Monét X Change - Black Pride Special Issue - May 23, 2019

May 23, 2019

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CONTENTS

HE’S GOT GAME

Jerry Houston of Hot 99.5 FM launches a new game show next week at Red Bear Brewing Co.

By Doug Rule

CALL HER BY MONÉT

Drag Race star Monét X Change on winning after losing, her love of Anne Hathaway, and always being unapologetically herself.

Interview by André Hereford

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Volume 26 Issue 4

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ARABIAN BLIGHT

Despite the efforts of Will Smith and two refreshing young leads, Guy Ritchie pretty much pummels Aladdin into the ground.

By Randy Shulman

SPOTLIGHT: DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 TWO COOL FOR SCHOOL: BOOKSMART’S BEANIE FELDSTEIN AND KAITLYN DEVER p.12 HE’S GOT GAME: JERRY HOUSTON p.16 SCENE: HELEN HAYES AWARDS p.21 COMMUNITY: WOMEN IN THE LIFE p.24 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.26 SCENE: TRANS PRIDE PARTY AT STUDIO THEATRE p.29 COVER STORY: CALL HER BY MONÉT p.34 HOUSTON ROCKET: GAVIN HOUSTON p.40 UNITY IN PRIDE: DC BLACK PRIDE p.44 STAGE: RICHARD III p.49 MUSIC: CARLY RAE JEPSEN p.51 OPERA: TOSCA p.52 NIGHTLIFE: SLEAZE AT DC9 p.55 NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS p.56 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.57 LAST WORD p.62 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 Mary Bowman Cover Photography JA Photography 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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May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

RACHEL NEVILLE

Spotlight

Dance Theatre of Harlem V IRGINIA JOHNSON’S LIFELONG DEVOTION to ballet was inspired by Therrell Smith, still going strong at the age of 101. “She was an AfricanAmerican woman who wanted to study ballet in the 1950s in Washington, but could not find anyone who would teach her,” says Johnson, the current Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem. “She was fortunate enough to be able to go to Paris and study, [and then] she came back and opened a school. My mom was one of her best friends and wanted to support her friend's new business.... And so, at the age of three, I studied ballet with Therrell Smith and fell in love with it.”

A native Washingtonian who initially moved to New York for college, Johnson spent 28 years as a principal dancer with the DTH, before returning a decade ago to help revitalize and lead the storied organization. Now, 50 years since its founding, the company presents a showcase of its diverse repertoire — from Geoffrey Holder’s Dougla, “a very special ballet that was created for the

original company in 1974,” to Passage, a new work created by the young African-American choreographer Claudia Schreier, featuring music by African-American violinist Jessie Montgomery.

The latter work dovetails perfectly with the Kennedy Center’s Ballet Across America series and this year’s focus on celebrating women’s creativity and leadership in dance.

“There is a huge movement right now to increase the female voice in the field of ballet,” says Johnson, who has teamed up with Lourdes Lopez of the Miami City Ballet.

The Kennedy Center presents a special shared program developed by the two artistic directors and featuring both companies, in addition to individual showcases.

“The really wonderful thing about this is that we're featuring female choreographers,” Johnson says. “And that program has a work specially commissioned by the Kennedy Center and choreographed by Pam Tanowitz.

So we have another opportunity to celebrate the female voice.” —Doug Rule

The Dance Theatre of Harlem performs Tuesday, May 28, through Thursday, May 30, and for the special program with the Miami City Ballet on Friday, May 31, in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $29 to $119.

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

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Spotlight

DJ COREY

THE WHITE SNAKE In Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of the ancient Chinese legend, a snake spirit transforms itself into a woman in order to experience the human world, and in the process falls in love with a pharmacist’s assistant. Allison Arkell Stockman directs a production from her company Constellation Theatre that features live original music from multi-instrumentalist Tom Teasley and dulcimer virtuoso Chao Tian, plus a signature bold acting ensemble led by Eunice Bae, Momo Nakamura, and Jacob Yeh. To May 26. Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $19 to $45. Call 202-2047741 or visit www.constellationtheatre.org.

AKUA ALLRICH: CELEBRATING NANCY WILSON A D.C. native and Howard University alum, the young jazz vocalist and composer blends traditional, modern, and African jazz styles while singing in the showy manner of many of today’s leading soul/pop divas. Allrich is especially well-regarded for covering Nina Simone, though the focus of her next engagement at Blues Alley, titled “This Mother’s Daughter,” is a tribute to Wilson, the jazz vocal icon who died last December at the age of 81. Sunday, May 26, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $25, plus $6 fee and $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit www.bluesalley.com.

SOONER/LATER Mosaic presents a world premiere offering a metaphysical twist on romance, marriage, and parenting, while exploring the pains and pleasures of all three. Developed as part of Locally Grown Mosaic, a series nurturing and commissioning works by local artists, Allyson Currin’s play follows a teenage daughter as she helps her reluctant single mother to reenter the dating scene.

Gregg Henry directs Cristina M. Ibarra, Erica Chamblee, and Tony K. Nam. Now to June 16. Sprenger Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $30 to $60. Call 202-399-7993, ext. 2, or visit www.mosaictheater.org.

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May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

JOY ASICO

Out On The Town

SUNDAY SUPPER BENEFIT AT UNION MARKET

Eight of the nation’s best chefs and culinary experts — half of them women — will prepare a Latin-inspired family-style feast for this annual event, a communal dining outing that helps boost women’s roles in the culinary field. Created and hosted by Union Market’s parent company Edens, Sunday Supper has become the primary fundraiser for the James Beard Foundationrun Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, a multifaceted initiative — originally spearheaded by Edens’ CEO Jodie W. McLean — that strives to boost the number and presence of women leaders in the food industry. This year’s 8th event will feature culinary creations from four women: chefs Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill Restaurants (Los Angeles, Las Vegas), Daniela Moreira of Timber Pizza and Call Your Mother (D.C.), and Johanna Hellrigl of Bird’s Eye Coffee Bar & Eatery (D.C.), and acclaimed public TV host/cookbook author Pati Jinich of Pati’s Mexican Table. The event will also include dishes that will serve as a kind of preview of culinary attractions on tap when Union Market’s Latin American offshoot La Cosecha opens next month, with chefs Juan Manuel Barrientos of El Cielo (Miami, Bogota), Sebastian Quiroga of vegan-oriented Ali Pacha (Bolivia), Christian Irabien of Amparo Fondita (formerly of Oyamel), and Frederico Tishler of White Envelope Arepa + Ceviche Bar (Baltimore). The dinner program will be paired with wines curated by Latin wine shop Grand Cata, while a Cocktail Reception will offer specialty drinks from District Fishwife, Chaia, Colada Shop, Pervuian Brothers, La Casita, and Buffalo & Bergen. It all ends, naturally, on a sweet note or three, via a Dessert Reception with selections from Pluma, Buttercream Bakeshop, Kith & Kim, Arcay Chocolates, Dolcezza, and Ice Cream Jubilee. Sunday, June 2, starting at 5 p.m.

Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Tickets are $275 per person. Visit www.unionmarketdc.com/sundaysupper.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN

As timely now as ever, Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 film documents the work of Washington Post’s Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward in uncovering the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon’s resignation. The American Film Institute screens the political thriller, starring Robert Redford as Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein, next week as the kickoff to the two-month “The Fourth Estate Film Series” showcasing a handful of Hollywood’s most acclaimed journalism-themed hits — also including Broadcast News, The Front Page, His Girl Friday, and Network. The screening of All The President’s Men, summed up by Rotten Tomatoes as a “taut, solidly acted paean to the benefits

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of a free press and the dangers of unchecked power,” includes an introduction by Eric Cortellessa, the Washington Monthly digital editor, and a post-screening Q&A with the magazine’s editor-in-chief Paul Glastris along with Woodward himself. Wednesday, May 29, at 7 p.m.

8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring.

Tickets are $13 general admission.

Call 301-495-6720 or visit www.afi. com/Silver.

— The Goonies is the next up in the popular Capital Classics series at Landmark’s West End Cinema.

Wednesday, May 29, 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.

THE GOONIES

Alan Parker’s Oscar-winning 1980 movie about talented, hyper-emotional, horny New York City high schoolers learning drama, dance, and music cast a perfect mold for theatrical reinvention. Note, however, that the late-’80s stage reinvention barely includes any of the film’s memorable award-winning music.

In the end, Fame the Musical’s creator David De Silva lashed an episodic book by José Fernandez, loose-

Based on a story written by Steven Spielberg, Richard Donner’s 1985 film follows a band of kids in Oregon on an adventure to unearth the longlost fortune of legendary 17th-century pirate One-Eyed Willy. A modest hit upon release that has since achieved cult status — and, in 2017, was added to the prestigious ranks of the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress

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STAGE FAME

ly based on the movie, to a score composed by Steve Margoshes, with lyrics by Jacques Levy. The magnetic energy and appeal harnessed by director-choreographer Luis Salgado and his estimable cast in GALA Hispanic Theatre’s production creates strong connections. The show is performed in both Spanish and English (all supertitled), and the cast slides easily between both tongues, registering a profound and accurate representation of today’s American high school. To June 9.

3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $65.

Call 202-234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org. (André Hereford)

JUBILEE

Arena Stage presents a world-premiere a cappella-infused play written and directed by Tazewell Thompson and featuring spirituals including “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Nobody Knows the

Trouble I’ve Seen.” Dianne Adams McDowell serves as music director and vocal arranger for this chronicle of the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers, an African-American troupe who shattered racial barriers as they captivated royalty and commoners alike while travelling the globe. The 13-person cast includes Shaleah Adkisson, Joy Jones, Zonya Love, Sean-Maurice Lynch, and Jaysen Wright. To June 2. Kreeger Theater in the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $41 to $95. Call 202-4883300 or visit www.arenastage.org.

LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST

TWO COOL FOR SCHOOL Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever crack the code for fresh teen comedy in Booksmart.

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FILM ABOUT FRIENDSHIP, FAREWELLS, AND A RACE TO CURE ONE FEROCIOUS CASE OF FOMO, Booksmart reinvigorates the high school comedy with strong doses of heart and up-to-theminute humor. The movie follows besties Molly and Amy, straight-A students who spend graduation night stalking the hottest party of the year, desperate to prove they’re more than just studious. And with her feature debut, Booksmart’s director Olivia Wilde proves herself to be more than just the winsome costar of such lukewarm fare as Life Itself and Love the Coopers.

Wilde’s smartest move might have been in casting Kaitlyn Dever as Amy, the more reserved, and lesbian, of the two pals, and Beanie Feldstein — who portrayed the model of best friendship opposite Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird — as Molly, the bossier extrovert of the two best friends.

The actors, who’d never met before being cast, share the screen constantly throughout. “Both of us knew that this movie depended on our chemistry, and if that wasn't there, then we'd have a problem,” says Dever.

Their chemistry does pay off, also with the hilarious supporting cast, including Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, Jessica Williams, Billie Lourd, The Real O’Neals star Noah Galvin, and Wilde’s longtime beau Jason Sudeikis. In the midst of that scene-stealing ensemble — and Amy and Molly’s R-rated, occasionally edible-assisted adventure — the girls’ camaraderie stays front and center. And that’s largely what attracted them to the project in the first place.

“It was awesome to get a script that the main focus was about a strong female, ride-or-die friendship,” Dever says. “I think as a young woman, we rarely are given the opportunity to be funny in a very smart way.”

Feldstein points to one recent comedy hit that might have helped pave the way for Booksmart. “My favorite film in the world is Bridesmaids,” she says. “That movie is all about female friendship but of a different generation, of a different time in your life and how she's learning how to kind of break up with her best friend because she's getting married. In our film, they're learning how to break up because they have to go to college, and how you remain best friends with that person and how you set them free. I love that.

I've never seen a story like that.”

There aren’t too many teen comedy high schools like the one portrayed in Booksmart, where everyone, refreshingly, gets along. This is not one of those movies where mean girls march in color-coordinated formation down the halls, and every kid is defined entirely by their social circle. Feldstein notes that Wilde and the film’s four female screenwriters mined comedy not from pitting factions against each other, but by playing up everyone’s gifts and flaws.

“That is so much more human,” says Feldstein. “There doesn't need to be the hot enemy girl or the crazy hot guy that's mean to girls that aren't beautiful. Everyone has moments where they're not their best selves and everyone has moments where they shine, and that's what movies about high school should be.”

—André Hereford Booksmart is rated R, and opens nationwide on Friday, May 24. Visit www.fandango.com.

