John Cameron Mitchell: Outside the Box

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

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CONTENTS

JAZZ WITH A SIDE OF VEGETABLES

Cabaret artist and outspoken vegetarian Nellie McKay prepares for her Kennedy Center solo debut.

By Doug Rule

OUTSIDE THE BOX

Starting with Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell has built a career out of being unconventional.

And he’s not about to stop now.

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Volume 25 Issue 39

Interview by André Hereford

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FATS ENTERTAINMENT! A vivacious cast weaves a seductive spell in Signature’s spirited Ain’t Misbehavin’.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: GMCW’S WORKING p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 JAZZ WITH A SIDE OF VEGETABLES: NELLIE MCKAY p.12 THE FEED p.19 COMMUNITY: TAKING THE CAKE p.21 COVER STORY: OUTSIDE THE BOX p.24 GALLERY: FUSE’S EVERYTHING IN EXISTENCE p.31 FILM: WHAT MEN WANT p.32 STAGE: AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ p.34 STAGE: THE BROTHERS SIZE p.35 NIGHTLIFE p.37 SCENE: CAPITAL PRIDE REVEAL p.37 LISTINGS p.38 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.39 PLAYLIST: DJ MATT BAILER p.42 SCENE: SUPER BOWL VIEWING PARTY AT PITCHERS p.44 SCENE: NELLIE’S SUPER BOWL PARTY p.45 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 John H. Mitchell Cover Photography Matthew Placek 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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FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

PHOTO COURTESY OF GMCW

Spotlight

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Working

EOPLE WORK FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT REASONS,” says Silvio Weisner. “To earn money and to obtain meaning in life. But also to make our communities better and to support our families and our loved ones. There's lots of reasons why we work. And I think that applies just as much to the LGBTQ community as it does to the American community-at-large.”

Weisner is making his directorial debut with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s production of Working: A Musical, which runs this weekend at The Atlas. Based on the 1974 book

by Studs Terkel, and adapted for the stage by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and Nina Faso, the musical has gone through several updates since its 1978 Broadway production, and features compositions from Schwartz, Micki Grant, James Taylor, Mary Rodgers, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“It’s a very diverse show in terms of musical styles,” says Weisner, noting that it’s not structured like a traditional, plot-driven Broadway show. “The interesting connection between the musical styles is they're all very American musical styles. Jazz and gospel, obviously, and Broadway show tunes, but also folk and rock elements as well.”

Which makes it perfect as a showcase for the versatile stylings of the Gay Men’s Chorus, who are adapting the piece it to

enhance the musicals LGBTQ aspects. “We're emphasizing the themes that are already present in the show itself, by adding LGBTQ voices to the show,” says Weisner. “We've reimagined a number of characters in occupations that are traditionally thought of as being male-oriented or female-oriented, so we have gender-bending regarding some of those characters. We've also taken characters who were originally conceived of as heterosexual, and have made them gay or lesbian, by making minor changes to some of the text.”

A clinical psychologist who provides employee assistance counseling to federal government workers, Weisner says that the musical “is very near and dear to my heart, not just on a personal level, but also on a professional level.” He’s directed several community theater productions over the years -- including a production of Working in 2000 -- but finds the experience of working with his fellow volunteer chorus members especially gratifying.

“Professionally we work to earn a living,” he says. “But the things we do on a personal level are the things that we do for love. And so even though it's a challenge in terms of balancing the need to devote a lot of time and a lot of attention and a lot of energy to producing a quality piece of art, it is balanced by the fact that these folks are doing it not to get a paycheck or not to check off a box, but because they love it.” — Randy Shulman

Working: A Musical runs Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m. at the Paul Sprenger Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $39. Call 202-293-1548 or visit www.gmcw.org.

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Spotlight FUN HOME

Baltimore’s Center Stage offers a chance to see the stunning, heartfelt show based on the work of lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For). Hana Sharif directs the company’s production of this Tony-winning coming-of-age and coming-out musical with a cast that includes Andrea Prestinario, Molly Lyons, Jeffry Denman, and Michelle Dawson. To Feb. 24.

700 North Calvert St., Baltimore. Tickets are $20 to $74. Call 410-332-0033 or visit www.centerstage.org.

ASHLEY BLAKER: STRICTLY UNORTHODOX

Fresh from a run of shows Off Broadway, “the U.K.’s only strictly orthodox Jewish stand-up comedian” takes to the road for what is billed as the first-ever stand-up show about life as a charedi, or a strictly orthodox Jew. Blaker, a former TV writer and producer who helped Matt “I’m the only gay in the village” Lucas develop Little Britain mines the funny about Jewish holidays, orthodox interactions with other people, particularly those of the opposite sex, and the worldwide Jewish obsession with sushi, among other topics. No word on if he has anything gay to say. Sunday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 202-408-3100 or visit www.sixthandi.org.

ANJALI TANEJA

Equally influenced by Sam Cooke and Ravi Shankar, this D.C. native singer-songwriter aims to infuse R&B and pop music with Bollywood rhythms to bring the sounds of her heritage to a wider audience. A recent graduate of Princeton University who sings in Hindi, Punjabi, French, and English, Taneja gets a chance to showcase her musical efforts at Strathmore as part of a series of concerts featuring the 2019 class of the organization’s esteemed program Artists in Residence.

Grammy-nominated Christylez Bacon, The Voice contestant Owen Danoff, and Prince- and Stevie Wonder-collaborator Frédéric Yonnet are just three of the 80-plus young musicians who have been mentored through the program since 2005.

Wednesday, Feb. 13, and Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m. The Mansion, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Tickets are $17. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

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FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight ALASKA IS A DRAG

Leo is an aspiring drag superstar stuck working in a fish cannery in Alaska who takes up boxing as a self-protective hobby in Shaz Bennett’s darkly comic, literal fish-out-of-water tale that evolves into a mystery about why Leo and his twin sister Tristen — played by Martin L. Washington and Maya Washington — are stuck in Alaska. Originally a short that was a festival-circuit favorite, Bennett expanded the work into a full-length feature through a successful crowdfunding campaign. The film screens as part of Reel Affirmations’ monthly Xtra series hosted by Rayceen Pendarvis of The Ask Rayceen Show. Friday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Tickets are $12, or $25 for VIP seating as well as one complimentary cocktail, beer or wine and popcorn. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www.thedccenter.org.

ESTELLE

”I’ve felt so much love and acceptance, it’s overwhelming,” Estelle told Metro Weekly in 2012. ”[And] gay people, it’s a whole different level.” The love has only grown stronger since then, especially after her guest-starring turn as a duet partner with Jussie Smollett on Fox’s Empire, performing her hit “Conqueror.” The Grammywinning British soul singer tours in support of Lovers Rock, a well-realized album of original contemporary reggae songs. Sunday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.

Tickets are $29.50. Call 703-5497500 or visit www.birchmere.com.

THE FOOD OF LOVE - ROMANTIC RENAISSANCE MUSIC

Songs about food, drink, and love from French and Italian Renaissance composers are the pre-Valentine’s Day toast

by The Folger Consort, performing in the acoustically rich Washington National Cathedral. The acclaimed vocal ensemble Les Canards Chantants will make its Washington debut by joining the consort and the viol consort Arcadia Viols, who will also play “table music” for strings, including selections from Schein’s Banchetto Musicale, written to accompany dinner in the sophisticated courts of Germany.

Robert Aubry Davis, host of WETA’s Around Town, will lead a discussion (included in the ticket price) with the consort’s Robert Eisenstein and other performers 90 minutes before the first performance. Friday, Feb. 8, and Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 to $60. Call 202-537-2228 or visit www.nationalcathedral.org.

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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ALICIA J. ROSE

Out On The Town

BOB MOULD BAND

It’s been two years since the post-punk/alt-rock legend last gave a concert in D.C., where Mould lived at the turn of the 21st century. He returns to his old stomping grounds and the former home of Blowoff, the popular monthly gay bear party he threw with Rich Morel, which now serves to kick off a tour in support of Sunshine Rock, his new solo album set for release Friday, Feb. 8. If that all sounds happier and sweeter than you’d expect from Mould, there’s also the fact that his return comes on Valentine’s Day, no less. It turns out Mould has drawn more inspiration from the positive things he’s seen living in Berlin the past few years than he has by all the negative news and developments from Trump’s America. And that, as they say, is all to the good. Titus Andronicus opens. Thursday, Feb. 14. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit www.930.com.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM CASABLANCA

What is billed as the most popular and enduring screen romance of all time returns to the big screen as part of the Capital Classics series at Landmark’s West End Cinema. The 1943 Oscar-winning drama, directed

by Michael Curtiz (Mildred Pierce) and set in the throes of World War II, stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Wednesday, Feb. 13, 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.

DIRTY DANCING

In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, Fathom Events brings back to the big screen the wildly successful 1987 romantic comedy starring Jennifer Grey and the late Patrick Swayze. Sunday, Feb. 10, and Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 4 and 7 p.m. Area theaters including Regal

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venues at Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW), Potomac Yards Stadium (3575 Jefferson Davis Highway), and Ballston Common (671 N. Glebe Road). Visit www.fathomevents.com.

PRINCESA

Joshua Vogelsong, aka drag performer/punk rocker Donna Slash, continues the queer Screen Queen series at the 35-seat, living-room cozy Suns Cinema in Mount Pleasant. Films in February offer some of the most raw and brutally honest stories about trans experiences, including Pedro Almodovar’s All About My Mother and Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game. On Monday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m., the series screens Henrique Goldman’s sensitive portrayal from 2001 of a maleto-female transgendered youth who flees her small Brazilian hometown and moves to Milan, Italy to pursue sexual reassignment surgery. As played by Ingrid de Souza, Fernanda turns to sex work to earn a living, eventually falling for one of her johns a la Pretty Woman — a married

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

man, played by Cesare Bocci, who offers to pay for her surgery, and even promises to leave his wife for her. Of course, such a scenario isn’t likely in real life, much less a grittily realistic Italian- and Portugueselanguage drama about as far from a Hollywood rom-com as they come.

Patrons can enjoy snacks, including fresh offerings from Suns’ vintage popcorn machine, as well as drinks from the full-service bar, which will remain open afterwards to encourage post-show discussion. 3107 Mount Pleasant St. NW. Tickets are $5. Visit www.sunscinema.com.

the fanfare theme that Korngold wrote for Kings Row, in addition to heightening the power of this dark and cynical film about tornof-the-20th century America, also served as a direct inspiration for John Williams and the main theme for 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. Thursday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. Pickford Theater in the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Tickets are free but required. Call 202-7075502 or visit www.loc.gov.

KINGS ROW

Landmark's E Street Cinema presents 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, Feb. 8, and Saturday, Feb. 9, at midnight.

Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

The Library of Congress screens this 1942 drama by Sam Wood, based on Henry Bellamann’s novel, that starred Ronald Reagan in what many — including the former president himself — considered to be his best onscreen role.

The screening comes as part of the series “The Film Music of Erich Korngold,” honoring one of the earliest and most influential composers in the history of Hollywood. And

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

SHERVIN LAINEZ

THE SUNDAY SESSIONS

JAZZ WITH A SIDE OF VEGETABLES

Cabaret artist and outspoken vegetarian Nellie McKay prepares for her Kennedy Center solo debut.

