thing I regret is smoking cigarettes. But I haven't had one in — oh, it's upstairs, but I write it down every day — six thousand, three hundred and some days.

That's the only thing I regret, smoking. And if I’d kept doing it?

I'd be dead.

It's the only thing the government has ever told you, in this country, that's true. [Cigarettes] kill you. And my friends are dying from it now.

MW: Do you think cigarettes should be illegal?

WATERS: Well, that's a tough one. Because some people don't die from cancer if they smoke. Most do. Should it be illegal?

Maybe not. That's not my business. It's other people. Then why

wouldn't liquor be illegal? I can have one drink, and I look forward to it. Other friends I know, if they have one drink, they're in prison.

MW: What do you think about all the gun violence?

WATERS: I'm a proud GAG member — Gays Against Guns. I've even marched with them. I don't have the right to own any gun, even for hunting, and I say this in the show. Go give the animals in the woods a gun and teach them to shoot back. Then we'll call it a sport. I'm not against eating meat, but I wouldn't get enjoyment out of killing it.

MW: Do you try not to think about where food comes from then?

WATERS: All food is disgusting, because it ends up in shit. I think shitting is disgusting. I don't want to have to do anything. But you do have to shit. That's what I said on Bill Maher, “The only good thing about being dead is that you never have to do that again.” And he looked at me in horror when I said that, because I hadn't mentioned that in the pre-interview.

Never in my lifetime will humans not eat meat. It is barbaric.

However, I like meat. And eat steak tartare, so I'm not going to be a hypocrite about it. I don't want to go kill it. I don't want to sneak up on beef and shoot it, and then get some excitement out of that.

I'm also violently against emotional support animals on airplanes. If you're that fucked up, go to a mental institution. Don't bring a llama on board and have to sit next to me.

MW: You bring up mental institutions a lot. It seems to be a recurring theme with you.

WATERS: All of my fans fear one day a straight jacket. Maybe even me, too. But it's a good look, a straight jacket. Cecil B. Demented wore one as fashion, so....

MW: One final question for your fans. What's your holiday greeting this year for them?

WATERS: This year, we need more extreme political defiance.

And so, I like abstract Christmas this year. Come up with a really good protest against Trump that'll get us votes, and make us all laugh at the terrible situation we're in. Ho-ho-hostile! l A John Waters Christmas is Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., in Alexandria, Va. Tickets are $55. Call 703-549-7500 or visit www.thebirchmere.com.

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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HILARY BRONWYN GAYLE SMPSP

Movies

Little Foxes

Charlize Theron’s captivating turn as an embattled Megan Kelly dominates the Fox News exposé, Bombshell. By André Hereford

G

RETCHEN CARLSON’S LANDMARK LAWSUIT AGAINST LATE FOX News chairman Roger Ailes lit a fire for the #MeToo movement that ultimately brought the seemingly unassailable man down. The slick, star-studded drama Bombshell (HHHHH), directed by Jay Roach, zooms in for a closer look at how Carlson’s case helped galvanize the movement on the front lines at Fox by drawing out a powerful succession of women — current and former employees at the network — to share their own #MeToo stories of encountering or overcoming sexual harassment on the job.

Labeled a “dramatization based on actual events,” Bombshell and its frank, though not graphic, depiction of a culture headed by an accomplished media titan — who’s also a paranoid, sexist creep — might shock some who hold Fox News in a certain esteem. For everyone else, the film will only confirm their worst notions of the moral compromises required to remain fully onboard such a tilted ship. Despite a script by Oscar-winner Charles Randolph (The Big Short) that largely adopts the wide-eyed point-of-view of fictional new Fox employee Kayla (Margot Robbie), the movie hews closer to the more cynical view that the daily affronts endured by the women on-camera and inside executive offices do not constitute shocking examples of male behavior.

Robbie finds an intriguing groove for Kayla, a firm right-winger who nevertheless gravitates towards the office friendship of closeted lesbian Jess (played by out lesbian Kate McKinnon). Two of the film’s few major characters who are purely fictional creations, Kayla and Jess are amusing as our eyes inside the story, but their trajectories

don’t gather much emotional weight, save for one scene between Kayla and John Lithgow’s corpulent bully Roger Ailes.

