Metro Weekly: The Emporiyum (November 7, 2019)

Glorious Food!

The Emporiyum’s showcase of innovative food products goes beyond the typical market fare. By Doug Rule

2

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

3

November 7, 2019

19

CONTENTS

BLUE STATE

Virginia Democrats successfully flipped the General Assembly on Tuesday, paving the way towards LGBTQ equality.

By John Riley

GLORIOUS FOOD

The Emporiyum returns for another showcase of new and innovative food products that go well beyond the typical market fare.

By Doug Rule

35

Volume 26 Issue 27

24

BYRNE ON BROADWAY David Byrne’s American Utopia concert, now on Broadway, birthed a magnificent cast album that’s nothing short of thrilling.

By Sean Maunier

SPOTLIGHT: LEON FLEISHER p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN P.10 COMMUNITY: PAYING TRIBUTE p.21 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.21 A CASUAL GUIDE TO THE EMPORIYUM p.26 FILM: END OF THE CENTURY p.31 FILM: LAST CHRISTMAS p.32 STAGE: BLUE CAMP p.33 NIGHTLIFE: FREDDIE’S HALLOWEEN p.38 NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS p.38 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.39 SCENE: 17TH ST. HIGH HEEL RACE p.44 LAST WORD p.46 Washington, D.C.’s Best LGBTQ Magazine for 25 Years Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrators David Amoroso, Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, 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 James Beard Cover Photography Courtesy of the Vendors 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.

4

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

5

6

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

ELI TURNER

Spotlight

Leon Fleisher with the Maryland Lyric Opera Orchestra

T

HE MARYLAND LYRIC OPERA ORCHESTRA WAS formed one year ago,” says Maestro Louis Salemno, the organization’s musical director. “They consist of players from the region — it's a freelance orchestra — and they played 13 engagements last season. They played only operas.”

Salemno decided it was time to let the orchestra expand its repertoire and shine in its own right. So this season, they will be performing two concerts without singers — but still with some very special guests. The first of these concerts is Tuesday, November 12, at Strathmore, and features Leon Fleisher, one of the world’s greatest pianists. Fleisher will join the orchestra as a soloist on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12.

(Other selections on the program include the overture from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Debussy’s Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune, and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43.)

“The legacy of recordings Leon Fleischer has are unbelievable,” says Salemno, who is “over the moon” about the legendary pianist’s appearance. “It isn’t so much the technical wizardry. It is the depths of musicality. His recordings are iconic. He is a phenomenon.”

“I must say that I prefer [performing] by far to [retiring to] a beach in Florida,” says the 91-year-old Fleisher, who,

in 2007, was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor. “Not that Florida and its beaches are lacking in their attraction, but being active in music has always been very enlivening for me.

I find that very invigorating.”

Early in Fleisher’s career, at age 36, he developed the neurological disorder focal dystonia in two fingers on his right hand, rendering them immobile. He fought through it, for a long time playing with one hand only (he’s the subject of a 2006 documentary, One Hand). Botox injections have helped considerably, and he once again plays with both hands.

“It's a great, great quality of human beings that they don't quit,” says Salemno of Fleisher’s perseverance. “What do we teach our young singers? I teach them stubbornness.... [and] I think about Mr. Fleischer.”

Fleisher agrees, saying it was his “obstreperous nature” that kept him from giving up once the diagnosis was made, and is thankful for the long career in performance, teaching, and conducting despite the dystonia. “Music is all very life-giving,” he says. “Music is so varied and so beautiful and offers so many opportunities. It's wonderful. I'm very lucky in spite of my focal dystonia. I am a very lucky person.”

—Randy Shulman

Leon Fleisher will perform with the Maryland Lyric Opera Orchestra on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Strathmore in North Bethesda. Tickets are $25 to $75. Visit www.mdlo.org/calendar.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

7

Spotlight RENT

AMY BOYLE

Twenty-three years after it first took Broadway and pop culture by storm, the late Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer- and Tonywinning rock musical returns to D.C. as part of a 20th anniversary tour production that has been ongoing since 2006. A reimagining of Puccini’s La Bohème, the show follows a group of artists struggling to live, love, and pursue their dreams in New York. Cody Jenkins, Coleman Cummings, Aiyana Smash, Shafiq Hicks, Joshua Tavares, Kelsee Sweigard, Samantha Mbolekwa, and Juan Luis Espinal are the principal leads in the non-Equity production based on original direction by Michael Greif as restaged by Evan Ensign with choreography

by Marlies Yearby. Opens Tuesday, Nov. 12. Runs to Nov. 17.

National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Call 202-6286161 or visit www.thenationaldc.org.

MARCEL DUCHAMP: THE BARBARA AND AARON LEVINE COLLECTION

The life and legacy of the conceptual French-American artist is honored at the Hirshhorn via an initial display of 50 seminal works, as well as a library of 150 books, recently acquired by the museum. As a result of the Levines’ gift, the Hirshhorn, which previously only had one piece by the late Duchamp, becomes a center for Duchamp scholarship — and the significance of the gift, along with examination of Duchamp’s artistic legacy, will be further explored in an overlapping exhibition tentatively set to open in April of next year. Mr. and Mrs. Levine will discuss their life together and their passion for Duchamp at a Collector Talk led by the Hirshhorn’s Melissa Chiu on Friday, Nov. 8, at 6:30 p.m. On display to Oct. 12, 2020. Hirshhorn National Museum of Modern Art, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit www.hirshhorn.si.edu.

Irving Penn Marcel Duchamp, New York, April 30, 1948, 1948/printed 1983 Gelatin silver photograph Promised Gift of Barbara and Aaron Levine Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; photo: Cathy Carver © The Irving Penn Foundation

ANTHONY RAMOS

ERIC JOHNSON

A native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, Ramos is a favored performer of Lin-Manual Miranda, as part of the original lead cast of Miranda’s Broadway smash musical Hamilton and more recently in the lead role of the film adaptation to Miranda’s earlier Tony-winning hit In The Heights, set to be released next summer. (Ramos also played the best friend of Lady Gaga’s character in A Star Is Born.) He will no doubt sing from the Miranda oeuvre during his concert at the Rock and Roll Hotel, though the focus is on his just-released debut as a solo soulful pop artist, The Good & The Bad. Friday, Nov. 8. Doors at 8 p.m. Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $18. Call 202-388-ROCK or visit www.rockandrollhoteldc.com.

8

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Spotlight MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP: PEPPERLAND

GARETH JONES

The Kennedy Center welcomes the legendary modern dance troupe, led by innovative gay choreographer Mark Morris, for the D.C. debut of a colorful, exuberant work that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the classic album from the Beatles.

Following a warm reception in the band’s hometown of Liverpool, Pepperland comes to the Kennedy Center as a co-commissioned, evening-length dance-theater piece set to an original score by Ethan Iverson and incorporating arrangements of six songs from the album — including “Penny Lane,” “With A Little Help From My Friends,” and “When I’m Sixty-Four” — as performed by a unique jazz ensemble.

Performances are Wednesday, Nov. 13, through Friday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 16, at 2 and 8 p.m. Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $55 to $119. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

TONY HINCHCLIFFE

Hinchcliffe has described himself as “a straight man with a gay face,” and has also attributed his skill with insult comedy as something that developed as a defense mechanism growing up in a tough neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio. Over the past decade, the 35-year-old has been a key player behind the scenes as a lead writer for the enormously popular Comedy Central Roast series. (Hinchcliffe wrote the scalding roast of Justin Bieber delivered by Martha Stewart, for example.) Recently he’s focused his time and energy on building people up, specifically through Kill Tony, his live weekly podcast featuring amateur comedians competing before a panel of professionals.

Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. The DC Comedy Loft, 1523 22nd St. NW. Tickets are $22, plus a twoitem minimum. Call 202-293-1887 or visit www.dccomedyloft.com.

JESS GRIFFIN

LUCY WAINWRIGHT ROCHE

The younger half-sister of both Rufus and Martha and daughter of Suzzy Roche of the Roches, Lucy Wainwright Roche may come from folk royalty but her talent is very much her own. She visits the area in support of Little Beast, a folk/singer-songwriter winner at the 2019 Independent Music Awards for its collection of songs offering urgent and poetic calls to a world gone awry. It’s a rare headlining gig for the artist who has spent many years opening for and/or performing with everyone from her mother to her brother, Mary Chapin Carpenter to the Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers. Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $15 to $25. Call 703-255-3747 or visit www.jamminjava.com.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

9

Out On The Town

STRATHMORE’S MUSEUM SHOP AROUND HOLIDAY MARKET

The annual Museum Shop Around is one of the best and most convenient places in town for finding unique, artsy holiday gift ideas. This weekend, 16 museums and art organizations will be represented at the event selling memorabilia and merchandise, including the Audubon Naturalist Society, International Spy Museum, the Jewish Museum of Maryland, the National Geographic Museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Phillips Collection, the Supreme Court Historical Society, and Tudor Place Historic House & Garden. Each museum is given its own space, often its own room, in Strathmore’s historic Mansion. That’s enough for most shops to display as much as 40 percent of their normal inventory. The Mansion also offers a café with food and drink available throughout the event, including hot apple cider. Opens Thursday, Nov. 7, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 10, starting at 10 a.m. each day. 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.

Free, but suggested donation is $10. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM

flashbacks. Opens Friday, Nov. 8.

Area theaters. Visit www.fandango. com. (Rhuaridh Marr)

DOCTOR SLEEP

REEL ROCK 14

Forty years after suffering through his father’s rampage in The Shining, Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is a man struggling with alcoholism and the trauma of what took place at the Overlook Hotel. After a girl who shares his mysterious powers — known as “the shining” — seeks him out, they team up to battle the True Knot, a cult that feeds on children with psychic abilities. Based on Stephen King’s 2009 novel, Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) has adapted Doctor Sleep to allow it to fit in the same “universe” as Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film — as well as recreating and directly referencing several key scenes in

10

A collection of 2019’s best climbing and adventure films, taking viewers on a wild ride from some of the highest, most difficult boulder problems ever, to a clash between climbers and those in a conservative coal mining community in rural Utah, to a high-stakes race for greatness among Yosemite climbers, and featuring Nina Williams, Tommy Caldwell, Alex Honnold, Jim Reynolds, and Brad Bobright, among others. This 14th iteration of a program and tour founded by filmmakers Josh Lowell and Peter Mortimer in 2006 runs approximately 100 minutes and is presented with a 20-minute intermis-

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

sion. Tuesday, Nov. 12, through Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $18 to $20. Call 301-495-6720 or visit www.afi.com/Silver.

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Both Northern Virginia outposts of the Alamo Drafthouse offer a free Veteran’s Day screening of Steven Spielberg’s 1998 epic, set during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II. That’s only one screening in a series that the national theater chain has organized for the run-up to the big November holiday. No, not that one, but close: Hanksgiving, as in the famous Hollywood actor. ‘Tis the season, according to the Alamo, “to reflect on the things that give us warmth and good cheer [and] make life worth living. We’re speaking, of

course, about Tom Hanks movies.”

The Alamo lays it on even thicker as it describes the series as one intended to “give Hanks to the most purely likeable man to ever grace humanity, and spend the holidays enjoying some of his finest films.”

The lineup in upcoming weeks includes The ‘Burbs from 1989 and Apollo 13 from 1995. Monday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse Woodbridge, 15200 Potomac Town Place, Ste. 100, and One Loudoun 20575 Easthampton Plaza, Ashburn.

Visit www.drafthouse.com/northern-virginia.

THE EVIL DEAD - A NIGHTMARE REIMAGINED

Sam Raimi unexpectedly launched his career with this nutso horror film, a grimy and gory work of cinema that the Alamo Drafthouse

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

11

15200 Potomac Town Place, Ste. 100, and One Loudoun, 20575 Easthampton Plaza in Ashburn.

Tickets are $10. Visit www.drafthouse.com/northern-virginia.

THE GODFATHER PART II

THEATER J’S ANNUAL BENEFIT FEATURING ALEXANDRA SILBER

Alexandra Silber offers a special musical performance in the newly renovated Edlavitch DCJCC as the centerpiece of the annual benefit for Theater J, the institution’s nationally renowned professional stage organization. Silber performs from her debut novel, 2017’s After Anatevka: A Novel Based on Fiddler on the Roof, which imagines what happens to Sholem Alecheim’s beloved characters after they step off stage. Silber herself has played the show’s two eldest daughters: Hodel on the West End, Tzeitel on Broadway. Silber has appeared in the area twice in the past year — as Sally Bowles in Olney Theatre’s Cabaret and Guenevere in Camelot at Shakespeare Theatre Company. At the gala, Silber will perform three songs from Fiddler, including one cut from the musical, plus a host of showtunes from a new generation of musical theater talent. Monday, Nov. 18, starting at 6:30 p.m. 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets, which include food and drink, start at $350. Call 202-777-3210 or visit www.theaterj.org. colorfully, accurately describes as “a movie borne out of a crazed love of horror that metastasized into a genre-shaking game-changer.” The area’s two Alamos offer a presentation of the cult slasher film unlike any you may have seen before. In addition to the 4K digital

12

restoration of the 1981 film originally released last year, the special screening of The Evil Dead features a reimagined score by composer Joseph LoDuca, heard in a new, fully dynamic 5.1 surround sound mix. Sunday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.