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T’S BETTER TO EAT A SALAD IN A HUMMER THAN A BURGER IN A PRIUS,” SAYS Nellie McKay, repeating an adage she once heard. “I’m not encouraging anyone to get a Hummer — I mean, just aesthetically.” What she is encouraging is for people to “account for taking care of your own backyard and those closer to you. If you want to fight the destruction of the planet, if you want to preserve the planet, look at what's on your plate.” She’s not just using that term figuratively. A longstanding animal rights activist, McKay is a vegetarian who fills her plate with plant-based foods for the obvious moral, ethical, and humane reasons, but also for the sake of the environment.

“The number one cause of climate change is animal agriculture — because not only does it put out an incredible amount of emissions, more than all global transport combined, but it's the leading cause of deforestation and of the creation of ocean dead zones. It's not just that we're pumping so much into the atmosphere, it's that we're eliminating those natural resources that would absorb the carbon back.”

Perhaps you don’t expect such well-informed and well-reasoned analysis from a singer-songwriter — if so, though, you don’t know McKay. The jazz and cabaret artist’s sweet demeanor and soprano are burnished by a sly style and sharp intellect. Over the course of an eclectic 15-year career, the 36-year-old has released seven studio albums, made select forays into acting on stage and screen, and developed and performed musical tributes to feminist trailblazers including Joan Rivers, environmentalist Rachel Carson, and transgender jazz artist Billy Tipton.

“Keep on trucking — that’s enough for me,” McKay says, when asked about plans for her future. “You never know with show business. Really, you never know in life — nice surprises can come along, like this Renée Fleming thing.”

That “thing” is renowned lyric soprano Fleming tapping McKay for Renée Fleming VOICES, her solo cabaret series at the Kennedy Center. As a longtime admirer, McKay is honored to be making her solo debut at the KenCen via Fleming. She plans to perform a mix of selections from her repertoire — likely including “Cupcake,” her rather zany pro-marriage equality anthem from 2006. “I like to perform that,” she says. “It's upbeat, [and] it doesn't sound like any other song.”

She vows there will be minimal non-music, in-between banter: “In the show, I try to limit the talky talky. I entertain.” —Doug Rule Nellie McKay performs Friday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m., in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

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FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Filmmaker Richard Yeagley’s emotional and psychological drama chronicles two years of a young man’s struggle to change his sexual identity to better fall in line with the conservative Christian convictions of his upbringing. Yeagley, who previously profiled Mike Rowe of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs in The Tradesmen: Making an Art of Work, was given unfettered access to private conversion therapy sessions for this intimate portrait of Nathan. The documentarian joins for a discussion after The Sunday Sessions screening. Sunday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. Baltimore. Tickets are $10 in advance, or $13 at the door. Call 410-276-1651 or visit www.creativealliance.org.

STAGE ADMISSIONS

Studio Theatre presents the latest work from the playwright responsible for Bad Jews, the most successful production in the company’s history.

This time, Joshua Harmon has white liberals in his crosshairs, offering a no-holds-barred look at privilege, power, and the perils of whiteness, all set at a New Hampshire boarding school. Mike Donahue directs Meg Gibson and Kevin Kilner as a husband-and-wife duo who are the boarding school’s proudly progressive leaders. Yet their hard-fought, years-long work to diversify the school’s mostly white population runs somewhat counter to their own private efforts to get their son into an Ivy League university. With Sarah Marshall, Marni Penning, and Ephraim Birney. To Feb. 17. Mead Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit www.studiotheatre.org.

CYRANO

An athletic, commedia dell’arte retelling of Edmond Rostand’s world-famous story that, in true Synetic Theater fashion, is also wordless — brought to the stage

by Vato Tsikurishvili, the son of Synetic’s founders in his directorial debut. Cyrano revolves around the plight of Cyrano de Bergerac, a brilliant poet and soldier who decides to woo his beloved Roxane with the help of his charismatic and confident friend Christian. What could possibly go wrong? In previews, opens Saturday, Feb. 9. To March 10. 1800 South Bell St., Arlington.

Tickets are $20. Call 800-811-4111 or visit www.synetictheater.org.

JEFFREY

In the coming years, it’s quite possible playwright Paul Rudnick will become best known as the book writer for the long-brewing musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, working alongside composer

world premiere workshop production, part of Mosaic’s 18th annual Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival. Now to Feb. 17. Lang Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $35. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

COURTESY OF THE COMPANY

SUBMISSION

NATIONAL BALLET OF CHINA: RAISE THE RED LANTERN

This distinguished company, renowned for its hybrid of western ballet and Chinese culture, returns for the first time since the Kennedy Center’s Festival of China in 2005 to perform an award-winning, evening-length work based on the powerful 1999 film. Raise The Red Lantern is a powerful story of love and jealousy, focused on the haunting, tragic tale of a concubine who must compete for her master’s favoritism over a rival. Adapted by acclaimed director Zhang Yimou working with choreographers Wang Xinpeng and Wang Yuanyuan, the production includes traditional cheongsam outfits, elements of shadow puppet theater and Chinese opera, and mesmerizing melodies performed to live accompaniment from the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and guest musicians. The performances come as the cornerstone of the Kennedy Center’s fourth annual Lunar New Year Celebration. First performance is Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. To Feb. 16. Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $99. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

Elton John. Yet it’s hard to imagine anything making as indelible a mark, at least among its target audience, as his breakthrough, Jeffrey. A notable early “comedy about AIDS,” Jeffrey was anything but an easy sell in the early 1990s during the worst of the AIDS epidemic. Yet once it found an audience in a tiny theater Off Off Broadway, it quickly became a sensation — so much so, in fact, Rudnick adapted the work for the screen, scoring a hit indie film in 1995. The Obie Award-winning play is about a gay actor and waiter who swears off sex for fear of contracting HIV — only to fall for an HIV-positive man. The Rainbow Theatre Project gives the romantic comedy new life in a different era.

The cast includes Rinaldo Martinez, Reginald Richard, Matthew Pauli, Randyn Fullard, Emily Levey, Craig Houk, Joshua Street, and Rick Westerkamp. Robert Mintz directs.

To Feb. 10. District of Columbia Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets are $35 plus service fees.

Call 202-462-7833 or visit www. rainbowtheatreproject.org.

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NELL GWYNN

A darling of the Restoration theater becomes the mistress of King Charles II in Nell Gwynn, Jessica Swale’s heartwarming and hilarious portrait of a rare woman from the 17th century, originally commissioned by Shakespeare’s Globe and the recipient of the 2016 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Alison Luff heads a cast that includes Regina Aquino, Christopher Dinolfo, Catherine Flye, Quinn Franzen, Michael Glenn, and R.J. Foster as King Charles II. Musicians Kevin Collins and Zoe Speas will bring to live the original music composed by Kim Sherman. Robert Richmond directs.

To March 10. Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $42 to $79. Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

PHILOSOPHUS

Colin Speer Crowley’s screwball farce features mad Germans, fancy Frenchmen, and “a secret in a suitcase.” Stan Levin directs a Best

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Medicine Rep Theatre production starring Terence Aselford, Terence Heffernan, Rebecca A. Herron, John Morogiello, and Khaleshia Thorpe-Price. Now to Feb. 24.

Lakeforest Mall - Second Floor, 701 Russell Ave., Gaithersburg. Tickets are $20 to $25. Visit www.bestmedicinerep.org.

SHAME 2.0 (WITH COMMENTS FROM THE POPULACE)

The challenges that two actors — one Israeli, the other Palestinian — faced while staging the embattled world premiere of the play The Return is the central focus of a provocative theatrical interrogation of censorship, loyalty, intimidation, and resistance. Mosaic Theater’s Ari Roth leads an adaptation of this work of documentary theater by Einat Weizman with Morad Hassan that incorporates performance excerpts, the actors’ testimonies, social media messages, and telephoned threats. John Vreeke directs Colleen Delany, Lynette Rathnam, and Hassan in A

Now in its 30th anniversary season, SCENA Theatre presents the U.S. premiere of a work based on French author Michel Houellebecq’s bestselling novel that imagines a Muslim political party winning the 2022 French presidential election with support from Europe’s Socialist party. Robert McNamara directs the thought-provoking dystopian satire, which mixes fictional characters with real French politicians, including Le Pen and François Hollande, depicted as capitulating to the Muslim Brotherhood as it seizes power and implements Sharia law.

David Johnson, Ron Litman, Stacy Whittle, Kim Curtis, Greg Ongao, and Colin Davies comprise the cast for this darkly comic drama. To Feb. 10. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.scenatheatre.org.

THE BALTIMORE WALTZ

The queer-identified playwright Paula Vogel’s wry fantastical farce about a brother and sister on a European odyssey gets the Keegan treatment in a production directed by the company’s artistic director Susan Marie Rhea. When it premiered in 1992, the New York Times called the show “a crazy-quilt patchwork of hyperventilating language, erotic jokes, movie kitsch that spins before the audience in Viennese waltz time, replete with a dizzying fall.” With Michael Innocenti, Brianna Letourneau, and Ray Ficca. To Feb. 9. 1742 Church St. NW. Call 202-265-3767 or visit www.keegantheatre.com.

THE HEIRESS

Arena Stage’s Deputy Artistic Director Seema Sueko directs a new production, staged in the round, of this classic thriller suggested by the Henry James novel Washington Square and focused on a 19th-century young woman’s journey to find her voice. Laura C. Harris portrays Catherine Sloper while Jonathan David Martin is her possible suitor in a production also featuring Lise Bruneau, Lorene Chesley, Janet Hayatshahi, Nancy Robinette, Kimberly Schraf, James Whalen, and Nathan Whitmer.

Previews begin Friday, Feb. 8.

Opens Thursday, Feb. 14. To March 10. In the round in the Fichandler Stage, Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $40 to $95. Call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org.

Lopez and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz. Sunday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. All Souls Church, Unitarian, 1500 Harvard St. NW. Free, but registration required. Call 202-332-5266 or visit www.washingtonperformingarts.org.

STAN BAROUH

LEON FLEISHER & FRIENDS: A 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

ONCE

One of those quiet, understated shows that will sneak up and surprise you, Once deservedly won a whopping eight Tony Awards in 2012. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s romantic folk rock score is what surprises you most about the show, featuring a book by celebrated Irish playwright Enda Walsh and based on John Carney’s small indie film from 2006. The focus is on a man and a woman who make hauntingly beautiful music — which is all the more powerful because their songs express their love for each other in a way that the two, each already in complicated relationships, never fully realize otherwise. Gregory Maheu and Malinda Kathleen Reese lead a large cast of actors playing their own instruments in an Olney Theatre Center production directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, with music director Christopher Youstra serving as the show’s emcee.

In previews, opens Saturday, Feb. 9. To March 10. Mainstage, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org.

THREE SISTAHS

Chekhov meets gospel, rhythm & blues, bebop, and funk in a musical set at the height of the civil rights and anti-war movements 50 years ago. MetroStage presents its fourth revival of a show it calls an “iconic favorite” across its 35 seasons, this time with Roz White, KaraTameika Watkins, and Ayana Reed as the three strong women reflecting on their lives. Thomas W. Jones II returns to direct his own book and lyrics, with a story by Janet Pryce inspired by Chekhov. Music

by William Hubbard. To Feb. 24.

1201 North Royal St., Alexandria.

Tickets are $55. Call 800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.

TWELVE ANGRY MEN

Tensions run high as a lone juror argues the innocence of a teenager accused of murder in Reginald Rose’s sizzling drama. The play ignites a conversation about how prejudice obstructs the quest for justice. Sheldon Epps directs Erik King, Christopher Bloch, Michael Russotto, Craig Wallace, Elan Zafir, and Paz López. To Feb. 17. Ford’s

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Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $17 to $64; those ages 35 and under can use code UNDER3519 for discounted tickets to select weeknight performances. Call 800-9822787 or visit www.fords.org.

