American Idol's Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon

April 11, 2019

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CONTENTS

COWABUNGA

In Into the Woods, Tiziano D’Affuso turns the silent role of Milky White into something funny, poignant, and showstopping.

By Randy Shulman

RISING STAR

Blessed with exceptional talent, local gay singer Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon has emerged as an American Idol frontrunner.

Exclusive Interview by Doug Rule

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Volume 25 Issue 46

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DON’T STOP BELIEB-ING Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm’s P.Y.G. preaches almost as much as it entertains.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: TUCKED p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 COWABUNGA p.13 WORTHY PROJECT p.15 PETE’S PROCLAMATION p.17 LEGALIZING BIGOTRY p.17 SCENE: THE UHU 30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA p.19 COMMUNITY: A LITTLE LIVE MUSIC p.21 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.21 COVER STORY: AMERICAN IDOL’S JEREMIAH LLOYD HARMON p.23 STAGE: STUDIO’S P.Y.G. p.33 NIGHTLIFE p.37 SCENE: BENT AT THE 9:30 CLUB p.37 BAR & CLUB LISTINGS p.38 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.39 CHERRY DELIGHT: YOUR GUIDE TO EVERYTHING CHERRY p.44 LAST WORD p.46 Real LGBTQ News and Entertainment since 1994

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla Patron Saint Jeff Buckley Cover Photography ABC/Eric McCandless 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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APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight

Reel Affirmations Xtra: Tucked Q UITE POSSIBLY THE GENERATION GAP THAT WILL save or doom us all, the cultural divide between Baby Boomers and Post-Millennials serves as the foundation for a sweet, odd-couple tale of two drag queens in writer-director Jamie Patterson’s heartwarming new film Tucked. Screening as the April selection in Reel Affirmations’ Xtra monthly film series, Tucked marks the return of D.C.’s LGBT film festival to Landmark’s E Street Cinema.

The film, set in the English seaside town of Brighton, finds octogenarian nightclub performer Jackie Collins taking under her wing the 21-year old and homeless fledgling queen Faith.

Jackie — a.k.a. Jack — has her own burdens but still finds time to teach her young charge plenty about life, including how to tell a good dirty joke.

The queens’ friendly onscreen rapport, in and out of drag, comes as the by-product of the real-life intergenerational exchange between the film’s two co-stars, Derren Nesbitt as Jackie and Jordan Stephens as Faith. The casting of Nesbitt, best known for supporting roles in macho ’60s war epics The Blue Max and Where Eagles Dare, and Stephens, formerly one-

half of the platinum-selling British rap duo Rizzle Kicks, echoes the onscreen interplay of Jackie’s old-school comic persona and Faith’s contemporary musical style. According to filmmaker Patterson, the serendipitous pairing almost didn’t come to pass.

“I didn’t even know that Jordan was doing acting,” says Patterson. “He was in a very small part in Rogue One, and was doing bits and bobs. We actually had another actor lined up on this, who, for one reason or another, fell through, about a week before we started filming. And we were looking around at young actors we thought could do it, and, randomly, one night, about one o’clock in the morning, there was this TV show called Glue, which Jordan was doing.

“He came on, and he had this great energy and a great look, and had this incredible screen presence. That was probably on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, we went to his agent. Jordan and Derren didn’t meet until the first day of shooting, where they shot the scene where Derren’s in the bath. It all kind of happened a bit last minute, which tends to happen an awful lot with indie films. But it worked, and they’re still really good friends now. So, we had a bit of luck on our side as well.” —André Hereford

Tucked screens on Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema. Tickets are $14.

Visit www.thedccenter.org/events/tucked.

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Spotlight SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHDAY OPEN HOUSE

JEFF MALET

The Folger Shakespeare Library goes all out with its annual birthday celebration of the bard in a way that might be best described as Shakespearean. Jugglers and jesters join other theatrical performers and musicians in celebrating the bard's big day, which culminates in a cake-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. by an actor dressed as Queen Elizabeth I. Celebrants can also stroll around the building — including perusing the new temporary exhibition A Monument to Shakespeare, which opens the day before, as well as the Elizabethan garden. There will also be a smattering of food trucks on site. Sunday, April 14, from noon to 5 p.m. Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Free.

Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

BSO: PORGY AND BESS

Marin Alsop leads the BSO in a reprise of her semi-staged production of Gershwin’s beloved operetta, first presented in 2016. Hana S. Sharif directs a cast including Robert Cantrell as Porgy, Laquita Mitchell as Bess, Lester Lynch as Crown, and Larry D. Hylton as Sportin’ Life, with additional, sensational vocal support from the Morgan State University Choir.

Thursday, April 11, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Also Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 14, at 3 p.m.

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets are $25 to $90. Call 410-783-8000 or visit www.bsomusic.org.

FINGHIN COLLINS

FRANCES MARSHALL

The Washington Conservatory of Music offers a solo piano concert featuring one of Ireland’s most in-demand classical musicians. Collins will perform Mozart’s Sonata in A Major “Alla Turca”, Brahms’ Vier Klavierstücke, and Schubert’s Sonata in A Major. The concert will be followed by an informal Wine & Words Q&A with Collins and complimentary beverages.

Saturday, April 20, at 8 p.m. Westmoreland Congregational Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle. Bethesda. Tickets are free, with a suggested donation of $20. Call 301-320-2770 or visit www.washingtonconservatory.org.

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APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight © 2013 ALCATRAZ FILMS - WILD BUNCH - ARTE FRANCE CINEMA PANDORA PRODUKTION

HIGH LIFE

Acclaimed French filmmaker Claire Denis (Beau Travail) makes her English-language debut with a provocative and sexy science-fiction drama.

Robert Pattinson stars as the sole adult survivor of a damned and dangerous mission to deep space. The crew with sinister motives, led by Juliette Binoche, has vanished, leaving Pattinson and his baby daughter struggling to survive as they hurtle toward the oblivion of a black hole. Opens Friday, April 12. At the Landmark E Street Cinemas and the ArcLight Bethesda. Visit www.landmarktheatres.com or www.fandango.com.

LITTLE

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Kenya Barris, the creator of ABC’s Black-ish and co-writer of 2017’s hilarious black girls getaway comedy Girls Trip, joins Will Packer in co-producing another comedy starring Regina Hall. Sparked by an idea from 14-year-old Marsai Martin, who portrays the precocious youngest child on Barris’s Black-ish, Little follows an overbearing boss (Hall) transformed into a child version of herself (Martin) in a kind of reverse-Big fantasy comedy co-written and directed by Tina Golden Chism.

Issa Rae, Justin Hartley, Tone Bell, and Rachel Dratch also star.

Opens Friday, April 12. Area theaters. Visit www.fandango.com.

RCG PHOTOGRAPHY

CLOTHES FOR A SUMMER HOTEL

The LGBTQ-focused Rainbow Theatre Project continues its sixth season with an evocative “ghost play” by Tennessee Williams focused on the tumultuous marriage and creative lives of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The couple revisits their youth in a haunting and poetic theatrical tale that blurs past and present and includes ghosts of characters who influenced the two, including Ernest Hemingway.

Greg Stevens directs a production featuring Sara Barker as Zelda, Aidan Hughes as Scott, and Matty Griffiths as Ernest leading an eight-person cast.

Now to April 28. District of Columbia Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets are $35. Call 202-4627833 or visit www.rainbowtheatreproject.org.

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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FRANZ MAHR

Out On The Town

YURI’S NIGHT DC: SPACE ODDITY: GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR PARTY

Intended as a “holiday for space,” Yuri’s Night is an annual event that celebrates the world’s first manned space flight

by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin — who spaced out on April 12, 1961. The National Air and Space Museum gets in on the act for a party that also celebrates the launch of the first Space Shuttle by NASA — April 12, 1981 — and the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. And the 50th anniversary of the release of the self-titled sophomore album from that late, great, notorious musical “Space Oddity” himself, David Bowie. BrightestYoungThings co-presents this zany if not-quite geeky party, featuring a DJ set by Autograf, a Planetarium laser-light show, a live taping of the museum’s AirSpace podcast, space-inspired activities, TED-style space talks, and so on and so forth. Friday, April 12, from 8:30 p.m. to midnight. Independence Ave at 6th St. SW. Remaining tickets are $60 plus a $5 fee. Call 202-633-2214 or visit https://spaceoddityparty.eventbrite.com.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM BARRY LYNDON

“Heeere’s Kubrick” is an annual celebration of the late, legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, with select films screening on Wednesdays at both area locations of the Angelika movie theater chain. The series continues with Kubrick’s 1975 period drama adapted from a Victorian novel focused on an Irish rogue and opportunist who becomes wealthy but ill-respected in his British disguise. Barry Lyndon features stunning cinematography — it was completely lit with candles and natural lighting — with settings based on William Hogarth paintings. While the film was criticized for a glacial pace and restrained emotion from lead actor Ryan O’Neal, its reputation, like many of Kubrick’s works, has only strengthened over time.

Wednesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m.

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Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, 550 Penn St. NE. Also Angelika at Mosaic, 2911 District Ave., Fairfax, Va. Tickets are $10.50 to $14.50.

Call 571-512-3311 or visit www. angelikafilmcenter.com.

BEN-HUR

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Charlton Heston classic will be digitally projected in its original super-widescreen “Ultra 65” format, with pre- and post-show commentary from TCM Primetime House Ben Mankiewicz. Sunday, April 14, at 1 p.m., and Wednesday, April 17, at 1 and 6 p.m. Area Regal venues, including Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW) and Potomac Yards (3575 Jefferson Davis Highway, Alexandria). Tickets are $12.50 to $13.25. Visit www.fathomevents.com.

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

DREAMS

A lustrous piece of cinema, presenting eight vignettes written and directed by master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. It was inspired by actual dreams that Kurosawa claimed to have had repeatedly, and deals with themes of childhood, spirituality, art, death, and universal disasters. Each segment has a literal and metaphorical side.

Capital Classics, the popular series at Landmark’s West End Cinema, presents the movie on Wednesday, April 17, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m.

2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50.

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

PETERLOO

An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St. Peter's Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. Written

and directed by internationally acclaimed and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Leigh (Mr. Turner, Happy-Go-Lucky, Secrets & Lies), the historical drama stars Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Neil Bell, Philip Jackson, Vincent Franklin, Karl Johnson, and Tim McInnerny.