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May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Shakespeare’s spry romantic comedy full of lovers and clowns, foolery and the follies of the heart closes out the season at the Folger Theatre in a production directed by Vivienne Benesch and designed by Lee Savage.

Set at the time of the 1932 opening of the Folger Shakespeare Library — and pegged to the Folger’s current exhibition about the library’s founding, A Monument to Shakespeare (see separate entry under Art & Exhibits) — the production features a cast of 15 led by Amelia Pedlow from CBS’s The Good Wife as the Princess of France, Kelsey Rainwater as her witty companion Rosaline, Joshua David Robinson as the King of Navarre, and Zachary Fine as Berowne. To June 9. 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $42 to $85. Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

SPUNK

An unearthly Guitar Man and Blues Speak Woman interweave three tales based on short stories by the Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston and adapted by Jelly’s Last Jam’s George C. Wolfe.

The Signature Theatre production is directed by Timothy Douglas and stars Jonathan Mosley-Perry and Iyona Blake, with Drew Drake, Marty Lamar, Ines Nassara, and KenYatta Rogers. Mark G. Meadows (Ain’t Misbehavin’) serves as musical director for the show, which is infused with live blues music composed by Chic Street Man. To June 23. The Ark, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit www.sigtheatre.org.

THE ORESTEIA

Shakespeare Theatre Company’s longtime artistic director Michael Kahn goes out with a big Greek bang as he directs a world-premiere interpretation of Aeschylus’ potent trilogy of epic Greek tragedies. Commissioned by the company and three years in the making, Ellen McLaughlin’s The Oresteia weaves together Aeschylus’ stories with stunning poetry. The production features Kelley Curran, Simone Warren, Kelcey Watson, Josiah Bania, Zoë Sophia Garcia, and Rad Pereira, plus an eight-per-

the other is a constantly recurring lyrical theme on Betty, the great strength of which is the range of emotional complexity it packs into a collection of distinct, well-crafted, and instantly memorable songs.

Tickets remain only for the third and final show. Thursday, May 30.

Doors at 7 p.m. 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $26. Call 202-265-0930 or visit www.930.com. (Sean Maunier)

CUB SPORT

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

Lead singer Florence Welch emerged sylph-like in a white diaphanous gown when she took the stage at the Anthem on the first leg of her band’s High as Hope Tour last fall.

Wielding a songbook of gorgeously melodic, midtempo power-pop built to propel Welch’s soaring vocals, the band materialized a sort of sing-along, clap-along church with Florence as the twirling preacher woman channeling the evening’s “healing, juicy, feminine energy.” There were no pauses for costume changes, or grand effects. Welch’s powerful voice was the effect the audience wanted to experience. Fans at the front bestowed gifts upon her — she bestowed her own with a performance that was as piercing during the encore as on the first song. Florence stirred lyrics into a beckoning, while the Machine supplied a steady drumbeat and lush arrangements leaning on harp and strings. They return at the top of June for a show under the stars, kicking off with a set of mid-tempo, sultry, alt-R&B tunes from the queer-identified black music producer/songwriter Dev Hynes (Solange Knowles, Sky Ferreira) performed under his moniker Blood Orange. Monday, June 3.

Gates at 6 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $109.50 to $375, or $39.50 for lawn seats. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit www. merriweathermusic.com. (AH)

son Chorus. To June 2. Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit www.shakespearetheatre.org.

MUSIC ANDRÉ WATTS WITH THE BSO

One of the most celebrated living pianists, a graduate of Baltimore’s Peabody Institute, André Watts returns as a guest soloist with the BSO to play Beethoven’s mighty last Piano Concerto No. 5, posthumously referred to as the “Emperor” Concerto on account of its majestic tone and heroic gestures. Watts will also perform Brahms’ exhilarating, youthful Piano Quartet in G Minor. Thursday, May 30, at 8 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore.

Also Sunday, June 2, at 3 p.m.

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

Additionally, Beethoven’s work is examined in more depth and insight in two, Alsop-led 90-minute Off the Cuff performances also featuring Watts, followed by question-and-answer sessions, on Friday, May 31, at 8:15 p.m., at Strathmore, and Saturday, June 1, at 7 p.m., at the Meyerhoff — the latter ending with Beethoven’s Beer Hall After-Party with live music, food specials, and $6 drink specials. Tickets are $25 to $90. Call 410-783-8000 or visit www.bsomusic.org.

BETTY WHO

Just a few years ago, Betty Who was more of a question than a name. Two albums and the runaway success of an EP later — not to mention sidework such as singing the theme song for the Queer Eye reboot on Netflix — the L.A.-based Sydney

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

native has made that question mark vanish. Jessica Anne Newham, better known by her stage name, has become known for her dreamy, often highly personal brand of notquite-dance pop. She has become so well-known, in fact, at least among gays and in D.C., Who has achieved the rather rare feat, as a solo artist, of securing a three-night consecutive run at the 9:30 Club. And proving her commitment to the LGBTQ cause, the repeat Capital Pride performer will donate $1 from every ticket sold to the Trevor Project via PLUS1. The concert comes in support of this year’s Betty, her third album and first as an independent artist, which finds her sounding a little more energetic and self-assured than she has in the past. And her vocals are deployed across a greater range of moods and subjects.

Also, the interplay of confidence on the one hand and vulnerability on

Singer-songwriter Tim Nelson leads the moody alt-pop group from Australia also including his husband, keyboardist Sam Netterfield, along with keyboardist/guitarist Zoe Davis and drummer Dan Puusaari. The group has picked up steam since the release of 2017’s impressive Bats, with its atmospheric yet soulful slow-burn songs in the mold of queer forebears George Michael and Frank Ocean.

Nelson touches on coming out and commitment in honest, heartfelt lyrics throughout that set as well as this year’s self-titled followup, which also finds a slightly expanded sound palette to incorporate more soul and R&B influence on the electronica base in a way that occasionally echoes The Weeknd (albeit less dark and dramatic). Union Stage co-presents a return for the Aussies to Adams Morgan’s intimate, basement space Songbyrd Music House with a concert featuring an opening set of original, 1960s-channeling psychedelic pop/rock tunes by Richmond native Andrew Carter, released under the moniker Minor Poet. Wednesday, May 29. Doors at 7 p.m. 2477 18th St. NW. Tickets are $13 to $15. Call 202-450-2917 or visit www.songbyrddc.com.

PASSION PIT

Out frontman Michael Angelakos leads his electro-pop band in a 10th Anniversary concert marking the release of its breakthrough album Manners. The Beaches open.

Saturday, May 25. Doors at 6:30 p.m.

The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. Tickets are $40 to $75. Call 202888-0020 or visit www.theanthemdc.com.

THE AVETT BROTHERS

This popular folk/bluegrass ensemble led by sibling lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Scott and Seth Avett returns to Wolf Trap for what is billed as “a multinight Americana rock retreat” that Rolling Stone has described as a hodgepodge with “echoes of oldtimey string bands, singalong folk revivalists, boozy Americana roots rockers and big-box singer-songwriter softies.” The Avett brothers are a mainstay over the course of the three-night run along with their bandmates bassist Bob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon, touring members drummer Mike Marsh and pianist Bonnie Avett-Rini, plus musical

act Paleface. Rodney Crowell joins the group on Thursday, May 23, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down is up Friday, May 24, and the Felice Brothers are guests on Saturday, May 25. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $45 to $60, with few remaining, mostly for the first night, as of press time. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www.wolftrap.org.

THE CHUCK BROWN BAND

The godfather of go-go may have died in 2012, but his namesake band with its signature D.C. sound keeps go-going. The jazz festival staple and powerhouse ensemble of danceable funk and soul grooves next performs at the Hamilton in a concert featuring an opening set from the Let It Flow Band, another homegrown go-go band. Sunday, May 26.

Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $24.75 to $29.75. Call 202-787-1000 or visit www.thehamiltondc.com.

HE’S GOT GAME

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Jerry Houston of Hot 99.5 FM launches a new game show next week at Red Bear Brewing Co.

'VE ALWAYS LOVED GAME SHOWS,” SAYS JERRY HOUSTON. “IT'S JUST BEEN A core of my own fandom and personality.” The broadcaster’s career has been guided by the TV genre in one way or another — and by one show in particular. “Double Dare started in 1986 on Nickelodeon [as] the first truly kids game show from top to bottom. Kids were really allowed to have fun, get messy, and not get in trouble for it,” he says. “I was in the fourth grade when that premiered — I was just drawn to it.”

Houston, the popular radio DJ and director for Hot 99.5 FM and PRIDE Radio, and driving force behind the superstar-heavy Capital Pride Concerts over the past decade, says Double Dare “was the impetus for me to want to go into that kind of career.” It all came full circle when, last year, he participated in Nickelodeon’s reboot of Double Dare. Houston’s voice can be heard in the touring production of the show with original host Mark Summers, a longtime friend and mentor.

“It's my voice that introduces him on stage,” Houston says. “That's a crazy dream come true.”

Houston is preparing to make another game show-inspired dream a reality, as host of “Houston’s GAYme Show Night.” The localized, multi-varied spin on the format will debut at the LGBTQ-owned Red Bear Brewing Co. on Wednesday, May 29. “This was borne from my love for game shows,” he says. “I want to be able to honor the legacy of those shows and just have fun.

Not everybody can go to New York or L.A. and see or participate in a show. I want to be able to have fun with people and bring that excitement to the neighborhood.

“Red Bear Brewing is right for this kind of thing because you have people that are hanging out, they're having fun, they're socializing, they're drinking. And then we bring that to the stage and have some fun. Personally, I can't wait for a drunk person to try to answer a survey question.”

Intended to become a monthly event, “Houston’s GAYme Night” will launch with a Family Feud-inspired game. Two teams, each led by a “surprise special guest,” will compete to win gift cards and other prizes in high-spirited but lighthearted, low-stakes fashion.

“What I’ve always loved about game shows is that they don't take themselves too seriously,” Houston says. “Everyone's just there to have fun.” And while the event is sponsored by Hot 99.5 and PRIDE Radio, Houston won’t be broadcasting the games. “[A] bad answer [won’t] live forever on the internet,” laughs Houston. “What happens at Red Bear stays at Red Bear.” —Doug Rule Houston’s GAYme Night is Wednesday, May 29, at 7 p.m., at Red Bear Brewing Co., 209 M St. NE. No cover. Call 202-849-6130 or visit www.redbear.beer.

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May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

THE SELDOM SCENE

Formed nearly 50 years ago in Bethesda, the Seldom Scene was instrumental in launching the progressive bluegrass movement and is still considered one of the genre’s leading purveyors. Naturally, it remains especially popular in its hometown region. The group returns almost-home for a CD Release Show at the Birchmere.

Friday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.

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

COMEDY JYNX COMEDY NIGHT

The Brookland location of Busboys and Poets plays host to this monthly showcase of women-identifying, non-binary, and LGBTQ comedians produced by Project Thalia founder Angela Hamilton. Each edition of this “Comedy with a Purpose” event is intended to provide “uplifting humor” and “empowered vibes,” with the May edition a belated Mother’s Day-themed affair. “Celebrate The Mamas” in the lineup including: Katie Dunn, Su Z Official, Katie McKelvie, Jenn Del Pozzo, Gina Brown, Claire Vaidyanathan, and Sofia Javed.

There will also be a raffle for gifts and prizes. Wednesday, May 29, at 8 p.m. Busboys and Poets - Brookland, 625 Monroe St. NE. Call 202-6367230 or visit www.busboysandpoets.com.

ART & EXHIBITS AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: A GREAT LEAP OF FAITH

A display of prominent artifacts highlighting the history of citizen participation, debate and compro-

in Coffee Shops and Kim Levone of Improbable Comedy, the evening features 10 local performers sharing their stories, ranging from humorous to poignant to candid, about managing depression and bipolar disorder, recovering from substance abuse, and grieving a child’s suicide, to cite three specific issues. The lineup includes comedian Pete Bergen, storyteller Helen Bryant, storyteller Mikael Johnson, poet Eryca Kasse, storyteller Stephen Marks, comedian Frederick McKinnon, comedian Marshall Mulkey, storyteller Joani Peacock, poet Krista Stanzione, and musician Gabrielle Zwi. Wednesday, May 29. Doors at 6:30 p.m. 740 Water St. SW. Tickets are $25. Call 877-987-6487 or visit www.unionstage.com.