MUSIC BALTIMORE SYMPHONY FEATURING PAUL HUANG

Huang, the young TaiwaneseAmerican violinist and the 2017 winner of the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists takes center stage to perform Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto, a work said to require tons of technical skill exuding Russian Romanticism with a touch of Gershwin. With Markus Stenz leading the BSO, the program also features Mozart’s muchloved Symphony No. 40 in G Minor and Beethoven’s trilling Leonore Overture No. 3. Friday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m.

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Also Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $90. Call 410-783-8000 or visit www.bsomusic.org.

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

ELIZABETH RACHEVA, ANAMER CASTRELLO, JOSE SACIN: PROMISED LANDS? OF LEAVING AND LONGING

Washington Performing Arts presents a free afternoon of song and spoken word featuring soprano and curator Racheva, mezzo-soprano Anamer Castrello, and baritone Sacin accompanied by pianist Lester Green, double bass player Bruce Rosenblum, plus students from All Souls Unitarian Church and GALA Hispanic Theatre’s Paso Nuevo Youth Program. Helen Aberger serves as stage director for this wide-ranging, multi-language cabaret featuring songs by Alvarez, Bernstein, Friedman, Guastavino, Laitman, Lecuona, Sierra, and Wolf, all focused on a theme of migration or on notions of home, yearning, displacement, and hope. Part of the Mars Urban Arts Initiative, a creative platform for local artists supported by the Mars candy empire, the concert is also part of a season-long, multi-genre series about the Latinx experience culminating with the March premiere of Dreamers by composer Jimmy

The Kennedy Center hosts a celebratory concert presented by Washington Performing Arts for the esteemed pianist and pedagogue, who will toast 90 years of life by performing solo and as part of a lineup that includes his protégé, Jonathan Biss, the Dover Quartet, and Rachel Cain, plus the promise of surprise guests offering birthday wishes. The program includes the performance of works by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Kirchner, plus a Q&A with Washington Post chief classical music critic Anne Midgette, who co-authored Fleisher’s memoir My Nine Lives.

Saturday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Terrace Theater. Tickets are $65.

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

METRIC

The Toronto-based synth-pop/rock quartet, led by singer-songwriter Emily Haines, are stadium-filling rock stars in Canada. Yet south of the border — when not opening for the likes of Imagine Dragons, Smashing Pumpkins, or Paramore anyway — Metric is generally as little known as its namesake measurement system and confined to smaller, more intimate venues.

They return to the Fillmore Silver Spring in support of Art of Doubt as part of a tour with Mexican rock band Zoé and fellow Canadian act July Talk, from which $1 of all tickets sold will go toward the fight against climate change through the Plus1 organization. Friday, Feb. 15.

Doors at 6:30 p.m. 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $38.

Call 301-960-9999 or visit www. fillmoresilverspring.com.

NEWMYER FLYER’S LOVE SONGS: THE BEATLES VOL. 6

A wide array of talented pop vocalists from around the area are brought together to perform from the Fab Four’s epic catalog of songs celebrating love in its many forms, in what is billed as “a dream date for Valentine's,” albeit an early one. The sixth iteration of this concert, presented by the production company Newmyer Flyer, led by BandHouse Gigs co-founder Ron Newmyer, features Newmeyer along with Todd Wright, Cal Everett, Tom Lofgren along with the Lofgren Brothers (Mike and Mark, but not Nils of the E Street Band), Holly Montgomery, Caz Gardiner, Dusty Rose, Alan MacEwen, the alt-country/roots rock band 40 Dollar Fine, Edward O'Connell, Brian Goddard, Dave

Egelhofer, Chuck Sullivan, and Ronnie Smith. Saturday, Feb. 9.

Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $75. Call 202-787-1000 or visit www.thehamiltondc.com.

ROB KAPILOW: MENDELSSOHN’S OCTET

Washington Performing Arts co-presents with Smithsonian Associates the latest lecture and performance in the “What Makes It Great?” series from this former NPR music commentator who channels Leonard Bernstein in both explaining and performing a great musical masterpiece or body of work in one sitting. The focus this time is on the 19th century German Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn, whose youthful exuberance and contrapuntal sophistication is stamped all over his ever-popular Octet in E-Flat Major, written when the prodigy was all of 16. Through the usual three-part format, Kapilow’s discussion is followed by the octet for double string quartet performed in its entirety by faculty and students of the University of Maryland School of Music, and the program concludes with a Q&A between the audience and the performers. Sunday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m.

Baird Auditorium at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-6333030 or visit www.washingtonperformingarts.org.

SARAH SHOOK & THE DISARMERS

Pearl Street Warehouse welcomes back the self-defined “vegan, bisexual, atheist mom in a country band from the south.” A North Carolinabased singer-songwriter who grew up home-schooled in a strict religious family, Shook tours with her band the Disarmers in support of Years, which focuses on overcoming challenges and getting people to listen to and understand those who may be different from themselves. The Brooklyn-based rock band National Reserve perform as special guests at a concert also part of the programming slate of the Smithsonian Year of Music.

Wednesday, Feb. 13. Doors at 7 p.m. Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. Tickets are $15, or $30 for VIP mezzanine seats. Call 202-380-9620 or visit www.pearlstreetwarehouse.com.

VERONNEAU

The intimate cabaret venue Amp by Strathmore presents a “Valentine’s Day done right” concert featuring this Wammie-winning international jazz fusion quartet, led by local lovebirds vocalist Lynn Veronneau and guitarist Ken Avis, performing with special guests percussionist Bruno Lucini and violinist Dave Kline. Veronneau will perform from

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its third set Love & Surrender, a multilingual collection of originals and standards from around the world in a melange of uptempo genres, from swing to samba to gypsy. Amp will also serve from a special Valentine’s Day food and cocktail menu for the evening. Thursday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $25 to $45.

Call 301-581-5100 or visit www. ampbystrathmore.com.

WE ARE THE 9

Folk-rock singer-songwriter Justin Trawick formed the 9 Songwriters Series a dozen years ago partly as a way to help book more shows and perform at more venues, but also to foster greater collaboration among fellow local musicians.

The collaborative’s next showcase of nine acts comes as part of the Smithsonian Year of Music series and features Trawick, Abby Sevcik, Louisa Hal, L Elena Lacayo, Denise Henderson, Maureen Andary, Vim and Vigor, Laurel Halsey, and Tyler and Megan. Each will perform from their respective repertoires as well as collaborate on tunes they only heard minutes before. Friday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m. City Winery DC, 1350 Okie St. NE. Tickets are $15. Call 202-250-2531 or visit www.citywinery.com.

WOLF TRAP OPERA, WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA: MARTIN’S LE VIN HERBÉ

Antony Walker conducts Ian Koziara as Tristan and Shannon Jennings as Iseut la Blonde in this co-presentation of two local opera companies and a rare modern retelling of the classic Tristan and Isolde story. This concert staging of Swiss composer Frank Martin’s Le vin herbé stars 10 Wolf Trap Opera alumni. Saturday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m.

The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $35 to $75. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www.wolftrap.org.

DANCE ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER: AILEY AT 60 TOUR

The celebrated dance company returns to the Kennedy Center, performing three different mixed-repertory programs, all designed to celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary — and all ending, per tradition, with Revelations, the masterpiece by the company’s namesake, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1989. On Friday, Feb. 8, and Saturday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m., comes Lazarus, a two-act ballet that

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

the Kennedy Center co-commissioned from hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris and drawing inspiration from Ailey’s life and legacy.

On Sunday, Feb. 10, at 1:30 p.m., comes Program B featuring: Kairos, an inventive contemporary ballet from iconoclastic British choreographer Wayne McGregor played out to Max Richter’s reimagining of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons; The Call, a joyous and rousing mix of modern and African dance by New York’s famous African-American choreographer Ronald K. Brown and set to recordings by Yo-Yo Ma, Mary Lou Williams, and Asase Yaa Entertainment Group; and Juba, an original work from the company’s artistic director Robert Battle set to an original score by John Mackey that is touted as “a modern-day “Rite of Spring” with an abstract twist — an electrifying thrill ride through ritual and folk tradition.”

Finally on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 9, at 1:30 p.m., comes “Timeless Ailey,” a program of more than a dozen treasures from Ailey’s rich body of work, including highlights of seldom-seen gems Blues Suite, Hidden Rites, and The Lark Ascending, and perennial favorites such as Love Songs, Night Creature, and Cry. Opera House. Tickets are $59 to $219. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

DISSONANCE DANCE THEATRE: REWIND 2 FAST FWRD

Founded and led by choreographer Shawn Short, the D.C.-based Dissonance heads up to Baltimore to perform a mixed-bill evening.

Presented on the campus of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the program includes popular works from past Dissonance seasons, including Walk With Me, Gospel Suite, Bleak, and Love Is My Game, along with three works in their season premiere: Home, So Cold, and Twitch. Sunday, Feb. 10, at 5 p.m. Proscenium Theatre in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore. Tickets are $15 to $25.

Call 410-455-2917 or visit www. ddtdc.org.

COMEDY CHRISTIAN FINNEGAN

A regular performer at the DC Improv, the stand-up veteran is also an accomplished TV writer and performer — known from Chappelle’s Show, The Jim Gaffigan Show, and as one of cable TV’s first great “talking head” comedians, not to mention many appearances on MSNBC’s former Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Finnegan returns to give a true Valentine to the DC Improv, where he’ll record his new album over the course of two shows on a certain date, with assist

from two comics, the local lesbian Chelsea Shorte and Kasha Patel.

Thursday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are $25, plus a two-item minimum. Call 202-296-7008 or visit www.dcimprov.com.

SUPER SPECTACULAR COMEDY SHOW FOR THE FURLOUGHED

Grassroots Comedy DC offers another night of comedy with a cause at Kramerbooks. For the month of February, some of the region’s best comics have been recruited to mine laughter from the recent government shutdown, or what organizers of the event characterized as “one of the most destructive man baby temper tantrums of all time.” Proceeds from the show will benefit the Capital Area Food Bank and its Hunger Lifeline, an emergency food assistance referral service for area residents in need that, you can imagine, has been overwhelmed with requests from federal employees over the past month. Friday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m. Kramerbooks, 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are $12 in advance, or $15 at the door (if available). Call 202-387-1400 or visit kramers.com.

ART & EXHIBITS NIGHT: STRATHMORE JURIED EXHIBITION

Strathmore’s 28th annual juried exhibition called on artists to submit works exploring the beauty, mystery, and phobic qualities of the hours from dusk to dawn. The resulting works include representational and abstract approaches, from literal depictions in the dark of night, to subconscious meanderings about night as metaphor and symbol. Among the 79 nocturnally inspired artists represented — selected via a blind process overseen by Adah Rose Bitterbaum of the Adah Rose Gallery and Erwin Timmers of the Washington Glass Studio and School — the lineup includes: Winifred Anthony, Michaela Borghese, Christopher Buoscio, Tory Cowles, Arnold d’Epagnier, CinCin Fang, Bill Firestone, Richard Foa, Julie Gross, Rebecca Hirsh, Glen Kessler, Lara Knutson, Robert LeMar, Larry Marc Levine, Timothy Lynch, Bruce Morgan, Irina Parshikova, Rawligh Sybrant, Nahid Tootoonchi, Carol Ward, Andrew Wodzianski, and Alexey Zoob. On display through Feb. 17.