Alamo Drafthouse in Woodbridge,

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

more interactive than usual. Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9, at midnight. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

For its 45th anniversary, Fathom Events and TCM Big Screen Classics offers a rare chance to catch, in all its big-screen glory, the only sequel to an Oscar-winning Best Picture that also snagged a Best Picture statute. Starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, Francis Ford Coppola’s 3 hour, 22 minute saga is a quintessentially American tale of power, ambition, and the mafia. Screenings come complete with the original’s mid-film intermission, and will be further bookended by commentary from TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz. Sunday, Nov. 10, at 3 and 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Nov. 12, and Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m.

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

THE WEDDING BANQUET

THE IRISHMAN

STAGE

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, directed by Martin Scorsese.

Need we say more? Oh, we do?

Okay, well, Netflix is branding this film as an “epic saga of organized crime in post-war America,” based on the story of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a mob hitman who worked for the Buffalino crime family. De Niro stars as Sheeran, recounting his various exploits as a hustler and hitman, and his role in the infamous disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa.

Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, and Ray Romano also star, and the screenplay is by Steven Zaillan, of Schindler’s List and Gangs of New York fame. Opens Friday, Nov. 8. Area theaters. Visit www.fandango.com. (RM)

THE POLAR EXPRESS

Landarmk’s West End Cinema offers this Robert Zemeckis animated tale starring Tom Hanks a full month earlier than has become custom, with its North Pole setting and holiday overtones. This special 15th anniversary screening of The Polar Express is the next to come in the Capital Classics series. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m.

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

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

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

The E Street Cinema offers a screening of Richard O’Brien’s camp classic, billed as the longest-running midnight movie in history. Landmark's showing comes with a live shadow cast from the Sonic Transducers, meaning it's

The AFI Silver Theatre presents Ang Lee’s original gay classic as part of its month-long, seven-film “Taiwan Cinema Rediscovered” series. The Wedding Banquet is notable for its groundbreaking portrayal of a gay Taiwanese man living openly and contentedly in New York with his same-sex American partner. Samesex marriage was barely a twinkle in anyone’s eyes at the time, so the wedding of the title refers to the marriage of convenience that the character, at the behest of his partner, agrees to enter into with a young woman in need of a green card — a sham marriage also intended as a way to placate his hidebound parents back in Taiwan. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7:15 p.m. 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $11 to $13. Call 301-495-6720 or visit www.afi.com/Silver.

A CHORUS LINE

Touted as “the best musical ever,” this meta-musical was also one of the first to explicitly address gay issues and feature gay characters, most famously Paul, who movingly relates his personal story of inadvertently coming out to his parents when they see him perform in drag. Jeff Gorti takes on the role in a new production at Signature Theatre that comes a half-century after the show debuted on Broadway and subsequently went on to win a Pulitzer Prize and nine Tony Awards. Matthew Gardiner directs a large, 26-member cast and oversees a crew including Denis Jones, who has developed new choreography that nods to the original by Michael Bennett and Bob Avian. “One (Singular Sensation),” “What I Did for Love,” and “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” (aka “Tits and Ass”) are three standout standards from the show, which was conceived by Bennett and developed by a team led by composer Marvin Hamlisch, lyricist Edward Kleban, and book writers James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. Runs to Jan. 5.

MAX Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit www.sigtheatre.org.

AIRNESS

Billie Krishawn stars as Nina, who discovers there’s more to air guitar than playing pretend when she enters an air guitar competition. Christina A. Coakley directs the D.C. premiere of Chelsea Marcantel’s comedy also featuring Dani Stoller, Drew Kopas, Harrison Smith, Chris Stezin, Gary L. Perkins

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

13

directs a Mosaic Theater Company production of Norman Yeung’s drama. Josh Adams, Musa Gurnis, Benairen Kane, Camilo Linares, Tony K. Nam, Andrea Harris Smith, and Tyasia Velines star. To Nov. 17.

Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.mosaictheater.org.

WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN

DC DIFFERENT DRUMMERS FALL CONCERT

“For The Children” is the title of this year’s fall concert by the organization’s Capitol Pride Symphonic Band, performing music exploring the early phases of life as well as offering hope for the future, particularly the next 50 years of the LGBTQ community. The band, led by Anthony Oakley, will perform a wide range of music, from classic pieces by Julius Fucik and Percy Grainger to those by contemporary composers Anthony J. O’Toole, Omar Thompson, and Yukiko Nishimura. Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. Tickets are $15 to $25 plus fees. Call 202-269-4868 or visit dcdd.org.

III, and Forrest A. Hainline IV. The show is a co-production between Keegan Theatre, where the show will run for most of November, and Virginia’s 1st Stage, which takes up the mantle in December. Previews begin Nov. 8. Runs to Nov. 30. 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $41 to $51 plus fees. Call 202-265-3767 or visit www.keegantheatre.com.

AMADEUS

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

D.C. TRASH

As part of its free Millennium Stage programming, the Kennedy Center presents an original musical satire about the upside, downside, and underside of D.C. and its denizens.

To be more specific, as you can guess from its title, D.C. Trash introduces colorful characters and local stories as performed by Ron Litman,

14

a D.C. native and veteran trash truck driver. Saturday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

E2

Maryland’s Rep Stage presents a contemporary reimagining by Bob Bartlett of Christopher Marlowe’s tale of Edward II, England’s infamous ineffectual king. To Nov. 17. The Horowitz Center’s Studio Theatre at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Call 443518-1500 or visit www.www.repstage.org.

LOVERS’ VOWS

Although it plays a prominent role in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, Elizabeth Inchbald’s play Lovers’ Vow is otherwise, particularly on stage, a “criminally forgotten show.”

That’s according to We Happy Few Productions, which is working to transform classic texts for modern sensibilities. The company’s Kerry McGee directs a five-person ensemble reviving this moving comedy by Inchbald, billed as “a near-forgotten female playwright” from the 18th century. A story of love, class, and doing the right thing, Lovers’ Vows puts in stark relief the divide between peer or social expectations and one’s own needs and desires.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

The production features music from local band the North Country.

In previews. Opens Saturday, Nov. 9. To Nov. 23. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. Tickets are $20. Call 202-547-6839 or visit www.chaw.org.

THE AMERICAN SOLDIER

Two days after Veterans Day, the Kennedy Center presents another free performance of the one-person play based on actual letters written and exchanged between veterans and their families, from the time of the American Revolution up to present-day Afghanistan. Developed and performed by Douglas Taurel, The American Soldier has been called a powerful and passionate examination of the many aspects of war, including the bravery involved in reintegrating soldiers into everyday civilian routines and their personal networks after returning home from combat. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. Millennium Stage.

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

THEORY

A young tenure-track professor tests the limits of free speech by encouraging her students to contribute to an unmoderated discussion group, where an anonymous student posts offensive comments and videos. Victoria Murray Baatin

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company partners with New York’s Movement Theatre Company to offer the D.C. debut of a theatrical work by Aleshea Harris that uses parody, song, and movement to show, through a series of vignettes, the resilience of black people despite “the pervasiveness of anti-blackness” in our culture.

The audience is asked to not only observe, but participate in a boundary blurring production directed by Whitney White and featuring a cast including Alana Raquel Bowers, Rachel Christopher, Ugo Chukwu, Kambi Gathesha, Denise Manning, Javon Q. Minter, Beau Thom, and newcomer Nemuna Ceesay. To Nov. 10. Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Call 202-393-3939 or visit www.woollymammoth.net.

MUSIC CANTUS

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, this men’s vocal ensemble is distinguished for its intentional lack of a conductor. Instead, each member rehearses and performs as a chamber musician, helping to emphasize their roles as individuals part of a larger artistic process. The Kennedy Center, through its Fortas Chamber Music Concert series, welcomes back the Minnesota-based group for a wide-ranging program veering from Beethoven to the Beatles, plus the D.C. premiere of Libby Larson’s five-movement composition YOU, which focuses on the challenges of meaningful human connection in our digitized world.

Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m.

Terrace Theater. Tickets are $45.

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

FRANK SOLIVAN & DIRTY KITCHEN

Increasingly regarded as one of the genre’s best contemporary bands, the local progressive bluegrass act earned a Grammy nomination for the 2015 album Cold Spell. Solivan and his Dirty Kitchen crew — banjoist Mike Munford, guitarist Chris Luquette, and bassist Jeremy Middleton — returns to the Hamilton for a show in support of this year’s album If You Can’t Stand The Heat. Opening the show will be Philadelphia’s bluegrass band Man About A Horse. Friday, Nov. 15.

Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $17.25

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

15

weekend with a reimagining of Entresueño from Edwin Aparicio, the festival’s co-founder and director. Aparicio’s namesake company will perform the work, which explores the frontier of consciousness where memories blur and mix with imagination, and reality gives way to dreams, as revised by the gay choreographer and Aleksey Kulikov, his longtime collaborator and also his husband. Thursday, Nov. 7, through Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $30 to $55. Call 202-234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

RONALD K. BROWN/EVIDENCE WITH ARTURO O’FARRILL ENSEMBLE

ROY ORBISON & BUDDY HOLLY HOLOGRAM CONCERT

Next week, Washingtonians will get the chance to see the latest show directed by Signature Theatre’s co-founder Eric Schaeffer — a concert, co-presented by the Birchmere at Strathmore, featuring cutting-edge holograms of deceased rock icons Orbison and Holly.

As Schaeffer explained to Metro Weekly earlier this year: “The company that does it, Base Hologram, they really are very creative and just do it with really great respect. [Each rock icon] has a live band behind him, but the hologram is the hologram. And it’s kind of wonderful, because you get to see these iconic people that I obviously never would have seen or got to see. And when you see older audiences who did know Roy, they just go crazy, because it is so real.... It’s so dimensional.” Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md. Tickets are $58 to $68. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

to $39.75. Call 202-787-1000 or visit www.thehamiltondc.com.

JOHN EATON: 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Every year the local jazz veteran and pianist offers performances at the Barns at Wolf Trap focused on American pop and jazz standards and built around a particular theme or era. The next Eaton program in the intimate and acoustically rich venue is a celebration of all that he’s done and an overview of all that he’s shared over the last 30 years.

Expect an afternoon of songs, stories, and laughs from the man whom Washingtonian magazine has held up as the area’s “Best Jazz Pianist: John Eaton then, now, and probably forever.” Sunday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m.

1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $27. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www.wolftrap.org.

MARY GAUTHIER

In a career spanning over two decades, the lesbian country/folk artist has had her songs covered by everyone from Jimmy Buffett (“Wheel Inside The Wheel”) and Blake Shelton (“I Drink”) to Bettye LaVette (“Worthy”) and Candi

16

Staton (“Mercy Now”). A native of New Orleans now based in Nashville, Gauthier returns to the area for another intimate concert supporting her powerful Grammynominated concept album Rifles & Rosary Beads, a collection of 11 deeply personal songs that she co-wrote with U.S. veterans and their families. Mon., Nov. 11, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

RA RA RIOT

A dozen years after its formation among Syracuse University students, this indie-rock quintet’s sound has subtly shifted to be less chamber pop-inspired and more ’80s-era synth-pop flavored. Vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, violinist Rebecca Zeller, and drummer Kenny Bernard return to the 9:30 Club for a show supporting their new set Superbloom. Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-2650930 or visit www.930.com.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA: THE MAGIC FLUTE

The WNO will alternate November performances of its first production of Othello in 20 years with Mozart’s enchanting quest for love and truth via a whimsical production designed by the late Maurice Sendak, the acclaimed children's author and illustrator (Where the Wild Things Are). A production “for all ages” from Portland Opera led by conductor Eun Sun Kim and director Christopher Mattaliano, The Magic Flute will be performed in English with projected English titles. To Nov. 23. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $299. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

DANCE FUEGO FLAMENCO XV: FLAMENCO APARICIO DANCE COMPANY

Rafael Peral and Maria Adame, two of Spain’s most distinguished flamenco artists, will perform in the second week of this two-week festival, now in its 15th year. GALA Theatre’s festival launches next

Praised for more than 30 years for his carefully crafted blend of African, modern, Caribbean, and social dance styles, Brown presents his recent choreographic work New Conversations: Iron Meets Water, performed by his troupe accompanied by live Afro-Cuban jazz music courtesy of Grammy winner O’Farrill. The performance is preceded by the discussion “Kinetic Collaborations” in which Brown and O’Farrill reflect on their collaboration. Friday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m.

Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md. Tickets are $29 to $69. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

SOLE DEFINED: ZAZ

The inaugural Dance Place Artistin-Residence presents a show featuring dancers who turn their bodies into human drums and work to translate global rhythms through tap dance and body percussion. In the premiere performance of Zaz, the troupe examines the events of Hurricane Katrina from a small speakeasy in New Orleans, through intimate, first-person testimonies using storytelling, digital projection, song, and brass music. The aim is to take the audience on a “high-energy immersive roller coaster.” Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $25 in advance, or $30 at the door. Call 202-269-1600 or visit www.danceplace.org.

READINGS & DISCUSSIONS ARTISTS OF CONSCIENCE: VETERANS, ART, & WELLNESS

A few days after Veterans Day, the Phillips Collection presents an International Forum focused on the impact that art and art therapies can have on the lives of veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress-disorder, or PTSD, traumatic-brain injury, and other combat-related psychological health conditions. The discussion,

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

17

presented in partnership with the University of Maryland, will feature a panel including Jane Chu of PBS, Sara Kass, MD, of Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, Army Sgt. Zach Herrick of American Heroes HeART, Iraq War veteran Ben King of Armor Down, and Klaus Ottmann, Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Academic Affairs at the Phillips.

Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets, including access to special exhibition, are $12, or free for Phillips members. Call 202-387-2151 x247 or visit www. phillipscollection.org.

JOHN BECKER AND MEGAN SCOTT: JOY OF COOKING, 2019 EDITION

An indispensable guide for millions of cooks since its original publication by Irma Rombauer in 1931 is about to get another revision, this one overseen by Rombauer’s great-grandson and his wife.

Bolstering the original focus on home-style American cooking, Becker and Scott have updated the content for modern tastes and lifestyles, introducing 600 new recipes, many of them vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free, including the latest nutrition and food safety guidelines, and offering tips on “streamlined cooking, among other changes.

The duo will discuss the new edition of Joy in conversation with Bonnie Benwick, the Washington Post’s deputy food and recipe editor. Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-364-1919 or visit www.politics-prose.com.

FOOD & DRINK METROCOOKING DC COOKING & ENTERTAINING SHOW

Both a holiday treat and a shopping preserve, “The Ultimate Foodie Outing” is the area’s biggest specialty food and culinary event. Martha Stewart and Wolfgang Puck are the headliners on the James Beard Foundation Cooking Stage at the 14th annual showcase also featuring Lidia Bastianich, Myron Mixon, Justin Severino, Fernando Desa of Goya Foods, and Lauren Katz, a D.C. native and winner of ABC’s The Great Holiday Baking Show, as well as many of D.C’s best and newest chefs, including Amy Brandwein, Victor Albisu, Erik Bruner-Yang, Haidar Karoum, Daniela Moreira, Kwame Onwuachi, Kevin Tien, and Enrique Limardo. Also on hand: 200 specialty food vendors, including a two-day Beer, Wine & Spirits section, a BBQ Bash on Saturday, Nov. 16, and the 7th annual Grand Tasting Pavilion featuring over 50 local restaurants, with a portion

18

of proceeds benefiting So Others Might Eat, or S.O.M.E., on Sunday, Nov. 17, and Cooking Classes and Workshops offered throughout.

The show starts at 10 a.m. both days.

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW. General admission tickets are $21.50 in advance, including admission to the James Beard Cooking Stage and the Exhibitor Marketplace. The individual classes and workshops as well as access to the Beer, Wine & Spirits Garden, the BBQ Bash and the Grand Tasting Pavilion are all special ticketed items and sold separately. Call 866-840-8822 or visit www.metrocookingdc.com.

ART & EXHIBITS ARTY QUEERS: D.C.’S LGBTQ+ ART MARKET

The DC Center for the LGBT Community offers the chance for local LGBTQ and queer-identified artists to showcase and sell their works on the second Saturday of every month, including Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prospective art buyers can expect to see original artworks in a range of media, including painting, pottery, photography, jewelry, glasswork, textiles, and clothing. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www.thedccenter.org.

MCLEAN ANTIQUES SHOW & SALE

The McLean Community Center hosts this annual event featuring a group of dealers representing American, Continental, and Asian antiques, decorative accessories, furniture, folk art, porcelain, silver, paintings, prints, linens, and Oriental carpets and rugs. Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1234 Ingleside Ave., Mclean, Va. Admission is $10 for both days.

Call 703-790-0123 or visit www. www.aldentheatre.org.

THE ARTIC REFUGE EXPERIENCE: STEP IN. STEP UP.

The Wilderness Society is offering the chance for those far from Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to experience the preserve’s majestic wilderness virtually, courtesy of a limited-run, multi-sensory, immersive art pop-up. Set up in a building a block from Union Market, this immersive 4-D art installation helps transport visitors to the refuge via “projected video, atmospherics, reflections, wind, custom scents, tactile sensations, depth-sensing, gesture-tracking, 40 controllable lights, and 16 channelgs of sound.” As you might have guessed, this isn’t just art for art’s sake, or even merely art for awareness-raising purposes. Instead, the ultimate aim of the installation, presented in conjunction with the Arctic Refuge Defense Coalition,

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

is to hopefully stir up new activists opposed to plans by the Trump Administration to open up the area, one of the few undeveloped places on Earth, for oil and gas drilling, which is expected to have damaging effects on the land and the indigenous Gwich’in people who live there. Visitors can even become shareholders in the No Waaay Corp., “the first-ever collective action corporation created solely to stop Big Oil from destroying public lands.” Display runs Friday, Nov. 8, to Sunday, Nov. 10, from noon to 8 p.m., and Monday, Nov. 11, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. AutoShop, 416 Morse St. NE. Tickets are $10, with all net proceeds going to the Gwich’in Steering Committee and Gwich’in Youth Council. Call 800-843-9453 or visit www.wilderness.org.

ABOVE & BEYOND KEEGAN THEATRE’S 4TH ANNUAL GALA: ’80S MYSTERY EVENT

A murder mystery, stage performances, a special awards presentation, a live auction, and food and drink are all in the offing at the fourth annual fundraising gala for D.C.’s Keegan Theatre, now in the midst of its 23rd season. Keegan company member and co-founder Sheri S. Herren will be bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while actor/director Duane Richards will be recognized with the Emerging Artist Award.

Guests are encouraged to don ‘80s-themed attire for the benefit, which helps support initiatives including the ticket giveaways via KeeganConnects, play readings such as the Boiler Room Series, and the Keegan PLAY-RAH-KA’s family- and youth-oriented productions and programming. Monday, Nov. 18, starting at 7 p.m. 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets start at $100. Call 202-265-3767 or visit www.keegantheatre.com.

POETRY & PASTIES

Every second Saturday of the month, the new Anacostia location of Busboys and Poets plays host to a diverse open mic/burlesque event over brunch explicitly designed as a “queer-affirming, POC-centered, femme-focused space.” Poetry & Pasties is organized as well as hosted by poet and sex educator Jennifer Eden, who identifies as a Black queer femme. Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE. Free. Call 202889-1374 or visit www.busboysandpoets.com.

SMITHSONIAN FOOD HISTORY WEEKEND

The theme to the fifth annual event at the National Museum of American History is “Power Through Food,” with a particular focus on migrant, refugee, and minority chefs, and particularly women. The weekend kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 7, with a black-tie Gala hosted by chef/food critic Andrew Zimmern and where chef/restaurateur Ann Cashion and food writer/teacher Samin Nosrat will serve as featured speakers, while Jacques Pépin presents the Smithsonian’s prestigious Julia Child Award to José Andrés, who will create a threecourse menu for the gala. Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9, offer free daytime activities from handson learning to live cooking demonstrations to panel discussions: including one featuring the founders of D.C.’s online delivery service Foodhini Inc., another offering a “Behind-the-Scenes at Bad Saint” look with the co-owner of the small, award-winning Filipino restaurant, Genevieve Villamora, and several “Deep-Dish Dialogues,” foremost among them one moderated by Carla Hall and comprised of all past recipients of the Julia Child Award (Pépin, Rick Bayless, Danny Meyer, Mary Sue Milliken, and Susan Feniger) as a review of Child’s legacy and guide to mentoring the next generation of culinary stars. The weekend also offers a (sold out) Last Call “Brewing History AfterHours” event on Friday, Nov. 8, plus a mini film festival the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 9, featuring: The Hundred-Foot Journey, Lasse Hallström’s 2014 dramedy about a battle between a lofty Michelinstarred establishment overseen by a matronly Helen Mirren and an impressive, immigrant Indian family who shakes things up by setting up shop directly across the street; and Julie & Julia, Nora Ephron’s last film, a dramedy starring Meryl Streep as Child and Amy Adams as a young New Yorker who attempts the feat of cooking 524 signature Child recipes in a single year. And just in time for the weekend, the museum has unveiled an update to its permanent exhibition FOOD: Transforming the American Table with new stories about changes in food itself and how Americans produce, prepare, and consume food and drink via four new sections: The Migrant’s Table, Brewing a Revolution, On a Diet, and Old Vines, New Blood. 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Many events are free but require advance reservations, while tickets to the Gala are still available at $500 apiece, and the film screenings are $10 each plus fees.

Call 202-633-1000 or visit www. americanhistory.si.edu. l

SKIP PLITT/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

theFeed

Viginia Statehouse

BLUE STATE

Virginia Democrats successfully flipped the General Assembly on Tuesday, paving the way towards LGBTQ equality. By John Riley

I

N A PAIR OF HISTORIC WINS ON TUESDAY, Virginia Democrats flipped both the House of Delegates and Senate, gaining control of the full General Assembly for the first time in two decades.

As a result, after years of Republicans stonewalling any pro-LGBTQ legislation, a path has now been opened for Democrats to enshrine protections for LGBTQ residents into Virginia law.

In total, Democrats flipped two seats in the Senate, taking control of the chamber 21-19, and flipped at least five House seats to definitively win 53 of the chamber's 100 seats as of press time, with Republicans on 44. Three other House contests could head to recounts, potentially increasing the Democrats' margins in the House, but control of the House is secured nonetheless.

Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), the first openly transgender lawmaker elected to a state legislature, made history again when she became the first openly transgender person re-elected to a state lawmaking office. Supporters of Roem’s opponent, anti-LGBTQ Republican Kelly McGinn, ran ads attacking Roem by invoking her transgender identity and attempting to cast her as too "extreme" for Virginia, but

Roem ultimately bested McGinn by a more than 12-point margin.

In addition, the four other LGBTQ members of the General Assembly — Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), Del. Mark Levine (D-Alexandria), Del. Mark Sickles (D-Franconia), and Del. Dawn Adams (D-Richmond) — were all re-elected.

Those victories were particularly celebrated by the Human Rights Campaign, which invested $250,000 on resources and staff in the state to assist Democrats in flipping the legislature and ensuring a pro-equality majority in the House of Delegates. In total, the organization endorsed 27 candidates for the House of Delegates or Senate, and embedded staffers in a number of priority campaigns to help identify and turn out so-called "equality voters" — those motivated, in part, to vote because of their support for proLGBTQ measures. "[Tuesday’s] election results send a powerful message that Virginians support a bold, progressive vision for the future of the Commonwealth," HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement. "For far too long, anti-LGBTQ politicians have held a chokehold on Virginia's legisla-

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

19

theFeed tive process and blocked efforts to pass statewide LGBTQ non-discrimination protections, sowing hate and division while putting the lives and livelihoods of LGBTQ Virginians at risk.

"The Human Rights Campaign worked tirelessly to turn out the 1.2 million Equality Voters in Virginia, and tonight we elected new leadership in Richmond that will put Virginians first," David concluded. "We look forward to working with the new majority to ensure these critically important protections are finally passed into law."

HRC noted in a news release that — whether at the General Assembly or local level in Virginia, as well as in Kentucky, where pro-equality Democrat Steve Beshear won the governor's race over anti-LGBTQ Republican Gov. Matt Bevin — attempts by some candidates to use anti-transgender messaging failed on Tuesday.

"For months, anti-equality activists have utilized an outdated playbook attempting to paint LGBTQ equality as a wedge issue," HRC said in a statement. "But in reality, they have failed to realize the ground has shifted underneath them across the country. The results in Virginia and Kentucky prove that equality wins, and that voters have no appetite for anti-equality extremism."

Tuesday's victories mean that there are a number of possibilities for Democrats when it comes to setting the legislative agenda. Specifically, Democrats have promised action on a number of longstanding priorities, including gun reform, passing the Equal Rights Amendment, fixing transportation issues, protecting reproductive rights, and passing a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill to protect LGBTQ people. Bills dealing with all of those issues have been brought up in each legislative session, only to be shot down

by Republicans.