Opens Friday, April 12. Area theaters. Visit www.fandango.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 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, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, at midnight. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202452-7672 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

MUSIC

COLIN HOVDE

CAPITAL JAZZ

GRAND HOTEL THE MUSICAL

Eric Schaeffer directs one of his favorite musicals, a multiple Tony-winning work from 1989 with a book by Luther Davis and music and lyrics by Robert Wright, George Forrest, and Maury Yeston. Based on the 1929 novel by Vicki Baum that also spawned two World War II-era movies, Grand Hotel The Musical is set in a lavish hotel in Weimar Republic Berlin — and staged in such a way at Signature Theatre that audiences will feel like they are sitting in the hotel’s lobby. A fading ballerina, a destitute baron, a wannabe starlet, and an ailing bookkeeper are just a handful of the many characters who come and go in the show, with Signature stars Bobby Smith and Natascia Diaz leading a large cast also featuring other Signature veterans including Nicki Elledge, Kevin McAllister, Crystal Mosser, and Lawrence Redmond. Jon Kalbfleisch leads the orchestra while Kelly Crandall D’Amboise helms the choreography. In previews. Opens Tuesday, April 9. Runs to May 19. MAX Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit www.sigtheatre.org.

STAGE

JUNK

BECKETT TRIO, PART 2 PINTER REP

Short plays by Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter — two theater giants and Nobel Laureates — are presented in repertory on alternate evenings by Scena Theatre and directed by the company’s Robert McNamara. Beckett Trio, Part 2 features the Irish architect of absurdism’s black comedy-rich Ohio Impromptu, Come and Go, and Catastrophe, with a six-person cast including Buck O’Leary, Kim Curtis, and Jen Bevarelli. Pinter Rep, meanwhile, finds a nine-person cast, including Christopher Henley, Irina Koval, Karin Rosnizeck, and Robert Sheire, bringing to life a political trio “portraying terror and its consequences” from the legendary British playwright: One for the Road, Mountain Language, and The New World Order. Now to May 5.

Lab II in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $14 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.scenatheatre.org.

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A junk bond trader prepares a hostile takeover of a family-owned manufacturing company in this bracing, 1980s-inspired new work from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced).

Jackie Maxwell directs the Arena Stage production starring Thomas Keegan leading a 17-person cast featuring a number of local stage heavyweights, including Edward Gero, Michael Russotto, Lise Bruneau, and Michael Glenn. To May 5. Fichandler Stage in the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org.

PANTHEON

Happenstance Theater, the Helen Hayes Award-winning devised theater troupe, is now delving into ancient Greek mythology for its latest work. Set in the 1940s, Pantheon revolves around a chorus of factory workers brought to life by Happenstance’s married co-founders Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell along with Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Vernon, and Craig Jaster providing a live musical score. “With an ample smattering of amusement,” reads the company’s synopsis of what transpires, “the performers invoke the Muses, offer Sacrifice, suffer Hubris, consult Oracles, and meet Fate as they portray an array of mortals and Gods whose flaws reflect their own.” To April 14.

Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West Preston St. Baltimore. Tickets are $15 to $25. Call 410-752-8558 or visit www.theatreproject.org.

PLAY DATE

Six parents get their children together to play — but “this play is not for children,” the Best Medicine Rep Theatre stresses in bold. It’s also not about the children but about the naughty adults in the other room in this farce “laced with tequila and regret” and written by John Morogiello from an idea he concocted with Lori Boyd. Melissa B. Robinson directs the production starring Kira Burri and Evan Crump. To May 5. Lakeforest Mall, 701 Russell Ave., Gaithersburg.

Tickets are $20 to $25. Visit www. bestmedicinerep.org.

A presentation at Strathmore that is part of a two-concert showcase of artists from the local jazz scene — one that is not to be confused with the unaffiliated but similarly named Capital Jazz Fest, presented by Capital Jazz Productions (which is held in June at Merriweather Post Pavilion).

The diverse lineup of jazz, soul, and funk artists is touted as “indisputable proof that the depth and breadth of locally grown D.C. jazz rivals the best in the world.” Elijah Jamal Balbed, David Schulman’s Quiet Life Motel, Akua Allrich, Mark G. Meadows, and Rochelle Rice will all perform vibrant renditions and original compositions, transforming the Mansion into an intimate jazz club for the evening.

The second concert in the series is presented May 2 and features a different roster of artists. 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda.

Tickets are $30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

EMANCIPATION DAY CONCERT & FESTIVITIES 2019

The D.C. government has organized a star-studded celebration on Freedom Plaza to commemorate the day in history — April 16, 1862 — when more than 3,000 enslaved persons were freed in D.C. a full eight months before the Emancipation Proclamation liberated those in the South. The festivities take place Saturday, April 13, or three days before the actual date, kicking off at 2 p.m. with a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from 10th to 14th Streets NW. An all-afternoon, multi-artist concert follows with performances by Faith Evans, Doug E. Fresh, Kenny Lattimore, Mýa, Master Gee of the Sugar Hill Gang, E.U. featuring Sugar Bear, Frédéric Yonnet, Spur of the Moment, Ayanna “Daughter of Dick” Gregory, and Passion Band, with DJ Rico from Majic 102.3 FM and host Little Bacon Bear from WKYS 93.9 FM. The day ends in a fireworks display starting at 8:30 p.m. Visit www. emancipation.dc.gov.

NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC: VERDI REQUIEM

Piotr Gajewski, the Leonard Bernstein acolyte who serves as the philharmonic’s music director, leads a performance inspired

by Bernstein’s monumental project of recording Messa da Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970. In the Music Center, Gajewski conducts Strathmore’s resident orchestra along with the National Philharmonic Chorale plus soloists Danielle Talamantes, soprano, Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano, Zach Borichevsky, tenor, and Kevin Deas, bass. Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m. 5301 Tuckerman Lane,

North Bethesda. Tickets are $30 to $78. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

QUEEN LATIFAH

All hail the queen, as the hip-hop star makes her Kennedy Center performance debut with a program expected to offer equal parts hiphop, jazz, and R&B. Sunday, April 14, at 8 p.m. Concert Hall. Tickets are $59 to $199. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

Described by Ann Midgette in the Washington Post as “a small, semi-professional local orchestra” that has taken the remarkable step this season of presenting programs of music almost entirely written by female composers — a costly endeavor that the organization’s music director conceded to Midgette will need to be followed next season with more traditional, familiar programming to make up for it. The next concert in the series features three works by 20th-century composers: Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Elinor Remick Warren’s Symphony in One Movement, and Thea Musgrave’s Song of the Enchanter. Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m. Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. Also Sunday, April 14, at 3 p.m. George Washington Masonic National Memorial, 101 Callahan Dr., Alexandria. Tickets are $25.

Call 703-799-8229 or visit www. wmpamusic.org.

DANCE KISTA TUCKER INSIGHTS

The Chantilly, Va.-based Kista Tucker Insights comes to Dance Place to perform two new works, foremost among these a yearsin-the-making epic The Factory Project. The story-based piece explores the kind of community that exists within the confines — among the employees — of a factory, and features a score by composing multi-instrumentalist Christian Cherry, also a noted dance professor. The second work, Pitted Post, WY, features KTI dancers striving to elicit the essence of rural Wyoming, from the gently sloping and wide-open landscape, to “the critters (in the air and on the ground).” The aim, here as with other KTI productions, is to provide a naturalistic, “transformative experience,” akin to “watching a piece of art or painting come to life.”

Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m, and Sunday, April 14, at 2 p.m. Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Theater, 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $25.

Call 202-269-1600 or visit www. danceplace.org.

CAROL ROSEGG

WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN PHILHARMONIC: WOMEN COMPOSERS

COWABUNGA

In Into the Woods, Tiziano D’Affuso turns the silent role of Milky White into something funny, poignant, and showstopping.

T

IZIANO D’AFFUSO WANTED TO BE A PRINCE. HE ENDED UP A COW. AND THE Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical Into the Woods, now in a spectacular, richly-wrought production at Ford’s Theatre, is all the better for his bovine antics. D’Affuso frequently steals the show, in small, personable ways. His approach to the character of Milky White calls to mind commedia dell'arte, and the costume, a bright white wrap with cow-shaped wire headgear that allows D’Affuso’s face to be seen in full view, bears out this classical approach.

“Peter [Flynn], the director, directed me towards clowning and mask work,” says the 25-yearold, who last summer starred in Monumental’s Pippin. “I was terrified going into this process, because it was my first time with big theater, my first time with a big director. I was intimidated.

But now, I'm totally letting go and am having an absolute blast.”

“He's a sweetheart,” says Samy Nour Younes, 32, sensational in the role of Milky White’s owner, Jack, the boy who scampers up the beanstalk and — criminally, it could be argued — sets off a chain of events that wreak havoc on a fairy tale kingdom. “Usually [the cow] is a prop Jack drags around on stage and manipulates to do whatever he needs it to do. But you can't do that with a person. You probably shouldn't do that with a person.”

The cow wasn’t the only animal director Flynn decided to personify in the production — the hen that lays the golden egg and the fluttering birds devoted to Cinderella are brought to vibrant life by a human actor (the extraordinary Karen Vincent).

“It was a very conscious choice to cast Milky White [with a male actor],” says Flynn. “We know that cows, gender-wise, are female — but Jack sees her as a him. There is a real fraternal relationship between them.”

“I don't have an ‘I Wish’ at the beginning of the show as everyone else does,” says D’Affuso.

“I don't get that until I'm sold off to the Baker and the Baker's Wife. At that moment, my ‘I Wish’ becomes to get back to Jack. It's about friendship and a partner and someone that you can trust and someone who's there for you. So I think that's really my role — just to be there as a support system for Jack. Which is why, when I'm sold, I'm like, ‘Damn, I gotta go back to him. This is my only purpose in life.’” —Randy Shulman Into the Woods runs through May 22 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 Tenth St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $83. Call 888-616-0270, or visit www.fords.org.

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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of it by reviewing the Library’s stellar collection of American music periodicals. Tuesday, April 16, at 7 p.m. Montpelier Room in the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Free with registration. Call 202-707-5503 or visit www.loc.gov.