SANDRO KOPP

FLIP FLOP REVERSE CABARET

THE SOUVENIR

Among other expected and heretofore unknown legacies, this coming-of-age drama from critically acclaimed British filmmaker Joanna Hogg (Unrelated, Exhibition) will be remembered as the cinematic launching pad and feature film debut for Honor Swinton Byrne, the 21-year-old daughter of Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton and Scottish playwright John Byrne. The Daily Beast identified Byrne as “Hollywood’s Next Big Thing” in the headline to its review, noting Byrne “delivers a jaw-dropping breakout performance as a young woman infatuated with a toxic older man.” Her character, a shy film student in London, is so infatuated — and so naive — that she continues the relationship with her paramour (played by Tom Burke), defying her mother as well as her concerned friends, as they all recognize signs of heroin addiction. Naturally, Byrne’s real-life mother assumes the same role in The Souvenir, further heightening its appeal.

Opens Friday, May 24. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

mise from the nation’s formation to today. The American experiment is still alive, if not altogether well at the moment, but it has endured rough times before. This exhibition, at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum, highlights the various ways in which leading figures have strived to make the country “a more perfect union.” Objects include Thomas Jefferson’s portable desk he used to draft the Declaration of Independence, the inkstand Abraham Lincoln used to draft the Emancipation Proclamation, and the table on which Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sentiments. Ongoing. 14th St. and Constitution Ave. NW. Call 202-6331000 or visit www.americanhistory. si.edu.

IN PEAK BLOOM: SEASONAL CELEBRATION

ArTecHouse celebrates spring and women in the arts and sciences with its annual cherry blossom-inspired exhibition featuring five interactive and immersive digital art installations inspired

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by the beautiful yet fleeting blossoms and all from women artists or women-led collectives. The Main Gallery features Hana Fubuki, Akiko Yamashita’s immersive installation developed with Sachiko Yamashita and Mikitype combining the woodblock print techniques of traditional Ukiyo-e art with 3D animations and interactive technology bringing the landscape to life.

Secondary galleries are set up with Lisa Park’s Blooming, powered by biometric sensors, Scenocosme’s Akousmaflore an interactive small garden composed of living musical plants that react to gentle contact by producing specific sounds, and Design Foundry’s Enchanted Garden (2019), composed of a mix of natural and recycled artistic mediums to serve as a respite. And as ever, the Mezzanine Bar becomes an AR Cocktail Bar with II Sakaba, serving blossom-inspired, AR-enhanced cocktails and mocktails. To May 27.

ArTecHouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets range from $8 to $20. visit www.artechouse.com.

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

MICHELLE PETERSONALBANDOZ: NEW WORK

One of the most popular artists regularly presented by LGBTQ-run Long View Gallery, this Chicagobased lesbian artist creates large, hanging-wood sculptures made from reclaimed wood, often found in dumpsters and back alleys in revitalizing urban neighborhoods. To May 26. 1234 9th St. NW. Call 202232-4788 or visit longviewgallery. com.

ABOVE AND BEYOND ALL THE FEELS: A MENTAL HEALTH VARIETY SHOW

Before May’s Mental Health Awareness Month closes out, Union Stage will host a first-of-its-kind evening offering comedy, music, slam poetry, and storytelling, all of it providing perspectives on mental health and addiction issues.

Produced by Ali Cherry of Comedy

Award-winning, millennial-focused, LGBTQ-run professional theater troupe Monumental presents its fifth annual fundraiser next weekend at a new venue: Pitchers.

Helmed by the company’s Jimmy Mavrikes and Michael Windsor, the cabaret features a variety of local talent, this year led by stage actress Dani Stoller as host, all of whom are encouraged to explore and experiment with performing in a range of genres and styles — from pop to Broadway — with a focus on singing “songs they never get to sing.” The lineup includes Rachel Barlaam, Solomon Parker, Christian Montgomery, Nigel Rowe, Kanysha Williams, Kylie Smith, and Jyline Carranza, plus additional performance and guitar accompaniment throughout from Harrison Smith. Warren Freeman oversees the show’s music direction while David Singleton handles choreography. Saturday, June 1, at 7:30 p.m.

2317 18th St. NW. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Call 202-733-2568 or visit www.monumentaltheate.org.

LIVE FROM HERE WITH CHRIS THILE

Chris Thile, the progressive bluegrass musician who is also a member of Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers, replaced the retiring Garrison Keillor in the fall of 2016 as host of this popular public radio variety show, formerly and famously known as A Prairie Home Companion. The show definitely has a more youthful energy to it under the direction of the 38-yearold Thile, but otherwise it’s still as folksy and familiar as ever. Guster, Adia Victoria, Matt Braunger, and Madison Cunningham are special guests for this year’s live taping from the Filene Center stage at Wolf Trap. Saturday, June 1, at 5:45 p.m.

The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $45 to $125, or $30 lawn seats. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www.wolftrap.org. l

Scene

Helen Hayes Awards at The Anthem - Monday, May 13 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Community THURSDAY, MAy 25

DC FRONT RUNNERS run-

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

ENOUGH? THE DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE US STRONGER,”

a panel discussion about the perceptions of gay people of color in both the mainstream media and within their communities, as part of DC Black Pride.

The discussion will center on helping gay people of color establish who they are and how they want to be viewed.

Networking and affirmation reception to follow. Open to all people. 6-9:45 p.m. Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. For more information or tickets, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Join the National Center for Transgender Equality as it celebrates 15 years of work and the NCTE Action Fund celebrates its first anniversary at the 2019 TRANS EQUALITY NOW AWARDS. 6-9 p.m. The Willard Intercontinental Grand Ballroom, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. For tickets or more information, visit www.transequality.org.

The DC ANTI-VIOLENCE PROJECT, a group dedicated to combating anti-LGBT hate crimes, holds its monthly meeting at The DC Center. The meeting is open to all and the public is encouraged to attend.

7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

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.

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

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

DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

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

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COURTESY OF SHEILA ALEXANDER-REID

Join the Gay Professional Men of Color DC for “AM I GAY

DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s

REVISITING THE PAST Women in the Life celebrates its dance parties, magazine, and place in the history of D.C.’s black lesbian community.

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HEN SHEILA ALEXANDER-REID CO-FOUNDED Women in the Life in 1993, she wanted to create a space where same gender-loving women could congregate, dance, and feel like they belonged. She began organizing parties at her house, and eventually branched out to larger venues as the dance parties attracted more and more women.

Five months later, she started Women in the Life magazine, a four-page publication with articles that focused on news and events of importance to same gender-loving women from a black lesbian perspective.

“I really just wanted people to know about health disparities that I heard about in the news, and then I wanted them to know what was going on in the community, so I started putting together a calendar of events,” she says. The magazine lasted 10 years and 90 issues, eventually ceasing publication in 2003.

Alexander-Reid kept copies of the magazines in storage in her basement, and recently decided to donate copies to the DC Public Library where they will be digitized for online access.

“It is like a time capsule of what was going on around the country for that 10-year period of time,” she says.

As part of the DC Black Pride weekend festivities, Women in the Life will hold two events commemorating the organization’s impact as part of its “25th Anniversary Resilience Reunion.”

For Friday, May 24, organizers have set up a pop-up gallery featuring enhanced pictures of the magazine and other memorabilia. The event will also feature an open mic session and a short concert from BOOMscat, a musical duo of queer black women from D.C. Then, on Saturday, May 25, it’s back to Women in the Life’s roots for what Alexander-Reid calls “a big epic dance party reunion.”

“To have all these people come back to capture this moment in time is just an amazing opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to it,” she says. —John Riley Women in the Life’s 25th Anniversary Resilience Reunion popup gallery is Friday, May 24, from 8 p.m. to midnight. The dance party is Saturday, May 25, from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Both held at the Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, 999 9th St. NW. Visit www.eventbrite.com and search Women In the Life.

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

LGBTQ square-dancing group, features an opportunity to learn about and practice various forms of modern square dancing. No partner required. Please dress casually. 7:30-9:30 p.m.

National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. For more info, call 202-930-1058 or visit www.dclambdasquares.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice. The team is always looking for new members.

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

THE DULLES TRIANGLES

Northern Virginia social 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 202745-7000 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, MAy 25

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.

Weekly Events

Join DC Black Pride, a program of the Center for Black Equity, for the 29TH ANNUAL DC BLACK

BET MISHPACHAH, founded by

history, more than 60 organizations have joined to co-host this event.

The evening will feature a live performance by MarcWayne with special guest Rinny, a local R&B artist.

7-9 p.m. Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, 999 9th St. NW. For tickets and more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-

PRIDE COMMUNITY OPENING RECEPTION. For the first time in

The DC Center holds its CENTER AGING MONTHLY LUNCH for members of D.C.’s senior community. Lunch will be provided before participants take part in a group arts and crafts project. 12-2 p.m.

2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.

THE DC CENTER FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY is looking for volun-

members of the LGBT community, holds Friday evening Shabbat services in the DC Jewish Community Center’s Community Room. 8 p.m.

1529 16th St. NW. For more information, visit www.betmish.org. tice session at Howard University.

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

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW. For an appointment, call 202-745-7000 or visit www.whitman-walker.org.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-

affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-3190422, www.layc-dc.org.

Mary’s House, which helps provide services and housing for LGBTQ older adults. Donation is $40 in advance and $50 at the door. 3:307:30 p.m. Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, 999 9th St. NW. For more info, call 202-269-5736. For tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com.

“May Is? All About Trans” presents a TOWN HALL DISCUSSION on

Weekly Events

“BLACK PRIDE: OUR TRUTHS IN HARMONY” as part of DC Black Pride. The discussion will center around inclusion of and issues important to the transgender community. 1-2:30 p.m. Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, 999 9th St. NW. For more information, visit www.mayistransdc.com.

“May Is? All About Trans” presents “YOUTH: BUILDING NEW ACTIVISTS,” a discussion centering around LGBTQ youth and how to engage them in activism. 3-4:30 p.m. Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, 999 9th St. NW. For more information, visit www.mayistransdc.com.

SATURDAY, MAy 25

The DC Center holds a

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.

DC BLACK PRIDE 2019 presents a

those interested in giving back to the local LGBTQ community by volunteering at The Center’s Support Desk. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. To RSVP, visit www.thedccenter.org/events/ volunteermay.

Women in the Life Association presents WOMEN IN THE LIFE’S

AGLA hosts its monthly AFTERNOON COFFEE JOLT, a

Women in the Life Association presents WOMEN IN THE LIFE’S

25TH ANNIVERSARY POPUP GALLERY AND OPEN MIC REUNION, featuring a live con-

cert by Boomscat. $25 admission.

8 p.m.-midnight. Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, Lower Level Ballroom, 999 9th St. NW. For tickets and more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

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.

GAMMA is a confidential, voluntary, peer-support group for men who are gay, bisexual, questioning and who are now or who have been in a relationship with a woman. 7:30-

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time for members of the LGBTQ community in Northern Virginia to socialize and make connections over a cup of coffee. Organizer Eric will be wearing gold and purple Mardi Gras beads for easy identification. 2:30-3:30 p.m. Detour, 946 N. Jackson St., Arlington, Va. For more info, visit www.agla.org.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

takes a day trip to Lancaster, Pa., to learn about gay modernist painter Charles Muth, sample Amish comfort food, and take a walking tour of the historic town. Carpool at 9 a.m. from the Forest Glen Metro Station Kiss & Ride lot. For further information, contact Craig, 202-4620535, or craighowell1@verizon.net.

Join Mary’s House for Older Adults for their 7TH ANNUAL PARTY WITH A PURPOSE, featuring live DJs, dancing, and door prizes.

Proceeds go to raise funds for

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

visits the Smithsonian American Art Museum to see its show on the impact of the Vietnam War on American art. Free. Lunch in the neighborhood follows. Meet at noon inside the 8th and G Streets NW lobby of the Old Patent Office Building, near the 9th Street exit of the Gallery Place Metro Station.

For more info, contact Jeff, 301-7759660, or jeffreyhughes@me.com.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a

weekend full of workshops, seminars, parties, and more. Host hotel is the Renaissance Washington DC Downtown. For schedule of events, locations, and more information, visit www.dcblackpride.org.

SUNDAY, MAy 25

Join The DC Center as it volunteers for FOOD & FRIENDS, packing meals and groceries for people living with serious ailments. 10 a.m.noon. 219 Riggs Rd. NE. Near the Fort Totten Metro. For a ride from the Metro, call the Food & Friends shuttle at 202-669-6437. For more information, visit www.thedccenter. org or www.foodandfriends.org.

teers to help with the table for The DC Center at the DC BLACK PRIDE OPENING RECEPTION. There will be two shifts: 7-8 p.m. and 8-9 p.m. Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, 999 9th St. NW. For more information, email jules@ thedccenter.org.