First Floor Galleries in the Mansion, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org. l

theFeed

SHOW OF FORCE

Megan Winters accepted an invite to Trump’s State of the Union to “put a face” to transgender service members. By John Riley

F

OR NAVAL PETTY OFFICER MEGAN WINTERS, lives, told Metro Weekly in an interview Tuesday night that military service is a tradition. “My father was in the he was proud of Winters’ service and wanted to highlight service, in the Army, and I genuinely wanted to follow her accomplishments and courage. in his footsteps in serving my country,” says the 30-year-old, “She’s been a top notch sailor,” McEachin said. “It’s who serves aboard the Naval aircraft carrier CVN-77, a.k.a. important people know that folks just like Megan want to the USS George W. Bush, based out of Naval Station Norfolk serve and protect their country. We need to educate the pubin Norfolk, Va. lic and let them know that people from all sorts of different “The Navy core values of honor, courage and commit- backgrounds and orientations and identities are standing ment is something I can really relate alone and watching the watch and to,” she says. “That truly sits with me protecting our nation. Any young every single day of my service. I genuperson who is physically able to meet inely feel those core values stand fast the rigors of U.S. military service with me. I have honor, I have courought to be allowed to serve.” age, and I am committed to serving McEachin maintains that the my country.” arguments used to justify the push for On Tuesday night, Winters, an a ban on transgender service memactive-duty transgender service members ring hollow. ber, was invited by U.S. Rep. Don “I’ve never had a constituent come McEachin (D-Va.) to attend President up to me and say, ‘Hey, i think you’re Trump’s State of the Union Address, wrong on this issue,'” he says. “Most where she hoped her presence would folks who are against trans soldiers draw attention to President Trump’s and sailors are homophobic to begin proposal to discharge transgender with, and it’s that homophobia we service members who have been diaghave to get them past. nosed with gender dysphoria or have “‘Equality under the law’ means undergone a gender transition. that people who want to serve our Winters is one of the plaintiffs nation should be allowed to do that,” in Karnoski v. Trump, one of four he adds. “The ironic thing about this lawsuits challenging the proposed is that it wasn’t too long ago that transgender ban. Under the Trump they were saying this about African—Naval Petty Officer administration, the Pentagon has Americans: that we’d disrupt unit Megan Winters been pushing to implement a ban, cohesion, that an integrated Armed arguing that the presence of transgenForces would ultimately hurt our der soldiers disrupts unit cohesion, security. We’ve seen it do anything hampers the ability of units to deploy overseas at a moment’s but that. The unit will always adapt to the circumstances it’s notice, and poses a significant financial burden by requiring presented with. What we need to do is have policymakers Americans to pay for costly treatments for gender dysphoria. who can adapt.”

Winters says she’s grateful to the congressman for Winters, for her part, doesn’t want to be seen as asking extending the invitation to her, and hopes her presence at for “special rights,” as some anti-LGBTQ advocates often the State of the Union, in uniform, will help dispel miscon- claim. ceptions and myths about transgender service members.

“Honestly, I’d love for the fact to be known that transShe adds that support for transgender service shouldn’t be gender service members are just qualified Americans who a partisan issue. want to serve,” she says. “We abide by the same regulations “Honestly, I don’t stand to the left or to the right. I’m a as everyone else. … We don’t want to be treated differently. I service member who raised my hand to defend the country,” raise my right hand just like my brothers and sisters next to she says. “And I basically just want to put a face to the many me, and to call me something less than another standing next active-duty transgender service members, approximately to me is difficult to hear.

15,000 of us, and make it known we are doing our job, abid“I’m not a social experiment, I’m not a burden, and I’m ing by the standards that are set for us.” not an expense,” Winters adds. “I’m a service member who McEachin, who represents the district where Winters just happens to be transgender.” l

“I’m not a social experiment, I’m not a burden, and I’m not an expense. I’m a service member who just happens to be transgender.”

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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theFeed

NATIONAL HEALTH

Whitman-Walker to participate in national research project on transgender health care. By John Riley

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HITMAN-WALKER HEALTH WILL PARTICIpate in a national research project to better understand and address the health needs of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.

Known as the "Four Corners: TGNC Health Research Advisory Network," the project, funded by the PatientCentered Outcomes Research Institute, will establish an advisory network that will connect community members, researchers, and clinicians from across the United States to share information and establish best practices for patient-centered research projects focusing on transgender-specific health concerns.

In addition to Whitman-Walker, participating organizations include Howard Brown Health, a Chicago-based organization specializing in HIV and LGBTQ-related health care which is leading the initiative; the Los Angeles LGBT Center; and the Houston-based Legacy Community Health.

The four organizations currently serve more than 10,000 transgender or gender-nonconforming patients.

"With the goal of improving health and wellness outcomes for all who identify on the gender spectrum, this research collaboration will establish foundational standards for methods, recruitment, and protocols when conducting transgender and non-binary-focused health studies," Dr. Deborah Goldstein, the director of clinical research and evaluation at Whitman-Walker Health, said in a statement.

"We are excited by the opportunity for our patients to develop research priorities as we work to better understand the health needs of transgender and non-binary communities."

Andie Baker, vice president at Howard Brown Health's Center for Education, Research, and Advocacy, said in a statement that Four Corners will “establish a new standard in transgender research.”

Baker added: "The ground-breaking partnership will ensure new research that addresses what transgender

and gender-nonconforming people need to make healthcare more relevant to their lived experience. This is urgently needed, as the transgender and gender-nonconforming community experiences disproportionate health disparities."

According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, nearly 1 in 4 transgender or gender-nonconforming respondents claimed they did not seek health care due to fear of being mistreated. Another one in three respondents did not seek out a health care provider because they could not afford it. Transgender people are also nine times more likely to attempt suicide in their lifetime than cisgender individuals.

Patients of the participating health centers who are transgender, gender-nonconforming, or nonbinary and are over the age of 18 who wish to participate as a member of the Four Corners advisory network are invited to apply. Those who sign up must make a two-year-commitment to the project, complete a 3-to-4-hour training in research ethics — for which they'll receive a certificate and a $100 stipend — and attend five Four Corners meetings. The application deadline is Mar. 8, 2019.

"I'm so excited to hear that these health centers are conducting research focused on the needs of the transgender and gender non-conforming community," says SaVanna Wanzer, a founder of Capital Trans Pride and the organization's "May Is? 'All About Trans'" initiative. "I hope this data will be shared with institutions like the CDC and NIH to encourage more funding for trans-related health care. This research will help us educate providers on the need for more medical care, mental health support, addiction services, and sexual health services for our community." l To apply to become a member of Four Corners' advisory network, download the application at www.howardbrown.org/ era/FourCorners.

CRUISE CONTROL

Gay D.C. men arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs onto Miami cruise ship. By John Riley

T

WO D.C. GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS WERE arrested for attempting to smuggle drugs onto a cruise ship in Miami on Sunday, reports The Miami Herald. Police claim the men had planned to sneak the drugs — including MDMA (also known as ecstasy), Adderall, GHB, Ketamine, and Viagra — onto the ship and sell them to passengers. Both men are gay, but police did not say which cruise ship they had planned to board.

Peter Melendez, 35, has been charged with conspiracy to traffic in illegal drugs and trafficking in illegal drugs. Robert Koehler, 27, has been charged with trafficking illegal drugs.

Police say they were tipped off by federal agents from Homeland Security about the men's plans, which Melendez and Koehler allegedly discussed via email on their govern20

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

ment-issued computers.

After the men were spotted by police trying to board the ship, a police dog sniffed out the drugs in their possession, which were found in Melendez's bag. According to the police report, officers confiscated 27 grams of MDMA, 18 grams of Ketamine, and 246 grams of GHB. Police claim both men admitted to transporting the drugs when they were interviewed.

Melendez was released on $7,500 bond, and Koehler on $30,000 bond, according to court records. Both are next scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment hearing before Judge Spencer Multack on Mar. 5.

The public defender listed as the attorney for both men did not return a request for comment as of press time. l

Community THURSDAY, FEB. 7

The DC Center holds a meeting of its ASIAN PACIFIC

ISLANDER QUEER SUPPORT GROUP. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION offers free

walk-in HIV testing by appointment from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m. at its Blair Underwood Wellness Center, 2141 K St. NW, and its AHF Healthcare Center, 4302 St. Barnabas Rd., Suite B, Temple Hills, Md., and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at its Benning Road location, 1647 Benning Rd. NE, Suite 300. For more information, visit www. hivcare.org.

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

DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s

gay and lesbian square-dancing

WARD MORRISON / FILE PH0TO

Join Team Rayceen and AIDS Healthcare Foundation Pharmacy for THE BLACK LGBTQ EXPERIENCE, an event commemorating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and promoting HIV testing and sexual health awareness. Co-hosted by Rayceen Pendarvis, Larry Miller of WUSA 9 and Beverly “Miss Chocolate” White and featuring performances from amateur live musicians, poets, and comedians, and music from DJ Heat. Admission is free. 6-8:30 p.m. Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW, First Floor Community Room.

For more information, visit TeamRayceen.eventbrite.com.

group, features mainstream through advanced square dancing at the National City Christian Church. Please dress casually. 7-9:30 p.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW. For more info, call 202-930-1058 or visit www. dclambdasquares.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

TAKING THE CAKE

Scarlet’s Bake Sale auctions off home-baked goods and assorted leather trinkets to raise money for worthy causes.

B

ECAUSE OF SCARLET’S BAKE SALE, BRUCE Forchheimer has become an expert on custom-made cakes. “I’ve seen bears, dolls, and even a cake that looked like a centaur,” says the co-chair of Scarlet’s Foundation, which hosts the annual bake sale and auction at the DC Eagle. “It runs from a simple round cake to those that are three or four feet tall with various tiers. There are even theme cakes. One of the Centaurs made a cake reenacting Olympia, their annual outdoor event.”

Last year, the bake sale raised $16,000, with proceeds benefitting the LGBTQ Fallen Heroes Fund. This year, the Scarlet’s Foundation will return to its roots and donate to longtime beneficiary Brother, Help Thyself, which provides financial support to local LGBTQ and HIV nonprofits.

Now in its 48th year, the event takes place on the Sunday prior to Valentine’s Day. Anyone is welcome to submit homemade cakes, which are auctioned off to the highest bidders, who then have the option of donating the cakes back to Scarlet’s so they can be auctioned off a second time. “One year, somebody brought in a chocolate sculpture that ended up going three times for over $1,000 each time,” says Forchheimer. Prizes will be given to the best cake submitted by an individual, the best club entry, best business entry, and the “director’s choice.”

Forchheimer says other items can also be auctioned off, such as vacation packages, special prizes, and, in past years, gear worn by Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather and International Mr. Leather titleholders.

While the foundation has not kept a record of the highest-grossing auction items, Forchheimer says that the highest the bake sale managed to garner in one year was $20,000. He believes the highest-grossing cake went for a couple of thousand dollars, and a jockstrap once went for a couple hundred.

“We get all sorts of cakes and prizes from the leather organizations, the motorcycle clubs, local businesses,” he says.

“Just about everybody participates, and they all try to outdo each other.” —John Riley Scarlet’s Bake Sale is Sunday, Feb. 10 from 1-8 p.m at The DC Eagle, 3701 Benning Rd NE. Items for auction will be accepted throughout the afternoon, with the auction kicking off at 5 p.m.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/scarlets.foundation.

practice. The team is always looking for new members.