STRATHMORE

KRISTEN HUNTER, HALEY RIVERO

KALEIDOSCOPES: SPECTRUM

The Brewster Kaleidoscope Society returns to the Mansion at Strathmore with another juried exhibition showcasing the enchantment as well as the diversity of kaleidoscopes. Artists from around the world display custom-made kaleidoscopes or kaleidoscope-inspired works, varying in size from standalone sculptures to handheld and exquisite pieces of jewelry — but all of them employing “the magic of mirrors” to create a continually changing and endless display of two- and three-dimensional images. Opening Reception Sunday, April 14, at 1 p.m. On display through May 26. 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Call 301-5815100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

MARIINSKY BALLET: LE CORSAIRE

The famed Russian company returns to the Kennedy Center with Marius Petipa’s swashbuckling adventure featuring bold pirates, passionate maidens, shocking betrayal, and a dramatic shipwreck rescue. Touted as “a crown jewel of the art form,” the Mariinsky Ballet dazzles with trademark attributes, including breathtaking choreography, virtuosic dancing, and spectacular scenery and costumes. Artistic director Valery Gergiev leads the ballet company with conductor Vladislav Karklin leading the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. To Sunday, April 14. Opera House. Tickets are $49 to $209. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

COMEDY DC COMEDY FESTIVAL

Intended in part to shine a light on D.C.’s burgeoning comedy scene, including work in improv and sketch comedy, this five-day festival expands in its second year to present more events — nearly 20 — at more venues, most of which now offer comedy shows on a regular basis year-round, including the just-opened, gay-owned Red Bear Brewing Company, Wonderland Ballroom, Ivy City Smokehouse, and the Dew Drop Inn, among others. The festival, which kicked off earlier this week, continues with: a

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show headlined by Alex Scott and Omar Terrill along with eight local comedians, on Friday, April 12, at 11 p.m., at Drafthouse Comedy, 1110 13th St. NW; a show by D.C. native Tony Woods, an original member of Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam as well as a Comedy Central staple, on Saturday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m., at Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW; and “Jordan Carlos and Friends,” featuring a headliner known from MTV’s Girl Code and Guy Code as well as Samantha Bee’s Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, joined by Carmen Lynch, Ray Devito, and Reese Walters, on Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m., at the Miracle Theatre, 535 8th St. SE. Ticket prices vary, with many events free. Visit www.dccomedyfestival.com for more details and the full lineup.

THE TIME MACHINE ROAST

A comedy roast of nerdy, historic proportions, with a focus on dead celebrities — particularly heretofore hallowed, Hall of Famertypes, from emperors to inventors to entrepreneurs, more often than not straight, white men. That’s the name of the game at this show created by D.C.-based comedian and writer Benjy Himmelfarb with the late Dylan Meyer. Also a kind of sober, live version of Drunk History, fellow nationally touring comedians join Himmelfarb for the roasting pursuit, getting into character and costume for “the meanest, funni-

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

est, most historically accurate jokes you’ve ever heard.” The lineup next weekend at the Kennedy Center includes additional local comics Denise Taylor, Eddie Morrison, Rahmein Mostafavi, and Lafayette Wright (also known from his work on Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City), plus former D.C. residents Linsay Deming and Landon Letzkus, who previously teamed up for the provocative live comedy/variety show Church Night. Martin Amini, another up-and-coming local comedian, opens. Saturday, April 13, at 7 and 9 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Gallery. Tickets are $20.

Call 202-467-4600 or visit www. kennedy-center.org.

READINGS & DISCUSSIONS KATHERINE PRESTON: AMERICANS’ FORGOTTEN LOVE AFFAIR WITH OPERA

As part of the ongoing American Musicological Society Lecture series at the Library of Congress, a look at the prevalence of Englishlanguage opera productions in the U.S. in the 19th century — and the women who were the managers of many companies. A music professor at the College of William & Mary, Preston debunks the myth that only the elite attended operatic productions through her research, much

“Mid-Century Fashion and First Ladies: From Ready-to-Wear to Haute Couture” is the full title to the latest issue, No. 52, of the White House History Quarterly, published by the privately funded nonprofit the White House Historical Association. Highlighting the fashions of First Ladies from Eleanor Roosevelt to Betty Ford, the publication includes the chapters “The Mamie Look: The Americanness of First Lady Mamie Eisenhower’s Off-the-Rack Fashions” written

by Hunter, and “The Jackie Look: Oleg Cassini and the Creation of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s Signature Style” by Rivero. The two writers will discuss and sign copies of the journal, which will be available for purchase along with the Official 2019 White House Easter Eggs and other new gift items.

Friday, April 12, at noon. White House History Shop, 1610 H St. NW. Free and open to the public.

Call 800-555-2451 or visit www. shop.whitehousehistory.org.

ART & EXHIBITS TODD G. FRANSON

A few memorable photos that you may remember from covers of this very magazine — Jim Graham as Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra, say, or the infamous Leather Kewpie for MAL — will be on display as part of the latest exhibition at the DC Center for the LGBT Community, all from Franson, Metro Weekly’s central portrait photographer for most of the past 23 years as well as the magazine’s longest-serving Art Director. Yet the focus is on artworks the professional photographer and graphic designer has created for other projects and pursuits, all of which are available for sale. The exhibition goes as far back as Franson’s days as a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, with four stylized gloves from the series Wear & Tear: Inspired by Irving Penn, newly reborn and printed on aluminum.

A more recent passion of Franson’s has been capturing artistic shots of foliage, blooms, and landscapes at the National Arboretum. And then there are the dazzling and quirky photographs that come closest to conveying Franson’s personal sensibility — perhaps none more so than Dancing Bear, a vividly colored image of a bustling amusement park at dusk foregrounded by a giantsized teddy bear wearing a pro-

COURTESY OF DUKE ELLINGTON SCHOOL

WORTHY PROJECT

The esteemed Duke Ellington School pays tribute to Matthew Shepard with a production of The Laramie Project.

O

N A RECENT, RAINY FRIDAY MORNING, A GROUP OF STUDENTS FROM The Duke Ellington School for the Arts theater department visited the remains of Matthew Shepard, interred in the National Cathedral, and not currently accessible to the general public. They were there to pay respect to the young gay man who, in 1998, was brutally beaten and left to die on a fence in a remote field in Wyoming.

Among the things that came out of that horrific, hate-fueled event was a remarkable play by Moisés Kaufman, The Laramie Project, crafted verbatim from hundreds of interviews with residents of Laramie, friends and family of Matthew, police officials, and news reports. The three-act play puts forth its narrative in short bursts, and is notably demanding on its small ensemble, calling on them to play more than 60 different roles.

“It's docudrama,” says director Eric Ruffin. “You have single actors playing multiple characters throughout, and these characters are not fictitious in any way. They're all real, live people. One of the big challenges that the actors have is how to approach [the material] with integrity, because you don't want to get their mannerisms, their point of view wrong because they're living beings.”

“When I first came into the cathedral, my eyes were just starstruck, because of all the architecture,” says Erik Ventura, a 15-year-old sophomore whose roles include Aaron Kreifels, the friend who discovered Shepard’s body. “But when we went down to where Matthew was laid, it provided me an epiphany of why am I doing this play. We have to do justice to Matthew, because...this is an actual person who, sadly, was killed for who he was.”

“This was the first year I've really heard about The Laramie Project,” says fellow castmember Jada Gainer, a 17-year-old senior. “This was also the year I really started struggling with my identity and who I am. Not only as a woman in America, but as a queer black woman in America. This show has to do with identity and how your identity can affect what happens to you — how it causes hate and violence.”

After leaving the Cathedral, Gainer “felt like a different person. It was so much easier

for me to step into those characters and speak reality, rather than speak acting.”

Ventura, who is gay, feels America has made some progress in 20 years, but has far to go. “We're going to the right path, but there are times that I am scared to be even myself at home.

I remember when I was in elementary school here in D.C., I was bullied because people thought I was gay. I didn't really know if I was, but it just gave me a preview of how people see gay people. Sadly, you just get used to it.”

“Indifference is a prime reason for lots of hate crimes and assaults,” says Gainer. “It's very important that everyone looks at themselves and sees how they're indifferent, and sees how sometimes they're not comfortable in their own identity yet. In a world on indifference, you must really take pride in your identity.”

“I think [the play will] just speak to whoever comes,” says Ventura.

“We are the next generation. We are the future, showing you what we know. We're trying to say that we're not going to make the generation’s work before us go in vain. Watching this play about hate crimes will just open your mind more about how you should act, and what you should do if a hate crime happens in your community.” —Randy Shulman

The Laramie Project plays April 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. and April 13 at 2 p.m. at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, 3500 R St. NW. Tickets are $10 to $35. A panel, “Owned It! What's Your Story? Addressing LGBTQIA+ Issues in the Current Climate,” featuring WUSA’s Larry Miller, Bishop Gene Robinson, and The Victory Institute’s Reggie Greer, follows the Saturday performance.

Visit www.ellingtonschool.org/box-office.

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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and dancing, Friday, April 12, starting at 6 p.m., JW Marriott, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (tickets are $175 per person); NEWSEUM NIGHTS: IN BLOOM, an evening of Japanese sights, sounds, and tastes from Wolfgang Puck’s The Source, plus all-night open beer and wine bar, and access to current exhibitions, Friday, April 12, from 8 to 10:30 p.m., 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. (tickets are $50 to $65); THE

MADISON INVESTMENTS

SAKURA MATSURI JAPANESE STREET FESTIVAL, the largest

COLLECTION 14: UMBRELLA

In the new mixed-use space that formerly housed Martha’s Table and adjoining properties on 14th Street NW comes a three-day pop-up event spanning an entire city block. The goal is to showcase Madison Investments’ plans for the massive development amongst art installations, site-specific projects and hundreds of pieces of artwork, all for sale at prices ranging from $250 to $3,000, with a portion of the proceeds donated to Feed It Forward, a group of friends in D.C. helping those who need a little help. Organized by artists-led events organization No Kings Collective, the local artists and art galleries represented in Umbrella include: Kelly Towles, Naturel, Maggie O’Neill, Monochrome Collective, Washington Project for the Arts, Mark Kelner, Fabiola R. Delgado, PAKKE, Rock Creek Social Club, District Dodger, and JAB. In addition, Bun’d Up will be on hand providing handmade buns, local produce, and sustainably raised meats from Springfield Farm, and Please Bring Chips will oversee a pop-up bar program. There will also be giveaways and prizes. When finished, the Collection 14 will present 25,000 square-feet of retail space populated with venues “committed to promoting the arts,” plus another 5,000 square-feet of office space and 3,500 square-feet of event space, as well as 233 apartment units. 2114 14th St. NW. Opening Reception Friday, April 12, from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday, April 13, from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Sunday, April 14, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are free, but guests are encouraged to register online by searching for “No Kings Collective” at www.eventbrite.com.

peller beanie. Ongoing. The Center Arts Gallery, 2000 14th St. NW. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www. thedccenter.org.