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

Walkers meet at 9:30 a.m. and runners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW. For more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION for

25TH ANNIVERSARY RESILIENCE REUNION DANCE PARTY, featuring an “Ocean of Womxn.” $40 admission. 8 p.m.-midnight.

Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, Lower Level Ballroom, 999 9th St. NW. For tickets and more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

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

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

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

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

Route distance will be 3-6 miles.

LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS

MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244, www.allsoulsdc.org.

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 afterwards.

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.

FAIRLINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH is an open,

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

For more info, visit www.fairlingtonumc.org.

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 202-628-4317.

FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON meets for worship, 10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW, Quaker House Living Room (next

to Meeting House on Decatur Place), 2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbians and gays. Handicapped accessible from Phelps Place gate.

Hearing assistance. Visit www. quakersdc.org.

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.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, God-centered

new age church & learning center.

Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. Visit www.isd-dc.org.

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.

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites all to

Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m.

Childcare is available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for 25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE. Visit www.reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF 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.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted) and 11 a.m. Children's Sunday School at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. For more info, call 202-638-7373 or visit www.mccdc.com.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, inclusive church with

GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW. For more info, call 202-232-0323 or visit www.nationalcitycc.org.

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

a Christ-centered, interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. For more info, call 202-5544330 or visit www.riversidedc.org.

ST. STEPHEN AND THE INCARNATION, an “interracial,

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 CHURCH OF ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcom-

ing-and-affirming congregation, offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow UU Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd. For more info, visit www.uucava.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.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-

ing and inclusive church. GLBT Interweave social/service group meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m., Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St. NW. For more info, call 202-3873411 or visit www.universalist.org.

MONDAY, MAy 25 HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! Us Helping Us holds PRIDE IN THE PARK, a day-long festival of games, socializing, live performances, food, special workshops, and prizes.

11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fort Dupont Park, Minnesota Avenue NE. For more information, visit www.dcblackpride.org or www.ushelpingus.org/ pride-in-the-park.

ADVENTURING outdoors group and CHRYSALIS arts & culture

group observe Memorial Day by co-sponsoring a guided walking tour of the northern section of the Gettysburg Battlefield, focusing on July 1863 fighting at Culp’s Hill and East Cemetery Hill. Hike will not exceed 5 miles, with a few hundred feet of elevation gain. Dinner in town follows. Bring plenty of beverages, lunch, sunscreen, bug spray, comfortable walking shoes, and about $12 for fees, plus dinner money. Carpool at 9:30 a.m. from the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station. Return around dark. For more information, contact Craig, 202-462-0535, or visit www.adventuring.org.

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

DC’S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

welcomes musicians of all abilities to join its Monday night rehearsals.

The group hosts marching/color guard, concert, and jazz ensembles, with performances year round.

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Please contact Membership@ DCDD.org to inquire about joining one of the ensembles or visit www.

DCDD.org.

p.m. 410 7th St. SE. For more information, contact Rebecca York, 202-567-3165, or rebecca.york@ smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a black gay

US HELPING US hosts a support

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, MAy 25 GENDERQUEER DC, a support and discussion group for people who identify outside the gender binary, meets at The DC Center on the fourth Tuesday of every month.

7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

WEDNESDAY, MAy 25 The DC Center presents its

FOSTER PARENT AND ADOPTION INFORMATION NIGHT, where

session at Takoma Aquatic Center.

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

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

Weekly Events

DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

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

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

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds prac-

tice. The team is always looking for new members. All welcome. 7-9 p.m.

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

THE GAY MEN'S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free HIV

testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.

Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-214-9617.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS

holds an LGBT-focused meeting every Tuesday, 7 p.m. at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from Virginia Square Metro. Handicapped accessible.

Newcomers welcome. For more info, call Dick, 703-521-1999 or email liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.

Support group for LGBTQ youth ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL. 5-6:30

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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

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

LGBTQ people and couples can learn about the DC child welfare system, and how to become a foster or adoptive parent. The session will feature presentations by local foster parents and representatives of the Latin American Youth Center Child Placement Programs, followed by a question-and-answer session. 6:308 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events

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

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.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-

gram for job entrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m.

2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more info, email centercareers@ thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9 p.m.

Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, contact Tom, 703-299-0504 or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit www.wetskins.org. l

Scene

Trans Pride at Eaton Hotel & Studio Theatre - Sat., May 18 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Call Her by

Monét

Drag Race star Monét X Change on winning after losing, her love of Anne Hathaway, and always being unapologetically herself.

Interview by André Hereford

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HEN METRO WEEKLY LAST caught up with Monét X Change, the New York Citybased drag performer had just sashayed away as the sixthplace finisher of Rupaul’s Drag Race season 10. Monét made a splash on the show with her vibrant personality and infamous sponge dress, but it was another New York queen, Aquaria, who would be crowned the season’s winner.

Undaunted, Monét, a classically-trained vocalist, hit the post-Drag Race circuit touting a fresh dance single, “Soak It Up,” featuring friend and RPDR season 8 winner Bob the Drag Queen. These days, Drag Race queens releasing club tracks is an expected move, as the show begets more and more performers competing for their share of the spotlight. But then Monét did something unexpected. She detoured straight back to Drag Race for the fourth season of its spinoff All Stars. And she won the damn thing Rather, she was crowned co-winner in a tie with Trinity “The Tuck” Taylor, in one of those controversial Rupaul judging deci34

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

sions that keeps social media abuzz. Of course, her victory came as no surprise to Monét, who knew what she had to do in her return to the world’s most prominent stage for drag performers.

But what she might not have expected is how quickly her star would take off now that she’s been crowned the winner.

“I'm so proud to be the winner of All Stars because it was just such a crazy ride,” says Monét. “But I think my life has changed in so many ways. It’s just opening up so many doors. There's so many things I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever get to do. I'm now part of a Nickelodeon cartoon, which is coming to life, and I'm in the studio currently recording for it. I did a fucking Pepsi commercial with Cardi B. Like, ‘What?’ And I also have my own weekly digital talk show starting on May 23 with celebrity guests. So all these things are happening, not just because of All Stars, but it's because of Drag Race and RuPaul putting us on the goddamn TV screen, letting America see us, letting the world see us, and opening up opportunities that I didn't think would ever happen in my life.”

Some of those opportunities might come at a price. It was reported that when Madonna came calling to hire Monét for a project, the queen jumped at the gig, but in the process lost her

spot alongside Trinity and other queens on the Murray & Peterproduced “Haters Roast Tour.” While Monét remains tightlipped about what really went down on the Haters Roast Tour, or even about whether she did in fact work with Madonna, she continues to travel the globe with a cast of Drag Race queens in Voss Events’ popular “Werk the World Tour.”

After a short break from that, she will be back onstage to share her talents and music at this year’s DC Black Pride, appearing at Daryl Wilson Promotion’s “Tease: The Official DC Pride Event” on Friday, May 24. And since Monét X Change is all about being “unapologetically black,” her D.C. fans are sure to soak it up.

METRO WEEKLY: Appearing on Drag Race gives a platform to all

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of the queens who compete — win or lose. And being a reigning winner definitely amplifies your voice. So what is your message?

MONÉT X CHANGE: My message, that I'm very clear and vocal about, is being unapologetically yourself. In Season 10, what got me as far as it did — and what has really rung true for myself

and my fans — is how unapologetically me I am, whatever that may be. Sometimes I say the wrong thing, oftentimes I wear the wrong thing, but I always do it from a very sincere and honest place. When you operate from that place, especially in two-thousand-goddamn-nineteen, where it seems like the world is lit36

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

erally on fire and we're living in a dumpster, that’s what helps people want to orbit around me. And what creates staying power in this industry and in the business and in the world, is just to be unapologetically yourself. That's what I try to be all the time, no matter how horrible it may be sometimes. I'm always myself.

You can fault someone for being themselves and saying the wrong thing, but at the end of the day, it's who you are. And from those things, and from being yourself, you can learn, you can grow, and you can change, and you can be malleable to the things around you. But being yourself, I think, is what is a very, very constant thread in my life.

MW: You're traveling now, but you must have seen or heard about Anne Hathaway recently on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert talking to Colbert and RuPaul about you.

MONÉT: Yes, I did! I was not watching the show that day, but on social media I was getting lots of tags. I saw one tag about it, I was like, "Oh, cool." But I didn't watch the video. And then, it wasn't until later I was like, "Oh my god, I'm seeing this over and over again, this must be real, this must be true." I watched the video — Anne Hathaway was talking about me. And let me say this, I have been a fan ever since the bitch was in "What's up in Genovia."

I love Anne Hathaway. I think she's a modern-day icon. She has a gay brother who I just found out about recently, and they would often go to drag shows in Brooklyn together. So she's not someone who is just recently down. Anne Hathaway's been down, been going to drag shows in New York. She has always been a fan of the queer community, and drag queens, so it's nice to see that she was such a fan of mine on Season 10.

Again, I didn't have the best ride on Season 10. I went home in sixth place. But she was someone who recognized my star then. Even right after I got eliminated on season 10, right after our season finished, she had posted, I think, a tweet, or an Instagram feed post, about how myself, The Vixen, and someone else were so great on the season. She's not just flapping her gums. Anne Hathaway knows my name, and she's a fan of the sponge, and it was just a gag to see her talk about me in such a lovely way to Stephen Colbert and to Ru. I'm like, “Ru, you see? You made the right decision.”

MW: They talked about your journey — from sixth-place on Season 10 to the top of All Stars — being one thing that was really inspiring. I talked to you right after you sashayed away from season 10, and then you went, I guess, quickly into shooting All Stars 4.

MONÉT: Yeah, girl.

MW: Where did you find the confidence?

Because that would be a moment where a lot of people would have been really low.

MONÉT: Well, you know, for me, I was low, but even though I was eliminated, I was still so proud of my journey on season 10. I think that I presented myself in a very nice way, in a very authentic way, unapologetically, and I think that I knew the note that I had to address. I knew that it wasn't my acting ability or it wasn't my ability to be good at comedy challenges

or any of those things. It was simply an aesthetic thing, that Ru wanted to see more glamour. And I didn't bring a lot of glamour in my five little suitcases. I knew fashion is something you can change quickly. You can get new clothes, you can go buy new fabric, but you can't teach them how to be funny, you can't teach them how to sing, you can't do any of those things. I already had all those other things. It was just addressing the aesthetically pleasing part of my drag. Get better clothes and more fashions that really show Ru that I am glamorous and I can bring nice clothes to Drag Race.

MW: On that note, it seems in the current season that maybe Vanessa Vanjie Mateo was going through that, where the judges just didn't like what she brought.

What runs through your head when you're hearing critiques of elements that you can't really do anything about at the time?

MONÉT: I know! For example, exactly with Vanjie, they're like, "Please stop wearing bodysuits."

Like, bitch, that's all she brought! You can't send a P.A. to fucking Marshall’s and be like, "All right girl, here's the list." What you have is what you have. It offends me when they give girls notes like that.

And yes, there is a fabric wall — with really shitty fabric, by the way. If any girl was to wear any of that shitty fabric that they have on that wall, they would be read the house down and sent home. Immediately. So I love when they're like, "Yeah, but there’s a whole wall of fabric." Oh, really girl, that shit?

So you have what you have, and yeah, I know maybe there were some things she could have done to alter and change it, but she brought what she brought. She did the best that she could.

And I think that Vanjie will benefit from going on an All Stars season, and people already are fucking obsessed with her and people love her, so I think that Vanjie will turn it out on All Stars if she ever decides to go back to Drag Race.

MW: How acquainted were you with Trinity Taylor, your co-winner of All Stars 4, before the season?

MONÉT: I'd never been in the same room as Trinity before All Stars. I'd never met her in person. Nothing. If Trinity and some random white lady were in a room together, I would not know who was who. I had never met Trinity before.

MW: And what's your relationship like now?

MONÉT: She and I are friends. Immediately after the show, even after the show, we weren't really ki-ki, ka-ka, hanging out either, you know what I mean? We filmed the show and all that was that, and then when we had to go back to get our live reactions of us watching the finale together, I think we started hanging out a little bit more. And by hanging out, I mean like, instead of zero times a month, now we go out with each other once a month. So we're still not best friends, you know what I mean? But, yeah, we're cool.

MW: Okay. Because I have to ask about the “Haters Roast” drag tour, and reports saying that you left for a gig with Madonna, which led to the tour producers cutting you from the tour, and then Trinity left the tour in solidarity with you. What exactly happened?

MONÉT: It was really simple. I had an opportunity for.... Actually, I don't think I can even talk about it. Because the video hasn't aired yet, so I can't really speak on anything.

MW: So the project with Madonna was a music video?

MONÉT: I don't know what it was. I have no idea!

MW: All right, got you. Moving on. On season 10, you were crowned

Miss Congeniality, yet on All Stars, you played a tougher game. Did you go into All Stars thinking, "Okay, well, I was too nice before," or, "I need to focus”?

MONÉT: No, I just think All Stars is different than the regular season. Well, not "I think it’s different," it is different, because we get to send people home. My strategy for All Stars was not to send home the strongest person, but I definitely went in with a strategy that would best suit me to win. I think that if anyone goes to

“I love representing my blackness as much as I can in my look. I'm going to have this huge dreadlock updo with a head wrap for DragCon. PEOPLE THINK I'M JUST DOING IT TO BE EDGY OR TO BE CONTROVERSIAL. NO, I JUST LOVE LOOKING REALLY BLACK.” All Stars and they're not thinking of the end game and how they can win the show, then you're not playing right. I think All Stars lends itself more towards like a Big Brother/Survivor kind of gig. So that was my strategy, and to play as tough as I wanted to, but still being myself. In life, you can ask any of these girls who ever worked with me — I'm the jolliest, nicest, funniest, funnest person on tour with girls. That's just me, and that's how I was on the show, too. But keeping that in mind, I still wanted to win. So I definitely played that way and put it in my commentary how I would normally about things, and when it came down to the get down, I was definitely thinking in a more Survivor type of way of how I can rise to the top.

MW: Do you watch those shows?

MONÉT: I used to watch them back when, but haven't in a long time. But I’m trying to get on Survivor — just to lose weight. But I want to get on fucking Survivor. Like, yes, I would die.

MW: Speaking of having fun, I wanted to ask you about the Blackhole, the space-themed club night that you and Monique Heart conceived for a challenge on All Stars. I know that Naomi Smalls and Valentina’s Club 96 became a really popular meme, but the Blackhole actually seemed like the club where, personally, I would have the most fun.

MONÉT: Hello.

MW: You work in the club scene. For you, what makes a great club night?

MONÉT: A great club night for me is atmosphere, you know what I mean? When you walk into a club, you immediately know if you're going to have a good time by the atmosphere and the presence as soon as you walk in. Is it chill? Is it fun? Do you see drag queens walking around? What do you see? And I think what made Club 96 a club that no one wanted to go to, even through the TV screen, it felt stuffy, it felt too contrived, it's also like I would go here and I would literally hate myself after leaving.

But the Blackhole, it was fun. We had a fun vibe, and we had weird shit like alien babies, or Monique and I had these ridiculous looks. It felt fun. It felt like a good time. Even the one that won, the Beehive, I don't think I would go. The Beehive is a place I would go if I was visiting fucking Berlin. I would be like, "Oh, I'm going to Beehive, because I heard it’s cute." But I don't think that's somewhere that I would want to go every week. I think that the Blackhole is a place that people would May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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want to go weekly.

MW: I can believe that. When we spoke after season 10, you and Monique were developing a live show together. How is Monique, and what are you guys up to?

MONÉT: Well, Monique is good. Monique is honestly one of the craziest people I know. Monique is always nuts, she just drives me crazy. But yeah, Monique is good, we're still good, we still talk pretty often, I love Monique to death. We actually were working on a project together, but it's just so difficult post-Drag Race trying to nail other queens down for a while because we're all busy and trying to get this bag. We are just trying to work on projects, and soon, you know, stuff will happen, but for now, nothing as of yet. But definitely very soon.

MW: So, let's talk about Unapologetically, your EP. I have to say, the promo video is pretty impressive. Just the production on “Ave Maria”....

MONÉT: That's me singing by the way! A lot of people don't know that's me singing “Ave Maria.” They're like, "I love the vocals you got." I was like, "Girl, it's me."

MW: Would you consider singing a bass role in light opera or a full-scale opera?

MONÉT: Oh my god, I would love to sing a role in full drag as a bass. I've been advocating for Sarastro, Pamina's father in Magic Flute, to be gay. I feel like it would be fierce. And you have the Queen of the Night, who is already another alien kind of mother figure. Why not have Sarastro be a full drag queen? And I hope that someone, the Met, New York City Opera, Chicago Lyric, Houston Grand, someone get us The Magic Flute with me being a drag queen, gay Sarastro.

MW: Have you recognized a lot of overlap between opera queens and drag fans?

MONÉT: Oh my god, let me say something: the opera gays love Drag Race, and they always tweet me and Instagram me and send

MW: Actually, Shangela was a headliner here last year. Have you

kiki-ed with her about it, or do you have any idea what to expect?

MONÉT: Oh, I am looking to hear about it. That's a good idea, I'm going to call her. I didn’t know she headlined there before. I’m doing two sets, one I'm going to do live, and the next is going to be a lip sync/dance moment, but definitely going to do some live moments. Because black folks like the music. And not just saying only black people will be there, all are welcome, all invited! But I definitely want to do something live and then just turn it out with some dance moves and just fucking drag my pussy across the stage, girl. It'll be fun.

MW: Good, good. And we’ll hear your song “Beyoncé” maybe?

MONÉT: Yeah, of course!

MW: The party that you're doing here is called Tease, and someone else who's appearing at that party is Gavin Houston, who plays gay character Jeffrey Harrington on Tyler Perry’s The Haves and Have Nots. Jeffrey is dealing with a mother who is basically a homophobe, a father who is accepting, and the show portrays his struggle to be out and gay in a modern black family. With that in mind, how has your family responded to your success?

MONÉT: Oh my god, my family loves it. Because my family loves it so much, on any night during season 10 and All Stars 4, they'd have these family group chats, and they would be like, "Uh-uh!

No, what? Girl, Monét, why'd you wear that ugly dress?" You know black folk don't care. They're like, "You know what? You deserved to be in the bottom. That was ugly." You know, stuff like that. So they really get into it, and they really love it.

It kind of makes me so mad that I did not share this side of me with them before now. But it is what it is, and they really enjoy it. My mom loves it, and I send her pictures and videos via WhatsApp because she’s in St. Lucia. I send her little pictures or she loves to google me. And she's googling me, really, to hear about herself. I talk about her a lot in interviews. She'll be like, "Oh! I just love what you said about me." But I'm like, "Uh-huh." So it makes me really, really mad that I did not share this side of me with my family until now.

But everything happens for a reason, and in the season that it’s supposed to happen, so it is what it is.

MW: Does your family ever have the opportunity to see you perform?

MONÉT: Well, my mom is going to be back up in New York in October, so hopefully. She was here this past October, but I was not doing anything in New York, so this time I'm going to make it a point to do some show in New York while she's here. But my other family who live up here, like my aunts and my cousins, they have all been to my one-woman shows. They love it. They definitely come. My brother, he's a 35-year-old New York City cop.

He always texts me, like, "Yo, what? That was crazy, son." He gets really into it, too. So my whole family loves it, and they're really about Drag Race and that Monét life, and I'm very, very, very grateful to have such a supportive family.

MW: You talk a lot about wearing the wrong thing. You often wear the right thing, too. Do you work with a stylist? What’s your approach to fashion?

“The opera gays love Drag Race, and they always tweet me and Instagram me and send me DMs about [it]. They all get together and watch. OPERA AND DRAG ARE REALLY THE SAME THING. OPERA JUST HAS BIGGER LASHES.” me DMs about how they love watching Drag Race. And those who are in young artist programs, how they all get together and they watch Drag Race in whatever city they're in. Yeah, the opera queens love drag, honey. Opera and drag are really the same thing. Opera just has bigger lashes.

MW: You’re coming here for DC Black Pride. Have you been before?

MONÉT: I have never, but I've heard about it. A lot of my friends from New York have gone to DC Black Pride, and talked about how fucking fierce it is, and also how cute the boys are, so I am so excited.

MW: Yeah, it's nonstop, and the eye candy is sort of crazy.

MONÉT: Uh-huh, oh girl.

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of it comes from my assistant Patti. He'll just randomly send me DMs in Instagram of inspo stuff, and then we'll snowball off of that. That's how a lot of it comes. Or, one thing at a time.

Again, I love representing my blackness as much as I can in my look. And even this year for DragCon, I was randomly like, "I want a flannel gown." So, my designer is making me a really fierce flannel gown, and I'm going to have this huge dreadlock updo with a head wrap for DragCon. It's going to be very black, it's going to be very cute.

I'm going to have all the gold bracelets, all the gold chains.

I love it. And the fact that you have a winner who is representing blackness in this way.

People think I'm just doing it to be edgy or to be controversial.

No, I just love looking really black, so, yeah. [Laughs.]

MW: Did you catch this year’s Met Ball red carpet?

MONÉT: Oh yes, I did. So many drag queens. Three drag queens at the Met Ball? Gag! Fierce.

MW: How would you do camp?

MONÉT: Oh, you know, that's fun! I would definitely, especially if I knew it was the Met Ball, I would have to sit down and really, really, really, really, really think. It would be very black camp. I don't know, something very black, that’s also very campy. But also you have to recognize that these girls were wearing designers, it wasn’t like they went to someone and said, "I want this, make this for me." They were wearing stuff that designers gave them.

Except for RuPaul. RuPaul was like, "Zaldy's making my shit.

I don't want no Prada, I don't want no Dolce, I'm getting my designer Zaldy." And they're like, okay.

But for me, I would definitely find some fierce, black designer, of which there are many, and we would collaborate on something together. I would definitely try to go the RuPaul look and go my own way, instead of having to wear a major designer. Not trying to shade these people, I'm just saying, I would try to give the opportunity for a really great designer to be seen at the Met Ball.

MW: Absolutely. You just wrapped up the “Werq the World” tour in the UK, with Aquaria and Violet and Valentina and a bunch of Drag Race queens. So what’s next?

MONÉT: After that, I come back to the States. And I'm doing Indy Pride. It's myself, Lizzo, Blair St. Clair and another artist, we're all doing sets. It's a really big Pride outdoor festival in Indianapolis. It's going to be crazy. And then I'm in Australia at the end of June. Which I'm so sad, I'm not around for New York

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MONÉT: To be very honest, a lot

City Pride, which is also WorldPride, which is crazy. I'm getting all of these things for New York City WorldPride, but I was like, “I've already committed to this Australia thing a year ago,” me being an idiot not realizing that it coincided with New York City Pride. Kinda sucks.

And I have my one-woman show, Call Me by Monét, which I'm touring, which I'm finishing up this year because I have a new one which is coming out next year. Look up on my website, you'll find dates for my one-woman show, Call Me by Monét, which has gotten rave reviews in the UK and in America where I brought it! So watch out for it, girl. Oh, also, Bob and I are doing our “Sibling Rivalry” tour in Canada all of September.

MW: Awesome. Go teach those Canadian queens something.

MONÉT: It's going to be really fun. l Monét X Change appears at Tease: The Official D.C. Pride Event on Friday, May 24 at Ziegfeld’s/Secrets, 1824 Half St.SW. Tickets are $25. Admission is free for DWP Party Pass holders. For more information, visit www.darylwilsondc.com.

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Houston Rocket Gavin Houston shares the lowdown on shooting cable TV’s hottest primetime soap The Haves and Have Nots.

By André Hereford

F

OR SIX SEASONS AND COUNTING, MEDIA mogul Tyler Perry has put his gift for crowd-pleasing melodrama to use crafting OWN’s hit primetime soap The Haves and Have Nots. The network’s highest-rated series to date, the series chronicles the tumultuous lives of two prominent and wealthy Savannah, Georgia families, the Harringtons, who are black, and the Cryers, who are white, as well as both families’ interactions with the working class Young family. Serving a full course of sex, scandal, conniving, and cliffhanger endings, The Haves and Have Nots is an undeniably mouthwatering guilty pleasure that’s attracted a devoted following, especially among fans of the show’s many LGBTQ characters, like the semi-closeted scion of the Harringtons, handsome rehab counselor Jeffrey.

Portrayed by Brooklyn-born Gavin Houston, Jeffrey and his messy, often hazardous, love life — including dalliances with hot, closeted stalker Officer Justin (Nicholas J. Muscarella), and hot, not-closeted PR whiz Landon (Kristian Kordula) — add fuel to fans’ Have Nots addiction. And Houston says the show’s faithful aren’t afraid to let him hear about it.

“People will walk up to me on the street, like, ‘You need to tell your momma this!’ or ‘You need to tell off, Justin!’” he says.

“Okay, do you want me to tell them now, or wait until [the director says] ‘Action!’ and then tell them?”