Del.-elect Shelly Simonds (D-Newport News), who lost two years ago after her opponent's name was drawn from a bowl because they had received the same number of votes, felt the level of engagement and excitement among voters this year was much higher than in 2017, when Democrats swept all three statewide elected offices and picked up 15 seats in the House.

"I'm just blown away that, in an 'off-off-year' we had turnout close to the level we had in '17 is just amazing to me," she told Metro Weekly. "I think people realized that every vote does count, and that if you want real social change, you're going to have to get out and vote, and drag your friends and family to vote...and this is the way we make progress. It's a wonderful thing about democracy: there's 20

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

always another election to make it right.

"There's a lot we can get done. A lot of really good, sensible initiatives have been bottled up in the Republicancontrolled legislature," Simonds added. "I think we need to look at discrimination in our laws. We still have laws that allow LGBTQ discrimination against our neighbors in housing and in public employment. I think that's something where there's consensus among Democrats. Of course, the ERA is a priority, and increasing the minimum wage is something we can get done, and [marijuana] decriminalization."

The commonwealth's top LGBTQ organization, Equality Virginia, celebrated the importance of Democratic control of both chambers, saying it provides "further opportunity" after years of introducing piecemeal bills prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ Virginians in public employment or housing.

James Parrish, Equality Virginia’s executive director, noted the significance of Democrats winning the House, where, under the leadership of Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights), pro-LGBTQ bills were regularly killed. But he noted that shifts in both chambers would now allow the organization to tackle its goal of passing a broader, comprehensive bill to prohibit all types of anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the commonealth, extending protections in Filler-Corn private employment, credit, lending, and public accommodations as well.

"This allows us to be more aggressive in what we expect for LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections," Parrish told Metro Weekly. He also praised the out LGBTQ legislative candidates who were re-elected, saying that Virginia "has shown it’s a state where all people are welcome to run and be elected" to office.

Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax Station), the House Minority Leader who is potentially poised to become the first female Speaker of the House, said "Virginians spoke loud and clear" about the priorities they want lawmakers to tackle next January by electing more Democrats. She said she had seen, weeks prior to Election Day, an intense amount of enthusiasm among voters to turn out and punish Republicans for their inaction on a number of key issues.

"People just said, 'We've had it, enough is enough,'" Filler-Corn said. "We've been introducing these bills year after year, and this session was no different. They killed every single one of them. People were energized and mobilized themselves to ensure we could win the majority and focus on the issues Virginians want us to focus on, and actually achieve some good legislation." l

Community FRIDAY, Nov. 8

PROJECT STRIPES hosts

LGBT-affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, www. layc-dc.org.

GAMMA is a confidential, vol-

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

SATURDAY, Nov. 9 ADVENTURING outdoors

WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES (AND THIRTIES), a social

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

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

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

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

BET MISHPACHAH, founded

by members of the LGBT community, holds Friday evening Shabbat services in the DC Jewish Community Center’s Community Room. 8 p.m. 1529 16th St. NW. For more information, visit www.betmish.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds

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

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

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

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 703823-4401. www.kiservices.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER

offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an appointment, call 202-8498029. www.metrohealthdc.org.

PAYING TRIBUTE

On Veterans Day, the LGBTQ community honors LGBTQ veterans with a memorial service at Leonard Matlovitch’s gravesite.

A

S LONG AS THERE’S BEEN A MILITARY, THERE have been LGBTQ service members,” says Tiera Craig, treasurer for the Board of Directors of The DC Center for the LGBT Community. “And as with anything, if there’s something different, there’s going to be discomfort and pushback.”

Part of the history of the LGBTQ military community has been one of struggle, starting with Technical Sgt. Leonard Matlovitch of the U.S. Air Force, who was the first out gay service member to challenge the military’s policies excluding LGBTQ individuals from serving. Matlovitch, a Vietnam veteran with an exemplary record of service, was discharged after coming out and subsequently sued for his reinstatement, with the Air Force eventually agreeing to settle the lawsuit.

Craig sees many similarities between Matlovitch’s fight and more modern-day pushes for full inclusion of LGBTQ service members, particularly with the Trump administration’s attempts to ban transgender individuals from serving. “Our veterans community has had very much support from the federal government, but with our current administration, we’re having problems and issues with our transgender service men and women,” she says.

Center Military, a support group for LGBTQ veterans and service members, will honor Matlovich — and, by extension, all other LGBTQ people who have served their country — in an annual wreath-laying ceremony at his gravesite, in the LGBTQ section of Washington’s Congressional Cemetery.

“It will be a full-length memorial service,” Craig says. “We’ll have an opening prayer, we’ll have the procession of the colors, a few speakers, including representatives from the L, G and T communities, ‘Taps’ will be played, followed by a moment of silence.”

Following the ceremony, attendees can head to an HRCsponsored networking event at the Barracks Row bar The Ugly Mug (723 8th St. SE). “[It’s] an opportunity for LGBTQ veterans and service members to get together and remember those veterans who have passed on,” says Craig, “both in peacetime and in wartime, and feel camaraderie throughout our community.”

—John Riley Center Military’s annual Veterans Day Wreath-Laying Ceremony for LGBTQ Veterans is Monday, Nov. 11 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the grave of Technical Sgt. Leonard Matlovitch in the the LGBTQ section of Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE. Visit www.thedccenter.org/military.

group takes a strenuous hike to three peaks surrounding historic and scenic Harpers Ferry, W.V. Total length up to 13 miles with 3400 feet of cumulative elevation gain; shorter options also available. Bring plenty of beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, about $15 for fees, and money for optional dinner on the way home. Carpool at 8:30 a.m. from the GrosvenorStrathmore Metro Station. For more information, contact Jeff, 301-775-9660, or visit www. adventuring.org.

AGLA hosts its monthly AFTERNOON COFFEE JOLT, a 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. (next to the Jiffy Lube), Arlington, Va. For more info, visit www.agla.org.

The DC Center hosts a monthly meeting of UNIVERSAL PRIDE, a group to support and empower LGBTQIA people with disabilities, offer perspectives on dating and relationships, and create greater access in public spaces for LGBTQIA PWDs. 1-2:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, contact Andy Arias, andyarias09@gmail.com.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

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

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

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

21

SUNDAY, Nov. 10 ADVENTURING outdoors

group meanders through the National Arboretum in Northeast Washington. Total length will not be more than a few easy miles over rolling terrain for 3-4 hours. Bring beverages, snacks, comfortable walking shoes, and a few dollars for fees. Carpool from the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station. Must register with trip leader in advance.

For more information, contact David, 240-938-0375, or visit www. adventuring.org.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

visits the National Portrait Gallery to see their exhibition Votes for Women, in honor of the centennial of congressional passage of the 19th Amendment. Free admission. Nonmembers welcome. Lunch in the neighborhood follows. Meet at noon inside the 8th and G Streets, NW entrance of the Old Patent Office Building, near the 9th Street exit of the Gallery Place Metro. For more information, contact Craig, 202-4620535 or craighowell1@verizon.net.

Weekly Events 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.

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites all to

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

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

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

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

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

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

UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-

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/

MONDAY, Nov. 11

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

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

FAIRLINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH is an open, inclusive church. All welcome, including the LGBTQ community. Member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. Services at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. 3900 King Street, Alexandria, Va. 703-6718557. For more info, visit www. fairlingtonumc.org.

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.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

new age church & learning center.

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

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.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

22

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, God-centered

VETERANS DAY Federal Holiday. The DC Center is closed for the day.

Center Military, a program for veterans at The DC Center, will hold its annual VETERANS DAY

WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY FOR LGBTQ VETERANS at the

grave of Technical Sgt. Leonard Matlovitch, in the LGBTQ section of Congressional Cemetery. 12-1:30 p.m. 1801 E St. SE. Reception, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, follows at The Ugly Mug, 723 8th St. SE, from 1:303:30 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org/military or fb.com/centermilitary.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION INSTITUTE OF THE SOCIETY OF CINCINNATI presents an examina-

tion of the experiences of American veterans since the Revolutionary War, held in conjunction with the exhibition “America’s First Veterans.” The hour-long program opens with remarks from Secretary

of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie, Jr., followed by a panel discussion moderated by the Institute’s executive director Jack Warren.

Light refreshments to follow. 6:30 p.m. 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. For more information, contact Meaghan Malloy White, 202-7852040, Ext. 446, or mwhite@societyofthecincinnati.org.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS

TUESDAY, Nov. 12

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

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.

The DC Center is seeking volunteers to cook and serve a monthly meal for LGBTQ homeless youth at the WANDA ALSTON HOUSE on the second Tuesday of each month.

7-8 p.m. For address and more information, contact the support desk at The DC Center at supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

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.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

session at Takoma Aquatic Center.

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

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

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

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

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

7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www.scandalsrfc.org.

THE GAY MEN'S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free

HIV testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday.

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

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.

US HELPING US hosts a support

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

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

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

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13 LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meets at

The Dignity Center for Duplicate Bridge. No reservations needed.

Newcomers welcome. 7:30 p.m. 721 8th St. SE (across from the Marine Barracks). Call 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

LEZ READ, a book discussion group focusing on works by lesbian and queer-identified authors, meets at Politics and Prose on the second Wednesday of each month. 7:3010:30 p.m. 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, downstairs coffee shop. For more information, visit www.meetup.com/Lez-Read.

The DC Center hosts a GET

EMPOWERED! SELF-DEFENSE WORKSHOP on how to defend

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

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

TRANSDIMENSIONAL is a

trans-inclusive-only support group that discusses politics, love, health, and entertainment, with assistance from community leaders such as doctors, lawyers, and life coaches. 6-8 p.m. Us Helping Us, 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.uphil.org. l

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

23

Glorious The Emporiyum returns for another showcase of new and innovative food products that go well beyond the typical market fare.

By Doug Rule

I

F YOU’RE SOMEONE WHO ENJOYS TRYING NEW, adventurous foods, we’ve got three words for you: cotton candy burrito. Curious? You should be, at least according to Stuart Hudson, co-owner of The Emporiyum.

“Two shocking things about a cotton candy burrito: One, you can eat it in your hands and it doesn't get messy. And two, it's not overwhelmingly sweet,” Hudson says. “There's something about the juxtaposition between the cotton candy and the ice cream.

I'm not sure how that happens, but there's science behind there somewhere.”

The surprising special is one of many highlights at the annual food-focused pop-up event, which takes place this weekend in Union Market’s Dock5 space. And for Hudson, who runs Emporiyum alongside his wife, Hannah, the cotton candy burrito is also an example of the kind of culinary collaboration they’ve helped foster through The Emporiyum.

“The base of it is ice cream [and] there's a host of different toppings that can be included,” Hudson explains, “all wrapped within what would otherwise be a tortilla, [but] is a cotton candy shell.”

The sugary, creamy treat comes from two distinct companies.

Fluffness, “a great local cotton candy maker,” creates the shell, while South Mountain Creamery produces the ice cream fill24

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

ing. “Making that connection was one piece we're really happy about,” Hudson says.

While the sweet burrito will certainly be a buzzworthy attraction at the sixth annual event, Fluffness and Smooth Mountain Creamery are but two of the 90 vendors selling their treats, wares, and fares in a covered tent that effectively expands Union Market by 20,000 square feet.

The Emporiyum serves to enhance the strong lineup of merchants already based inside Union Market year-round, but the type and variety of products on display further distinguishes it from vendors in the market next door — or any other for that matter.

Case in point: RifRaf, touted as “the first single-serve snackable ricotta cup,” and a product, according to co-founder William Hickox, that is ready “to shake up the dominance Greek yogurt has had on the yogurt case for the last 15 years.” Rifraf’s distributor recommended Hickox participate in this year’s Emporiyum, describing it as “a pop-up tasting event filled with a curated selection of innovative, emerging food brands like ours.”

“We're ultra-intentional about how many new vendors we have every year,” Hudson says. “There are an overwhelming number of food options in D.C. We feel that we need to keep up and provide a fresh roster every year — as much as we can to be

DIM SUM MEDIA

Food!

Effie's Homemade

RifRaf Ricotta Cups

Sweet Block

Pratt Standard Cocktail Company

Featured on the Cover (clockwise from left): Ice Cream Jubilee’s Impossible Cone, Don Ciccio’s Ambrosia, Dough Boy Fresh Pretzel Bites, Fluffness Cotton Candy S'Mores Milkshake, The Better Pop, Swizzler’s Hot Dogs, Sweet Dames’ CocoMallow Sandwiches.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

25

reasonable — and so about half of the vendors are new. Only a handful have been at the event for three years or more...and then we've got another handful that have been there for two years.”

One member of the Emporiyum’s select repeat vendor club is The Dough Jar. “We participated last year and received such a positive response from cookie dough lovers that we had to make sure we came back,” says the D.C. company’s owner Lindsay Goldin, adding that the event is a perfect venue to show off the company’s line of edible cookie dough, made with pasteurized flour and no eggs, so it “won’t make your tummy hurt.”

Another returning vendor is Sweet Crimes Bakery. “Hannah and Stuart reeled me back in after I took a break from it for a couple of years,” says the gluten-free bakery’s Keri Lijinsky, who appreciated another chance to “get the word out about our brand. Unbelievably, there are still a lot of gluten-free people in D.C. who don’t know we exist.”

This will also be the Hudsons’ second year in charge of the Emporiyum, which they bought from the event’s founders last summer after enjoying it as visitors for years. The move allowed Stuart to give up his career practicing law to run the Emporiyum full-time, with assist from Hannah whenever she’s not tied up with her own event photography business. Asked if they consider themselves foodies, Hudson says, “By definition, yes. It's not the first descriptor that would come to mind, but oftentimes when there's a new restaurant that pops up, or someone who's doing something interesting in the D.C. area, we often find ourselves there.”

One of the few noticeable changes the Hudsons have made since taking over the Emporiyum — aside from putting the annual Baltimore edition on hiatus — is to enlist a nonprofit partner and beneficiary, the Capital Area Food Bank. The hope is that “all of us who are lucky enough [to participate] have the oppor-

tunity to learn about how we can help the larger community, and especially those who are living through food insecurity.”

While much of the focus and attention is on the Emporiyum’s efforts to promote local businesses and community, it’s far from an all-local affair, with a dozen states and two countries other than the U.S. represented in this year’s lineup, which is split between local vendors and those from further afield. “About 50 percent are from this wider net that we cast intentionally,” Hudson says. “So not only do the attendees have something interesting every year to come back to, but the vendors have an opportunity to meet vendors that are in other spaces of the country who might have leads, might have opportunities for connections they wouldn't otherwise.”

The focus is also not solely on D.C.’s rich restaurant and dining scene. In fact, only one in four vendors come from the “savory” category, including those who make food to consume on-site. “Some of those are traditional restaurants, some are popups, some are folks who are more in the catering realm that are just getting started,” Hudson says. The three other types of participating vendors are sweet-makers, or confectioneries, drink purveyors, of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties, and producers of assorted goods: “pantry items or shelf-stable goods that folks can purchase as either ingredients for food they're making at home, or gifts for friends and family.”

Perhaps this year’s most novel entry in the assorted category: P&W Pawtisserie. “We thought our products would fit in perfectly,” says Whitney Dennis of the handmade dog treat bakery.

“Why should the humans get all the fun food?”

P&C’s Pawtissirie is just one of a significant number of products and goods available at the Emporiyum that are pretty much as niche — and as local — as possible, made by “small groups of people, sometimes just a single person, creating something so

A Casual Guide to The Emporiyum A selection of some of the vendors you’ll find at The Emporiyum Food Market this weekend.

Compiled by Rhuaridh Marr

All Set Restaurant & Bar Silver Spring, Md. www.allsetrestaurant.com IG: @ allsetDTSS All Set puts a contemporary twist on seasonally inspired dishes that reflect its passion for fresh ingredients, nutritious foods and unforgettable flavors. They cook American cuisine influenced by the traditions of coastal New England — comforting, classic, warm and friendly. At this year's Emporiyum, they are serving a Maine Lobster Roll tossed in a light Tabasco Mayonnaise served on a Toasted New England Roll.

AR's Hot Southern Honey Richmond, Va. www.hotsouthernhoney.com IG: @ ameshotsouthernhoney People looking for fun and healthy ways to flavor their food will enjoy the award-winning Hot Southern Honey products are both fun (spicy) and healthy (honey). They use only real Virginia sourced honey and real peppers to create amazing products which can be used as condiments on ingredients on sweet or savory.

Ayoba-Yo Springfield, Va. www.ayoba-yo.com IG: @ ayobayousa Ayoba-Yo produces authentic South African premium air- dried beef snacks called Biltong & Droewors. The beef snacks are naturally seasoned,

26

and do not contain sugar, artificial preservatives, gluten, fillers, MSG, or nitrates. Their products have 30% more protein than the leading beef jerky, and their Biltong is the only in the United States both Keto and Paleo Certified.

Back Pocket Provisions Richmond, Va. www.backpocketprovisions.com IG: @ backpocketprovisions Back Pocket Provisions turns locally- grown "ugly" produce into a line of award-winning Bloody Mary mixes. There's the classic (horseradish and Worcestershire); a smokey Southwest-style riff with sweet corn and jalapeno juice; and a Southeast Asian recipe with red chilies, lemongrass, and fish sauce that's a new favorite on the bar at Beau Thai in Shaw and Mt. Pleasant.

Black Narrows Brewing Company Chincoteague, Va. www.blacknarrowsbrewing.com IG: @ blacknarrows Black Narrows intentionally craft beers that reflect the way of life here on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Every beer is a story, with faces and places behind it. They source from local farmers, watermen and makers to create one of a kind beers.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Blue Henry Capitol Heights, Md. www.bluehenryspirits.com IG: @ bluehenry BlueHenry creates all natural syrups and garnishes for crafted beverages. Their products are expertly formulated making home crafting accessible to everyone.

Bon Bon Bon Hamtramck, Mi. www.bonbonbon.com IG: @ bonbonbonchocolate Ethically sourced chocolate from friends using real ingredients and no nonsense.

Bun'd Up Washington, D.C. www.bundup.com IG: @ bund_up A handmade steamed bao bun company that takes great pride in being one of the very few places that make the buns in house. It's not your traditional gua bao as it has a bit of a Korean twist to it.

Cabot Creamery Waitsfield, Vt. www.cabotcheese.coop IG: @ cabotcheese Cabot Creamery is a Vermont-based cooperative of over 800 farm families in New York and New England. Their cheddars are lactose -free, gluten-free, kosher, and halal. They are currently cele brating the co - op's centennial.

specialized and so specific, that's what breeds the interest in it,” Hudson says.

“For the longest time, especially in the latter half of the 20th century, the big brands were the ones that reigned supreme across the food industry,” he says. “Now we have folks, especially millennials and Generation Z, who are more interested in [products] that stand apart because of either the quality of the taste, or the visual aspect. The Emporiyum, in a lot of ways, reflects that. Unless you're a hot sauce enthusiast, it's less interesting to come to the Emporiyum if a tenth of its vendors are hot sauce vendors. Most of our attendees want to see a wide range of food options, and it also helps appeal to different groups as well, so we're not focused exclusively on one category or another, or one type of food or another.”

In terms of hot sauce, though, one featured brand is Fly by Jing, made from all-natural, non-MSG ingredients sourced from China. The sauces will be available to purchase by the jar, and, in another example of the connections Emporiyum empowers, will also be used to spice up the dumplings available from another vendor, the Northern Virginia restaurant Sunday in Saigon, as an Emporiyum exclusive special offer.

“Our focus for the Emporiyum is on the connections — between consumers and vendors, between vendors, and within the community,” Hudson says. “A large part of how we think about and how we select vendors, how we select partners, is dedicated to building community effectively through creative foodies, folks who are creating the foods and drinks that people are enjoying. And so, it's that creation of community that drives us, and in some ways I think that sets us apart from some of the more industry-styled or industry-focused events that would otherwise attract a lot of the same type of vendors.”

The Emporiyum offers more opportunities to interact and Capitol Cider House Washington, D.C. www.capitolciderhouse.com IG: @ capciderhouse Capitol Cider makes the District's only pommeau — essentially, an "apple port." All components — from the apples to the barrels they’re aged in — are locally-sourced. The fruit is pressed on site at their store in Petworth.

Cleveland Kraut Co. Cleveland, Oh. www.clevelandkraut.com IG: @ clekraut Raw, unpasteurized, and lacto -fermented sauerkraut full of natural probiotics, nutrients, and flavor.

Cucina Al Volo/La Caprese mozzarella Bar Washington, D.C. IG: @ alvoloDC The restaurant will serve Homemade Burrata Mozzarella Rose at the Emporiyum. # DeepFriedWatermelon Bowie, Md. IG: @ marylandchickan Filipino style deep -fried watermelon from Manila in the Philippines. A soul food and Filipino food fusion.

DELIGHTED BY Desserts Haiku, Hi. www.delightedbydesserts.com IG: @ delightedbydesserts A vegan and gluten-free dessert line which exists as a healthier alternative to traditional, processed desserts. Products include Edible Brownie Batter, Creamy Vanilla Bean, Mint Chocolate Fudge that can be enjoyed as a dip, spread or with a spoon.

MarshmallowMBA

engage with potential customers than a typical food show, according to Tory Pratt, whose Pratt Standard Cocktail Company is a four-time vendor. “What we love most about participating at Emporiyum is their attention to creative food and beverage, and interactivity,” he says. “We like to teach cocktail skills along with sampling our syrups, but most trade shows aren't designed for that — they are quick taste-and-go events.” At this year’s event, Pratt will have a garnishing station where guests can “learn briefly how to garnish their cocktails like a pro.”

“The Emporiyum helps showcase amazing food as well as the people and stories that give it character,” says Rahul Vinod of RASA, the fast-casual Indian restaurant based in the Navy Yard.

“As a vendor, this is special because we get to connect with our customers in a way we don’t always have a chance to otherwise.”

The Emporiyum can also give vendors useful, immediate feedback about their products, even allowing them to experiment or try something new. The direct feedback loop is why Ice Cream Jubilee is returning as a vendor, says Jenna Hahn, the

Don Ciccio & Figli Washington, D.C. www.donciccioefigli.com IG: @ donciccioefigli Generational crafters of a range of Italian liqueurs, from the bitter to the sweet. Born in the old country 135 years ago, the Don Ciccio & Figli range of liqueurs spans everything from the beautifully bitter to the seductively sweet. Each taste note in each liqueur in exactly the same place as in the Italian summer of 1883, when the alchemical hand of great grandfather Vincenzo Amodeo perfected their recipes.

Dough Boy Fresh Pretzel Co. Baltimore, Md. IG: @ doughboyfresh.pretzelco Specializing in stuffed pretzels and loaded pretzel bites as well as a new wholesale line including pretzel burger buns, sub rolls, bagels, and bread bowls.

FireFly Farms Accident, Md. www.fireflyfarms.com IG: @ fireflycheese A wide range of award-winning products from fresh spreadable goat cheese, to brie, to Spanish style wash rind, to blue, to hard parmesan style goat cheese and cow cheese.

Fluffness Washington, D.C. www.fluffness.com IG: @ fluff_ness Fluffness will be serving cotton candy burritos, with locally sourced ice cream and a variety of toppings, like fruity pebbles, boba, sprinkles and pop rocks.

Eden Specialty Ciders Newport, Vt. www.edenciders.com IG: @ edenciders A terroir- driven cider company, focusing on small farmers and holistic orchard practices.

Fly By Jing Los Angeles, Ca. www.flybyjing.com IG: @ flybyjing Fly By Jing is the first modern, premium Chinese food company bringing diversity to healthy eating through highly-charged flavors and accessible, thoughtfully crafted products. They pioneered the first 100% all-natural Sichuan chili sauce on the market.

Effie's Homemade Hyde Park, Ma. www.effieshomemade.com IG: @ EffiesHomemade Effie's Homemade biscuits are lightly sweet with a hint of salt, a crisp bite, and the flavor of toasted grains.

Green Panther Chef Takoma Park, Md. www.greenpantherchef.com IG: @ greenpantherchef Green Panther Chef is a full service CBD catering company specializing in creating an edible experience for the modern enthusiast.

Ella May Confections Washington, D.C. www.ellamayconfections.com IG: @ ellamayconfections A luxe candy company that crafts fun and fresh sweet treats with a creative approach to classic confections.

Happied Washington, D.C. www.happied.co IG: @ happiedDC Happied is a mobile app answering that age - old question “Where should we go for happy hour? ” The Happied app connects professionals, foodies,

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

27

D.C. company’s vice president of operations. “The attendees care about trying the newest, coolest thing, and it's great to see what they think of our ice cream and incorporate their feedback into our products,” she says.

Lubanzi Wines Hudson says Emporiyum is “an outlet for creative people who want to test things out,” something it’s particularly well-suited to due to the “high volume of people coming through” and the relatively minimal amount of energy vendors have to expend to make it happen.