ABOVE & BEYOND NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

The cherry trees surrounding the Tidal Basin are now past their pinkhued peak, but that can’t stop and won’t stop the official four-week festival from carrying on through one final weekend. And while not the festival’s only signature event, certainly the NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL PARADE is the cherry on top. This star-studded processional of giant balloons,

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elaborate floats, marching bands, and celebrity entertainers is led this year by Grand Marshal Anthony Anderson of ABC’s black-ish, and features singer/rapper/dancer Todrick Hall of American Idol/ YouTube fame, Miss America Nia Franklin, ‘90s dance/club singer CeCe Peniston, plus several finalists from TV singing competitions, on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to noon, Constitution Avenue between 7th and 17th Streets NW. Additional highlights among the many featured and affiliated events taking place this weekend, all free unless noted otherwise, include:

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

27th Annual NATIONAL JAPAN BOWL, an academic comthe

petition for U.S. high school students studying Japanese language as well as history, culture, and society, on Friday, April 12, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center, 7100 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, Md.; TAMAGAWA UNIVERSITY

TAIKO DRUMMING AND DANCE TROUPE, a special performance

of thundering Taiko drumming with traditional Japanese dance, Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m., at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage; CHERRY BLOSSOM GRAND BALL, featuring a sushi and reception prepared by some of Japan’s finest sushi chefs, plus the crowning of the 2019 Cherry Blossom Queen

one-day celebration of Japanese culture in the U.S., with performances on four stages, plus arts vendors and food booths, all presented by the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets NW (tickets are $10 to $50); CHERRY BLOSSOM BONANZA & ART WALK, celebrating the blossoms in various artistic mediums, from ceramics to glass to visual arts, on display in buildings and artist studios at the Workhouse Arts Center, Saturday, April 13, from 6 to 9 p.m., 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, Va.; ONE GIANT MEDITATION on Sunday, April 14, at 9:30 a.m., at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW (tickets are $20 at the door, not including mat); SAKURA SUNDAY, a free festival hosted by National Harbor and co-presented by the Japan-America Society of Washington highlighting Japanese culture with a market, music, art, and entertainment, plus a beer garden also featuring food, sake and rose, Sunday, April 14, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., 150 National Plaza, Oxon Hill, Md.; ANACOSTIA RIVER FESTIVAL, presented by the 11th Street Bridge Park and National Park Service, including canoe trips, a bike parade, and lawn games, Sunday, April 14, from 1 to 5 p.m., Anacostia Drive and Good Hope Road SE; explore the new BONSAI

PAVILION AT MEADOWLARK BOTANICAL GARDEN, featuring tours plus discussions and demonstrations about the ancient art from members of the Northern Virginia Bonsai Society, Sunday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct., Vienna (tickets are $6); and the finale of the JAPANESE JAZZ SERIES featuring a one-night-only performance by the Yuko Mabuchi Trio on Monday, April 15, at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW (tickets are $22 plus fees). Visit www. nationalcherryblossomfestival.org for more information and additional events. l

theFeed

PETE’S PROCLAMATION

Pete Buttigieg tackled Mike Pence’s religion-fueled homophobia, saying his marriage has brought him “closer to God.” By John Riley

P

RESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL PETE BUTTIGIEG took digs at Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump on Sunday in a speech before the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s Champagne Brunch.

Tackling his coming out and his faith, Buttigieg needled Pence in particular when he said that his marriage to husband Chasten had brought him closer to God. “When I came out in 2015, it was for the simple reason that I was finally ready. I had been wrestling with my sexuality for years. And if I had not deployed to Afghanistan, I might never have found the courage to to come out,” he said, referencing his time as a naval intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

“There’s something that happens to you when you write a letter, and put it in an envelope, and write ‘Just in case’ on the outside, and leave it where your family can find it if they have to,” Buttigieg added. “It forces you to realize that you only get one life, that you only get to be one person.”

In a pointed nod to Pence, Buttigieg then reflected on his marriage.

“My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man,” he said to applause. “And yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God. “You may be religious and you may not,” he added. “But if you are, and you are also queer, and you have come through the other side of a period of wishing that you weren’t, then

you know that message, the idea that there is something wrong with you, is a message that puts you at war, not only with yourself, but with your Maker.

“And, speaking only for myself, I can tell you that if being gay was a choice, it was a choice made far, far above my pay grade,” Buttigieg continued. “And that’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand, that if you’ve got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my Creator.”

Buttigieg also took a shot at Donald Trump for his proposed transgender military ban, which is slated to go into effect on Friday, April 12.

“The struggle is not over when transgender troops, ready to put their lives on the line for this country, have their careers threatened with ruin, one tweet at a time, by a Commander-in-Chief who himself pretended to be disabled to get out of serving when it was his turn,” he said.

Buttigieg, who has formed a presidential exploratory committee but has not officially announced he is running for president, then broached the question, asked by many in the media, of whether Americans are ready for an openly gay president. “[T]he next time a reporter asks me if America is ready for a gay president, I’m going to tell them the truth. I’m going to give them the only answer I think is honest, and it’s this: I trust my fellow Americans, but at the end of the day, there’s exactly one way to find out for sure.”

LEGALIZING BIGOTRY

Tennessee lawmakers pushing “Slate of Hate” that targets the LGBTQ community for discrimination. By John Riley

T

ENNESSEE LAWMAKERS ARE ATTEMPTING TO pass six bills that advocates are calling a “Slate of Hate” because they target LGBTQ people for various forms of discrimination.

The first two bills would institute a South Carolina-style law allowing private adoption agencies that receive taxpayer

money to discriminate against same-sex.

One, sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) and Rep. John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge), would allow that discrimination so long as the agency cites sincerely held religious beliefs as justification. The other, sponsored by Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) and Rep. Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro), is APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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theFeed broader and would allow child placement agencies to discriminate against prospective parents based on religious or moral objections to their identity or lifestyle.

The ACLU of Tennessee has condemned the bill as discriminatory, arguing it would have negative ramifications for children in state custody.

“Turning away good families simply because they don’t satisfy one agency’s religious preferences would deny thousands of Tennessee children access to the families they urgently want and need,” Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, said in a statement.

“We urge members of the Senate to put the best interests of Tennessee’s children first and vote down this bill.”

Another bill would target transgender students by requiring the state Attorney General to defend any school district that refuses to allow trans youth to use facilities matching their gender identity. The bill has since been amended to also allow taxpayer dollars to prop up districts that engage in this type of discrimination.

Still another measure quickly progressing through the legislature is one that would prevent local government from providing business incentives to companies on the basis of their internal policies, such as LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections. That bill has passed the House but has also stalled in the Senate.

The fifth “Slate of Hate” bill is a measure concerning indecent exposure. In its original form, the bill would have allowed law enforcement to arrest transgender and gender-nonconforming people for using facilities that match their gender identity — essentially making it illegal to be transgender or gender-nonconforming in public. The bill’s language has largely been amended, but advocates are trying to ensure that the changes aren’t altered.

The final bill is one that would allow Tennessee to refuse to recognize legal same-sex marriages, four years after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex unions nationwide.

“Tennessee is on the brink of becoming the next North Carolina — and the first state in the nation to pass antiLGBTQ legislation this year,” Kasey Suffredini, the president of strategy at Freedom for All Americans, said in a statement. “Tennessee can’t afford to face the economic consequences of passing laws that discriminate against LGBTQ people. The anti-LGBTQ bills advancing in Tennessee are some of the most dangerous in the nation, and we stand with our local partners in opposition to these dangerous attacks on LGBTQ Tennesseans.”

Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project says the organization will be mounting phone and email campaigns where supporters of equality will contact their legislators and ask them to vote against the bills. The organization is also trying to get clergy and local businesses to speak out against the bills publicly.

“Year after year, a small group of Tennessee lawmakers appear bound and determined to undermine the rights of LGBTQ people,” Sanders said in a statement. “This antiLGBTQ slate would have catastrophic consequences for our state — and those consequences would hit our young people the hardest.... This slate strikes at the dignity of LGBTQ people in Tennessee and adopting any of these bills would do lasting damage.” l

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APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Scene

Us Helping Us’s 30th Anniversary Gala at City Winery Tuesday, April 2 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www. metroweekly.com/scene

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Community THURSDAY, April 11

group meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar.

For more information, visit www.dullestriangles.com.

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

HEARING FOR THE OFFICE OF LGBTQ AFFAIRS, as well as

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-5 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.

DANIEL SCHWARTZ

for the Offices of Latino Affairs, African American Affairs, African Affairs, and Asian Pacific Islander Affairs. The hearings begin at 10 a.m. with the Office of Latino Affairs, followed by the Office of LGBTQ Affairs. Community members who wish to speak out about the budgeting priorities of the D.C. government are urged to attend and testify. 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Room 500. To testify, email governmentoperations@dccouncil.us or call 202-724-6668.

A LITTLE LIVE MUSIC

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

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

DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

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

DC FRONT RUNNERS 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.

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 202-930-1058 or visit www.dclambdasquares.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice. The team is always looking for new members.

All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www. scandalsrfc.org or dcscandals@ gmail.com.

THE DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social

L

Peterson

The American Pops Orchestra brings live-music yoga sessions to Arena Stage

UKE FRAZIER’S INSPIRATION FOR HIS LATEST PROJECT came about because of his love of yoga. “I practice yoga regularly, usually two or three times a week,” says the founder and musical director for the American Pops Orchestra. “I realized that, with most of the classes I was going to, there would just be a musical recording, and it was largely what I can best describe as ‘elevator’ or ‘massage’ music — sort of haphazard and never carefully crafted for the practice. And so, having my own orchestra, I thought, ‘What if we commissioned new arrangements of music specifically for a yoga practice?’”