Houston acknowledges that Perry’s formula for soapy storytelling is fairly foolproof. “It's so funny, it's almost like the way it's written, the way it's drawn out, it makes you want to yell at the TV screen, cause it's like ‘No! Don't do that! That's a terrible idea! That's a terrible decision, are you stupid? Do you not have common sense?!’ They want to yell at me on the TV, so when they see me in person, they just make up for it in person. It's how that works out.”

Much of Houston’s interaction with viewers concerns the contentious, yet loving, relationship between Jeffrey and his ice cold, homophobic mother Veronica, the show’s queen bee, played by Angela Robinson. “I'm always sure to let people know that my costars in person, like Angela, who's pretty much the 40

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

villain on the show, is actually a really nice person,” he says.

“Even in TSA, an agent was rude to her because of the character she plays on TV! She's completely the opposite. One lady met her and slapped her on the shoulders and told her she needs to be nicer to her son. So it really shows they think it's that serious.

I'm grateful that they're so tied in, but sometimes [fans] just have to reel it back when it's in person.”

Despite the occasional overzealous Jeffrey supporter, Houston, who identifies as straight, is pleased The Haves and Have Nots offers an opportunity to explore the prickly topic of homophobia within the African-American community, and the subject of LGBTQ rights in general.

“Jeffrey's a little more of a situation,” says Houston. “His mother at least has this mapped-out life that she's planned for him, but he [is] gay, and she didn't approve of that, his father did, so it's been an ongoing battle and fight for independence, for his acceptance and for the love from his parents, and they're going back and forth. The hero would be Jeffrey and his mother Veronica would be the villain, and every time he tries to move forward with his life, she tries to find a way to sabotage it, so it's been an interesting ride.”

Unfortunately, not everyone watching the show will agree that Jeffrey deserves to live his life freely. Recognizing that some in the audience might side with Veronica’s conformist wishes for her son, Houston says, “I feel like what it does, which I really love, and what's important for people to get from it, is that we get to see a warped love from his mother, because everything she's doing is out of love. She doesn't want to hurt him, she just has this little idea of how he should live and she wants to see that through. And I think what this show has done, it has exposed life behind the curtain. A lot of times, people don't see the backstory.”

In Jeffrey’s case, part of his backstory included deliberately misleading his parents about his sexuality, until finally he came out at the end of season one. “At first, audiences didn't like my character, and I think once they saw the bullying, once they saw the treatment, they started to get a little more compassionate

for the person,” Houston says. “Whether they agree with the sexuality or not, that didn't matter because they started to see the human aspect of it, and the human feeling behind it, and I think that's been a great lesson for everyone, is that [sexuality] is not important. Once you see the person through a different lens and you view them as a human first, that's the lens you should be looking through. I think it's been a great reminder because the people who were against him are the people rooting for him now because he's kind of been the underdog in the situation of just trying to be himself and be loved for it.”

For Jeffrey, being himself on the show also means disrobing for many, many shirtless scenes. In fact, The Haves and Have Nots puts plenty of male pulchritude on display, across all generations. Even erstwhile Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider, who portrays Cryer family patriarch Jim, has to stay fit for the series’ steamy love scenes. The set sounds like it could double as a bodybuilding camp.

“There is an amazing gym on set, it's literally downstairs from everyone's dressing rooms, so we have no excuse,” says Houston.

“First of all, I think we're all pretty much athletic, we're all competitive with each other, but we're also all friends, so I think it's almost like having a teammate, you get inspired by seeing a teammate coming in shape, and it inspires you to go down to this gym. Plus, we shoot so much so fast and so quickly, that we're just at the studio all the time. So we have this idle time and you're either in your dressing room, you could be in the gym, or just walking around, I guess, so we make use of that. There's no trainers, but Mr. Perry keeps it hot down there. It's got literally everything you need, there would be no excuses. He uses it, in fact, and blasts the music. We all — the men — come from some sort of fitness background, which has been great, so we just all

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kind of push each other and kinda challenge each other. And John Schneider, he still keeps in shape, he's doing his workout.

Bo Duke's gotta be able to slide across the General Lee, so he keeps himself in shape.”

The show is in good enough shape after six seasons that seasons seven and eight are already in the can, with season nine set to shoot. While Houston prepares for another season of soapy shenanigans, and looks forward to pursuing a film career, he’s proud of the work he and his castmates continue to do on OWN. “In two weeks we're going back for season 9. We're like the NCIS of melodrama,” he says. “It keeps going, and it's still a hit on OWN, and it is such a blessing. What it's really a testament of, I think, is the cast, because we're so close. I mean, I went scuba diving with two of my costars just a few weeks ago. We spend Christmas parties together and stuff like that.

We talk to each other, so we're so close that it's kind of like a family, there's not one person who doesn't fit or is arrogant or is ‘Hollywood’ in any way. I think we're just, as a group, so normal and down-to-earth and grounded, and I think that's added to its longevity, and that's why everybody comes back. People are off doing their other projects, but they come back because the fans have been supporting this show, so we want to give it back to them.” l Gavin Houston appears at Tease: The Official D.C. Pride Event on Friday, May 24 at Ziegfeld’s/Secrets, 1824 Half St. SW. Tickets are $25. Admission is free for DWP Party Pass holders. For more information, visit www.darylwilsondc.com.

Tyler Perry’s The Haves and Have Nots airs Tuesdays on OWN. Visit www.oprah.com.

WARD MORRISON

Unity in Pride DC Black Pride emphasizes events that bring the community together and celebrates our collective truths.

By John Riley

T

HE FOCUS OF DC BLACK PRIDE IS ALL ABOUT bringing the community together, and that’s especially true of this year’s celebration. “It was our intention to make sure we get as much representation from the entire community as possible, so we all can show up and experience Black Pride and our truth under the umbrella of this theme that ‘Black Pride is for all of us,’” says co-organizer Kenya Hutton. “Everything is supposed to be blended, we have no events that are specifically for people based on their gender.

It’s all available to everyone.”

In keeping with that theme, DC Black Pride’s opening “CommUNITY Reception” will, for the first time, include organizations that historically have not been affiliated with the annual celebration.

“We reached out to organizations all over the D.C. metro area and invited them to come together as co-hosts for the reception,” says Hutton. “It follows along with our theme, which is ‘Our Truth in Harmony,’ speaking to the fact that even though we are all walking in our individual truths, we can all come together under one umbrella for a unified opening reception.”

On Saturday, DC Black Pride will hold various workshops at its host hotel, the Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, focusing on issues of importance to the black community, often from an intersectional perspective. “All of our workshops came from the community,” says Hutton. “A lot of our workshops are about bringing people from all over to the table to have a conversation, which might allow folks to better understand each other, regardless of what letter you fall under within the LGBTQ community.”

Unique this year is a “Tranquility Lounge,” where attendees can relax and get various organic beauty or spa-style treatments from foot rubs to facials, provided by Genise D’Artois of Making U Fierce, from 3:30 to 8 p.m. on Saturday. And this year’s poetry 44

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

slam, from 6-9 p.m., is named in honor of Mary Bowman, a Black Pride volunteer who died unexpectedly last Thursday and was instrumental in reviving the poetry slam in past years.

Various daytime parties and nightlife offerings abound throughout DC Black Pride Weekend. Some special guests attending this year’s festivities include actor Gavin Houston, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 4 winner Monét X Change appearing at Ziegfeld’s/Secrets on Friday as part of promoter Daryl Wilson’s Wet Dreamz Live, and the rap duo City Girls, along with trans performer Miss Shalae, dubbed “The No. 1 Beyoncé Impersonator in the World,” set to perform at Echostage on Saturday as part of Wet Dreamz Live’s “Flewed Out” Party. (See the Nightlife Section on page 56 of this magazine for more details on select Black Pride parties.)

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, Us Helping Us will host “Pride in the Park,” a day-long festival-style event from noon to 6 p.m. at Fort Dupont Park in Southeast. It will feature musical and dance performances, food, and an outdoor expo and resource fair featuring various vendors with giveaways, a karaoke contest (1-3 p.m.) and a J-Setting competition (3-5 p.m.).

“We’ll have different health and wellness seminars or sessions in tents on the park grounds,” says DeMarc Hickson, executive director of Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc. “We’ll also have different festival games like outdoor laser tag, a ‘human hamster ball’ competition, flag football, a potato sack race, and a carnival game where you race to blow up a balloon by filling it up with water.” —John Riley DC Black Pride runs Friday, May 24 to Monday, May 27. The host hotel is the Renaissance Washington DC Downtown, 999 9th St. NW. For a full schedule of events and parties, visit www.dcblackpride.org, www.darylwilsondc.com, and www.uhupil.org.

DISNEY

Movies

Arabian Blight

Despite the efforts of Will Smith and two refreshing young leads, Guy Ritchie pretty much pummels Aladdin into the ground. By Randy Shulman

W

HOEVER KEEPS HIRING GUY RITCHIE TO MAKE MOVIES, PLEASE stop. When he burst onto the scene in 1998 with the indie gem Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, critics and audiences alike were enamored with his gritty, bludgeony style. But that gritty, bludgeony style, which has since become his sole calling card, doesn’t suit every project, and virtually every project that Ritchie has gotten his gritty, bludgeony mitts on has suffered as a result (the possible exception being Sherlock Holmes). To be completely honest, I’ve rarely met a Guy Ritchie film I truly liked. He’s a fixture in my “Useless Movie Directors” pile.

So, obviously, I already had a chip on my shoulder heading into the new, Ritchiehelmed live-action version of Aladdin, but as I told a friend prior to the press screening, “I would like nothing more than to be happily surprised and emerge with many positive feelings.” Well.... Nope. No positive feelings here.

Disney’s move to reinvent its delightful 1992 animated classic — which starred Robin Williams as an insanely funny, manic blue Genie, a sublimely malevolent villain, and a magic carpet with more gusto than your average Labradoodle — into a live-action movie musical, is yet another example of the studio putting greed ahead of artistry. It’s designed to print cash at the box office. And if audiences like it, it’s likely out of the need to convince themselves they enjoyed it rather than feel embarrassed for shelling out hard-earned cash for what amounts to a lousy desert storm.

The new Aladdin (HHHHH) is a nonstop assault on the senses. And while it’s never dull — it goes in the opposite direction of the gob-stoppingly boring Dumbo

— it offers further proof that the Mouse House should be much more selective in their quest to pillage their treasured, oneof-a-kind animated collection and create live-action, CGI-enhanced Frankenstein monsters out of them. Sometimes the gambit works: Jungle Book was unique enough that it transcended the original cartoon.

And while Beauty and the Beast was, like Aladdin, a virtual point-by-point recreation of the original, the difference lies in the emotional depth of the core material. Beast — in its animated, live-action, and Broadway guises — is a tale fraught with full-on emotion. It has heft, connecting with us on a primal romantic level.

Aladdin, though it contains romance, was always designed as light fare, more jaunty and playful than heartrending. It’s meant to be fun.

Ritchie doesn’t understand fun. He only understands bombast. He doesn’t know how to connect to an audience because he’s never mastered the artistry of film, simply the artistry of repeatedly throwing everything and the kitchen-sink at you until it breaks open your skull. There is some gee-whiz technical stuff here — an opening, single-tracking shot seems like a doozy of an achievement, but how much of it is real and how much is CGI? (Go watch

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Brian De Palma’s opener to Bonfire of the Vanities, accomplished without CGI and then tell me who the real master is.) The editing, choppy and unsettling, seems to have been achieved with a hacksaw. And the performances have far less dimension than the animated counterparts on which they’re based. It’s no small feat to ensure your human actors feel less real than cartoons, but Ritchie manages it with flying colors.

He is also a director in constant search of a top to go over. And then to go over the top he just went over. The movie needlessly piles on visual extravagance until we’re watching the equivalent of a design binge-purge. Aladdin is exhausting to watch, even in its slower moments. It’s way too much, all the time. By the time we make it to a sloppy climax that features, among other things, a crazy chase for possession of the magic lamp, a Mothra-sized parrot, and much smashing of marketplace vendor stalls (I hope their insurance premiums were up-to-date), you start to wonder if walking open-mouthed through a sandstorm wouldn’t be slightly more enjoyable.

Much fuss has been made over Will Smith’s casting as the Genie. Smith, buffed up and a lovely shade of blue, brings an effortless congeniality to the role, which he contemporizes at times to fine effect. Gifted at comedy, Smith’s lovability shines through like a diamond in the film’s rough. Still, there’s no denying the spectre of Robin Williams’ delightful vocal performance — coupled with the animated version’s inspired rendering of the Genie as an Al Hirschfeld caricature — looms heavily over his performance. Smith never really tries to win the Willliams’ throne and make the character his own. Instead, he pays homage to it with a nod, a wink, and a humble reverence.

Marwan Kenzari’s Jafar is another story. Rarely has a Disney villain been more impotent. Magnificently, richly voiced by Jonathan Freeman in the 1992 version, Kenzari, an award-winning Dutch actor, opts for a different tact: go high-pitched, whiny, and bland. This isn’t the sumptuously nefarious Jafar we all loved to hate, this is a potato that has somehow learned to speak.

The leads — along with a muscular musical score by Alan Menken that draws generously and beautifully from the original — are the movie’s saving grace. The camera loves Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott, and they love it back. With his easy smile, casual winsomeness, and strong, gorgeous singing voice, Massoud is a joy to behold and the movie is his star is born moment. He’s custom-made for teenage girls to hang posters of on their walls and for gay men to secretly hope he’ll one day suddenly come out on the cover of The Advocate.

Scott, meanwhile, can belt one out with the best of them, and “Speechless,” a new song written specifically for the film, offers the movie its one instance of genuine, honest-to-god power.

Unfortunately, Aladdin and Jasmine’s famous flying carpet duet, “A Whole New World,” is hampered by muddy and dim cinematography that kills the magic of the critical scene.

There is a timely update to the narrative that lights the flame of female empowerment, a nod to aspiring Disney princesses everywhere who want to become President — though it ignores the demeaning way women were (and still often are) treated in certain Arab nations. No matter, this is a fable and in fables anything can — and does — happen. But wouldn’t it be nice if life imitated art once in a while? l

Aladdin is rated PG and is now playing at theaters nationwide. Visit www.fandango.com.

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May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

BRITTANY DILIBERTO

Stage

RoboKing

I

Synetic offers a dark, exciting, and brazenly inventive wordless interpretation of Richard III. By Kate Wingfield

T’S A CRAZY KIND OF CHALLENGE, PUTTING ON A SHAKESPEARE PLAY without using any words, but for Synetic it is a prospect that is, quite literally, music to their collective ears. In their (virtually) “Wordless Shakespeare” series, the company continues to revel in delivering the Bard through dance, mime, soundscape and music, with barely a spoken word. If these bold interpretations live outside the power of language, they nevertheless deliver captivating, sensual journeys of mood, mind, and action. See a Synetic Shakespeare and you will experience an entirely new way of feeling and thinking about his plays.

In turning their interpretative eye to Richard III (HHHHH), the story of the power-hungry royal who slaughters his way to the top, the company has outdone itself with a production that is as cleverly literal as it is imaginative. If the narrative is pared to its essence, the machinations are replaced with a novel take on the ever-interesting inner landscape of the ruthless, wholly damaged Richard. And in typical Synetic fashion, director Paata Tsikurishvili has kicked it to another, out-of-the-box level. Quite simply, this Richard isn’t fully human.

It’s a premise that plays to just about every Synetic strength. Always leaning dark and mysterious (even in their comedies), the concept of a gloomy, dystopian kingdom is perfect territory for the troupe’s unfettered imaginings. If Konstantine Lortkipanidze’s compositions and Thomas Sowers’ sound design always transport, here they pair with Synetic’s new and unprecedented use of video and projections to bring new and extraordinary sensory dimensions. Haunting and cleverly choreographed, the scenic and multimedia designs of Tennessee Dixon are not just mesmerizing, they create pow-

erful narrative touchstones in the telling of the tale.

Of course, being told through movement and dance — save for a singular spoken focus on Richard’s self-reflection — Irina Tsikurishvili’s choreography must carry the day, and it does. Thanks to the video and projected storytelling, she spends less energy here on narrative and more on the emotional junctures of the work. Particularly memorable are her descriptions of grief, with a most beautiful pas de deux between Queen Elizabeth and King Edward as he gently leaves this mortal coil. Her use of round and roiling shapes, the way Elizabeth can never quite grasp her husband, and the interplay with set and projection is subtle and moving. Other standouts are a rousing Court celebration dance and the amassing of Richard’s robot army, both of which enthrall for their blend of art and physicality.

Richard is, without doubt, something of a horror story and Synetic thrillingly ups the ante by turning Richard into a Robocop-gone-wrong. Utterly committed, Alex Mills in the title role does a stellar job of suggesting the amalgam of human and machine and the fraying of nerves and

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BRITTANY DILIBERTO

wires. As always, Mills moves with much clarity and conviction — he knows how to tell a story and he well-suggests the scary side of a man without a conscience. That said, little would be lost — and much gained — from editing a few of the many scenes between Richard and his robot henchmen in the “lab.”

Still, the recasting of Richard’s courtiers into robots is inspired, and Ana Tsikurishvili as Tyrell and Scean Aaron as Ratcliffe are real scene stealers. Moving and reacting with sinis-

ter affect, they are the constant reminders that intelligence without soul can be terrifying.

Though both bring memorable “personality,” Ana in particular captures the insect-like creepiness of her creature.

Other standouts are a vibrantly-drawn Queen Elizabeth and King Edward. As Elizabeth, Irina Tsikurishvili convincingly shows a joyous, loving wife and mother, soon gutted by the deaths of her husband and sons in quick, brutal succession. Her movements and dance in grief are visceral and touching, her later whirlwind in defense of her daughter authentically desperate and determined. Irina remains a gratifyingly expressive, fluid mover, an absolute magnet to the eye. As Edward, Philip Fletcher offers a believable man and, especially in his post-death dance, a marvelously delicate sensibility. As the beleaguered Lady Ann, who succumbs to Richard’s false seductions, Maryam Najafzada acts and moves with compelling understatement.

In smaller roles, as the Prince and Younger Prince, Tim Proudkii and Aaron Kan deliver two very credible teens and bring all the right kind of energy to Irina’s signature playful choreography. As Richard’s erstwhile confidant Buckingham, Matt R. Stover offers effective color to his drugged-addled courtier.

Entertain your fair well-spoken days through this dark and exciting lens as Synetic explores Shakespeare’s greatest villain. l

Richard III runs through June 16 at Synetic Theater, 1800 S. Bell St. in Arlington, Va. Tickets are $19 to $65. Call 866-811-4111 or visit www.synetictheater.org.

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MARKUS & KOALA

Music

Tried and True

Four years in the making, Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest album sticks to her gold standard of catchy, relatable songwriting. By Sean Maunier

F

OR THOSE WHO WROTE OFF CARLY RAE JEPSEN AFTER HER 2012 flash-in-the-pan single, the ubiquitous “Call Me Maybe,” 2014’s Emotion was a revelation, pop music that was at once sophisticated and accessible, full of relentless optimism and unforced positivity. In an industry where personal branding is everything and a world in which the concept is becoming ever more pervasive, crafting a persona was an afterthought for Jepsen, who just wanted to make fun music.

Her approach has earned her a cult following, but as with all cults, explaining her appeal to the uninitiated can be difficult, equally inexplicable to detractors and rabid fans alike. Much of it lies in her preternatural ability to build an incredible hook around some basic yet intimately familiar experience and craft the song around it into an abso-

lute earworm.

Where Emotion felt experimental, Dedicated (HHHHH) is more structured, the work of an artist who has found what works. We are told that Dedicated began its life under the working title “Music To Clean Your House To,” and true to this modest and straightforwardly utilitarian vision, it has a song to suit just about every mood. The album is practically a field guide to modern love, covering everything from initial flirtation to eventual post-breakup euphoria.

There’s a song for just about every mood and every step in the process, even making a few detours into those obnoxiously messy and complicated grey areas. continues on page 53

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51

SCOTT SUCHMAN

Opera

Heart and Soul L

WNO’s Tosca delivers its heroine and famous arias with atmosphere and intimacy. By Kate Wingfield

IKE STEPPING INTO THE MURKY DEPTHS OF AN ANTIQUE PAINTING, the Washington National Opera’s Tosca (HHHHH) gorgeously evokes cavernous candle-lit interiors and Machiavellian cruelties. These are painted sets (provided by the Seattle Opera) to savor — the architecture is rendered with an immense attention to detail, the final scene with its starry night and looming statue is pure magic. If there is less of the sometimes breathtaking spectacle of the WNO’s 2011 production, this is Puccini with atmosphere and intimacy.

It starts with the deft focus of director Ethan McSweeny, who keeps the drama grand but eminently human. Tosca may be a diva, Cavaradossi a passionate artist, and Baron Scarpia a textbook villain, but the interpretations here have a convincing urgency. Tosca has attitude, but she gets visibly unnerved. Scarpia may be all about trapping his prey, but his composure slips just enough. And if Cavaradossi has some operatic swagger, his teary cri de coeur as he faces death convinces.

The intimacy doesn’t stop with McSweeny’s interest in what makes us messily human. Conductor Speranza Scappucci also brings a brooding sensibility that feels close to the heart and soul of the story. She conjures a Puccini that feels wedded to the action — the music cries in alarm, beats like a desperate heart, keens like a lost soul. It is compelling, even if it feels a tad unfocused at times.

Does all of it work, all of the time? Almost. Scarpia’s attempt to wrestle Tosca onto a tabletop in the middle of his psychological game is worrisomely awkward, even if it reveals his base desires. McSweeny’s choice to lift away the church as Scarpia confesses his most ungodly lust during the te deum can’t hold a candle — holy or otherwise — to 2011’s gradually amassing tableau.

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Of course, Tosca is about its heroine and famous arias and, here, none disappoint. In the title role, Keri Alkema is utterly credible. She is volatile but warm, strong but human. She holds herself with a poise that is at once essential to her nature, but also, in the face of Scarpia’s pressure, a last vestige of strength that is full of pathos. When she sings “Vissi d’arte” while facing the prospect of giving sexual favors in exchange for Cavaradossi’s life, it is easy to believe in her shock at the loss of her happy life to the uninvited horror of her lover’s torture and her own impending fate. Tosca is engaging and nuanced, and Alkema sings her with everything this woman must be. With a soprano that is at once as richly sparkling as it is powerful, this is Puccini delivered to the universe. To close one’s eyes and listen to this Tosca’s heart, is to thank the gods (Norse or otherwise) that Washington has a world-class opera. That Alkema began her career as one of the first of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists is just icing on the cake.

Not quite as easy to gush over is Riccardo Massi’s Cavaradossi. Certainly looking the part, Massi has presence and is increasingly persuasive once Scarpia targets him for torture and removal from Tosca’s life. His moments before a dawn

execution when he sings the famous “E lucevan le stelle” are emotionally pointed, his voice boldly expressive. And if you yearn for a gutsy tenor who likes to hold a cathartic note, he will please. But there is the slightest chalkiness to Massi’s tone that hinders some clarity and it is not quite saved by his power and endurance.

Reprising his role from the 2011 production, Alan Held gives Scarpia the kind of patrician entitlement that never has to try too hard (save for the moment on the tabletop), keeping him understated and away from caricature. But, if there is a quibble, it is that Held never quite relishes his evil with conviction. The moment when he chuckles like a Bond villain over his glass of

Spanish wine doesn’t ring true. It is as if he is as chained to it as Cavaradossi is to his torture chair. Known for his Wagnerian prowess, it is interesting to hear Held sing Puccini and he brings a gratifying, unwavering gravitas.

In smaller roles, Wei Wu is a wonderfully drawn Sacristan, singing with appealing nuance as he navigates the shenanigans in his vestry. As Scarpia’s main henchman Spoletta, David Cangelosi is intense and charismatic, singing with a pleasingly open sound. Finally, Holden Browne’s Shepherd Boy provided a brief, haunting interlude.

If not quite the be-all and end-all, this is nevertheless a Tosca of heart and soul. l

Tosca runs to May 25 at the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $35 to $300. Call 202-267-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org. continued from page 51

MARKUS & KOALA

Just falling in love? “Now That I Found You” will capture those explosive, triumphant feelings perfectly. Looking for some quick fun? Carly Rae has you covered with “Want You In My Room,” a fantastic track that is far too direct and unflinching to be called flirty. This is far from the first pop album to walk us through every phase of a relationship, but few do it so exhaustively, or so well.

Where Emotion felt experimental, Dedicated is more polished and structured, with even more of a synthpop feel to its production, although it wouldn’t be a Carly Rae Jepsen album without the occasional saxophone thrown in for fun. Thematically, she has found what works for her and has decided to go all in on it.