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

THE DULLES TRIANGLES

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

For more information, visit www.dullestriangles.com.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

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

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, FEB. 8 GAMMA is a confidential, voluntary, peer-support group

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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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 discus-

sion and activity group for queer women, meets at The DC Center on the second and fourth Friday of each month. Group social activity to follow the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m.

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

SATURDAY, FEB. 9 ADVENTURING outdoors group

hikes 9 strenuous miles with 1900 feet of elevation gain to scenic overlooks in the northern section of Shenandoah National Park.

Bring beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, layered clothing, and about $20 for fees. Carpool at 8:30 a.m. from the East Falls Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. For more info, contact Peter, 202-302-9606, or visit www.adventuring.org.

DC RAWHIDES holds Country

Western/Square Dancing lessons and Open Dance for same-sex couples at Ziegfeld’s/Secrets. Lesson will last from 7-8 p.m. and then people will get a chance to practice.

Cover is $5 until 9 p.m. and $10 afterward. 7-10:30 p.m. 1824 Half St. SW. For more information, visit www.dcrawhides.com.

Sweat DC presents SWEAT FEST 2: CUPID’S REVENGE, a high-intensity interval training workout open to the public. The event will feature a live DJ, vendors, prizes, giveaways, and more. This event is free for members and costs $15 for friends. Bring workout gear and water bottle. 10:30 a.m. W Washington DC Hotel, 515 15th St. NW. For more information, visit www.sweatdc.com.

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.

SUNDAY, FEB. 10 CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

visits Glenstone, a new museum of contemporary art in Potomac, Md. Admission is free. Meet at 10:45

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FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

a.m. at Rockville Metro Station to take Ride-On bus to museum. For more information, contact Craig, 202-462-0535, or email craighowell1@verizon.net.

Weekly Events BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive and radically inclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, www.betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

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

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

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

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

DIGNITYUSA offers Roman

Catholic Mass for the LGBT community. All welcome. Sign interpreted. 6 p.m. St. Margaret’s Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.dignitywashington.org.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW. For more info, visit www.firstuccdc.org or call 202628-4317.

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes GLBT community for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.

Visit www.hopeucc.org.

HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT GROUP for gay men living in the

DC metro area. This group will be meeting once a month. For information on location and time, visit www.H2gether.com.

Join LINCOLN

CONGREGATIONAL TEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for

an inclusive, loving and progressive faith community every Sunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood. Visit www.lincolntemple.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led

by Rev. Emma Chattin. Children’s Sunday School, 11 a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax. For more info, call 703-691-0930 or visit www.mccnova.com.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, inclusive church with

GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional wor-

ship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW. For more info, call 202-232-0323 or visit www.nationalcitycc.org.

tional information, including the address of the house, contact Marin Kirk, marin@thedccenter.org.

ST. STEPHEN AND THE INCARNATION, an “interracial,

The DC Center holds a roundtable discussion as part of its COMING OUT DISCUSSION GROUP on the second Tuesday and fourth Thursday of each month. This group is for those navigating issues associated with coming out and personal identity. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

multi-ethnic Christian Community” offers services in English, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m. 1525 Newton St. NW. For more info, call 202-232-0900 or visit www.saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING

invites LGBTQ families and individuals of all creeds and cultures to join the church. Services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. 10309 New Hampshire Ave. For more info, visit www. uucss.org.

MONDAY, FEB. 11 The DC Center’s YOUTH WORKING GROUP meets on the second Monday of each month to discuss issues important to LGBTQ youth. 6-7 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

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

NOVASALUD offers free HIV test-

ing. 5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703789-4467.

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, FEB. 12 Join volunteers from The DC Center as they cook and serve a meal for LGBTQ homeless youth at the WANDA ALSTON HOUSE on the second Tuesday of each month.

7-8 p.m. To volunteer, and for addi-

The DC Center’s TRANS SUPPORT GROUP provides a space to talk for transgender people and those who identify outside of the gender binary. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13 Center Latinx hosts a meeting of the LATINX LGBTQI COALITION to discuss upcoming plans and issues important to the community.

7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, contact Danny at 202-682-2245 or danny. mendoza@thedccenter.org.

The DC Center hosts a GET

EMPOWERED! SELF-DEFENSE WORKSHOP on how to defend

yourself if you are verbally or physically harassed. Open to women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people ages 16 and up.

6:30-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. To register, or for more information, visit www.defendyourself.org.

The LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meets at the Dignity Center, across from the Marine Barracks, for Duplicate Bridge. No reservations needed.

Newcomers welcome. 7:30 p.m. 721 8th St. SE. Call 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

Weekly Events AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-

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

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

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

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

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

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Outside the Box Starting with Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell has built a career out of being unconventional. And he’s not about to stop now.

I

Interview by André Hereford

N THE 20-PLUS YEARS SINCE JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL and Stephen Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch introduced us to the “internationally ignored” East German songstress Hedwig, the fictional rocker has become a revered, if flawed, cult symbol for queer folk and outsiders everywhere.

Off and on Broadway, and thanks to a well-received film adaptation directed by Mitchell, the character, far from being ignored, has enjoyed international success, with a growing list of well-known actors who have donned the wig and makeup to play the role. Mitchell, of course, originated the part, but he and Hedwig have never shared a stage quite the way they do now on his The Origin of Love Tour: The Songs and Stories of Hedwig, which inches Friday onto the National Theatre stage.

In the musical, Hedwig told her story, but in The Origin of Love, it’s her creator who bares his heart. “It's not Hedwig talking,” says Mitchell of the cabaret-style performance. “It's me talking about where Hedwig came from, where we are now. The people behind the story. How it came about. How it affected some people. How it affected me.”

Mitchell also performs Hedwig’s transcendent songs, like “The Origin of Love” and “Midnight Radio,” while dressed in what he calls “a kind of meta-Hedwig outfit” designed by artist and costume designer Erik Bergrin.

“That's really just the sugar to attract the flies. Then we talk about real stuff, and we have a good time. It's a history of Hedwig, but it's also a pep rally for the feelings that hopefully came out of Hedwig, which were unity of the outsiders standing together to make things better. Not just to defend, but to actually share some love and empathy that is sadly missing.”

Mitchell plans to keep spreading the love when The Origin of Love Tour hits New York City this summer, timed to celebrate 50 years of Pride. And he’ll keep sharing his message of empathy with another upcoming project, Anthem: Homunculus, a musical podcast he created, co-wrote and stars in, opposite fellow Tony-winners Cynthia Erivo and Glenn Close.

Mitchell, who has appeared on several television series, from Girls to The Good Fight, and will soon return to TV in the Aidy Bryant-starring Hulu comedy Shrill, originally wrote Anthem as a TV series. But the musical political satire was rejected by the powers-that-be in L.A., he ventures, for being too weird.

“So I'm like, ‘Well, I'll make it as a podcast.’ Nothing is wasted. Nothing is regretted,” he says, sounding positively like an artist whose creative wheels never stop turning. “Sometimes I gotta make the money job, and then I do the 24

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

MICK ROCK

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love job. Sometimes the money job is the love job. Just as long as I'm doing the things I love. And you can find things to love even in your money jobs. There's a way to do that if you're not chasing money. If you're chasing money, and only trying to make money, there's gonna be much more unhappiness. You might be rich, or you might be whatever, but there's a hollowness to it. There always has to be a bit of a balance.”

METRO WEEKLY: What’s the status of Anthem: Homunculus?

JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL: It's

coming out on a new podcast network called Luminary that aims to be the Netflix of podcasts. Meaning they'll have all the free ones, and then they'll have 40 of their original ones.

And we are one of the first flagship original ones. It's a six-hour fictional podcast that isn’t really my new musical.

It’s about a lot of things. But is in the form of a crowdfunding telethon where a guy that I play has a brain tumor, no insurance, and is crowdfunding his treatment on an app. So he's doing a telethon to raise money to get an operation to get his tumor out. He's not famous, so he's hoping to go viral for his cancer.

MW: Which, of course, doesn't seem too far from something that might really happen.

MITCHELL: I know. Yes. Fucked up world.

MW: It would be fucked up if someone would need to do that to save their own life.

MITCHELL: Absolutely.

MW: But people stepping up to help them would be a good thing.

MITCHELL: It would. I mean, I hope it would also point to the priorities of our government, in the richest country in the world.

I'm doing The Origin of Love Tour, partially, to raise money for my mom's Alzheimer's care. Again, we don't seem to have much priority for our healthcare for old folks. She's from Scotland, and her Scottish relatives are horrified that there isn't help. So this is one of the reasons I'm doing the tour.

MW: I agree that healthcare seems a really low priority for this administration. In terms of actually making sure people have it, as opposed to just arguing about it.

MITCHELL: Yeah. Same with education, and a lot of things that are actually rights in other industrialized countries. We're squabbling about our basic citizens' needs, as opposed to providing them. We're squabbling about walls and wars. It's a strange situation we've been in for a long time.

MW: Well, for example, I just saw a video talking to some voters who basically kept coming back to, "That's their problem." As in, If you can't afford healthcare, that's your problem. So we have to change, I think, more than a policy.

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FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

MITCHELL: A lack of empathy.

MW: How do you feel Hedwig and this show addresses that lack of

empathy? Because I feel like she's the opposite of that. She's somebody who feels, and transmits feelings.

MITCHELL: She's also a deeply mutilated, damaged person forced into a gender reassignment by a kind of strange, binarchical political system, and a fucked up boyfriend. So there's a strange situation of being at the bottom of a barrel, in some ways, trying to feel. The character is quite cool in the piece to her own partner/backup singer and band. There's a strange vicious cycle happening of her having been abused, and, is this gonna be her life? Is she going to be a victim forever? And what's happened to her through her boyfriend, and mother, and father raping him as a little boy. All of that stuff could very well create someone who's obsessed with their victimhood. But through the music, through the rock 'n roll, through the telling of the story, there is a catharsis that happens at the end. A beginning of a kind of wholeness.

And when you think of yourself as a victim, one of the first things to go is empathy.

Digital culture, I think, can amplify that because you're suddenly behind screens, and you're even more alone. So you start screaming louder in the cyber world to be heard, and say, "I exist." And that can often happen in a very negative way. And screaming usually is calling people out. It's lashing out. It's, "I'm, here!" You know? "Fuck you! I'm here!"

Everyone's become a dangerous shut-in in this country, it seems. And it amplifies problems that, perhaps, aren't as large as they [seem]. I grew up in the '70s. There was more terrorism, there was more economic malaise, there was more distrust in government. Even than now.

There was division, but the way we heard about it was different.

So we were, perhaps, less anxious. Perhaps less -- there wasn't the 24-hour news cycle. There was at least an agreement there might be some objective facts, which has gone away, too.

MW: And the relentlessness changes it, too.

MITCHELL: Right. It never stops. The '70s was rough and paranoid, too, but there was a kind of cycle of breathing through it and going to the next thing. Now, you go from level 10 to 10 to 10. There's no pause. Anxiety’s the result.

MW: Is the musical style of Anthem also rock 'n roll?

MITCHELL: You know, it's very mixed. Even more eclectic than Hedwig. Bryan Weller and I wrote the songs. I focus on lyrics and melody, while he's the real musical genius. With Hedwig, it was all Stephen Trask writing the songs. In this case, we go from classical to folk rock to full-on R&B slow jam to, I don't

know, kind of crazy, waltzy circus music. There are 31 songs in this, and you cannot peg it. I grew up all over the world.