The event, known as “Music and Mindfulness,” brings together a small group of musicians from the Pops, who create a recording of what the arrangement would sound like live. Then, Michael Peterson, the yoga teacher, devises an entire sequence of exercises and positions based on the music. The musical arrangement varies with each class, of which there are three during the course of a season.

Peterson says that the coordinated yoga practices and performances have been well received by participants and create a unique experience for students, as well as making it easier for them to focus and be in the moment.

“I think there’s something more alive when the music is played live instead of recorded,” says Peterson. “The vibrations are being created right there, and you feel it in a different way. There’s something beautiful about the students, orchestra and me, that we all work together to create this momentary experience.”

“I think there are people who come to yoga for many different regions. I think some people just want a different fitness alternative,” adds Frazier. “But for me, and a large amount of people, it’s a time to slow down, and get into your body, get into your breath.”

“The point is not to sweat and get a workout — the point is to slow down and relax,” adds Peterson. “It’s more of an all-levels class.”

“D.C. is such a cerebral place, and so many people are going a thousand miles a minute and dealing with so many heavy topics all the time, and it’s easy to not be in the moment, to be on your phone or on social media,” says Frazier. “Yoga is popular because it’s a time when you have to shut it off.... It’s a great time to recharge when a lot of us have depleted batteries all the time.” —John Riley Music and Mindfulness: Yoga with the American Pops Orchestra, Practice II is Saturday, April 13, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater’s Molly Smith Study, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $25 a person. For more information, visit www.theamericanpops.org.

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

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

METROHEALTH CENTER

offers free, rapid HIV testing.

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

STI TESTING at Whitman-

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

US HELPING US hosts a

Narcotics Anonymous Meeting.

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

FRIDAY, April 12 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

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events 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 prac-

tice session at Howard University.

6:30-8 p.m. Burr Gymnasium, 2400 6th St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

SATURDAY, April 13 ADVENTURING outdoors group

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

hikes 9.4 moderate miles in Prince William Forest Park, near Quantico, Va. Bring beverages, lunch, bug spray, sunscreen, mud-worthy boots, and about $10 for fees. Carpool at 9 a.m. from the Hayes Street Parking Lot, near the Pentagon City Metro Station. For more info, contact Jerry, 571-2413787, or visit www.adventuring.org.

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.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

LGBT community, family and friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For more information, visit www.dignitynova.org.

D.A.W.N., a group for women

suffering from intimate partner violence, hosts their annual fundraiser,

BREAKING OUT OF THE SILENCE (B.O.O.T.S.). Food and music

will be provided, and participants are encouraged to wear cowgirl/ cowboy boots. The event will feature both live and silent auctions.

General admission is $85 for singles, $160 for couples. Tickets can be purchased via www.eventbrite.com.

7-11 p.m. City Winery, 1350 Okie St. NE. For more information, visit www.deafdawn.org.

Join The DC Center for ARTY QUEERS, a new monthly indoor LGBTQ+ art market offering original artwork including paintings, pottery, photography, jewelry, glass work, textiles, and clothing.

11 a.m-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. To participate, submit an application via www.thedccenter. org/events/artmarketregistration.

For more info, email Kimberley@ thedccenter.org.

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Weekly Events practice session at Montgomery College Aquatics Club. 8:30-10 a.m.

7600 Takoma Ave., Takoma, Md. For more information, visit www. swimdcac.org.

visits historic Lancaster, Pa., to see museum inspired by early 20th century gay artist Charles Demuth, take a town walking tour, and see other sites. Lunch in Central Market, famed for its abundance of Amish comfort foods. Bring beverages, bug spray, sunscreen, and about $30 for transportation and admission fees, plus lunch money.

Carpool at 9 a.m. from the Forest Glen Metro Station Kiss & Ride lot. Drivers needed. For more info, contact Craig, 202-462-0535, or craighowell1@verizon.net.

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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.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for

SUNDAY, April 14 ADVENTURING outdoors group

hikes 10 scenic but strenuous miles in Shenandoah National Park with 3300 feet of elevation gain to see White Oak Canyon, Hawksbill Summit (highest point in the park), and Cedar Run. Experienced hikers only. Bring plenty of water, lunch, sunscreen, bug spray, and about $16 for fees. Carpool at 9 a.m. from the East Fall Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. For more info, contact Peter, 202-302-9606 or visit www. adventuring.org.

SYNCHRONICITY, the national

conference on HIV, HCV, STDs, and LGBT Health, will be held in Washington, D.C. from April 14-16 at the JW Marriott. Over 1,300 medical and service providers, government officials, and health advocates will convene to sync program policies and propose effective approaches to address HIV, HCV, STD, and other health issues facing the community. All day. 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.healthhiv. org/synchronicity.

MONDAY, April 15 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’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.

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, April 16 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 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. For meeting places and more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice. The team is always looking for new members. All welcome.

7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation

Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www. scandalsrfc.org or dcscandals@ gmail.com.

THE 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.

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.

WEDNESDAY, April 17 BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s

gay-literature group, discusses David Plante’s collected diaries, Becoming A Londoner, at The DC Center. All are welcome. 7:30 p.m.

2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more info, visit www.bookmendc. blogspot.com.

The DC Center’s HEALTH WORKING GROUP, a volunteer-driven LGBTQ health outreach and education initiative, holds its monthly meeting. This month’s meeting will focus on suicide prevention, transgender health, and substance use. 6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org/health.

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.

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

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

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

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. l

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

23

Rising

Star

Blessed with exceptional talent, local gay singer Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon has emerged as an American Idol frontrunner.

Exclusive Interview by Doug Rule

I

F YOU DON’T KNOW THE NAME JEREMIAH LLOYD HARMON, you will soon enough. With a soaring falsetto and powerful, emotional delivery, there is good reason why Harmon has left the judges on American Idol gasping and waxing rhapsodic after each and every performance. “[You] just tell the story, and we’re sucked in from the first note,” Lionel Richie said after Harmon, a current Season 17 contestant, closed out “Hollywood Week” with a masterfully moving rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” “I am telling you, for me — and I’m probably speaking for the rest of us — that was a brilliant performance. Brilliant.”

Never one to be outdone, Katy Perry roared even more effusively. “I’m just so beyond moved to see such an incredible, serious musician up there,” Perry said.

“I think you are a really important contribution from the universe to music.”

It’s not just Harmon’s exceptional musical talent and well-honed vocal skill that has so impressed the judges. That alone would not explain the rapturous responses he’s been getting from viewers moved to tears and inspired to reach out after his emotional, and obviously personal, performances — to date, none more so than his stirring cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” which cemented Harmon’s spot in the Top 20. It turns out, that hauntingly beautiful song has been something of an anthem, or a cri de cœur, for Harmon since the 26-year-old came out to his parents last November.

“I remember having a tough conversation with my parents one day and going to bed that night, and listening to that song, and just connecting to it,” he says.

“It helped me cope with all the change that was happening.”

Harmon’s coming-out has been more complicated than most, given that the Catonsville, Maryland native is the eldest son of a Baptist minister, one of four children in a tight-knit conservative Christian household where life largely revolves around the church, the church community, and faith in God and the Bible. Soon after he came out, Harmon made the decision to leave the church and his family home to try out for American Idol. The show has focused almost exclusively on that emotional arc to his story — in large part because the early 24

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APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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episodes that have aired over the last month were all taped in December and January, when the coming-out experience was fresh and raw.

“I'm excited to get the latter part of my journey [out],” says Harmon, who adds that his family is still struggling, but coming around — and increasingly showing him love and support.

METRO WEEKLY: What motivated you to pursue American Idol?

JEREMIAH LLOYD HARMON: I was actually encouraged by some

of the talent recruiters for American Idol to audition. I’m 26, and I figured it would be my last chance to audition because the age limit is 27. I figured I might as well do it and see what happens.

MW: Had you ever thought about it before? Did you watch the show growing up?

HARMON: Yeah, I watched the show when I was younger, back in 2005 when Carrie Underwood was on it. I'd fallen off since then, and I didn't really imagine myself being on the show. But they seemed pretty interested in singer-songwriters this year, and I thought it would be a cool opportunity to showcase my music. So that's kind of what prompted me to do it.

MW: You’re from Maryland, but did you grow up in the Baptist community in the Baltimore area?

HARMON: I grew up in the Baptist church, but my family moved around a lot. I was actually born in Louisiana and spent a lot of my childhood in Tennessee and Arkansas and Missouri, but I was back and forth to Baltimore a little bit as well.

“If you're a conservative Christian, having a child come MW: Are you still in contact with your out as gay, and having that same child claim that...they're family? I understand your relationship has been strained since you came out. going to heaven, is contradictory to what you believe.

HARMON: Yes, I am. When I came out, it was a little strained, and it's been a challenge that we've been working on together. We've grown a lot, and we're still talking. I just saw my siblings [the “There's been this narrative of me as estranged. I think of myself other] week, and had lunch with my dad and my little brother. as someone who's overcome and has grown in relationships with We're still working through our differences together. my family and has been really brave to share my experience with MW: That’s a development since the auditions period and the first people. I don't think of myself as a sad, outcast, kind of estranged few episodes of Idol. person.

HARMON: Yeah, that was all shot kind of when shit was hitting “I have people in my circle that are there for me no matter the fan. I'd been out to close friends and some family for about what,” he continues. “Those are my family — they are my par- three years, but I decided to tell my immediate family around ents, and they are my siblings. They're also my close friends November. It posed a challenge, but we've grown a lot since around me, and my boyfriend, John.” then. I'm no longer working in my dad's church, and I've moved He’s also got a growing legion of fans — people like Dave out of my parents' house, and I think that has helped me to Perruzza, who was quick to pounce, giving Harmon an early improve the relationship — just having a little distance there, and taste of what it’s like to perform as a reality TV star. just keeping the conversation going. I'm really proud of my fam“He reached out to me a few days after my audition had ily and my parents for how much they've integrated this expeaired,” Harmon says about the owner of Pitchers, where Harmon rience so far. It's not been easy for them. Things are looking up. performed “an intimate acoustic set” last month during a quick MW: What do you mean by integrated? trip back home. “It ended up, they were having a drag show that HARMON: Well, I think if you're a conservative Christian, having night. It was the first time I had ever opened for a drag queen. a child come out as gay, and having that same child claim that It was a lot of fun. I'd definitely be open to doing that again at they’re Christian, and they're going to heaven, is contradictory to some point.” what you believe. I think it's been a real challenge for my family For the time being, however, he’s fully committed to American to integrate those two seemingly opposite truths. But we're there Idol and the launch, this Sunday, April 14, of voting by the for each other, and we love each other no matter what. That's all American public, who, week after week, will winnow down the that matters. field from 14 finalists to one winner. Harmon has a decent shot MW: Do you remember hearing your dad say explicitly anti-gay at taking the crown — oddsmakers currently position him as one things from the pulpit, or give fire-and-brimstone kind of sermons? of this season’s three frontrunners.