As Carlson vs. Ailes spins out to include the network’s star anchor Megan Kelly, it’s Kelly’s path through the story that truly pulls focus, powered by Charlize Theron’s dead-on performance as the ambitious TV host and Republican primary debate moderator, whom Donald Trump accused of having “blood coming out of her whatever” because she dared question his noteworthy behavior towards women. Throughout the film, Kelly insists that, as a conscientious journalist and lawyer, she’s loathe to become part of the story. Meanwhile, her role on-screen — and Theron’s droll and vulnerable yet sharp-edged performance — blossom into a driving force towards, maybe against one’s better judgment, sympathizing with a peddler of propaganda.

That is not to say that, though humanized, these Bombshell blondes and bosses on the whole are very likable. The characters earn audience empathy, though not necessarily much respect, for buying into what the movie presents as a dishonorable approach to human resources as well as the news. As Jess puts it, if a story can’t

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HILARY BRONWYN GAYLE SMPSP

be properly sourced and authenticated, just pivot to “some are saying,” and always uphold the network’s unspoken mission to “frighten and titillate.”

Working at Fox News appears, at least in this darkly comic portrayal, to be what’s truly frightening. Certainly the movie captures the excruciating discomfort of being alone with Ailes, or any predator, inside a locked office. Through locations and production design, Bombshell achieves an air of behind-thescenes authenticity that mixes well with actual photos and video footage of some of the personages involved.

Impressive hair and makeup also contribute to the suspension of disbelief of watching Theron control a room as Kelly — but the voice and soul of the character register far beyond a practiced impression of the reallife newswoman.

Portraying Carlson, Nicole Kidman doesn’t exactly vanish into character, somewhat hemmed in by a script (or editing) only interested in Carlson’s righteous crusade. The first to raise a sword against the monster enabled by Rupert Murdoch (Malcolm McDowell), Carlson doesn’t evolve further dimension beyond her battle for fair and equal treatment in the workplace, although she does get her due as a pioneer.

One of the attorneys she consults tells her, “No one really wins by suing FOX.” Bombshell makes it clear, for those who don’t already know, Gretchen Carlson did win, and everyone wins when all people’s rights are respected. l Bombshell is rated R, and opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, Dec. 20. Visit www.fandango.com.

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Stage

Murdered Mystery Everyman’s Murder on the Orient Express is a stilted rendering of one of the great mystery writer’s most transporting tales. By André Hereford

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ART OF THE FUN OF A SPRIGHTLY WHODUNIT, certainly those by author Agatha Christie, are the pithy character introductions that drop intriguing clues to any ensuing mystery. Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (HHHHH), running through the holidays at Everyman Theatre, commences with an extended sequence of “Hello, this is So-and-So” intros that do not accordingly bait the hook for this stilted rendering of one of the great mystery writer’s most transporting tales.

The large cast of characters, condensed from the original novel, are thoroughly sketched in the production, staged by Everyman Artistic Director Vincent M. Lancisi. Bold performances, wigs and makeup, and David Burdick’s sumptuous period costuming bring vivid color to each passenger onboard, from the comically overbearing Mrs. Hubbard (Deborah Hazlett), to world-famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Bruce Randolph

Nelson), who addresses the audience directly to introduce what he confidently describes as a tale of romance and tragedy. But Poirot exaggerates.

Romance and tragedy are barely felt, as the script and direction ply broad and bright-eyed comedy, while laboring over the logistics, though not the spatial logic, surrounding the murder plot. The shattering loss that fuels that plot — inspired by the real-life tragedy of the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder — seems an afterthought, although it’s presented as prologue in projections across Daniel Ettinger’s quite handsome set. The poshly appointed private train compartments track towards the audience to allow closer viewing, but not close enough to register the pulse of heated deception and murderous vengeance, or of any romance.

Dressed for the game, and extensively introduced, the players in the mystery all just hang there, waiting for the thing to happen that the title promises will eventually happen. At times the actors literally are posed in crowded tableaux awaiting cues, or for scenery to roll into place. The stiff scene changes add to an atmosphere of artificiality that doesn’t get much help from dialogue that reduces Agatha Christie to mother-in-law jokes.

Somewhat miscast as a detective often referred to as “that funny, little man,” or once as a “campy little ninny,” the not at all little Nelson offers a credible Poirot. But the funny, little Belgian alone can’t carry this Orient Express through the drifts to the mystery’s final station. l

Murder on the Orient Express runs through January 5 at Everyman Theatre, 315 W. Fayette Street, in Baltimore.

Tickets are $41 to $69. Call 410-752-2208, or visit www.everymantheatre.org.