He offers up Daniel Petitta as an example. A chef at Pineapple and Pearls and at Seylou bakery, Petitta will pursue a new, unaffiliated endeavor at this year’s Emporiyum: serving up, under the name Sfogliatella, Italian pastries that purportedly “have never been made out of whole wheat grain before.” Making them for Emporiyum guests allows Petitta a chance to “try something new [and] watch in real time how the public reacts to it.”

Since its inception in 2014, the Emporiyum has given many upstart food businesses early exposure and a helpful boost. Its growing list of notable vendor alumni include Gordy’s Pickle Jar, the acclaimed Laotian restaurant Thip Khao, Sir Kensington condiments, Teapigs, and the many culinary adventures of Erik Bruner-Yang, from Maketto to Paper Horse — and the celebrity chef returns this year via his restaurant Spoken English.

Among those seeking an early boost this time out is and cocktail connoisseurs to the best happy hours in D.C. On Friday, Nov. 8, they’re bringing cocktails front and center to the Emporiyum Preview Party, with an epic cocktail battle featuring bartenders from Roy Boys, Doi Moi, and Matchbox.

Ice Cream Jubilee Washington, D.C. www.icecreamjubilee.com IG: @ icecreamjubilee Ice Cream Jubilee churns out fun flavors inspired by childhood treats, fancy desserts, and grown-up cocktails, including Thai Iced Tea, Banana Bourbon Caramel, Gin & Tonic sorbet, or Cookies & Cookie Dough. Everything is handmade in small batches.

Their Impossible Cones are legend.

Insomnia Cookies Newtown Square, Pa. www.insomniacookies.com IG: @ insomniacookies Insomnia Cookies is selling two exclusive products for Emporiyum: ”Campfire Cookiewich,” a delicious spin on a classic S'more, and "Strawberry Jamwich,” consisting of two sugar cookies stuffed with strawberry icing and topped with strawberry jam.

Kicking Horse Coffee Invermere, Ca. www.kickinghorsecoffee.com IG: @ kickinghorsecoffee Deep, dark and delicious coffee, roasted right in the Rocky Mountains, for over 20 years.

Kojo Wilmington, DE www.kojojerky.com IG: @ kojojerky Shamelessly meaty plant-based jerky. Flavors include cracked pepper, ginger teriyaki, and spicy chipotle.

28

MarshmallowMBA. “The Emporiyum is our first opportunity to put our gourmet marshmallows in the hands of D.C. food influencers and tastemakers,” says co-founder Amy Hughes, who adds that she’s eager “to engage with potential customers and strategic partners [and help them] forget everything you think you know about marshmallows.”

The Hudsons are eager to continue the traditions of the Emporiyum as well as its enduring popularity, while also working to make it grow and improve — by expanding to other markets, sure, but also by expanding its reach in D.C. beyond “certain pockets [and] certain socioeconomic classes,” to help Emporiyum tap into “a full cross-section of the District and the DMV area.”

“I think the future of the Emporiyum is directly tied to the future of the DMV and the creative folks that operate here,” Hudson says. “From the attendees to the vendors, to the partners that we engage in, we are intrinsically connected to every part of the food industry and the broader community, [and] making sure that we are good partners in that way and making sure that we support the people that we're working with. That's our goal: To make the connections between folks and lift people up where they might not have as large an audience as the Emporiyum can muster.” l The Emporiyum launches with a Preview Party and Cocktail Battle among D.C. bartenders on Friday, Nov. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m., and continues Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Dock5 at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. General admission is $15 to $25, while VIP is $40 offering early access plus special bites and sips, plus a gift bag; the Friday Preview Party is $50 plus fees, or $80 with an All Access Weekend Pass.

Visit www.theemporiyum.com.

La Coop Coffee Washington, D.C. www.lacoopcoffee.com IG: @ lacoopcoffee Coffee from Guatemala, traded directly from the owner’s family and other members of a cooperative.

Lei Musubi Washington, D.C. www.leimusubi.com IG: @ leimusubi Specializing in gourmet Hawaiian style rice balls called musubis.

Lubanzi Wines Washington, D.C. www.lubanziwines.com IG: @ lubanziwines A start-up, socially- conscious South African wine company born in Cape Town and named for a wandering dog, Lubanzi makes wine that punches far above its weight.

Marcella Kriebel Art Washington, D.C. www.marcellakriebel.com IG: @ marcellakriebel Watercolors that are designed as a mix and match series of food related art prints — everything from cocktail recipes and bacon, to blueberries and blue crab.

MarshmallowMBA Red Lion, Pa. www.marshmallowmba.com IG: @ marshmallowmba MarshmallowMBA uses a limited ingredient recipe to make marshmallows in 100 -plus flavors. They’re best known for "s'morks" (s'mores on forks) as well as the happy hour-inspired " Wine O'Clock" and beer marshmallows. A line of bacon marshmallows will be a spotlight item at the Emporiyum.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Modern Bar Cart Washington, D.C. www.modernbarcart.com IG: @ modernbarcart Modern Bar Cart offers cocktail mixers, gear, and educational tools for professional mixologists and home bartenders alike. Its award-winning line of Embitterment Bitters will be available at Emporiyum.

Monkey Bar Washington, D.C. www.monkeyus.com IG: @ monkeybrands A fruit and nut bar made from organic bananas, apples and cashews.

MOTHER shrub Midlothian, Va. www.mothershrub.com IG: @ mothershrub An award-winning drinking vinegar mixer to use in spritzers, elixirs and cocktails. Six flavors — Black Cherry, Cranberry, Ginger, Grapefruit, Lime, and Salted Honey.

Mouth Party Caramel Timonium, Md. www.mouthpartycaramel.com IG: @ mouthpartycaramel A soft gourmet caramel manufacturer that uses a four- generation old recipe from the owner's step mother, who is a two -time cancer survivor. The company donates a portion of profits to cancer research and support services.

Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery Middleburg, Va. www.mtdefiance.com IG: @ mtdefiance A wide range of hard cider and spirits, best known for their absinthe.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

29

Qui Qui Catering Laurel, Md. IG: @ quiquicatering Creating seasonal foods from farm to street.

RASA Washington, D.C. www.rasagrill.com IG: @ rasa An Indian Fine Fast Casual Restaurant with local roots and a global heritage. They will be featuring a selection of our most popular menu items, including “Tikka Chance On Me Mini Bowls” and “Mini Samosas.”

RifRaf Ricotta Cups Brooklyn, NY www.rifraf.com IG: @ rifraf_ricotta_cups Single -serve, snackable ricotta paired with sweet and savory mix-ins.

Republic Restoratives Washington, D.C. www.republicrestoratives.com IG: @ republicrestoratives Products include CIVIC Vodka, Rodham Rye, Borough Bourbon, and Chapmans Apple Brandy.

Sweet Crimes

Neat Nick Preserves Ellicott City, Md. www.neatnickpreserves.com IG: @ neatnickpreserves A collection of unique handmade, small-batch jams, and jellies.

Neighborhood Restaurant Group Alexandria, Va. www.bluejacketDC.com IG: @ bluejacketDC Bluejacket will be pouring stellar brews all weekend - long during Emporiyum, including Self- Portrait ( Pilsner) , Pirate Satellite ( Mango Pineapple Sour Ale ) , and Mexican Radio ( a sweet stout with spices ).

P& C's Paw tisserie Leesburg, Va. www.panD.C.pawtisserie.com IG: @ pandcpawtisserie A local woman- and veteran- owned dog treat bakery creating healthy, limited-ingredient, tasty treats that mimic the baked goods you would find at a human bakery.

Pearl Fine Teas Washington, D.C. www.pearlfinteas.com IG: @ pearlfineteas A boutique loose leaf tea company that specializes in sourcing single origin teas, creative blends, and herbal wellness remedies.

Rose Ave Bakery Washington, D.C. www.roseavebakery.com IG: @ roseavebakery An Asian American bakery and flower shop offering familiar pastries.

South Mountain Creamery Middletown, Md. www.southmountaincreamery.com IG: @ smcdairy An agritourism dairy farm, a home delivery milkman service, and a farm-to -table restaurant ( Hometown Harvest Kitchen) in Downtown Frederick. They will be showcasing Boozy Milkshakes: Eggnog Shake, Baltamaro Biscotti Shake, and Spiked Pumpkin Spice Latte Shake.

Spot of Tea Washington, D.C. www.drinkspotoftea.com IG: @ drinkspotoftea Unique tea blends including Grapefruit Mint to Lavender Earl Grey.

Stateside Urbancraft Vodka Philadelphia, Pa. www.statesidevodka.com IG: @ statesidevodka Crafted in the birthplace of America, Stateside Urbancraft Vodka was inspired by the idea of crafting luxury with a new age feel. All ingredients used are carefully selected to create the very best vodka possible.

Sunday In Saigon Alexandria, VA www.sundayinsaigon.com IG: @ sundayinsaigon Serving Mi Quang Kho, Banh Beo Chay, Banh Mi Sloppy Viet, and Pho Dumpling.

Petit Pot Emeryville, Ca. www.petitpot.com IG: @ petit _ pot Luxurious, creamy, rich Pot de Crème and Riz Au Lait, all made with organic ingredients.

Sweet Block Bowie, Md. www.sweetblockco.com IG: @ sweetblock _ Sweet Block is inspired by cultural latin street foods also known as “antojitos.”

Pratt Standard Cocktail Company Washington, D.C. www.prattstandard.com IG: @ prattstandard Craft cocktail ingredients inspired by pre -prohibition recipes. Seven cocktail mixers: ginger, tonic, kola, rich simple, grenadine, cranberry orange, and earl grey vanilla.

Sweet Crimes Washington, D.C. www.sweetcrimes.com IG: @ eatsweetcrimes Dedicated to making simple, delicious, and affordable gluten free baked goods that taste just like you remember.

30

Sweet Dames Artisan Confections Washington, D.C. www.sweetdames.com IG: @ sweetdames Specializing in handmade gluten-free Gourmet Coconut Macaroons and CocoMallow Sandwiches.

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Swizzler Food Truck Washington, D.C. www.swizzlerfoods.com IG: @ swizzlerfoods A mobile food business that serves grass-fed beef hot dogs topped with housemade ingredients, both unique and classic, as well as burgers.

The Better Pop New York, NY www.thebetterpop.com IG: @ thebetterpop.co A uniquely shaped kombucha popsicle, providing a new way to consume probiotics. Made with whole fruit and kombucha, no added sugar, dyes, or artificial flavors.

The Dough Jar Washington, D.C. www.thedoughjar.com IG: @ thedoughjar Small-batch, gourmet dough that is made with heat treated flour and no eggs, so it's totally safe to eat raw.

The Fermented Pig Lorton, Va. www.thefermentedpig.com IG: @ thefermentedpig Hand crafted salumis, artisanal bacons, and old world sausages all prepared locally, often with Loudoun County pork.

The Neighborgoods Washington, D.C. www.theneighborgoods.com IG: @ theneighborgoodswithlove A one stop shop to pick up witty and unique gifts for all occasions, including dish towels, tote bags, baby one -pieces, greeting cards, stickers, and more.

The Truffleist Astoria, NY www.truffleist.com IG: @ thetruffleist Handcrafted, small-batch truffle products, including truffle butter, oil, honey and salt.

The Urban Oyster Baltimore, Md. www.theurbanoyster.com IG: @ theurbanoyster Chargrilled oysters.

Three Littles Washington, D.C. www.threelittles.co IG: @ threelittlesDC FDA-approved, dishwasher-safe, bamboo dinnerware.

Wild Willett Food Washington, D.C. www.wildwillettfood.com IG: @ wildwillettfood A healthy high protein snack brand including “strawberry beef jerky.”

Zest Tea Baltimore, Md. www.zesttea.com IG: @zesttea A line of award winning teas with more caffeine than coffee. Flavors include Blue Lady, Pomegranate Mojito, Earl Grey, Masala Chai, Superberry Samba and Apple Cinnamon. l To learn more about these and other vendors not listed here, visit the Emporiyum this on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Dock5 at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE.

CIMEMA GUILD

Movies

Endless Love

The sweet and sexy romance End of the Century explores a world of what-ifs for two handsome strangers. By André Hereford

B

ARELY A WORD IS SPOKEN IN THE FIRST TWELVE MINUTES OF END OF the Century (Fin de Siglo) (HHHHH), the sensual, Barcelona-set debut feature by Argentinian writer-director Lucio Castro. The camera wanders the city alongside solo traveler Ocho (Juan Ballerini), quietly absorbing the city’s sights and culture, whether people-watching from the balcony of his Airbnb, or on meandering walks along the seaside and among the pines topping Montjuïc.

A stranger in a Kiss t-shirt, passing through the square below Ocho’s apartment, catches his eye. Later, he and “Kiss” cruise each other on the city beach. Their first hookup is as inevitable as it is hot, and brief. But Ocho and the stranger, Javi (Ramón Pujol), a Barcelona native visiting from his current home in Berlin, exchange numbers in hopes of a future encounter that soon materializes. And the movie starts to make up for its wordless beginning, as the two travelers traverse the city, engaging in that dance of conversation, casual but defining, that marks the first stirrings of romance.

Romance might not be where their hookup, and this film, are headed, though. Ocho, an Argentinian poet who makes his living in marketing in New York, says he’s just out of a 20-year relationship, and Javi also isn’t interested in more than a casual thing before he returns to life in Berlin. Yet, their attraction is undeniable, as is the chemistry between Ballerini and Pujol, be it while sharing an impromptu sunset picnic, or during the film’s steamy sex scenes. Castro’s script conjures scenarios that could be ripped from porn or Playgirl fantasies — like, for instance, summoning a willing, good-looking passerby up to your Airbnb at a moment’s notice — but the direction and performances convey a natural, open sexuality that feels tender and authentic.

The movie coaxes out possibilities for the lovers’ future, or at least future hookups, then swerves suddenly, backtracking 20 years to Ocho and Javi’s past, to reveal that the two supposed strangers actually had met once before. It’s 1999, and they both happen to be in Barcelona. On the eve of the new century, a good portion of the modernized world is consumed with the fear that every computer on earth will shut down, and

civilization might grind to a pause, at the moment date-clocks should strike 01-0100.

Future, hopefully wiser generations might look back and laugh at the absurd Y2K scare, but Castro makes smart use of that singular moment in history as a legitimate trigger for contemplating transition.

Even a realist like Ocho, who doesn’t take the hysteria seriously, might consider how life can change with the turn of the century. He might wonder whether he wants to dive into a relationship or jet around the world as unattached as can be, or maybe marry a woman like his friend Sonia (Mía Maestro). Ocho is privileged with freedom and potential when he meets Javi in 1999.

His actions that weekend make all the difference in their paths going forward.

Shifting in time again, End of the Century contemplates more than one possible path for Ocho and Javi from the end of the 20th-century until now. The film signals those alternative shifts through subtle — sometimes too subtle — shifts in music or time of day, or by altering details like the contents of the apartment refrigerator. Each scene and frame rewards close observation, as the film as a whole also gains upon repeat viewing. The love story is simple but it captures the depth of possibility that can underscore even the most offhand decision to leave or stay, to hold back or act.

Passages throughout are as dia-

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

31

logue-free as the opening, and equally picturesque, courtesy of cinematographer Bernat Mestres. When the pair do get to talking, they can go on, but their rapport is inviting, and their concerns universal. Ballerini and Pujol aren’t charged to do much heavy dramatic lifting, but rather achieve a warmth and

ease that still is deceptively hard to create on-camera. Debating, kissing, or drunkenly dancing around the apartment, Ocho and Javi make good hangout company, as twentysomething dreamers and 20 years later, for the movie’s musing look at what was, what is, and what might have been. l

End of the Century is not rated, and opens Friday, Nov. 8 at Landmark’s E Street Cinemas.

Visit www.landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c.

Keep the Faith

F

Last Christmas the soundtrack is better than Last Christmas the movie, but scene-stealing Michelle Yeoh is best of all. By André Hereford

OR THIS CRITIC, THE POP ARTIST WHOSE VOICE AND MUSIC CUT quickest to the heart is George Michael. If there’s an emotion that can be felt, then Michael captured it in a song that he likely composed, produced, then sang with perfect pitch and phrasing, while sporting a giant hoop earring.

The late Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou might have been, as Emilia Clarke’s romcom heroine Kate declares in Last Christmas ( ), “misunderstood and under-appreciated,” but the singer-songwriter gets due love and respect in the film, which takes its title and storyline from the 1984 hit that Michael wrote and produced as half of the English pop duo Wham!.

“Last Christmas” is one of many heartfelt George Michael tunes to grace the London-set romance, directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids). From “Heal the Pain” to “Freedom! ’90” to “Everything She Wants,” Michael’s music provides a well-curat-

ed soundtrack to the love story between Kate and mystery man Tom, played with a charming, if one-note, niceness by Crazy, Rich, Asians heartthrob Henry Golding.

An aspiring singer, Kate works as a customer service elf at the most Christmassy of Christmas shops in Covent Garden, and sees herself as being like George, misunderstood and under-appreciated. She’s an appealing mess, of the bumbling, irresponsible sort who can only manage to function and still look like a million bucks in a romantic comedy that might also supply her with a dashing admirer ever-ready to come to her aid. Toothsome Tom seems too good to be true, but, of course, he harbors secrets. So does Kate, although her secret is harmless enough: part of the reason she’s so discombobulated is that she’s recovering from a catastrophic illness.

His and her hidden truths take their time tumbling out, delayed by frustratingly contrived plotting. However, the script, by Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings, does hold its share of touching surprises.

The film also provides standout supporting roles for Thompson, as Kate’s mom Petra, a refugee of the former Yugoslavia who — to the amusement of everyone but her family — thrives on drama, and for Golding’s Crazy, Rich costar Michelle Yeoh as Santa, the hilariously strict but not heartless owner of the Yuletide Christmas shop.

It’s amazing to consider that Yeoh, such a smooth comic presence here, was known early in her career purely as an action hero. Yet, Santa swoons for her own mysterious stranger as readily as Kate does for Tom. Last Christmas finds time to gift-wrap romance for the entire ensemble, including Kate’s lesbian big sis Marta (Lydia Leonard), while throwing in the extra stocking stuffers of scathing Brexit commentary, a Patti LuPone cameo, and a new, unreleased George Michael track, “This Is How (We Want You to Get High),” that adds to the legacy of an artist who gave his heart in every song. l

Last Christmas is rated PG-13, and opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, Nov. 8. Visit www.fandango.com.

32

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

RCG PHOTOGRAPHY

Stage

Unhappy Campers Rainbow Theatre Project’s production of Blue Camp doesn’t deliver on the play’s compelling premise. By André Hereford

T

HEATERGOERS HEADED INTO RAINBOW THEATRE PROJECT’S QUEERthemed, 1964-set military drama Blue Camp (HHHHH) are forewarned to grab a seat near the front or the aisle, or else risk losing sight of the action from time to time. Such are the limitations of the tightly spaced seating and floor-level presentation at this world-premiere production, an episodic account of several soldiers stewing in close quarters as they await orders for dishonorable discharge.

In Tim Caggiano and Jack Calvin Hanna’s play, the eight young soldiers in question — variously branded “delinquents, queers, and deviants” by the U.S. Army — are confined to two adjoining cells in the stockade, the groups split between four accused criminals, and four accused homosexuals. Separated by the cell bars, the clashing contingents tease and harass each other good-naturedly, and sometimes not so good-naturedly, until they’re relocated to a barracks on base, where the banter and bonding continue.

The respective fates of these undesirables will rest on their testimony and the evidence in their cases, and on how desperately U.S. forces might require live bodies to launch a full-scale war against North Vietnam. Any of these eight men might be “reclaimed,” rather than discharged. Apparently, the Army can swiftly reconsider whom it deems undesirable, based on principle, prejudice, or just the practical needs

of the moment. So it was in 1964, and continues to be in 2019, as the current administration fights to exclude transgender Americans who want to serve their country.

That topical connection would seem to provide a compelling subtext for Blue Camp, but the thread gets lost in director Christopher Janson’s underbaked staging. Proceeding in a loose succession of confrontations and confessions, the production rarely captures the weight of the stakes involved, where not only dishonor but death might await these servicemen.

Tension doesn’t build, so much as sputter along from one man’s backstory and breakdown to the next. Subplots, much like the characters, stomp in and out, but going where?

Really, where are these guys going?

There’s a preponderance of soldiers angrily storming offstage, among other emotional entrances and exits that don’t always seem consistent with the men’s circumstances of confinement. Janson and set designer Simone Schneeberg don’t appear to have resolved how to arrange

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

33

RCG PHOTOGRAPHY

the soldiers’ story within the minimal scenery of corrugated metal walls and fabric backdrop. Fabric straps hung vertically from a clothesline are pulleyed into place, inadequately playing the role of jail bars that mark the separation between cells in the stockade. But lighting designer Elliott Shugoll more clearly denotes setting and mood with spots and pools of light.

The cast varies wildly in their attempts at denoting setting and mood. In the play’s showiest role, the flamboyantly

confident, cross-dressing Private Billy from Mobile, Moses Bossenbroek exudes the right brass and sass in the character’s lighter moments. As the drama evolves, however, Bossenbroek’s performance doesn’t take Billy noticeably far from point A to point B, with the character registering little awareness that these proceedings are more than just fun and games. Billy becomes a quip machine, a black Blanche-flavored belle (DuBois or Devereaux, take your pick) swanning through the barracks.

A pot-stirrer and a target, Billy has it out with practically everybody, but most strongly connects with the officer keeping watch over him and the others, Sergeant Swanger, played with effective subtlety by Jared H. Graham. In his performance, Graham conveys a committed Army man whose prejudices might believably be changed by getting to know these men. The story advances surely in his appearances onstage. Likewise, Lansing O’Leary, as possibly bi-curious or possibly closeted gay Private Gary Peterson, creates a sensitive portrayal through measured restraint. Peterson confesses to engaging in homosexual activity, but won’t “kiss and tell,” and isn’t convinced that he’s gay. He reveals himself to his comrades, yet retains an air of mystery that deepens the plot.

They should all be as intriguing as Peterson. But at least half of these characters either are overcompensating, macho jerks, or are overacted to appear to be overcompensating, macho jerks. The line between unappealing character and unappealing performance can be indistinct in this production, which only indistinctly registers the potency of the play’s thought-provoking premise. l

Blue Camp runs through Nov. 24 at Thurgood Marshall Gallery inside St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, 555 Water St. SW. Tickets are $35. Call 202-462-7833, or visit rainbowtheatreproject.org.

34

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

MATTHEW MURPHY

Music

Byrne on Broadway

A

David Byrne’s American Utopia concert, now on Broadway, birthed a magnificent cast album that’s nothing short of thrilling. By Sean Maunier

S CONTENDERS FOR BROADWAY CAST ALBUMS GO, A DAVID BYRNE album is an unlikely one, and the results are about as strange as you might imagine. Endlessly creative and curious, there is no denying Byrne is an acquired taste, but if a listener is willing to take him on his own terms, they get a glimpse into his hyper-observant mind and probably come away looking at the world differently. Byrne has been a thoughtful observer of culture and society for his entire career, but comes together spectacularly on his latest project, American Utopia on Broadway (HHHHH).

The live show may share its name with his latest release, but it there is far more to it than that. Songs from the album are only a small part of the live show’s catalogue, as Byrne mines his career right back to the Talking Heads, including new takes on “Road to Nowhere,” “Blind,” and “Burning Down the House,” along with a scattering of postHeads, pre-Utopia work for good measure.

As a live show, American Utopia on Broadway is by all accounts bizarre and stunning.

An ensemble of 11 musicians accompanies Byrne on a mostly bare stage, untethered and unencumbered in theory, but moving according to tight choreography, reflecting his admitted obsession with marching bands and color guards. Even in the form of a cast album, divorced from the visual spectacle and the physical presence of the musicians, the songs demand attention. Always a fan of percussion, Byrne’s initial idea for the show was to perform with an entire group of drummers, and these percussive elements are at the heart and soul of the show.

American Utopia’s closing track “Here” functions as the Broadway show’s opener.

It announces the live show as a continuation and extension of the album, rather than a simple redux. “Bullet,” already chillingly matter-of-fact, is given an even starker treatment on the cast album. Similarly, “Every Day Is A Miracle” takes on added excitement and urgency in the ensemble. Social attachment and webs of human connection, so central to Byrne’s thinking behind the original album, are given literal form on stage, and

hold up well in the cast recording. While American Utopia is the kind of project that could only have come from Byrne, the Broadway catalogue comes across as very much a collaborative project, with Byrne as a kind of curator-ringleader.

Given its selection of songs from a decades-long span of time, the cast recording is remarkable for its cohesion.

The tracks from American Utopia bleed seamlessly together with the non-album songs, likely a reflection of Byrne’s own continued preoccupations over the years.

Among the tracks given a recut is “Road to Nowhere,” the Talking Heads’ upbeat take on impending doom, already heavily percussive and covered so faithfully that it might as well have been written for the show.

The inclusion of several Talking Heads recuts in the live show might have something to do with their crowd-pleasing qualities, but more obscure material like the 2008 deep cut “Toe Jam” would seem to indicate that Byrne wants us to be interested in what he is interested in, popular or not. “I Should Watch TV,” from Byrne’s 2012 collaboration with St. Vincent, is another highlight that easily fits into the catalogue with its wry, cheerfully dystopian mood. The easy coexistence of newer and older material sets the album up as more of a culmination of a career spent observing the world around him than a simple retrospective.