HARMON: Of course. He holds his views about homosexuality, During a recent hour-long interview from Hollywood, and his interpretation of scripture [that] homosexuality is an Harmon admitted that, given everything he’s recently gone egregious, immoral thing. So yeah, I heard that growing up. through, in some ways he already feels like a winner.

The way that my dad preaches is called expositional preach-

It's been a real challenge for my family to integrate those two seemingly opposite truths.”

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ing — he'll go through the Bible in chronological order. He'll order his sermon themes on the passages of scripture that he's working through. So he kind of follows this regimen. He calls it as he sees it. It's not like he just harps on that all the time. When the subject comes up, he is very clear about what he believes.

MW: When did you first realize that you were gay?

HARMON: Around nine years old is when I started to realize that I had an attraction to other boys. I remember having a crush on this guy at youth camp. I didn't really have a language for it yet, but I knew I was different. I just didn't know what that meant, but that was the beginning [of] my realization.

MW: Did music become an outlet for you to channel your energies, something to focus on instead of your budding sexuality?

HARMON: I think partly. Music and art.

I love to paint. That was just a way for me to escape into my own imagination.

I was also really big into basketball growing up. I had my ways of distracting myself from my subconscious trying to take over, but yeah, it just became undeniable at some point. I would say I came out to myself around my senior year of high school. I had just begun to accept that this is a part of me, and it's not going to change.

MW: Did you go to college?

HARMON: I did go to college. I started at Liberty University.

MW: Oh, wow. The notoriously antiLGBTQ school founded by Jerry Falwell?

HARMON: Yeah. I was on a scholarship there for gospel choir. I dropped out a few times and struggled to finish.

I ended up transferring to Towson University in Baltimore. I'm trying to finish my degree in vocal performance there right now.

I've just got one semester left. I had planned to finish this May, but I've had to postpone that. [Laughs.]

MW: A degree in vocal performance — so this really is second nature to you, singing and performing?

HARMON: Oh, yeah. I'm a vocalist. I've always sung. I love to do it.

MW: Is your whole family involved in playing or performing music?

HARMON: They all have been. My mom took all my siblings to piano lessons, and we all sang together in church growing up.

Not all of us have stuck with it, but my little brother is a really talented drummer, and he still plays. My little sister has a beautiful voice. She loves to sing sometimes. Every now and then, when the family's together, my mom will try to get us to sing in church together, but that obviously gets more difficult as we all get older.

MW: Do you know if they’re watching Idol?

HARMON: I think so. I think they have seen a couple of episodes.

I don't know if they continue to watch it just because it's kind of difficult to watch sometimes [since] it’s been heavily emphasizing the difficulty of my coming out.

MW: When you set out to do this, was part of your motivation to

help others in a similar situation?

HARMON: Well, I knew that I wasn't the only one going through this experience. I had determined, whether it be on the show or just through my artistry in general, to try to maintain a certain level of transparency no matter what I’m going through. As an artist, I feel like I have a responsibility to communicate my experience through my art and my music. Right now, this is what I'm going through. Several months down the road, it'll be something

else, and I'll still try to maintain that same level of vulnerability.

MW: Were your friends supportive of your decision to go on Idol, realizing that you would be airing your coming-out struggle and being so vulnerable?

HARMON: Yes. My friends have been there for me every step of the way. Some of those friends are from school. Some of them are just from music, and some from church. The people that have known and loved me since the beginning are still there for me.

MW: That's great to hear. And of course gay people, especially those who have had similar struggles with their families as a result of coming out, have historically created a surrogate kind of family with their close friends.

HARMON: I would say just exactly what you said. My definition of family has expanded. I've met so many new people over the course of the last year who have offered their support and their friendship to me as I was coming out. As I was describing with my family, sometimes people just need time to process things.

I'm not able to walk through every step of my coming out with some of my family members, but it doesn't mean that they're not there for me anymore. It just means that they're processing it APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

27

in their own way. What I've experienced is that the more that I open up to people and make myself vulnerable, people open up back to me, and they show their support. I've met so many amazing people along the way.

MW: When your audition aired, you were listed as working as a janitor.

HARMON: Right. I actually worked as a janitor at my dad's church in Baltimore. It was a cool gig. It was flexible hours, so I could go to class during the day and then clean in the evening. I did

hi, and give him my number. I finished my workout, and I ran out to my car, and I had this lyric scratch sheet, a three-by-five note card where I had been working on lyrics to a song. I said to myself, this is really romantic, I'll just write my number and name on the back, and give it to John.

And I never do that with people. I'm a very introverted kind of person, but for some reason, my gut was telling me, "You have to do this." So I just walked up to him and said, "Hey, my name's Jeremiah. I think I might have seen you or connected with you online at some point. Here's my number. Hit me up if you want." Then I literally just walked away.

“I walked up to him and said, ‘Hey, my name's He ended up texting me that night, and we got food, and have been dating ever since.

Jeremiah. Here's my number. Hit me up if you He didn't remember me from Tinder. I told him want.’ Then I literally just walked away. that my parents graduated from his school and he knows my aunt, my mom's sister, because my aunt worked as the secretary at that school for the longest time, and they saw each other on a daily basis.

It was just kind of a small world experience.

MW: Almost like fate in a way.

HARMON: Yeah, it felt like it. that for a little over two years. I was still living with my parents. MW: Was he supportive of you going on Idol? Has he been with you MW: After your audition, Katy Perry said, essentially, "Don't go during your time in Hollywood? back to being a janitor."

HARMON: He's not with me today, but he will be soon, and he's HARMON: Right, right, and I didn't. There's no looking back. been able to make every performance so far. He's been very MW: What have you done since then? encouraging and amazing. He's been super-supportive every HARMON: I'm working as a music director at a different church step of the way. in the area and also as a counselor at a psychiatric rehabilitation MW: Is he in music or does he sing as well? center in Baltimore.

HARMON: Yeah, he actually plays piano at his church in Elkridge, HARMON:: What inspired you to pursue that kind of work?

Maryland.

HARMON: Well, I've worked as a mentor in the past, and this MW: How do you identify in terms of religion these days? Are you particular job gave me the opportunity to play music for some still Baptist? of the clients there. I have always enjoyed helping people in that HARMON: Personally, I don't really identify with any particular capacity, especially through music. denomination, but I do happen to lead music at a Presbyterian Some of the clients are [recovering from] substance abuse. church right now. It’s been a good experience.

Some of them are just working through their own psychological I still enjoy church, and I still enjoy connecting with people challenges. We have a lot of clients dealing with depression, in that environment. There's still so much of church that feels bipolar, just all across the spectrum of mental health issues. like home to me.

MW: Was counseling or therapy one of the things you were thinking MW: Have your parents met John? as a kid you might do when you grew up?

HARMON: Yes. It was kind of stressful because I didn't know HARMON: That seemed like a natural progression of my music. I how it was going to go, but the first time they actually met John, learned music in a church context, and so there was always that they didn't know that we were dating. They didn't know John aspect of helping people through music and helping them better was gay. He was just the person that was with me that night at themselves. I used to play at homeless shelters in high school. church. It's not like we were intentionally concealing, but just I've worked as a therapeutic mentor for minors in the past. I was didn't throw it all upon them at once. They were friendly and a worship leader as well, so it kind of seemed like something that civil.

I had always done, just in a different way.

MW: But they know now, right?

MW: That makes sense. In a church context, you don’t ever sing HARMON: They know now, yeah. I'd say it's a different dynamic about a crush or romantic love. However, your personal music now. does deal with love. How long have you and your boyfriend been MW: And the relationship is good? You think you’re in it for the together? long haul?

HARMON: We’ve been together a year and two months now. HARMON: Yeah, I do. I've grown a lot with John and I think we We met at the YMCA in Catonsville. It’s a funny story because have a really good thing happening. We really vibe with each I recognized his face in the gym, but I couldn't remember for a other and I think we have similar goals in life. I would love little bit. Then it dawned on me that we had matched on Tinder to continue on this journey with him. I'm kind of the person a year and some change before that. You know how on Tinder, that dates to marry — I really won't get seriously into a dating you have the option of saying where you went to school or where relationship unless I think that this is someone that I could see you work? He had Hyles–Anderson College under his name [as] sharing a lifelong journey with. And there is that potential there. where he graduated, and it's also the same school that my par- I think it's been a beautiful journey, and I definitely see myself ents graduated from. It's this tiny bible school in Indiana. continuing it with John.

He's got a very similar upbringing. He comes from the same MW: Broadly speaking, what do you want to do after Idol, whether branch of Christianity. And I don't know, in that moment in the you win or not? gym, I thought, I’ve got to walk up to this guy, and at least say HARMON: Well, what I see with Idol is a platform for me to show-

He ended up texting me that night, and we got food, and have been dating ever since.”

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APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

case myself as an artist, to share my music with people, and to also share my story. Everything that's happened so far in terms of how people have responded to my music and my story transcends the show itself. I would love to continue on this journey, no matter if I win, or if it ends for me before the finale. I think I would love to just continue writing my music and sharing myself with the world, whatever that looks like for me after this.

MW: Who are some of your favorite musical artists or inspirations?

opportunity came to me, I would go with it. It depends on how it played out, but I love writing. I could imagine my first album being a concept album with a very distinct storyline behind it.

I think that would translate well into theater. So I wouldn't be opposed to it if I had that opportunity.

MW: Has your experience on Idol had any impact on your talent or ability, that you’ve noticed or heard via feedback?

HARMON: I really tend to stick to an instrument while I'm singing, and one of the challenges that I've had to overcome is singing without a piano or a guitar in front “A lot of people have reached out and said, of me. I was surprised when people told me that I had a commanding stage presence, especially after I ‘I came out to my family. I've struggled sang “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” It was with accepting myself. Thank you just me and a microphone on stage and I was really scared to do that. I was feeling the total opposite of for sharing your story. commanding.

MW: What kind of feedback have you been getting from viewers?

HARMON: In general, I think people have really felt empowered to share their stories with me. A lot of people have reached out and said, "I came out to my HARMON: I love Jeff Buckley, Sufjan Stevens, Paul Simon, family. I've struggled with accepting myself. Thank you for sharLeonard Cohen. I love Carole King. Just really good songwriters. ing your story. I feel less alone and I feel like you've helped me MW: I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the newly out Ben Platt, in some way." There's been a lot of that and honestly, that's been who starred in the musical Dear Evan Hansen, but it strikes me so amazing to hear because I know that I'm not alone. And peothat you two have a similar vibe. You both sing in a sort of earnest, ple, we connect to each other by our stories. We give each other dramatic way that really moves and inspires a listener. You can’t meaning when we do that, and hope. That has been something help but be enraptured by what you’re singing. that I didn't foresee — such a huge response, as big as it has been.

HARMON: Well, thank you. That's a big compliment. He's a beau- You kind of get the sense you're a part of something bigger than tiful vocalist. I have not seen Dear Evan Hansen yet, but that has yourself, and I think that's been really cool to experience. come highly recommended from John. That's one of his all-time MW: I can imagine, to some degree, responses like that are almost favorite shows. as satisfying as winning the show.

MW: In the show, Platt had some really challenging numbers to HARMON: Oh, for sure. It totally transcends a music competition sing, and sometimes you could hear the strain in his voice — which or a television show. That's why I'm so grateful that I've been had the effect of making what he was singing even more powerful given this platform. and affecting.

MW: How are your fellow contestants?

HARMON: Yeah, I get that. I think people like to hear that vul- HARMON: They're all really down to earth, kind people, just nerability in your voice. It's easier to relate to that than someone everyday kind of people. We're each other’s friends through this. who's just like hitting a home run the whole time.

We've been hanging out all day. I think it's really cool to meet MW: You did something similar in your Idol performance of “Make these other talented people and to share this journey with them.

You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan, when Lionel Richie praised you MW: That's part of the Idol experience obviously. for focusing on telling a story, rather than singing with a flourish. HARMON: It's really what you make of it. You meet these amazing You refrained from hitting it out of the park, in other words. And it people, and who knows what kind of collaboration or relationwas more affecting that way. ship is going to come out of this? I think we're all looking at it as HARMON: I remember that performance very clearly because I a really cool networking opportunity. was so much enjoying that song while I was performing it, and MW: You have some strong competition this year. Is that inspiring that doesn't always happen. Sometimes I'm in my head, thinking in some way? about how I sound, if I'm doing the right thing on the piano, but I HARMON: I think it is. It kind of pushes me to be a better perjust remember being so present for that and feeling very engaged former knowing that there are other people that could easily to the audience then. It was a really cool moment. outdo me.

MW: And that comes through. Did you spend a lot of time putting MW: Have you talked with your parents about whether they would your own interpretation on that song, or did you just wing it? be up for attending an upcoming Idol performance?

HARMON: Well, I can't say that I put a lot of time into it. I’ve per- HARMON: Actually, I'm glad you asked that. They're coming out formed it in the past and I was familiar with that song already later this month. They've already got their tickets. I can't say for in my head, so I kind of knew what to do. Honestly, I try not to sure that I will still be in the competition by the time that they over-prepare for songs because if I'm practicing so much, then get here, but they're coming out to support me, so hopefully.

I might get bored with it or get tired of it or it may become so I know that they've wanted to come in the past, and part of it normalized that it's no longer this interesting new experience has just been a scheduling conflict because my dad's a full-time anymore. I try to leave it a little imperfect so that you can hear it pastor, and Easter's coming up. My mom also works full-time. still developing. It's still alive by the time I perform it.

I'm really happy that they were able to make it work. l MW: Your goal is to be a singer-songwriter, obviously. Have you ever thought about theater or that sort of performance?

American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8/7c on ABC. Visit HARMON: I have not really ever considered that, but if that www.abc.go.com/shows/american-idol for more information.

I feel less alone and I feel like you've helped me in some way.’”

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C. STANLEY

Stage

Don’t Stop Belieb-ing Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm’s P.Y.G. preaches almost as much as it entertains. By André Hereford

W

ILL WE EVER STOP TALKING ABOUT RACE IN AMERICA, IN ART, in books, songs, films, and plays? It’s a nice thought, though some might argue that the conversation has only just gotten interesting, now that the nation collectively has, in the parlance of one famous TV show, stopped being polite and started getting real.

The conversation rarely gets as real onstage as it does in Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm’s scathing new comedy P.Y.G. or The Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle (HHHHH). Yet, in a display of showmanship that’s carried through in every fiber of Chisholm’s world-premiere production of his play at Studio Theatre, the playwright-director couches that realness within the amusing fiction of a reality show about two black rappers hired to teach a white, Canadian-born pop star how to up his swag game.

That would be a euphemistic way of saying that rappers Blacky Blackerson (Seth Hill) and Alexand Da Great (Gary L. Perkins III), of rap duo Petty Young Goons, are hired to teach teenage pop idol Dorian Belle (Simon Kiser) how to be more hip-hop, also a euphemistic way of saying act more, sing more, seem more “black.” In the process of figuring out what exactly that attitude and behavior adjustment might entail, and whether or not they want to be party to it, Black and Alex learn quite a bit themselves about being black versus performing blackness.

And Chisholm indulges myriad opportunities to teach the audience all we’d need to know to participate in the conversation, from the history of rap and hip-hop (two different things) and breaking and b-boying, to the joys of supposedly “white” plea-

sures like skiing and arugula. Said indulgence to teach (or preach, brother) can swing from pedantic to clever and back again in a moment’s notice. A portion of Chisholm’s audience already knows the “what black is” debate inside and out.

Some even engaged that very same debate with his last play Hooded, Or Being Black for Dummies, which saw a swell production (and then a revival of that production) last season at Mosaic.

P.Y.G. is a more loosely structured, hyperactive, pop culture hybrid, splicing and dicing reality show tropes with pop and rap performance, sketch show comedy, and old-school theatrical storytelling.

The title very obviously references Shaw’s Pygmalion, as do elements of the plot, along with a well-placed hip-hop riff on “The Rain in Spain” from Pygmalion’s famous musical adaptation, My Fair Lady.

The play also doesn’t disguise references to former teen idol Justin Bieber, who certainly wasn’t the first white pop star to swipe swag wholesale from artists of color along his evolution from “Baby” bubblegum to getting down with reggaeton in “Despacito.” Bieber’s not even the first famous Justin to code-switch his sound, since Timberlake shrewdly made the leap from squeaky-clean boy-bander to Mr.

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C. STANLEY

Sexyback with a mighty songwriting and production assist from black hip-hop heavyweights Timbaland and Pharrell Williams.

P.Y.G. works best as a savvy, contemporary examination of that long-standing practice in pop music, dating back to before Pat Boone, of white artists deliberately appropriating black music and culture for their benefit. Chisholm digs a little deeper to probe the question of who gets to grant permission for outsiders to enjoy and/ or express a culture that doesn’t necessarily represent them.

Here, Dorian Belle argues persuasively that hip-hop music does represent him, that it speaks to him on an emotional level practically unmatched by any other style of music. But does his affinity for rap grant him the permission to drop the n-word at will, even if it comprises 75% of the lyrics of his favorite P.Y.G. song?

Chisholm has sly fun using, and over-using, then not using the word. Undeniably, as it concerns this subject matter, the consistent usage, especially by rappers, is very much up for debate.

That word also can sound like music rolling off the tongue of Hill, who’s utterly convincing in the complex role of Blacky Blackerson, initially the more skeptical of the P.Y.G. duo about Dorian’s true intentions.

Perkins and Kiser also deliver assured dramatic performances, although Kiser doesn’t truly convey the outsized presence of uberrich and famous phenom Dorian. Then, neither do composer and sound designer Gabriel Clausen’s tracks for Dorian really capture the sound of pop music right now. On the other hand, some of P.Y.G.’s songs sound Spotify-ready, just as the script sounds spoton in some of its observations about the conversation we’re all currently having about race in America. l P.Y.G. or The Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle runs through April 28, at the Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $55. Call 202-332-3300, or visit www.studiotheatre.org.

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NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Scene

Bent at the 9:30 Club - Saturday, April 6 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, April 11 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • Men in Underwear Drink Free, 12-12:30am • DJs BacK2bACk

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets of Bud Products all night • Sports Leagues Night NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm • Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • 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 • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

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

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Friday, April 12 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Ottermatic: Trottermatic, 10pm-close • Hosted by Grant Collins • Featuring Music by DVONEE (Devon Trotter) and The Barber Streisand • $5 Cover (includes coat and clothes check)

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

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

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 • Otter Happy Hour with guest DJs, 5-11pm ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Rotating DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors at 9pm, Shows at 11:45pm • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

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 THIRSTY THURSDAYS WITH MIZ CRACKER Expect lots of laughs and lots of lewks next Thursday, April 18, at Pitchers with a headlining show from the self-described “thin, white, and salty” New York comedy queen, who finished fifth in Season 10’s strong field of contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Who knows, maybe she’ll even show off the Saltine-shaped wig that topped her Very Best Drag look in episode two, a headpiece, consisting of a wig and styrofoam, that she told Metro Weekly involved “13 hours of careful hairspraying, styling, and blow-drying — held in place with shish kebab skewers.” Baltimore’s Brooklyn Heights will serve as special guest host of a show also featuring performances by Iyana Deschanel, Sapphire Blue, and Venus Valhalla. Showtime at 10 p.m., with a meet and greet following.

Pitchers is at 2317 18th St. NW. Call 202-733-2568 or visit www.pitchersdc.com.

Saturday, April 13 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports AVALON SATURDAYS LGBTQ Dance Party, 10pm-close • $10 Cover before 11pm • General admission $15 • Drink specials • Drag Show, 10:30-11:30pm, hosted

by Ba’Naka and featuring Kristina Kelly, Deja Diamond, and Anastasia Dior • Open Bar on Tito’s and Jameson, 11pm-midnight • Visit www.dougiemeyerpresents.com 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 • No Cover (clothes check available) • $5 Fireball, $5 Margaritas, $8 Long Islands all night 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 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

GREEN LANTERN: FREEBALLERS! “The first Green Lantern party that does not include underwear!”

In fact, every second Saturday of the month, patrons should leave their knickers at home for this cheekily billed party that celebrates the freedom of movement below the belt — as long as you don’t get too showy about it and leave a little to the imagination. Keep things covered, not confined; imprinted, not exposed; outlined, not out. (Hopefully you catch our drift, because we can’t come right out with it.) D.C.’s longstanding DJ duo BacK2bACk spins as well as co-hosts with promoter/bartender Matt Strother the next fun, freeballing fiesta, where there just might be a battle of the bulges for those ages 21 and up. Saturday, April 13, starting at 10 p.m.

No cover — except obviously where it counts. Green Lantern is at 1335 Green Ct. NW. Call 202-347-4533 or visit www.facebook.com/GreenLanternDC. DC BËAR CRÜE: BEAR HAPPY HOUR DC Bëar Crüe has made a nice cave out of Uproar, which has proven to be a cozily intimate home for the wildly popular weekly hirsute happy hour after losing its longtime host Town Danceboutique last summer. Doors open at 5 p.m. every Friday night, including this Friday, April 12, and all evening long $5 will get you a rail cocktail or a 32oz draft pitcher of Bud Light or Shock Top. Free appetizers are also offered throughout, with additional food available for purchase off the restaurant’s food menu. Uproar is at 639 Florida Ave NW. Call 202-462-4464 or visit www.facebook.com/uproarloungedc.

PITCHERS DRAG PICNIC You have options galore around town if you want to sashay away to a weekend brunch with queens. But this Saturday, April 13, comes another round of a rather novel idea of a monthly drag picnic. Brooklyn Heights hosts the drag feast starting “ON F*CKING TIME” at 1 p.m. also starring Sasha Adams, Iyana Deschanel, Katrina Colby, and Venus Fastrada. For this picnic, you don’t need to pack your own basket, as food from the venue’s revamped menu will be available along with drinks at the bar. And Pitchers will also be giving away two Meet & Greet tickets to see Miz Cracker’s show next week. 2317 18th St. NW. Call 202-733-2568 or visit https://pitchersdc.eventbrite.com to make reservations. l APRIL 11, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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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 DJs BacK2bACk, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $15 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Homme Brunch, 12pm, Second Floor • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • HalfPriced Pizzas and Select Appetizers

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TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets upstairs, 9pm-close • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald in Ziegfeld’s • Doors open at 9pm, Shows at 11:45pm and 1:45am • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Sunday, April 14 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-12am • $4 Smirnoff and Domestic

Cans • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Ella’s Sunday Drag Brunch, 10am-3pm • $24.99 with four glasses of champagne or mimosas, 1 Bloody Mary, or coffee, soda or juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-1am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs

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NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open Noon-2am • $4 Smirnoff, includes flavored, $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller Lites, 2-9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Dinner and Drag with Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm

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

Monday, April 15 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 NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover

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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 • DC Different Drummers Marching Band Open House, Second Floor, 7pm • Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with Jeremy, 7:30pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

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Tuesday, April 16 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco Tuesday • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo with Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close

NUMBER NINE Open at 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Burgers and Pizzas, 5-10pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the

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same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 • Sissy That Tuesday: A Monthly Cabaret featuring Pussy Noir and Special Guests, 8pm • Music by WesstheDJ

Wednesday, April 17 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6 Burgers • Beach Blanket Drag Bingo Night, hosted

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

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

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WARD MORRISON

Sexton says. “I just could not think of a better person to bring on as an addition to our team this year.”

As for ticket sales? “Put it this way, they're the strongest they've been in my involvement with Cherry,” says Sexton, who has helped organize the all-volunteer event for 14 years. Last year’s Cherry Kaleidoscope drew an estimated 2,500 partygoers and raised more than $50,000, which was then donated to nonprofits focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

Cherrypop’s pop-art theme will be brought to life through decor and design from a team of 17 led by Sexton, with “over-the-top” costumes by New York’s Abraham Levy and L.A.’s Shokra. This year also marks the return of nightlife lighting guru Guy Smith and his New York-based company.

Sexton suggests Cherrypop is being planned in part as a teaser for 2020. “We're definitely going to be setting the bar this year for what's to come in preparation for next year’s 25th anniversary.”

CHERRY 2019 EVENTS

CHERRY DELIGHT

This year’s benefit-raising Cherry event promises to be bigger and better than ever. By Doug Rule

T

HE RECENT LOSS OF TOWN AND COBALT WAS every bit as much of a one-two punch to Cherry as to gay D.C. The longstanding LGBTQ nightclubs were two of the benefit-raising event’s primary host venues. Incredibly, Cherry has bounced back by developing strong partnerships with other leading dance venues, and by working with key promoters on the national gay circuit scene.

“A lot of the straight venues in D.C. have been very accommodating to the gay crowd,” says Cherry’s Allen Sexton. “They have been very, very open [and] supportive.” The Howard Theatre, Echostage, Flash, Soundcheck, Ultrabar, and Tropicalia all return as venues for Cherry 2019 — a.k.a. Cherrypop. Sax joins in by hosting two parties, including the affiliated birthday party for an original founder of Cherry, Dr. Moody Mustafa.

A notable four of the 16 DJs in the lineup come by way of an enhanced collaboration with New York’s famed dance party Alegria: Renato Cecin, Tom Stephan, Isaac Escalante, and Alain Jackinsky. (Fun fact: Ric Sena actually threw his first Alegria in D.C. during Cherry two decades ago.) “It’s great to network within our community,” Sexton says, “to find people that support the cause and get it, and to partner with those people to do what we can...to offer a safe haven for our patron base in the D.C. market.”

In addition to a roster of internationally acclaimed DJs, a third of whom are new to Cherry, this year’s party also features 10 Cherrypop Dancers, a slew of New Yorkbased drag acts, and two legends from New York’s club scene, Amanda Lepore and Alan T. There’s also the debut of a certain D.C. drag diva.

“Kristina Kelly is one of my all-time D.C. favorites,” 44

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THURSDAY, APRIL 11 GLAM DJ Enrico Meloni w/Sean Morris 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Ultrabar 911 F St. NW $20

SOIRÉE DJs Renato Cecin & Micky Friedmann Hosted by Amanda Lepore Performances by Maddelynn Hatter & Kristina Kelly 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Howard Theatre 620 T St. NW $50

FRIDAY, APRIL 12 CHERRYPOP DJs Alex Lo & Tom Stephan Hosted by Alan T Performances by Maddelynn Hatter, CT Hedden, Zeta Jones, Quency Valencia, and Beth Sacks, plus the Cherrypop Dancers 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Echostage 2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE $50 ROXY AFTERHOURS (Affiliated) DJ Jerac Acevedo w/Shane Marcus Presented by Chorus.DC 3:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Tropicalia 2001 14th St. NW $40 SATURDAY, APRIL 13 CIRQUE DE MOODEIL (Affiliated) DJ Joe Gauthreaux Hosted by Dr. Moody Mustafa 1 to 6 p.m.

Sax 734 11th St. NW $25

SHAG! AFTERHOURS DJ Alain Jackinsky w/J Warren 3:30 to 9:30 a.m.

SUNDANCE MORNING PARTY DJ Isaac Escalante w/Steve Sidewalk 6 to 9:30 a.m.

Flash 645 Florida Ave. NW $50 (or $35 for Sundance only) SUNDAY, APRIL 14 TWISTED (Affiliated) DJ Dan Slater Presented by Avalon Saturdays 2 to 7 p.m.

Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW $30 ACTION! INTERGALACTIC DJs Cindel & Nina Flowers 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Sax $50 Weekend Passes range from $199 to $309 (plus fees) and offer express entry to events.

Other combo tickets and day passes also available. Visit www.cherrydc.org. l

LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“There is nothing in this world that says because I’m trans or because you’re gay we aren’t human.”

— EMMIT DAVIS, a transgender man in Colorado Springs, Co., in a Facebook post after he was reportedly assaulted in front of his partner for “acting gay.” KRDO reports that Davis and his partner were sitting on their porch when men jumped over the fence, shouted “Look at those dykes!” and then attacked Davis, leaving him with a broken nose and eye socket.

“He wants to define himself as a very specific kind of family man.... This is probably good politics.

I’m not so sure it’s good for the gays.”

— The Outline writer JACOB BACHARACH, in a column titled “Why Pete Buttigieg Is Bad For The Gays.” Bacharach argues that Buttigieg branding himself as a “veteran, a Christian, and a fierce, married monogamist” — to contrast Donald Trump — risks turning gay people into “just another boring, bourgeois constituency of the vacuous center of American politics.”

“We support each other with Pride!”

— NBA player DWAYNE WADE, of the Miami Heat, in an Instagram post celebrating his son, Zion, attending Miami Beach Pride with his wife Gabrielle Union. Wade, who was playing in Toronto at the time, shared another post with a rainbow flag emoji and the message: “Zion had his on [sic] cheering section today. Wish i was there to see you smile kid!”

“I’m writing you to say that I’m so inspired by the work you do.”

— TAYLOR SWIFT, in a handwritten note sent to Tennessee Equality Project executive director Chris Sanders, alongside a $113,000 donation to the nonprofit organization. Swift thanked Sanders and his organization for “standing up against the ‘slate of hate’ in our state legislature” — six individual bills advanced by Republicans that aim to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ people.

“Fiji will not allow same-sex marriage.”

— Fiji Prime Minister FRANK BAINIMARAMA, speaking during a press conference, according to the Fiji Sun. Bainimarama said that Fiji is a “God-fearing country” and said he would never permit same-sex marriage to become law in the island nation.

Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights chair Nalini Singh called his comments “extremely dangerous” and said they “only exacerbate the existing discrimination against members of the LGBTQI community.”

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