The approach mostly pays off, although something does feel lost with the album’s tighter focus. Notwithstanding the fantastic and absolutely necessary breakup song “Party For One,” some of the album’s least memorable songs are those that deal with the most obvious and familiar aspects of relationships. On the surface, it is odd that some of the songs work so well and others do not when she is adhering this closely to a formula.

Why, for example, is “The Sound” such a standout while “Real Love,” a perfectly decent track about more or less the same thing, is so unremarkable by comparison? The answer may be that her appeal is slightly more subtle and complicated than she is given credit by dismissals of her work as easy, catchy love songs. “Right Words Wrong Time” is a fine song, carried by vocal harmonies carried by a thumping synth, but its central idea, “You always have the wrong words at the right time,” is one that has been heard many times before. Jepsen's exhaustive look at love is admirable, but between the songs that work and the ones that don't, it becomes clear she works best in the margins, exploring the befores, afters, and in-betweens of love, giving voice to those feelings we all have but rarely hear expressed outside our own heads.

Jepsen’s goal has always been modest — to make honest, catchy pop songs that tap into visceral, universally felt emotions. And granted, there is nothing particularly special about this, since pop attempts this with varying degrees of success, but she has somehow nailed a formula that has been paying off for her for a while, and Dedicated is no exception. She may not be reinventing the wheel here, but there is nothing necessarily wrong with formulaic approach when the formula works so well.

Besides, there is still something undeniably magnetic about her honest approach and her ability to illuminate the little moments and intervals before love begins, after it ends, and all the small transformations that take place along the way. l Dedicated can be purchased on Amazon.com and iTunes, and is available on most major streaming services.

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NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

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Scene

Sleaze at DC9 - Friday, May 17 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, May 23 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC BLACK PRIDE @Club Elevate 15 K St. NE The Set-Up: Welcome to DC Party, 10pm-2am • Free with DWP Party Pass • Early Bird Party Pass Pickup • www.darylwilsondc.com DC BLACK PRIDE @Renaissance Washington DC Downtown Grand Ballroom Central/ South 999 9th St. NW DC Black Pride Unity Ball, 6pm-midnight • Presented

by the Center for Black Equity, DC Health, Impulse DC, Charles West, Duante Balenciaga, Domo Khan, and Twiggy Pucci Garcon • Free admission • Various cash prizes available for dance/vogue/realness team performances • www. dcblackpride.org FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • Men in Underwear Drink Free, 12-12:30am • DJs BacK2bACk

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets of Bud Products all night • Sports Leagues Night NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm • Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • Dancing until 1:30am

Destinations A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.facebook.com/alohodc AVALON SATURDAYS Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW 202-789-5429 www.facebook.com/ AvalonSaturdaysDC 56

May 23, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Bottles of Wine, 5pm-close TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

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

Friday, May 24

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm

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

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long

DC BLACK PRIDE @Renaissance Washington DC Downtown 999 9th St. NW DC Black Pride Happy Hour Meet and Greet, 3-9pm • Wet Dreamz Live Official Party Pass Pickup • www. darylwilsondc.com

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Open 3pm • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Weekend Kickoff Dance Party, with Nellie’s DJs spinning bubbly pop music all night

DC BLACK PRIDE @Ziegfeld’s/Secrets 1824 Half St. SW Tease: The Official All Male Super Party, 10pm-4am • Free with DWP Party Pass • Cover 21+ • www.darylwilsondc.com

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

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

NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Compiled by Doug Rule FL ASHY SUNDAYS : MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND It’s been almost six years since Sean Morris and Kurt “T WiN” Graves teamed up for their first joint partnership, and while it can be hard to believe, this holiday Sunday party at one of the city’s hippest venues was not an instant success, but more of a slow burn. However, Flashy blew up to become a sold - out, line - down -the - block affair. And don’t think for a minute that the first official beach weekend of the summer will do much to alter the situation, so plan to arrive early — around the party’s official start time of 10 p.m. — this Sunday, May 26, if you want to get in and get on the dancefloor with as minimal wait time and interruption as possible. Morris and T WiN will take turns spinning in front of the wall of vintage camera flashes on the venue’s main dance floor, which will be open until 5 a.m., or an hour after the bar closes, while DJ Saint Deporres will be on roof deck duty. Flash is at 6 45 Florida Ave. NW. Cover is $ 20. Call 202- 827- 8791 or visit w w w.flashdc.com.

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

Saturday, May 25

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

AVALON SATURDAYS @Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW LGBTQ Dance Party, 10pm-close • $10 Cover before 11pm • General admission $15 • Drink specials • Drag Show, 10:30-11:30pm, hosted

by Ba’Naka and featuring Kristina Kelly, Deja Diamond, and Anastasia Dior • Open Bar on Tito’s and Jameson, 11pm-midnight

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

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

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

CHANELLIE’S MEMORIAL DAY DRAG BRUNCH In case you were wondering, there is not, in fact, a new queen on the scene named Chanellie. Rather, Chanellie is now the name of the game at Nellie’s Drag Brunch, ever since Chanel Devereaux ascended to the throne as queen of queens for the venue’s popular brunch bunch. And this Sunday, May 27, comes two opportunities to gorge yourself on food — with items ranging from pork to pancakes, soup to salad, fruit to more fruit — drink, although only your first mimosa or mar y is free, and drag. Synchottia C. Diamond Blue, Deja Diamond Jemaceye, Chicki Parm ( Chase Keech ) , and Sapphire Ardwick Ardmore - Blue will join Devereaux in slaying and sashaying about — when they’re not ser ving you and yours, of course. Seatings are at 11 a.m. and 1: 30 p.m. Nellie’s Sports Bar is at 9 0 0 U St. NW. Tickets are $ 41.91.

Call 202- 332- NELL or visit w w w.nelliessportsbar.com.

THE GARDEN BALL : ROYAL TEA The House of Sonique presents a ball extravaganza “where the norms of fashion and art don’t exist,” and where the illustrious and assorted others will walk and compete for trophies — the categories include OTA Runway “VanGuard,” OTA Performance “Jester,” and OTA Best Dressed “Dxke v. Dxchess.” This inaugural Garden Ball will be hosted by Butterknife Decadence and Mr. Ms. Chr ysalis, with performances by Alicia Love, Sigma Fraud, Sippi Sonique, and Pussy Noir. Noir is also a permanent judge in the house along with Phil Powell and Mar y Bimbola, while Love and Geneva Confection will ser ve as special guest judges for the evening. Music by CTRL DJ Dvonne will soundtrack and serenade a night “full of elegance, fashion, and full - on faggotr y.” Sunday, May 26, starting at 6 p.m., with show time at 7: 30 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $ 5 to $ 20, with tiered pricing at the door including $15 “with a single tea bag, $10 if wearing a crown or headpiece.” Call 202- 58 8 -18 8 0 or visit w w w. ustreetmusichall.com.

THE QREW DC’S GAME ON : PRIDE KICKOFF PART Y It’s hard to believe pride season is already just around the corner. And QREW DC, the queer womyn outfit co -founded by Kristen Voorhees and Danylle Kightlinger, will present one of the earliest parties around next Friday, May 31, allowing patrons to usher in a whole month of celebration if they choose. Better still, this third annual pride kickoff event is a party with a purpose, as proceeds benefit the Trevor Project’s work in LGBTQ youth suicide prevention. Also on hand will be representatives planning DC Dyke March, the first of its kind in a dozen years, set for Friday, June 7. DJ KB will pump up the jams at the party also offering free giveaways and raffles for tickets to WillCall’s DC Pride Cruise on June 2 as well as a vintage Nintendo 6 4 console courtesy of This Free Life. Joi Lloyd of Ettelyn Photography will be on hand for photo opportunities. Friday, May 31, starting at 10 p.m.

Union Stage is at 74 0 Water St. SW. Tickets are $10. Call 877- 9 87- 6 4 87 or visit w w w.unionstage.com. l

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DC BLACK PRIDE @Echostage 2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE Flewed Out, 10pm-4am • Free with DWP Party Pass • www.darylwilsondc.com DC BLACK PRIDE @Renaissance Washington DC Downtown Congressional A/B 999 9th St. NW Women in the Life Party — 25th Anniversary Resilience Reunion Dance Party, presented by Women in the Life Association • 8pm-1am • General admission $40 • Tickets available online via www.eventbrite. com DC BLACK PRIDE @The Park at 14th 920 14th St. NW Infamous DC Pride Day Party, 2-9pm • Free with DWP Party Pass • www. darylwilsondc.com

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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 • JOX: The GL Underwear Party, 9pm-close • Featuring DJs Chaim, UltraPup, and Pup Phoenix • $5 Cover (includes clothes check)

Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-3am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs playing pop music all night NUMBER NINE Doors open 2pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Jawbreaker: Music of the ’90s and 2000s, featuring DJs BacK2bACk, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am

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

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

Sunday, May 26 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-12am • $4 Smirnoff and Domestic Cans • Video Games • Live televised sports DC BLACK PRIDE @The Park at 14th 920 14th St. NW The Culture Super Party, 9pm-4am • Presented by Wet Dreamz Live • Free with DWP Party Pass • www.darylwilsondc.com DC BLACK PRIDE Wet ’N’ Wild Pool Party, presented by Wet Dreamz Live, 1-8pm • Private location • Free with DWP Party Pass • 1,000 Ticket Limit • Visit www.darylwilsondc. com

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 • Gayborhood Night Piano Bar, 5-8pm • Free Door Prize Raffle, 7pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

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

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NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open Noon-2am • $4 Smirnoff, includes flavored, $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller Lites, 2-9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Dinner and Drag with Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm • For reservations, email shawsdinnerdragshow@ gmail.com TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

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Monday, May 27 DC BLACK PRIDE @Club Elevate 15 K St. NE Rock the Block Indoor/ Outdoor Festival and Show • Featuring a star-studded stage show • Presented by Theresa Beavers Jackson • Visit www.darylwilsondc. com DC BLACK PRIDE @Ziegfeld’s/Secrets 1824 Half St. SW Naked, presented by Wet Dreamz Live, 8pm-2am • Free with DWP Party Pass • Visit www.darylwilsondc. com 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 Chanellie’s Memorial Day Drag Brunch, hosted by Chanel Devereaux • Two separate shows, 11am and 1:30pm • Tickets available at NelliesSportsBar.com • 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

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco Tuesday • Karaoke, 9pm

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

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

SHAW’S TAVERN Memorial Day Brunch with Bottomless Mimosas, 11am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with Jeremy, 7:30pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

Tuesday, May 28 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

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GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long

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

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

by Pussy Noir with special guests, 8pm • Music by WesstheDJ

Wednesday, May 29

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

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

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

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

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm

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

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

LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“ You never know what day it is, what time it is.

Sometimes you never see the sun.”

— DULCE RIVERA , a 37-year-old transgender woman from Honduras who tried to hang herself after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed her in solitary confinement for four weeks. Speaking to Intercept, Rivera said that after she recovered, she was returned to confinement for almost a year. According to Intercept, ICE regularly uses solitary confinement to segregate LGBTQ refugees.

“It would be a violation of trust to broadcast the episode. ” — MIKE MCKENZIE, director of programming at Alabama Public Television, in a statement saying that an episode of PBS Kids’ show Arthur would not be shown in the state because it contains a same-sex wedding. The episode was widely praised on social media for showing the children’s teacher Mr. Ratburn marrying his partner, Patrick.

“Lust is a monster,

”

and the more you feed it, the hungrier it becomes.

— Gay adult film star MARKIE MORE, in a statement on Twitter announcing that not only is he retiring from porn, but he has joined Fight The New Drug, a Mormon-affiliated organization that campaigns against adult content. “If you’re wondering, I’ve quit because I can no longer promote lustful and deviant behavior,” he wrote. “I’ve witnessed porn destroy numerous people, friendships, relationships, families, etc. It does far more harm than good for people.”

“ Voters should know that a homosexual president may not live to finish his term.”

— DON BOYS, a former Republican lawmaker in Indiana, in a stunningly homophobic article posted on CSTnews.com.

Alongside a number of other dangerous stereotypes and false claims, Boys argued that voters should be allowed to see Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s medical records to confirm he doesn’t have HIV, adding that “all homosexuals are aware that their lifespan is about 20 years less than for normal people.”

“Let children have a father and a mother, not such deviations. ” — TERESA DRZEWIECKA , 83-year-old resident of Swidnik in Poland, speaking to Reuters about the “threat” of LGBTQ people.

Swidnik’s council recently passed a motion to reject “LGBT ideology” in schools and workplaces, a move echoed in other rural, conservative areas in Poland ahead of European elections, where LGBTQ rights have featured heavily during the campaign.

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