Towards the end, Byrne includes a ren-

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

35

MATTHEW MURPHY

dition of “Hell You Talmbout,” covered with Janelle Monáe’s blessing, as he makes a point of noting. A call-and-response song with a heavy beat, it fits neatly with the aesthetic sensibility of the show, but it is far more striking for what its inclusion implies about the project’s worldview. Going out of his way to cover the song at the tail end of a show inspired by utopia is a powerful and selfaware acknowledgment that even aspirational utopias are unevenly shared, and there is still a long way to go and much difficult work to be done before we come close to achieving one.

American Utopia on Broadway is a feelgood project that nevertheless drops some uncomfortable observations and even less comfortable questions. New songs coexist comfortably alongside old and much older material, arranged with plenty of care and thought into a cohesive project that invites its audience to observe the society around them and their place in it. Far from an easy listen, it demands attention and investment, pulling its audience in with its idiosyncratic instrumentation and hooking them with all of Byrne’s infectious, wonderful weirdness. l American Utopia on Broadway can be purchased from Amazon and iTunes, and is available on most major streaming services.

David Byrne’s American Utopia is playing through Feb. 16, 2020, at the Hudson Theatre, 141 W. 44th St. in New York City.

Tickets range from $69 to $499. Call 855-801-5876 or visit www.hudsonbroadway.com.

36

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

37

Scene

Freddie’s Halloween Night with Steven Andrade as CHER! -Thursday, Oct. 31 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, November 7 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close 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

• ThurSlay, featuring DJ Jack Rayburn, 10pm PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm • Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • Dancing until 1:30am SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Bottles of Wine, 5pm-close • Paint Nite, Second Floor, 7pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL

Destinations A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.facebook.com/alohodc AVALON SATURDAYS Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW 202-789-5429 www.facebook.com/ AvalonSaturdaysDC 38

glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Friday, November 8 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE Meaty Fridays Happy Hour 5-9pm • Free Hot Dogs all Night and Pizza at 7:30pm • $2 off all drinks until 9pm • $5 Cover starts at 7pm, $10 after 9pm • Birds of Prey Drag Show at 10:30pm • Open until 3am FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Alpha & Omega Productions and Matt Black Productions present GLÖ: An Underwear Dance Party, 10pm-close • Featuring DJs Ultra and Phoenix • $5 Cover • $5 Fireball NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Open 3pm • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Weekend Kickoff Dance Party, with Nellie’s DJs spinning bubbly pop music all night NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Friday Night Piano with Chris, 7:30pm • Friday Night Videos, 9:30pm • Rotating DJs PITCHERS Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised

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

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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

Saturday, November 9

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

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

TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 • Otter Happy Hour with guest DJs, 5-11pm ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Rotating DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors at 9pm, Shows at 11:45pm • Music by DJ Jeff Eletto • Cover 21+

AVALON SATURDAYS @Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW Avalon Saturdays and DC Takeover present KINETIC, 10pm-4am • Music by DJ Tracy Young, Opening Set

by DJ X Gonzalez • $25 Cover, $30 VIP • Drink specials • $4 Absolut Drinks, 10pm-midnight • 21+ • Visit www.

DougieMeyerPresents.com DC EAGLE Open at 5pm • Happy Hour until 9pm • $5 Cover except for special events • Hummer & Xavier Entertainment 1st and 3rd Saturdays • LOBO, BRUT, Aftershock rotating other Saturdays FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Saturday Breakfast Buffet, 10am-3pm • $14.99 with

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

MIKE RUIZ

NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Compiled by Doug Rule

one glass of champagne or coffee, soda or juice • Additional champagne $2 per glass • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm • Karaoke, 10pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Bacardi, all flavors, all night long • Freeballers Party, 10pm-close • Music

by DJs BacK2bACk • Clothes check available • $5 Fireball, $5 Margaritas, $8 Long Islands NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-3am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs 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 • Pop Tarts, 9:30pm, featuring VJs BacK2bACk PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $15 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Noche Latina, 11pm-2am • Food and Drink specials TRADE Doors open 2pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets upstairs, 9pm-close • Fully nude

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

AVALON: KINETIC WITH DJ TRACY YOUNG

Dougie Meyer is ramping things up considerably as Avalon Saturdays, his party at Soundcheck, the hip downtown nightclub, moves solidly into its second year. On Saturday, Nov. 9, he presents the Avalon debut of a preeminent veteran DJ on the gay club scene — Tracy Young (pictured), a local who got her start at Tracks and spent last decade juggling high-profile gigs for official Grammy events and private parties for Madonna. This weekend’s KINETIC party starts at 10 p.m. with an opening set from DJ X Gonzalez, a leading D.C. export on the international circuit. Also expect a drag show with standout local queens, plus $4 Absolut cocktails until midnight. Soundcheck is at 1420 K St. NW. Tickets are $25 plus fees, or $30 with fees for VIP with express entry and express service at the bar, plus one non-alcoholic drink ticket. Ages 18 and up. Call 202-789-5429 or visit www.dougiemeyerpresents.com.

THE COVEN: FLANNELS AND FALL FEELS

Every second Saturday of the month comes this queer women-centered “witchy dance party” touted as “open to all genders, orientations, ideologies, and badasses.” The Coven is also an event where — no surprise, given the name — “dark couture is encouraged.”

Of course, thick fabric and anything flannel is the fashion to beat at the fall-themed party set for this Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Coven’s new venue, Shaw’s Satellite Room.

DJ Honey will whip up a musical brew starting at 10 p.m. to help entice all to fall into a feeling frenzy — where consent reigns. 21 and up. Satellite Room is at 2047 9th St. NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-506-2496 or visit www.satellitedc.com.

DC EAGLE: A PORNUCOPIA EXTRAVAGANZA & LOBO

On Saturday, Nov. 9, the DC Eagle offers two concurrent parties and two reasons to head to the leather and fetish preserve, particularly for subs, pups, and their enthusiasts. On the one hand, the 20-year-old sub- and switch-oriented club DC Boys of Leather hosts its monthly party starting at 9 p.m. with the theme “Stuffed,” in honor of “the season of plenty, henty.” The dress code is “sexy at every size,” although those patrons sporting a crop top or who shuck their shirt can belly up to the bar for a free Jello shot. The event also promises a raffle with prizes alternately described as “horny” and “porny.” Starting at 9 p.m. comes the return of a dance and play event presented by DJ UltraPup and PhoenixPup of Alpha & Omega Productions known by the acronym LOBO, which stands for “Lights Out, Barks Out.” Geared toward those into puppy play and gear but open to those with other kinks and fetishes, the November LOBO will feature beats by DJ Drayne from Philadelphia and DJ Drittuage from Chicago, plus a motley of LOBO Dancers. LOBO is also open to the youngest pups among us, with entry granted to all those 18 and up.

The DC Eagle is at 3701 Benning Rd. NE. Tickets are $10 at the door for LOBO. Call 202347-6025 or visit www.dceagle.com.

FLASHY SUNDAYS: VETERANS DAY WEEKEND

Last month, DJs Sean Morris and Kurt “TWiN” Graves passed the six-year marker for their incredibly popular holiday-Sunday gay party at the hip, sharply designed nightclub Flash. On Sunday, Nov. 10, the two gay house mixmasters will take turns on the turntables on the main dance floor as usual. While the party won’t stop until 5 a.m. — an hour after last call for alcohol due to extended holiday hours — chances are you’ll spend a good chunk of otherwise peak-hour dance time idling in line — if, that is, you don’t arrive as soon possible after doors open at 10 p.m. The promoters also share this tip: “If you aren’t off on Monday, it’s time to request the day off.” Flash is at 645 Florida Ave. NW. Cover is $20. Call 202-827-8791 or visit www.facebook.com/flashydc. l

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

39

40

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

bottomless Bud/Bud Light, $20 Bottomless Premium Drafts

Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-1am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs

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

NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • No Cover

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

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

DC EAGLE Open at Noon • Happy Hour until 9pm • Food served 4-7pm, $10 a plate • Cigar Sundays and Cruisy Sundays • $3 off all Whiskeys & Bourbons, $5 Chivas Regal, $15

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

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

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

Sunday, November 10

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 • No Cover • For reservations, email shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail.com TRADE Doors open 2pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 • CHURCH: A Church-themed dance party featuring house music and pop-up performances, 10pm • Special guest hosts and performers • Music by WesstheDJ, Jesse Jackson, and guest DJs

Monday, November 11 DC EAGLE Manic Mondays • Happy Hour until 9pm, $2 off all drinks • Free Pool play • $2 Bud & Bud Lights, $15 bottomless premium drafts FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Singles Night • Half-Priced Pasta Dishes • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long • Singing with the Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke Night with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour

— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Half-Priced Burgers • Paint Nite, 7pm • PokerFace Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards • Ping Pong Madness, featuring 2 PingPong Tables NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Veterans 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, 7:30pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

41

glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

Tuesday, November 12 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE 2-4-1 Tuesdays • All Drinks, Buy one, Get one free • First Drink Free for guys in Jockstraps FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco Tuesday • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long • Tito’s Tuesday: $5 Tito’s Vodka all night NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo

42

with Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close

Wednesday, November 13

NUMBER NINE Open at 5pm • 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 SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Burgers and Pizzas, 5-10pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

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

by Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes • Karaoke, 10pm-1am GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm • Bear Yoga with Greg Leo, 6:30-7:30pm • $10 per class • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long • Karaoke, 9pm NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8-10pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • Absolutely Snatched Drag

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Show, hosted by Brooklyn Heights, 9pm • $3 Bud Light, $5 Absolut, $15 Buckets of Beer NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Piano Bar and Karaoke with Jill, 8pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

Thursday, November 14 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE $4 Rail and Domestics for guys in L.U.R.E. (Leather, Uniform, Rubber, Etc.) • Lights Dimmed at 8pm FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close 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 • RuPaul UK Viewing Party, 9pm • ThurSlay with VJ Jack Rayburn, 10pm

PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm • Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • Dancing until 1:30am SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Bottles of Wine, 5pm-close TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+ l

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

43

Scene

44

17th St. High Heel Race - Tuesday, Oct. 29 - Photography by Todd Franson & Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

45

LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“I’ll reverse Trump’s shameful ban on trans service members on Day One. ” — Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN, in a tweet announcing the release of her plan to support veterans, service members, military families, and survivors. Warren echoed Sen. Kamala Harris’ pledge last month to repeal Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military on “day one” of her presidency. In her plan, Warren states that the “only thing that should matter when it comes to allowing military personnel to serve is whether or not they can handle the job.”

“I left because I didn’t want to be their Sarah Sanders anymore.”

— LANDEN ZUMWALT, former head of communications at Grindr, speaking to LA Magazine about corporate dysfunction at the gay dating app, which he compared to the Trump administration. Current and former employees revealed that user privacy has been eroded since Grindr was sold to a Chinese company in 2018, that progressive initiatives have been halted, and that LGBTQ employees have increasingly been replaced by straight people.

“I think that’s an important part of allyship, and I don’t want to turn my back on them.”

— SEAN DOOLITTLE, pitcher for the Washington Nationals, telling the Washington Post that part of his decision not to attend a White House ceremony for the World Series champions was to “show support” for his wife’s two mothers. Doolittle said he couldn’t justify accepting an invitation from Donald Trump because he disagrees with his “divisive rhetoric” on a number of issues, including LGBTQ people, race relations, and Trump’s mocking of a disabled reporter in 2016. (Doolittle’s brother-in-law has autism.)

“To label one community in particular as being burdened by this bias...is misinformed, it’s misdirected, and it’s just simply wrong.”

— Sen. KAMALA HARRIS, speaking on CNN about comments by Rep. Jim Clyburn that older African-American voters would be less likely to vote for Mayor Pete Buttigieg because he is gay. Harris called it a “trope that has evolved among some Democrats... to suggest that African-Americans are homophobic or that there [is] transphobia in the black community as a community.

That’s just nonsense.” She noted that “bias occurs in every community” and said the African-American community “is not a monolith, it includes, gay, transgender, LGBTQ people within that community who are loved by their community, loved by their family…like every community.”

“Everyone is entitled to their religious beliefs, but religious beliefs do not include a license to discriminate, to deny essential care, or to cause harm to others. ” — ALEXA KOLBI-MOLINAS, attorney for the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, in a statement after a federal judge rejected a Trump administration rule that allows health care providers to refuse treatment to LGBTQ people by citing religious objections.

Kolbi-Molinas said the judge’s decision was “an important victory against the Trump Administration’s cruel and unlawful attempts to roll back critical patient protections.”

46

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

47