The idea of collage and eclecticism is built into my history as an actor, and an Army kid, and a queer kid. Queer people are internationalists. Borders are strange to us. We go into another country, go to a queer bar, something, you find your kin. Race, national origin don't make any difference. They just are spice to life. It's not defining. Even as a kid in high school, I remember writing an article for the school paper saying, "Why does everyone have to define themselves by their kind of music? Why do the stoners always have to listen to Zeppelin? Why can't they listen to Aretha?" Why do people have to separate themselves with the things that they consume? And I know it's a tribal thing, and I wanna belong, and I feel safe. But it felt very limiting. So, to me, eclecticism is always part of my deal.

MW: I also feel we need to mention that Cynthia Erivo is involved. She's pretty awesome.

What is she doing?

MITCHELL: Well, Cynthia plays the mother of my character's child. She and my character, and my character's boyfriend, who's played by a brilliant South African singer named Nakhane, who you have to check out. His album's about to come out here. Madonna's, in her vampiric way, grabbing him and holding him high right now. But he's as eclectic as anybody. He's a brilliant actor. He was in a film called The Wound, that was on the long list for Oscars last year.

And he's got a spectacular voice. Very openly queer in South Africa, which is unusual. A brilliant actor. So he, Cynthia, and I kind of create a little family in this piece. We try to have a child. She plays a revival preacher, who preaches the Gospel of the Virgin Mary. She hates Jesus. It's all about the Virgin Mary. So we've written five songs for her. She's spectacular. We just have incredible talent in this.

Glenn Close sings a punk song as my mother nailed to a cross.

Patti LuPone is a junkie nun, who sings an incredible jazz song.

Denis O'Hare plays my dad beautifully. Marion Cotillard plays my doctor.

MW: Where did you get Marion Cotillard?

MITCHELL: I directed her in some commercials in the 2000s.

We've become buddies. She's a really good singer. She wanted to play Hedwig in Paris, but it didn't work out.

MW: I had no idea that she sings.

MITCHELL: Yeah. Check her out. She's really good.

MW: It seems that the character of Hedwig and that story speaks especially to young, queer audiences. Your body of work in films also speaks to young audiences. Do you make a point of staying

engaged with younger generations of LGBTQ folks?

MITCHELL: Totally. Totally. I always wanna know what's going on. I get annoyed because I don't feel very mainstream. I never did, specifically, feel very mainstream gay. But I feel queer. My group has always been very mixed, gender and sexuality-wise.

You know, you could be queer and be straight, it's really an umbrella term that means you look at the world from an outside point of view, through a prism of knowing that there's a flow to gender. Knowing that there's a flow to sexuality. We all have our feminine, straight friends who, in effect, knew what it was like to be pushed outside, to an extent. To me, the Hedwig audiences have always been extremely mixed, and she’s often reintroduced to a new generation every few years.

There's a show on Netflix called Sex Education that's a big hit. And through the episodes, Hedwig figures into this high school dance very prominently. And it keeps having a different kind of resonance at different times because it's a metaphor. It's not a statement. It's a metaphor that [people] can change. The song “Origin of Love” seems to be, "Oh, who's my soulmate?" But then it becomes about your own union, your own wholeness. Whatever that means.

Whether that means finding your own gender, finding your own sexuality. Whether it means finding your own happiness within, or through a connection with another person. The song “Midnight Radio” calls the misfits and losers to band together. And drag was one way to kind of armor yourself, but also, hopefully, connect yourself to other people going through similar situations. And it's not a statement for any specific community.

It's a statement for understanding that those who've always been considered outsiders have a lot to teach the rest of us. It can certainly destroy you, too. But, to me, I feel my queerness actually was a great privilege that brought me so much happiness and joy, and introduced me to so many new kinds of communities, and the most wonderful people in my life. I would be very boring, and maybe more conservative, and, perhaps, more empathy-free if I hadn't been queer.

You know, you can also take queerness and make it into a defense for "Fuck you! You're not queer." You can do that, too.

I get bewildered when I meet queer people who are racists. I'm like, "What? How can you do that when you've been shit on, too?

Are you really gonna turn around and find another scapegoat?"

Or playing the oppression Olympics. "I'm more oppressed than you are." It's like, really, guys? Is this really the solution? To find the worst off and to say that's more important. We're all going

“QUEER PEOPLE ARE INTERNATIONALISTS. BORDERS ARE STRANGE TO US. We go into another country, go to a queer bar, you find your kin.

Race, national origin don’t make any difference.

They just are spice to life.”

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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through something. So that annoys me.

I do try to find out what's going on that's interesting. But I also have to limit the information overload that some of the people are now growing up with. Because a lot of young, talented, and smart people are overloaded, and not as productive because they look around and say, "Everything's already been done before. Why should I even bother doing anything? And we're all going to Hell anyway." Must be very hard to be young right now.

We, at least, had a lip service to “you can make the world a better place,” which I still believe.

But when you're young now, all the evidence seems to be like it's downhill, which must be very scary.

MW: Well, also it seems that the world used to be just more pleasantly mysterious. Where now, people take such pride in demystifying everything, and knowing everything.

MITCHELL: Knowing everything. Yeah. If everything is available, and every song is playing at the same time, the idea of writing a new song feels futile and overwhelming.

When David Lynch probably saw few very powerful films and made his Eraserhead in the dark, with not much information, and not much influence. And you're just like, "I'm gonna go in there and see what happens." There's not a lot of that going on now because there's no dark in the industrialized world. It's sometimes just knowing a few things that helps something original happen. You know what I mean?

So I always prescribe a digital diet of input to young people when talking about creating things. Do your research.

Find out what has happened.

Absorb things. Then turn them off, and follow a creative line. A line of imagination. Whether it's making an invention, or telling a story, or building a house. Or having a child. Stop researching after a certain point.

It feels like everyone is in an incessant research mode. But you start to see the exhaustion with it when you're like, "Hey, who was it who said that?" And we all have our phones, and no one wants to google. I can't take it anymore. Let's just pleasantly not know. And it's in the not knowing that new things happen.

Doesn't mean you're not informed about the history of, say, film, if you're gonna make a film. But break the rules.

The other thing that has changed things for young people is, because it's social media, there's a sense of self-branding that starts very young, which is a great capitalist kind of thing. It's like, "How am I gonna make more clicks, more money, position myself?" You're 10. You're positioning yourself? You're 10. What are you doing? Are you preparing for your startup? It's like, let youth happen. Let it not have to be remunerative right away.

What happened to arts for art's sake? Young people will say, "Well, you have the luxury of that." I'm like, "We all have the luxury in our culture, if we're living with our parents, to take some risks. And then when we're not, to take some other risks."

We don't have to be on a career track our whole life.

MW: On the subject of a different kind of parenting, since several other actors have performed Hedwig, do you consider your version the mother of the house of Hedwigs, and the others are drag daughters? What do you see when you watch someone else performing that part?

MITCHELL: I feel very proud.

I feel very relieved that I don't have to keep doing it.

David Bowie didn't have an understudy. You know what I mean? God bless him. I come from the theater, so the joy of knowing that someone else could play a part I originated, it's so strong. Not the least of, someone would care enough to want to do it. But also, I can get royalties while other people do it. It's a miracle.

And a cabaret artist doesn't necessarily get that. But this character is a fake rock singer, and a fake cabaret artist. I'm very happy to see other people reinterpret and play around with it. I don't control it in any way. If they wanna have ten Hedwigs in a production, as they did in San Francisco last year, great. It's a sturdy enough piece that you can interpret it in many ways. I don't want them to necessarily cut vital lines, but feel free to add stuff. Make it site specific.

That's what I learned about rock 'n roll, is that the script is loose, it's living, it's breathing. There's some poetry that I want to remain the way it's written. But keep it real, keep it in the space you're doing it. To me, it's the greatest compliment when other people want to do it.

MW: Speaking of these different roles and actors, you're acting on the Hulu show Shrill with Aidy Bryant. Who do you play? It looks like a lot of fun.

MITCHELL: It is a lot of fun. It's based on the Lindy West book Shrill. It's an autobiography of being a journalist in Seattle.

Being a big girl, and kind of getting fat-shamed, and finding her big girl voice. She's kind of a fat activist, she calls herself. And just really funny, really humane. Aidy is one of the nicest people I've ever worked with, and the most talented. I play her mean, gay boss. Which I've played before, and I can play again. That show really helped me, because I was ready to go back to being a regular in a TV show, which I hadn't done for about 20 years.

And this came along, and they were like, "Do you really wanna do it?" I'm like, "Yes!" So it shot in Portland, which I love. And I could edit my podcast while I'm doing it because it was just one or two days a week in a beautiful town. So we're praying it gets

“I GET BEWILDERED WHEN I MEET QUEER PEOPLE WHO ARE RACISTS. I'm like, ‘What? How can you do that when you've been shit on, too?’ Is this really the solution? To find the worst off and to say that's more important.

That annoys me.”

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FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

MATTHEW PLACEK

picked up because that also is helping Mom's healthcare a lot.

And it's got a great cast. A lot of stand-up comedians. There's a brilliant trans female comedian named Patti Harrison you should check out. She plays my assistant. She's hysterical.

We're buddies. Julia Sweeney from Saturday Night Live.

Daniel Stern. It's just packed with talent, and really nice people. I'd totally be happy doing this show for a long time.

MW: What would you want people to know about caring for someone with Alzheimer's?

Something that gets overlooked.

MITCHELL: Well, people react very differently to it. And it's really hard to predict, which is why it's so heartbreaking. Both my dad and my mom had it and have it. They both, luckily, came to the sweet spot that can happen with Alzheimer's, which is a kind of happy oblivion where they're just very happy, and they're in the moment. They're in pure Zen. The past is pretty much gone, and the future's not thought about. And there's a kind of strange swami-like Zen that can happen where they're just happy, and looking at things and seeing their beauty in the moment. My dad, who grew up in D.C., in [his] last month -- he’s since passed away -once said, "Just come outside right now." His memory was pretty gone, but he said, "Come out. Look at this." My mom said, "What is it?" He goes, "Come out before I forget." Then we went out and he showed us the full moon over the mountains in Colorado where he lived. And he said, "Will you look at that? It makes you think you can be good." And my mom was like, "I'm going in. It's cold." And then I was like, "Thank you, Dad, for that." He said, "For what?" He forgot about it right away. But there was this moment, and it's that wisdom in it. This wisdom and beauty in Alzheimer's that is unexpected. Amidst the torture of it, just also this incredible beauty. And it brought our family together.

The family was a little bit riven, as many families can be lately, by politics, and religion, and really irrelevant things to a family. So it just went away. And that was beautiful. Now my mom lives with a caregiver in her house. Which is a model that is expensive, but it's much more humane than an institution.

So she's in a family environment with kids around, and she has her own floor. So it's a kind of nursing home for one, in a way, with a family. Instead of the stupid assisted living, hospital environment. So that's another thing that people are starting to do, is create more residences rather than facilities for memory care. You have to have the things around you, you know. And the faces, and the pictures, and the people. And music is very important. In fact, they find that songs remain in the memory much longer than many other things. So singing a song to her really brings her out, lightens her. Because, for whatever reason,

music connects to many parts of the brain, so it can't be erased so easily. Which is one of the reasons we're doing The Origin of Love. It's a very comforting thing to go to a concert with a bunch of people, and feeling some of the same things.

MW: Do you think that this tour will be your final bow singing the Hedwig songs, wearing the wig?