Stage Fright

The Woman in Black owes much to old-fashioned stagecraft, but it takes its time getting where it’s going. By Kate Wingfield

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IKE ITS BUMBLING PROTAGONIST, THE WOMAN IN Black (HHHHH) is a production that needs a bit of patience to be appreciated. Decidedly old-school with no music and a relatively simple set, this two-person ghost story is all about genuine, unadorned theater. Although it will delight those who scoff at modern technical feats, for the other 95 percent of theatergoers it will be a case of getting one’s expectations fully in check.

Thanks to both the book and the well-known movie, and even accepting the limits of the medium, almost everyone will be expecting a fairly exciting ghost story that moves at a reasonable clip. Yet, despite a modicum of skilled, if not overly imaginative, stagecraft, this version isn’t about jaw-dropping stunts or masterfully-managed Conjuring-style scares. Although there will always be a few who jump at literally anything, this is far more about enjoying some skilled performances which indulge a particular, old-fashioned, kind of mood.

First and foremost, prepare for a slow start. Like a grandfather prodded into telling a story, things begin in a ponderous,

slightly distracted manner, which only becomes more animated as grandpa warms to his theme. The play opens without preamble on the elderly Arthur Kips dithering and stumbling as he reads aloud what we later learn is his diary. Although we will soon understand why he is standing in this sparsely-decorated room talking to himself, it takes a disconcertingly long time for things to kick off. Even when The Actor, hired by Kips to help him polish his oratory, arrives with flair, there is a lot of waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it doesn’t.

What does eventually unfold is a skillful rendering of past events through the inventiveness of Kips and The Actor as they assume a variety of roles. The effect is quaint: through lighting and sound, the simple room suggests the large, mysterious house across the causeway where a younger Kips was tasked with sorting the affairs of its former occupant. The haunting arrives well-timed and understated.

Though the myriad role-playing is accomplished — Robert Goodale is particularly nuanced — some of the effect is dampened by poor sound modulation. Although Goodale is completely capable of projection, there are times as the unassuming older Kips that he is quite hard to hear. As The Actor, Daniel Easton, although naturally louder, also occasionally swallows his words or rushes them into auditory oblivion. This unevenness also appears in the sound design, with moments when the volume is so loud it is more jarring than dramatic.

Perhaps it’s worth noting that the production has played in London for 30 years. Taken as a little piece of theater history and with generosity, it still makes for a “spirited” evening. l

The Woman in Black runs through Dec. 22 at The Shakespeare’s Michael R. Klein Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Tickets are $39 to $79.

Call 202-547-1122 or visit www.shakespearetheatre.org.

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NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

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Scene

Uproar - Friday, December 6 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, December 12

Underwear Drink Free, 12-12:30am • DJs BacK2bACk

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

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

DC EAGLE $4 Rail and Domestics for guys in L.U.R.E. (Leather, Uniform, Rubber, Etc.) • Lights Dimmed at 8pm FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Veteran and Military Family Member Pete-Up, 6:30-8:30pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • Men in

NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • ThurSlay, featuring DJ Jack Rayburn, 10pm 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,

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

11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • 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 TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Friday, December 13 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE Meaty Fridays Happy Hour 5-9pm • Free Hot Dogs all night and Pizza at 7:30pm • $2 off all drinks until 9pm • $5 Cover starts at 7pm, $10 after 9pm • Birds of Prey Drag Show at 10:30pm • DJ Sean Morris follows the drag show • Open until 3am FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Pamela Stanley performs live, 8-11pm • $15 standing room only, $20 for reserved bar seat, $100 for reserved table of 4 • Karaoke until close after the show

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

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Alpha and Omega Productions and Matt Black Productions presents GLO: Underwear Dance Party, 10pm-close • Featuring DJs Ultra and Phoenix • $5 Cover (includes clothes check) • $5 Fireball 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 • Friday Night Videos, 9:30pm • Rotating DJs

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 • Live Music by Milly, 9pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 • Otter Happy Hour with guest DJs, 5-11pm

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

NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Compiled by Doug Rule

DUPLEX DINER’S JANKY SWEATER PARTY

These days it seems like everyone throws a holiday party full of people wearing genuinely horrid Christmas sweaters. But the best have a reason for the gaudy seasonal display, such as making it a benefit for the Trevor Project, the leading organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth. That’s the cause that will benefit from donations at the door this Friday, Dec. 13, at 18th & U Duplex Diner. Drag queen Goldie Grigio hosts along with special guests Tarik Pierce and Jayme Byrgy, while Miss Indiana Bones, Mia Vanderbilt, and Ariel Von Quinn will serve on the first-ever panel of drag judges who will award the wearers of the three Jankiest sweaters Duplex gift cards in the amounts of $50, $100, and $200. DJ Tanner will make everyone sweat starting at 9 p.m., following a happy hour starting at 7 p.m. hosted by Miss Adams Morgan 2019, Helen Heels. Duplex Diner is at 2004 18th St. NW. A donation of $10 gets you a complimentary Poinsettia champagne cocktail. Call 202-265-9599 or visit www.duplexdiner.com.

RED BEAR HOLIDAY BEAR BUST ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Rotating DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors at 9pm, Shows at 11:45pm • Music by DJ Jeff Eletto • Cover 21+

Saturday, December 14 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports AVALON SATURDAYS @Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW A Naughty XXXMas Dance Party, 10pm-close • Featuring DJ Steve Sidewalk • $20 Cover, $25 VIP • Drink specials • Christmas Cabaret Show, 10:30-11:30pm, hosted by

Ba’Naka and a rotating cast of drag queens • $4 Absolut Drinks, 10pm-midnight • 21+ DC EAGLE Open at 5pm • Happy Hour until 9pm • Snowball 11: The Nightmeow Before Xxx-mas, 8pm-5am • $50 cover at the door 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 • Freeballers Party, 10pm-close • Music

by DJs BacK2bACk •

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

Friday, Dec. 13, is also the “Night of the Thirsty Bear” at D.C.’s only LGBTQ-owned brewery, where every thirsty hirsute manimal — and all other patrons as well — can drink from a bottomless well of select craft beer and cider selections for only $30 a person. DJ Shea Van Horn will provide music, and patrons are encouraged to take “Selfies with Naughty Leather Santa.” The Bear Bust starts at 8 p.m. and runs until midnight at Red Bear Brewing, located at 209 M St. NE. Call 202-8496130 or visit www.redbear.beer.

LULAC LAMBDA HOLIDAY PARTY

This Saturday, Dec. 14, starting at 8 p.m., LULAC Lambda, D.C.’s local LGBTQ Latinx organization, throws an annual party featuring performances from veteran local drag queen Sylvanna Duvél and LGBTQ-run Corazón Folklórico dance troupe, with music by Deaf DJ Nico DiMarco, who was recently profiled as part of a feature on music in local Deaf culture on WAMU. Peruvian-style chicken will be furnished by District Rico Donations at the door will go toward the LULAC Lambda Scholarship program. The party, which goes until 11 p.m., is also intended to raise HIV awareness, with free HIV testing on-site provided by Empodérate, La Clinica del Pueblo’s LGBTQ health program. The Chastleton Ballroom is at 1601 17th St. NW. Visit www.lulaclambda.org.

PITCHERS/A LEAGUE OF HER OWN HOLIDAY PARTY

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, Pitchers/ALOHO hosts its second annual holiday celebration. The party runs throughout the complex with the happiest of happy hours, with free drinks served from 7 to 8 p.m., followed by everything $3 off from 8 to 9 p.m., plus light appetizers served in the restaurant. There will be prizes for the “ugliest sweater” and the “most festive outfit” — although entries are limited to those who RSVP and list themselves as going on Facebook. Pitchers is at 2317 18th St. NW, with its sister ALOHO bar at 2319 18th St. NW. Call 202-733-2568 or visit www.pitchersdc.com.

ROUGH HOUSE

Green Lantern hosts another round of a “dance party celebrating our beats and your bodies” that goes by the tagline “Hands On, Lights Off.” DJ Lemz spins sexy beats in tag-team fashion with The Barber Streisand. The going gets rough starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, at the Green Lantern, located at 1335 Green Ct. NW. Cover is $5 and includes clothes check, although those seeking to strip down to nearly nothing are asked to stick to the second floor — “please keep jockstraps upstairs.” Also: “No photography please.” Call 202-347-4533 or visit www.greenlanterndc.com. l

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Clothes check available • $5 Fireball, $5 Margaritas, $8 Long Islands

dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am

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

SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $16 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington After-Party, 10:30pm • Noche Latina, 11pm-2am • Food and Drink specials

NUMBER NINE Doors open 2pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Pop Tarts, featuring VJs BacK2bACk, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full

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TRADE Doors open 2pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets upstairs, 9pm-close • Fully nude male dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald in Ziegfeld’s • Doors open at 9pm, Show at 11:45pm • Music by DJs Keith Hoffman and Don T. • Cover 21+

Cruisy Sundays • $3 off all Whiskeys & Bourbons, $5 Chivas Regal, $15 bottomless Bud/Bud Light, $20 Bottomless Premium Drafts

at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-1am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Fabulous Sunday Champagne Brunch, 10am-3pm • $24.99 with four glasses of champagne or mimosas, 1 Bloody Mary, or coffee, soda or juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Piano Bar, hosted by John Flynn, 6-9pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close

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

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-12am • $4 Smirnoff and Domestic Cans • Video Games • Live televised sports

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close

DC EAGLE Open at Noon • Happy Hour until 9pm • Food served 4-7pm, $10 a plate • Cigar Sundays and

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale

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

Sunday, December 15

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $16 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • 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 • No Cover • For reservations, email shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail.com TRADE Doors open 2pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

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Monday, December 16

NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover

DC EAGLE Manic Mondays • Happy Hour until 9pm, $2 off all drinks • Free Pool play • $2 Bud & Bud Lights, $15 bottomless premium drafts

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, 7:30pm

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 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

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

Tuesday, December 17 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

DC EAGLE 2-4-1 Tuesdays • All Drinks, Buy one, Get one free • First Drink Free for Guys in Jockstraps 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 • Tito’s Tuesday: $5 Tito’s Vodka all night 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

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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 • Half-Priced Burgers and Pizzas, 5-10pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 • Sissy That Tuesday: A Monthly Cabaret with Pussy Noir and special guests, 8pm • Music by DJ Wess

Wednesday, December 18 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

DC EAGLE Happy Hour until 9pm • Karaoke by D&K Sounds from 9pm-1am • $4 Rails, Wines & Domestic Drafts FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6 Burgers • Beach Blanket Drag Bingo Night, hosted

by Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes • Karaoke, 10pm-1am 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 • Karaoke, 9pm NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8-10pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • Absolutely Snatched Drag Show, hosted by Brooklyn Heights, 9pm • $3 Bud Light, $5 Absolut, $15 Buckets of Beer

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 • 7th Annual Holiday Party and Sing-Along, 7pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 l

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LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“We must stand with the LGBTQI community in their struggle for recognition and equality everywhere.”

— SEN. EDWARD MARKEY (D-MA), in a statement announcing the Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality (GLOBE) Act, which he introduced alongside Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). The bill would require the U.S. to promote LGBTQ rights globally, document human rights abuses, and take action to protect LGBTQ people, among other efforts. “We cannot stand idle as LGBTQI persons worldwide continue to endure hatred, violence and discrimination,” Markey said.

“The transgender movement and the #MeToo movement means, how can you justify heterosexual actors playing gay characters?”

— RICHARD E. GRANT, speaking with Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine, discussing straight actors taking gay roles from gay actors.

Grant — who earned an Oscar nomination for playing a gay man in Can You Ever Forgive Me — continued, “We are in a historic moment. If you want someone to play a disabled role, that should be a disabled actor.... I understand why and how [the current change of mood has] come about.”

“Our Word of the Year for 2019 is they.”

— MERRIAM-WEBSTER, in a statement announcing that gender-neutral “they” is the dictionary publisher’s word of the year, besting Trump-themed “impeach,” “snitty,” and “quid pro quo.” Merriam-Webster noted the use of “they” as a singular pronoun for those who identify as gender-neutral or nonbinary — a definition that was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in September.

“I’m an LGBTQ activist and sometimes that doesn’t always go together, you know. ” — KRISTIN CHENOWETH, discussing her Christian faith and support for the LGBTQ community on Fox & Friends. Chenoweth, who advocates for greater support of LGBTQ people among people of faith, said, “It’s been an interesting journey being in show business and being a Christian. I’m an LGBTQ activist and sometimes that doesn’t always go together, you know.”

“Bisexual men do exist, but I feel like the community doesn’t believe it. ” — Former MMA fighter JASON ELLIS, in a column for The Advocate, arguing for greater acceptance and inclusion of bisexual men in the LGBTQ community. Ellis, who is married to a woman but is “lucky enough to be able to have sex with men as well” wrote, “I just don’t feel like I’m welcome in the community right now. When men I have sex with find out I’m married to a woman they tell me things like, ‘it’s just a phase,’ and ‘you’ll be gay eventually.’”

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DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

DECEMBER 12, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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