MITCHELL: I don't think so. I expect to be doing a production of it at 75 in a wheelchair. I almost did on Broadway because I ripped my knee out onstage. One of my first jokes is, "You're seeing the show with the original cast," and I did have a cast on. But, no, I don't think so. I like doing the show better than doing the play because I can say whatever I want at any time. It's much looser.

It's more enjoyable than doing the play, which felt a little bit like an oh-God-here-we-go-again type of thing. But, you know, I wanna do it again. In London, maybe, in a few years for a couple months. That's the best role in the world. Every actor who plays it says, "This uses everything I know. And after I play it, no other role frightens me.” It's just so hard, and it draws on everything you can possibly do. So anyone I meet who’s played it, there's a kind of kinship. Brotherhood, sisterhood, whatever. And I really believe all genders, all ages, all sexualities can play it. It's now a mask. It's a role. It's not a person. It's a metaphor, you can take on, take off. It's drag, and anyone can do drag. l The Origin of Love: The Songs and Stories of Hedwig is Friday, February 8 at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $54 to $79. Call 202-628-6161, or visit www.thenationaldc.org.

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Gallery

fuse*: Everything in Existence

T

HE FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN THE UNITED States of fuse* highlights the evolution, over the past decade, of this Italian art studio’s practice, which focuses on exploring the expressive potential of emerging digital technologies. Some of fuse*’s most significant works to date are presented in four multimedia installations inviting audiences to experience different perceptions of reality and new perspectives designed to remind us that we are all part of something bigger, that we exist in a state of interconnectedness.

The works in Everything in Existence are generated by software processing data in real time, whether the data is derived from interaction with the viewer (“Snowfall”),

social networks (“Amygdala”), sound (“Clepsydra”), or the software itself (“Multiverse”). Through such generative technique, fuse* creates “living” art that changes before one’s eyes and rewards prolonged viewing and repeat visits — in a way that also parallels the relationship between humans and the forces that push us towards the unknown.

ArTecHouse will be serving Augmented Reality Cocktails inspired by the exhibition during evening sessions. On display through March 10. ArTecHouse is at 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets for hourly timed-entry sessions are $12 to $20 for daytime or $20 for evening admission including access to After Hours cocktails, sold separately.

Visit www.dc.artechouse.com. —Doug Rule FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Movies

It’s Raining Men

Taraji P. Henson makes for a bright rom-com heroine in the otherwise clunky What Men Want. By André Hereford

F

OR ALL ITS ATTENTION TO THE SUBJECT OF WHAT MEN WANT, THE comedy What Men Want (HHHHH) really revolves around the question of what one woman wants. Taraji P. Henson stars as Ali Davis, a successful and single Atlanta pro sports agent who, as she says, is “crushing it” in her professional life representing clients like WNBA all-star Lisa Leslie.

Yet Ali feels underappreciated by her colleagues, almost all of them men. Several of the guys in the office accuse her of having no finesse for dealing with the opposite sex.

They might be right, up to a point, as Ali operates under the misguided conviction that all any man wants is to get laid and get paid. Man, does she have a lot to learn, the film signposts loudly.

She’ll have to learn while suffering a series of humorous humiliations and setbacks, in keeping with the script’s inspiration, Nancy Meyers’ 2000 hit, What Women Want.

That film starred Helen Hunt alongside a pre-“Sugar Tits” Mel Gibson as a confident man’s man who magically acquires the ability to hear women’s thoughts. In this case, Ali wakes up with the power to read men’s minds after a sharp bump to the head and a cup of magic tea served up by a funky, psychic weed lady named Sister (Erykah Badu).

In boilerplate rom-com fashion, Ali employs her new supernatural abilities to get ahead at her high-powered job, aided by her loyal gay sidekick and assistant, Brandon (Josh Brener). The setups supplied by director Adam Shankman and screenwriters Tina Gordon, Alex Gregory, and Peter Huyck are obvious throughout, but the punchlines are often chuckle-worthy and occasionally insightful. What Men Want has some bright ideas about what it might take for a woman to stay true to herself and get ahead 32

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

in a male-dominated field, especially a chest-thumping, ego-driven world like pro sports.

It’s too bad the film isn’t funnier.

Henson nails the balance of Ali’s outsize ambition and openness to change, but the Empire star labors a bit at the wacky, Lucille Ball-style physical hijinks, or at least the editing leaves that impression.

On the bright side, Ali’s life lessons are served with a tasty side of sex, romance, and male pulchritude, predominantly in the person of her love interest Will, a single dad well-played by Aldis Hodge.

Unfortunately, Ali makes Will a pawn in her somewhat underhanded scheme to sign a young NBA prospect, Jamal Barry (Shane Paul McGhie), the likely number-one draft pick.

But oh, the complications. In order to sign Jamal, she’ll first have to win over his dad and self-proclaimed manager, Joe “Dolla” Barry, played by Tracy Morgan as a more obnoxious than amusing version of a hyping, hustling sports parent like real-life “Big Baller” LaVar Ball, father of Lakers guard Lonzo.

No Big Ballers make an appearance, but a handful of current and retired NBA stars, from Shaq to Grant Hill to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony

Towns, cameo as themselves. Badu might be playing herself, too, for all we know, as Sister. The singer steals scenes out from under esteemed comic actors Wendi McLendon-Covey, Phoebe Robinson, and Tamala Jones, as Ali’s crew of girlfriends.

Ali keeps her girls in the dark about her magical insights into the male mind, but every man she meets, even the visiting sports idols, are susceptible to her amazing powers of telepathy, yielding light humor generally at the athletes’ expense.

Only one big leaguer is sent on the field to deliver in a full-fledged role: ex-NFL linebacker-turned-action star Brian Bosworth, who acquits himself just fine playing Ali’s ball-busting, sexist boss, Nick.

And erstwhile Twilight hunk Kellan Lutz certainly appears well-cast as a hunky neighbor Ali calls “Captain Fucktastic.”

Despite the name, however, and the movie’s R-rating, the bedroom scenes seem to bend over backwards to keep things clean, with characters conspicuously staying dressed in every manner of sexual situation.

It’s the jokes and language that skew towards a teenager’s idea of risqué, especially the random thoughts of the sex-obsessed men Ali encounters everywhere she goes. That includes

whichever guy in the office she overhears secretly admiring Brandon’s assets. The film follows through on Brandon’s romantic adventure to an unexpected, though chaste, degree, but still ultimately undercuts its own message. Depicting a world of dudes mostly chasing nothing but tail and cash, the movie suggests that, with the exception of the uncommonly decent Will, Ali probably was right all along about what men want. l

What Men Want is rated R, and is playing at area theaters. Visit www.fandango.com.

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CHRISTOPHER MUELLER

Stage

Fats Entertainment!

A vivacious cast weaves a seductive spell in Signature’s spirited Ain’t Misbehavin’. By André Hereford

C

HANNELING THE WIT AND STYLE OF JAZZ GIANT FATS WALLER, Signature Theatre puts a scintillating spin on Ain’t Misbehavin’ (HHHHH). The score of jumping jazz and blues standards — songs from the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s composed or popularized by Waller — can still get the whole house swinging and singing along. And the tunes serve as a rock-solid soundtrack for the Tony-winning revue’s vivid snapshots of Jazz Age life.

Finessed into a loose but expressive sequence by the show’s original ’70s masterminds Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz, songs like “The Joint is Jumpin’” and “’T Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness” portray sex and mischief with an infectious bounce. And that pounding heartbeat is countered powerfully by the heartache conveyed in numbers like “Mean to Me” or “Black and Blue.”

Waller’s evocative music, and the clever lyrics penned by collaborators like D.C.’s own Andy Razaf, tell stories of onstage enemies and backstage lovers, reefer-loving swells and jitterbugging soldiers, all the while peering into nearly every quarter of black 34

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

America, from the Jim Crow South to Harlem. In the show, that world of human experience is boiled down to just five performers who, between them, embody all the jazz babies and sophisticated ladies, vipers and hepcats who live in the songs.

Director Joe Calarco has at his disposal a talented quintet who capture those lives in rich harmony and detail, each adding the spark of their individual gifts.

Nova Y. Payton and Iyona Blake, two powerhouse vocalists blessed with the pipes to blow down a brick house, team up to deliver Waller and Razaf’s randy “Find Out What They Like” with an extra helping of sass. They’re each just as compelling singing solo, as in Blake’s silky “Squeeze Me,” or Payton’s plaintive but unwavering “Mean to Me.” Payton and Kevin McAllister, costars in last season’s award-winning Ragtime at Ford’s, team up again here, turning in a fabulously flirty “Honeysuckle Rose,”

among other duets, trios and group numbers. McAllister’s supple baritone sounds great selling romance, or, as with crowd-pleasers “Your Feet’s Too Big” and “Fat and Greasy,” earning laughs enough to make even the weariest in the house forget their troubles for a spell.

On “Fat and Greasy,” McAllister shares the stage with Solomon Parker III, a less assured vocalist who still lights up the stage with physical confidence and forges an electric connection with the audience. Parker plies all that personality especially well via Jared Grimes’ jaunty choreography, investing every movement and gesture of “The Viper’s Drag” with smooth sensuality.

Personality is the production’s not-so-secret weapon, as each performer, including ingenue Korinn Walfall, finds space within the loose structure of story and character to amplify their own personal way of delivering a joke, a step, or a lyric. They are five

distinct styles and voices who coalesce into one soulful, persuasive unit.

The dancing, in general, isn’t as tight as the singing, but the singing is oh, so tight, as is the tuxedoed band, led by music director and onstage pianist Mark G. Meadows. Even the maestro adds a wink and a smile to the party, getting in on the humor and decidedly staying out of any of the light lovers’ drama that plays out over the course of two acts.

Meadows and his musicians add to the visual impact of scenic designer Paige Hathaway’s onstage/backstage set. Before a backdrop of red bricks and velvet, the band and performers stride and swing their way back through time, back to some smoky, elegant joint way up in Harlem where happiness and hardship go hand in hand, and a grinning Fats Waller is still spreading his rhythm around. l

TERESA CASTRACANE

Ain’t Misbehavin’ runs through March 10 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $109.

Call 703-820-9771, or visit www.sigtheatre.org.

Brotherly Love

José Carrasquillo stages a moving tale of familial conflict in 1st Stage’s The Brothers Size. By André Hereford

I

N A FEW DEFT STROKES OF CHARACTER AND A STORY TOLD THROUGH a cast of just three, Tarell Alvin McRaney’s The Brothers Size (HHHHH) reflects myriad permutations of modern manhood. One brother Size, Ogun (Gary-Kayi Fletcher), works hard as a mechanic to provide a life for himself and his younger brother, Oshoosi (Clayton Pelham, Jr.), an unmoored dreamer recently freed on parole from prison. Oshoosi is intent on walking a straighter path, but nevertheless finds himself distracted by his fun-loving friend Elegba (Thony Mena), who is also just out of the pen.

Childhood pals Oshoosi and Elegba became more than brothers behind bars. And the affection they shared in prison lingers heavily, disruptively, over their newfound freedom, upsetting the dynamic of brotherly codependence between Oshoosi and Ogun.

Inspired by Yoruba folktales, The Brothers Size is the second in a trilogy of plays that McRaney (Moonlight, Wig Out!) penned featuring Ogun, Oshoosi, and Elegba, although the story it tells is, more or less, self-contained. Set in the Louisiana bayou, the play limns a compact parable about love and redemption that’s rendered with moving tenderness in José Carrasquillo’s new production at 1st Stage.

A director with an eye for potent visuals and a strong sense of atmosphere, Carrasquillo beautifully uses William K. D’Eugenio’s excellent lighting and Sarah O’Halloran’s sound design to focus the intention of each scene. He also draws persuasive emotion from the seesawing relationships between brothers and friends.

Oshoosi might be the center of this emotional tug-of-war, but it’s Ogun, through Fletcher’s riveting performance, who anchors the drama. Fletcher bares the pride that Ogun takes in carrying himself as an honorable man, and the burden he carries in being his brother’s keeper.

While Pelham and Mena create intriguing chemistry from Oshoosi and Elegba’s mutual attraction, the play ultimately feels oriented towards Ogun, whose story just breathes more fully.

Carrasquillo and scenic designer Giorgos Tsappas even supply a ritual pool where Ogun might lay down his burdens, orienting their set around a fountain of life in the shape of a human eye. Of course, it might also be a place for Oshoosi and Elegba to heal the wounds that burden them, too, and perhaps discover the depths of their own brotherly love. l

The Brothers Size runs through February 24 at 1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road, in Tysons. Tickets are $15 to $39.

Call 703-854-1856, or visit www.1stStage.org.

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NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Scene

Capital Pride Reveal at City Winery - Thursday, January 31 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, February 7 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 • Gong Karaoke Contest, 8-10pm • Win Prizes for Best Performance • Hosted

by Labella Mafia and DeeDee Amor Dior • Open Karaoke, 10pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • Men in Underwear Drink Free, 12-12:30am • DJs BacK2bACk

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NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets of Beer 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 • Visit pitchersbardc.com

Appetizers • Half-Priced Bottles of Wine, 5pm-close • “Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar” — Ask them anything, 6-8pm • DC’s Different Drummers Happy Hour, 6-8pm • Paint Nite, Second Floor, 7pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Open Dancers Audition • Urban House Music by DJ Tim-e • 9pm • Cover 21+

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • HalfPriced Pizzas and Select

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Friday, February 8

Dance Party, with Nellie’s DJs spinning bubbly pop music all night

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

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

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 • Phucker: Fetish and Hanky Code Party, 10pm-close • Music by DJ Ryan Doubleyou • No Cover 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

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 • Visit pitchersbardc.com 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 11:30pm and 1:45am • DJ Don T. in Ziegfeld’s • Cover 21+

Saturday, February 9 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports

NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS

By Doug Rule VALENTINE’S DAY IS A DRAG! Drag queens are taking over the Duplex Diner this Saturday, Feb. 9, as part of a fundraiser for SMYAL, presented by the Dupont Social Club, producers of the Miss Adams Morgan drag pagaent. Queens will be serving as waitresses and bartenders as well as performing in two shows over dinner, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., with all performance tips donated to helping the cause of providing much-needed services for LGBTQ youth.

Juana Seymour hosts. The 18th and U Duplex Diner, 2004 18th St. NW. Admission is $20; reservations required for dinner seatings. Call 202-265-7828 or visit www. duplexdiner.com.

AVALON SATURDAYS DC @Sound Check 1420 K St. NW Most Eligible Singles Party, 10pm-close • Introduction of Singles at 11:15pm • General admission $15 • 21+ • 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: The No Underwear Party, 10pm-close • Featuring DJs BacK2bACk • Clothes

check available • $5 Fireball, $5 Margaritas, $8 Long Islands 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 NUMBER NINE Doors open 2pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Foreplay with DJ KC B Yonce • Yaaas with DJs BacK2bACk PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm •

GREEN LANTERN: FREEBALLERS Last fall, the DC Freeballers, listed as a “political organization” on Facebook, launched what they cheekily billed as “the first Green Lantern party that does not include underwear!” In fact, patrons should leave their knickers at home for this second Saturdays celebration of the freedom of movement below the belt — all while leaving a little to the imagination. Keeping things covered but not confined, imprinted rather than exposed, outlined as opposed to out. Catch our drift? (Hopefully so, since we can’t come right out with it.) You can reveal your religion, in other words, as long as you remain a man of the cloth at this fun, freeballing fiesta, which is quite likely to turn into a battle of the bulges. Saturday, Feb. 9, starting at 10 p.m. Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct. NW. Call 202-347-4533 or visit facebook.com/GreenLanternDC. VALENTINE’S SLAY MY NAME WITH KC B. YONCÉ From Donna Slash’s Gay/Bash to Pussy Noir and Sissy That Tuesday, Trade is making its stock in trade next-generation drag artists putting on next-level drag shows. Last month, the Logan Circle haunt introduced yet another monthly spectacle, this one featuring KC Cambrel, better known via the Queen Bey-inspired drag alias. The February edition will feature “heartfelt” performances by B. Yoncé and special guest Blair St. Clair from Season 10 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Meanwhile, patrons are encouraged to come dressed per inspiration from the category “Single Ladies” and prepared to “strut your stuff and snatch the crown” in a Slay Off Contest offering a “sickening prize” for the category winner. The Valentine’s Slay will be soundtracked by Wess The DJ. Sunday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m. Trade, 1410 14th St. NW. Call 202-986-1094 or visit tradebardc.com.

BEYONCÉ VS. RIHANNA: VALENTINE’S DANCE PARTY An import from Baltimore, this party is touted as “an epic artist-for-artist, track-for-track dance party battle that might finally end years of debate: Who’s the reigning dance floor diva?” It says something that organizers had to stretch to come up with enough nicknames for RiRi to match the many established ones for Bey. So it’s Sasha Fierce vs…. the Barbados Babe? Queen B vs., the Caribbean Queen? On one side is the “Drunk In Love” Bey Hive, with music to get the ladies bodied and in formation spun

by DJ Mills. On the other side is the “Drunk On Love” Rihanna Navy, imploring Craig Boarman, owner of Baltimore’s Ottobar, please don’t stop the Rihanna music pon de replay. If it ultimately doesn’t sound like much of a contest, at least it does sound like fun, and a sweet treat for contemporary pop diva lovers ages 18 and up — whether they’re single ladies or those who have found love. Thursday, Feb. 14, starting at 10 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $10 in advance. Call 202-5881880 or visit www.ustreetmusichall.com.

BLOWOUT: A BRAND SPANKIN’ INCLUSIVE DANCE PARTY Pasabog Events’ Ed Figueroa aka drag performer Bombalicious Eklaver launches an all-inclusive, LGBTQ-focused monthly dance party at Adams Morgan’s Songbyrd Music House. DJs Electrox and Juba will work to get people dancing in the intimate, subterranaean space during the inaugural D.C. Blowout, at which Eklaver and fellow drag acts Pussy Noir, Majic Dyke, and Sigma Fraud will perform. The party, which starts at 11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, will also feature male and female go-go dancers. 2477 18th St. NW. Tickets are $7 to $10. Call 202-450-2917 or visit www.blowoutdc.eventbrite. com. For those who would rather not wait a week and are willing to travel, Eklaver will throw a Charm City version of Blowout featuring Baltimore drag acts Pangelica, Betty O’Hellno, and Baby on Saturday, Feb. 9, starting at 9 p.m. The Crown, 1910 N. Charles St. Call 410-625-4848 or visit www.blowoutbaltimore.eventbrite.com. l

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Special Late Night menu till 2am • Visit pitchersbardc.com SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $15 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers 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 DC Rawhides Country Western Dancing, 7-10:30pm • Doors open 7pm • Lesson from 7-8pm, Open Dancing until

10:50pm • $5 Cover until 9pm, $10 after 9pm • Men of Secrets, 9pm-4am • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald • Doors at 9pm, Shows at 11:30pm and 1:45am • DJ Don T. in Ziegfeld’s • DJ Steve Henderson in Secrets • Cover 21+

Sunday, February 10 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 • Piano Bar with John Flynn, 6-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close

sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • No Cover

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

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 • Visit pitchersbardc.com

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 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,

SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers

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

Monday, February 11 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

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Playlist

DJ MATT BAILER

SO REAL (WARRIORS) Too Many Zooz & Kda ft. Jess Glynne

BABY Clean Bandit ft. Marina & Luis Fonsi

TRIBUTE (RIGHT ON!) Mikeandtess Remix The Pasadenas

DIRTY CAR GFDM Remix Studio Killers

LITTLE VOICES DJ Strobe Remix Sextronica ft. Claudia Monet

LOVE ME FOR THE WEEKEND Party Pupils & Max ft. Ashe

JUICE Lizzo

5 DOLLARS Chris Cox Remix Christine & The Queens

(IT HAPPENS) SOMETIMES David Penn Remix Jack Back

PLAY Purple Disco Machine Remix Jax Jones X Years & Years

DJ Matt Bailer spins the first Saturday of every month at Avalon at Soundcheck and on the third Saturday of every month at Peach Pit at DC9.

Follow him at www.facebook.com/djmattbailer and stream his playlists for free at www.8tracks.com/djmattbailer.

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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 • Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with Jeremy, 7:30pm

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

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

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

Tuesday, February 12 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

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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 • Visit pitchersbardc.com 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 • DC Bocce, Second Floor, 6:30pm TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge

glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

Wednesday, February 13 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 • Visit pitchersbardc.com 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 • CoCu Social, Pasta-Making Class, Second Floor, 6:30pm • 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

Scene

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Super Bowl at Pitchers & A League of Her Own - Sunday, Feb. 3 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Scene

Super Bowl at Nellie’s Sports Bar - Sunday, Feb. 3 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“We affirmed marriage equality, and yet the LGBTQ community remains under attack.”

— STACEY ABRAMS, delivering the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, during a section on the continuing battle for equality in America. “In this time of division and crisis, we must come together and stand for and with one another,” Abrams said. “America has stumbled time and again on its quest towards justice and equality. But with each generation, we have revisited our fundamental truths, and where we falter, we make amends.”

“I repudiate the idea that therapy can and should be used to change a person’s sexual orientation, because it just can’t.”

— DAVID MATHESON, a former “ex-gay” advocate who spent years promoting conversion therapy to LGBTQ Mormons, finally admitting that conversion therapy does not work. Matheson came out as gay last month, but at the time refused to renounce conversion therapy or his work to promote it. However, in an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News, Matheson expressed regret over his work. “I’ve had some conversations with other people that have been harmed by it,” he said. “It creates a lot of sorrow.”

“We are living with an administration that is seeking to erase our very existence.”

—BILLY PORTER, in Logo TV’s LGBTQ response to Trump’s State of the Union. Porter, who currently stars in FX’s Pose, delivered an eight-minute speech on the issues facing LGBTQ Americans. “Though darkness may seem to overshadow the progress we’ve made, we must not let it snuff our light out. Love will and love must keep us united,” Porter said. “Only with the strength from love can we continue to forge ahead, make no mistake. Our best days are ahead of us. Onward, and upward.”

“It was suggested that if I seemed more feminine, I would be less intimidating as a person.”

— DINA PERSICO, a former civics teacher who is suing Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia for gender discrimination.

Speaking to ANC 8News, Persico, who is lesbian, said that administrators told her that her “appearance is too flamboyant,” with one principal saying, “If you just throw a skirt on once in a while, we wouldn’t have any of these problems.”

“I am not excusing that behavior but that is not who I am today.”

— DAMON WAYANS JR., in a statement apologizing for past homophobic and transphobic tweets. “When I was a young comic trying to find my voice, I made some immature and hurtful tweets that I deeply regret at the expense of the LGBTQ community,” Wayans Jr. said, adding, “Society evolved and so have I and it is something I will continue to do both personally and professionally.”

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FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY