Reaching Forward: The REACH at the Kennedy Center - August 29, 2019

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AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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CONTENTS

August 29, 2019

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ALTERED STATE

An altered Puccini classic kicks off a remarkable season at The In Series under new Artistic Director Timothy Nelson.

By Doug Rule

REACHING FORWARD The Kennedy Center prepares to raise the curtain on the first-ever expansion in its 47-year history.

By André Hereford Photography by Todd Franson

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Volume 26 Issue 17

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GUN PLAY

Signature sets a scintillating stage for Sondheim’s rogues’ gallery of Assassins.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: RICHARD PAULES’ LEGO KENNEDY CENTER p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.9 THE FEED: FOND FAREWELL p.15 THE FEED: SECURING DISCRIMINATION p.15 THE FEED: HORRIFIC PRECEDENT p.16 COMMUNITY: EPIDEMIC ENDGAME p.17 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.17 STAGE: FABULATION, OR THE RE-EDUCATION OF UNDINE p.29 NIGHTLIFE: A LEAGUE OF HER OWN p.31 NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS p.32 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.33 LAST WORD p.38 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 Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla Patron Saint Roger L. Stevens Cover Photography Richard Barnes Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830 All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.

© 2019 Jansi LLC.

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PHOTO COURTESY RICHARD PAULES

Spotlight

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Richard Paules’ LEGO Kennedy Center

NE DAY LAST JUNE, RICHARD PAULES GOT A call frOM a friend at the Kennedy Center. The performing arts venue wanted a LEGO display for its 4th of July celebration and, knowing Paules’s affinity for the small, interlocking plastic bricks, the friend wondered if it was possible to create a miniature Kennedy Center.

“I said, ‘Absolutely,’” recalls Paules, who enthusiastically launched into creating the work. “In just a little over three weeks, I was able to build a 70,000-piece Kennedy Center.”

Paules donated his time and the Center footed the bill for the LEGOs, about $8,000 he reckons. “It’s a lot of money for plastic bricks,” he laughs. “But it’s amazing what something that's just a giant box of colored bricks can turn it into.”

The final model, 8 feet long by 3 feet wide, is a striking creation, an exact replica to scale of the building, as well as its exciting new addition, The REACH. Everything is constructed from LEGO, from the 63 golden columns that envelope the grand main building to the greenery that flanks it.

“To do the willow trees that surround the Kennedy Center, I took flower stems and turned them upside down and locked them all together in sort of draping strings,” he says, pointing out that while LEGO has an abundance of sizes, colors, and shapes, ingenuity is the key to creating something of substance

with them. “They’re really great for problem-solving and creativity,” he says. Paules even fabricated the interior of the hall of nations and hall of states, complete with its signature red “carpeting” and rows of flags.

The piece is presently in storage while the Kennedy Center has a lucite case built for it. While some of the structure is glued for stability, much of it is not, so it needs protection from small, curious hands.

Paules — whose LEGO creations are a passion and hobby — has created everything from a replica of the White House to an ornately detailed replica of Opera Garnier in Paris, and he is pleased with how the Kennedy Center turned out.

“When everything works out so perfectly, there's an immense satisfaction,” he says, conceding that LEGO, by design, is not meant to last forever.

“It's pretty unique among sort of art forms,” he says. “It's never permanent. So you can just keep remaking something with the same pieces over and over and over again, endlessly.

It's amazing how something that takes so long to build, you can destroy and have an ‘Independence Day’ moment so quickly.”

Tearing down a structure is “a little sad, I guess, for a bit, but then, once everything's broken apart, you start imagining again, ‘What can be built now?’” —Randy Shulman

The LEGO Kennedy Center will be on display again later this year.

Sign up for our email alerts at MetroWeekly.com/join to stay informed.

AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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Spotlight HOME/BREWED

Over 1,000 items from D.C.’s historic original brewery, the Chr. Heurich Brewing Company, are on rotating display at the Heurich House Museum, which has started a fundraising campaign to purchase the collection, owned by local collector Jack Blush. Ranging from bottles and kegs to branded everyday objects and signs to employee photos, Home/Brewed tells a part of D.C. history that until recently had been largely forgotten and lost in large part because of a fire in 1938 that destroyed the company’s founding documents and similar memorabilia.

The exhibition is on view during public tours and special events. 1921 Sunderland Place NW. Call 202429-1894 or visit http://heurichhouse.org.

NATALIA LAFOURCADE

Blessed with a powerful, lyrical soprano-caliber voice, the 35-year-old’s appeal is the moody chanteuse vibe of much of her music, such as the captivating, all-original, Latin Grammywinning Hasta la Raiz. Her nostalgia-evoking style is even more pronounced on Musas, the recently released two-volume collection propelled by stand-out tributes to the Mexican folk songs that inspire her, and recorded with acoustic guitar duo Los Macorinos. Thursday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m. Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Tickets are $45 to $125 plus fees. Call 202-783-4000 or visit www.warnertheatredc.com.

JENNIFER HUDSON WITH THE NSO

Thomas Wilkins conducts the National Symphony Orchestra in a program that draws on the repertoire and showcases the powerhouse pipes of probably the most famous American Idol contestant — one who actually came seventh in her season. But Hudson showed them all, including Simon Cowell, by going on to great acclaim and awards, including an Oscar for her work in the movie version of Dreamgirls. She’ll be back in cinemas this fall in the movie adaptation of Cats. Thursday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m.

The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna.

Remaining tickets are $60, or $45 for lawn seats. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www.wolftrap.org.

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AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Out On The Town

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF TODD FRANSON

A few photographs that you may remember from covers of this magazine — Jim Graham as Cleopatra or the infamous Leather Kewpie — have factored into the latest exhibition at the DC Center for the LGBT Community, all by Todd Franson, Metro Weekly’s chief portrait photographer for 24 years. Yet the focus of the exhibit is on artworks Franson has created for other projects and pursuits, going as far back as his days as a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. A more recent passion of Franson’s has been capturing artistic shots of foliage, blooms, and landscapes at the National Arboretum. And then there are the dazzling and quirky photographs that come closest to conveying his personal sensibility, none more so than “Dancing Bear,” a vibrant image of a bustling amusement park at dusk. Franson will add new pieces and versions as well as $25 loose prints for purchase during the closing reception, featuring light food and drinks, set for Saturday, Sept. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. The Center Arts Gallery is inside the Reeves Center at 2000 14th St. NW. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www.thedccenter.org.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM BEFORE SUNSET

As part of its Capital Classics series, Landmark’s West End Cinema returns the second film in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as two strangers who meet by chance on a train. In 2004’s Before Sunset, the two characters are reunited unexpectedly in Paris, leading to a new question: “What if you had a second chance with the one that got away?” Wednesday, Sept. 4, 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.

BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

The AFI Silver Theatre co-pres-

ents a free summer outdoor film series at nearby Sonny’s Green, where patrons can bring blankets and low-rise chairs as well as their own food and beverages. The series concludes Friday, Aug. 30, with a 30th anniversary screening of “one of the most bodacious comedies of the 20th century,” and to help build anticipation for next year’s sequel Bill & Ted Face The Music. As stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves famously put it, party on, dudes!

The screening begins at sundown, around 8 p.m. Off the parking lot of the Blairs Shopping Center, 1290 East-West Highway. Call 301-4956720 or visit www.afi.com/Silver.

DOG DAY AFTERNOON

Al Pacino gives one of his finest screen portrayals as an amateur crook who robs a bank to pay for his partner’s sex-change surgery in Sidney Lumet’s gritty, edgy drama.

At the time, the film challenged social prejudices against the LGBTQ community, and its gay content is

relevant enough that it made the third installment of Metro Weekly’s “25 LGBTQ Films Everyone Should See” series. The film returns to the big screen as part of a twomonth The New Hollywood series at the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre. Saturday, Aug. 31, and Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 4:30 and 9:25 p.m., and Thursday, Sept. 5, at 4:30 p.m. 2301 M St. NW. Tickets are $10 to $13. Call 202-534-1907 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

title role with a supporting cast that includes Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, and Alec Guiness. The fourhour epic garnered seven Oscars, including best picture, director, cinematography, and score. Sunday, Sept. 1, and Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 1 and 6 p.m. Various Regal venues, including Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW), Potomac Yards Stadium (3575 Jefferson Davis Highway), and Majestic Stadium (900 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring). Tickets are $12.50.

Visit www.fathomevents.com.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

STAGE

Considered one of cinema’s most magnificent and visually stunning achievements, David Lean’s 1962 masterpiece will be presented digitally in 4K from a meticulous restoration of the original negative and presented by Fathom Events as part of the year-long TCM Big Screen Classics series. Based on the exploits of T.E. Lawrence during World War I as leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, Peter O’Toole plays the

KENNEDY CENTER’S PAGE-TOSTAGE NEW PLAY FESTIVAL

More than 65 D.C.-area theater companies offer readings, workshop productions, open rehearsals, and previews of developing plays and musicals as part of this free event held over Labor Day weekend. Participating theaters in the 18th annual event include Ford’s

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ALTERED STATE

An altered Puccini classic kicks off a remarkable season at The In Series under new Artistic Director Timothy Nelson.

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ADAMA BUTTERFLY IS A PIECE THAT ALL OPERA companies are sort of wrestling with,” says Timothy Nelson, noting that the debate is over “whether it's still appropriate to perform the piece, because it has some major misogynistic and racial problems in it.”

Few opera-focused entities have altered Puccini’s tragedy to the extent that The In Series has under Nelson, whose new production is

an “experiment in trying to find a way to do the piece that makes it still speak on a human level, and tries to excise race from it entirely.”

Guided by David Belasco’s one-act play that inspired Puccini’s epic opera, the resulting 80-minute production centers more than ever on the work’s titular character. The In Series further distinguishes its truncated production with two distinct versions — one in English, and another in the traditional Italian, with projected English supertitles. They will be performed on alternating dates by differing casts. Music Director Jessica Krash will accompany both casts playing Puccini’s score on piano.

Butterfly is just the first show in a remarkable season that promises to be refreshing and revolutionary. Characterizing it as the “first complete season that I planned alone” (without input from retired In Series founder Carla Hubner), Nelson focused on demonstrating “the things that are super-important to me, [such as] deconstructing the canon and finding a way to still make it speak to contemporary audiences in immersive, surprising ways.” His vision is to “change the who, what, where, and why of opera — who makes opera, what sort of pieces get to be considered opera, where the opera takes place, and why it matters.

Another canonical work that the organization will be “tearing apart and putting together in a new way” is Carmen. Bizet’s masterwork will be staged as an intimate “immersive cabaret,” featuring a local tango quartet and a modernized version of the famous tale incorporating trans issues.

“I love doing big, big, big opera in a small space,” says Nelson. “I want people to be able to experience that amount of sound and passion up close and personal.” —Doug Rule

Butterfly begins previews on Thursday, Sept. 5, opens on Saturday, Sept. 7, and runs through Sept. 22 at Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $21 to $46, or $31 to $56 for Opening Night & Celebration.

Call 202-204-7741 or visit www.inseries.org.

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AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Theatre, The In Series, MetroStage, Mosaic Theater Company, Pinky Swear Productions, the LGBTQfocused Rainbow Theatre Project, Theatre Prometheus, the Welders playwriting collective, the black LGBTQ-focused African-American Collective Theater, the impressive Millennial-focused Monumental Theatre Company, and Huemanati Artist Collective, the latter presenting Day Dream, a work about pioneering jazz artist and historical LGBTQ figure Billy Strayhorn.

Other highlights include: Brave Soul Collective’s #BlackGayRage, a montage of performances celebrating the existence and illuminating the challenges of black LGBTQ people; Project 2020’s The Last Battle of the American Revolution, a medley of scenes from stage works celebrating and relating events from the struggle for women’s voting rights in the U.S.; and Voices Unbarred’s Dear America: A Disconnect Between Perception & Truth, an examination of the perceptions of inmates versus the reality with an eye toward brainstorming solutions to the issues raised. Festival begins Saturday, Aug. 30. To Monday, Sept.

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

SILVER SPRING STAGE’S ONE-ACT FESTIVAL

Four short, one-act plays get staged during the third and final weekend program of this 2019 festival, including Steve Langley’s Gone Fishin’, about the meeting at a secluded fishing hole between a grieving father and the man who reveals that he was much more than his late son’s roommate.

Gregory Ford directs Melvin D. Smith, Axandre Oge, and Sebastian Leighton in the drama, staged along with Nan Gatewood Satter’s Yalu River, Agyeiwaa Asante’s Help Wanted, and Carl L. Williams’ The Elimination Round. The festival of all-original works kicks off Silver Spring Stage’s new season. The program opens in a Pay-What-You-Can Preview Thursday, Aug. 29. Main performances are Friday, Aug. 30, and Saturday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 1, at 2 p.m. 10145 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md. Tickets are $22 to $25. Call 301-5936036 or visit www.ssstage.org.

MUSIC BABYMETAL

As wild and wacky as you’d expect from a fully staged production featuring a female-fronted, metal-inspired J-pop band, Babymetal tours in support of Metal Galaxy. Set for release in October, the Japanese band’s album continues to weave a Dungeons and Dragons-esque story as band members find themselves summoned to the dark path by the Fox God. The Swedish metal act Avatar opens. Sunday, Sept. 8.

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COURTESY RENNAICANCE FESTIVAL

it an unconventional one. Its voice hovers between resignation and distress, seemingly bewildered by a world gone mad, in which chaotic politics are both cause and consequence of a wider tumult. Cox manages to keep up a sense of humor in his narration. Including himself in the joke saves the album from veering into outright sanctimony. The band will perform the new work as part of a co-headlining show at the 9:30 Club with Dirty Projectors, a Brooklyn-based outfit touring in support of a new self-titled breakup album produced by the legendary Rick Rubin. Sunday, Sept. 8. Doors at 7 p.m. 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 202-265-0930 or visit www.930.com. (Sean Maunier)

MARCIA BALL

MARYLAND RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

As summer nears its end, thoughts turn to jousting, feasting, crafts, theater, music, and merriment. Yes, it’s time again for one of the world’s largest festivals recreating 16th century England. Now in its 43rd season and set in a park outside of Annapolis, Md., the festival encourages patrons to dress up in period costume. They’re available to rent if you don’t have your own doublet and hose. Just don’t bring weapons, real or toy, or pets, as they tend to eat the turkey legs. It all takes place in the 27-acre Village of Revel Grove, where more than 200 professionals perform as characters of the era, naturally led by His Most Royal Highness King Henry VIII, wandering the steeds and streets when not on the village’s 10 stages or in the 3,000-seat arena, where a headline attraction is the jousting troupe Debracey Productions with its field full of horses, men in armor, chariots, trick riding and thrills for all ages. Also on hand are over 140 artisans exhibiting their predominantly handmade crafts in renaissance shops, five taverns and watering holes helping adult patrons stay hydrated and in good spirits, and 42 food and beverage emporiums to quench the hunger and thirst of even the youngest and most discerning. Weekends through Oct. 20. 1821 Crownsville Road, Annapolis, Md. Tickets are $18 to $20 for a single-day adult ticket until Sept. 8, or $23 to $27 after; passes range from $41 for a 2-Day Pass to $160 for a Season Pass good for all 19 days. Call 800-296-7304 or visit www.rennfest.com.

Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. Tickets are $52 to $300. Call 202-888-0020 or visit www.theanthemdc.com.

p.m. Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free. Call 202-549-4172 or visit www.HillCenterDC.org.

C.J. CHENIER AND THE RED-HOT LOUISIANA BAND

CREATIVE CAULDRON’S SUMMER CABARET SERIES

Next up in the outdoor American Roots Concert Series at the Hill Center is a performance by the Grammy-nominated Creole musician, C.J. Chenier, son of Clifton “The King of Zydeco” Chenier. The bluesy singer and accordion player will lead the Red-Hot Louisiana Band during a free late-afternoon concert further enhanced by two boxed offerings from the acclaimed nearby restaurant Little Pearl. A Cold Fried Chicken or Cold Fried Eggplant box can be ordered up until Thursday, Sept. 5, and available for pick-up on the patio at Little Pearl an hour before the concert. Sunday, Sept. 8, at 4:30

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After a break over Labor Day, the 10th annual summer cabaret series at ArtSpace Falls Church continues with two of D.C.’s finest young R&B singers each paying tribute to those who came before. On Friday, Sept.

6, at 8 p.m., comes “Cecily Sings Nancy Wilson,” a show in which “D.C.’s first lady of soul” brings to life the story and music of the celebrated artist and activist. That’s followed on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m., with Rochelle Rice’s “And We Shall March,” a journey through the social justice causes, key figures, and empowering music of the Civil Rights Movement. Series runs to Sept. 14. 410 South Maple Ave. in

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Falls Church. Tickets are $18 to $22 per show, or $60 for a table for two with wine and $120 for four with wine. Call 703-436-9948 or visit www.creativecauldron.org.

DEERHUNTER

With the release of Deerhunter’s last album, 2015’s Fading Frontier, lead singer-songwriter Bradford Cox swore off the dreamy, shoegazy quality that ran through much of the Atlanta-based group’s early work. On this year’s Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? he happily proclaims it dead and buried. This time around, Deerhunter find themselves squarely in the present, fixated on upheaval and transience, themes that are reflected in its brief runtime. Depending on what one wants to read into the lyrics, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? could be described as a political album, albe-

East Texas blues meets southwest Louisiana swamp rock with this Grammy-nominated pianist and singer-songwriter, who offers tastes of roadhouse rock, jump blues, R&B, soul and zydeco. Ball is also a regular attraction at celebrated area concert venues from the Hamilton to the Birchmere to the Barns at Wolf Trap, but her next stop is at the AMP by Strathmore. Thursday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m. 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $35 to $55. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.ampbystrathmore.com.

MARY J. BLIGE

Last year, the Queen of Hip-Hop became the first entertainer to perform at D.C.’s Entertainment and Sports Arena, the same honor Blige was given back in 2011 when she officially opened the Fillmore Silver Spring. Next week, Blige makes a thrilling return to Wolf Trap for a sultry, end-of-summer starry night as she enlists the crowd to sing along to her many hits. Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. The Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Remaining tickets are $45 to $115. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www.wolftrap.org.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S LABOR DAY CONCERT

Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke leads the NSO in the annual tradition on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. This year’s concert features vocalists Mykal Kilgore and Nova Payton in a program of popular songs by R&B hitmakers ranging from Aretha Franklin to Whitney Houston, James Brown to Stevie Wonder, plus a few patriotic songs, capped by Ray Charles’s version of “America The Beautiful.”

Also lending vocal support are Micah Robinson, Shacara Rogers, and Jillian Willis Sunday, Sept.

1, at 8 p.m. U.S. Capitol Building, West Lawn. (In case of inclement weather, the concert will move to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.)

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

NEWMYER FLYER’S TRIBUTE TO THE EVERLY BROTHERS

An array of talented pop/folk vocalists and musicians from around the area are brought together to perform in tribute to one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Known for classic hits “Bye Bye Love,” “Let It Be Me,” “Love Hurts,” and “Walk Right Back.” Presented by the production company Newmyer Flyer, led by BandHouse Gigs co-founder Ron Newmyer, the concert features performances by David & Ginger Kitchen, the Jelly Roll Mortals, Ruthie & the Wranglers, Willie Barry, Bob Berberich, Lynn Kasdorf, and Louie Newmyer. The lineup also features a tribute to the 1970s band Grin, founded and fronted by Nils Lofgren. Grin Again features original Grin drummer Bob Berberich and singer Tom Lofgren, with Mike and Mark Lofgren subbing for their brother Nils and sharing lead vocal duties, plus Ronnie Newmyer subbing for the late bassist Bob Gordon. Friday, Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.

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

MARK VALENTI

As part of its free lunchtime Tuesday Concert Series, downtown’s Church of the Epiphany presents a 45-minute program showcasing the evolution of classical piano styles, from the elegant gracefulness of Classicism, to the passionate lyricism of Romanticism, to the percussiveness of Modernism. Valenti will perform on the nine-foot Steinway concert grand piano in the church’s beautifully vibrant acoustic space.

Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 12:10 p.m. 1317 G St. NW. Suggested donation of $10.

Call 202-347-2635 or visit www. epiphanydc.org.

OF MONSTERS AND MEN

Of Monsters and Men was always going to be haunted by the mainstream success of the Icelandic band’s 2011’s hit “Little Talks” — with that famous recurring chant “Hey!” — and its follow-up, “Mountain Sound.” After spending two albums turning out echoing, anthemic folk-adjacent stadium-fillers, they have opted to take their chances. Fever Dream goes in a markedly different direction, trading acoustics for synths and intimacy for polish. Of Monsters and Men has a distinct sound, thanks largely to lead vocals supplied by Nanna Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson. These two are the band’s most recognizable asset and as a result are one of the few elements tying Fever Dream to their previous output. Fever Dream ends on a surprisingly strong note with “Soothsayer,” a tense and intimate closing track that brings back the electric guitars to great effect and

lends a solid bookend to the album.

Lower Dens serves as opening act for Of Monsters and Men’s Fever Dream Tour, with a local stop presented by DC101 and Corona.

Wednesday, Sept. 4. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. Tickets are $50 to $199. Call 202-888-0020 or visit www.theanthemdc.com.

(Sean Maunier)

PRINCE TRIBUTE SHOW WITH JUNIE HENDERSON

Eugene “Junie” Henderson, best known as the leader of hitmaking D.C. go-go band E.U. (Experience Unlimited), presents an annual concert-driven dance party that pays tribute to the music of the Purple One. Henderson will channel the sound and charisma of the late, legendary pop/R&B superstar for this All-Star Purple Party accompanied by a band consisting of veteran R&B and rock players who have toured with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Patti LaBelle. Friday, Aug. 30. Doors at 6:30 p.m. 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $18 to $25.

Call 202-787-1000 or visit www. thehamiltondc.com.

UB40, SHAGGY

“If you were a kid when ‘Red Red Wine’ came out, UB40 something,” goes a meme making the social media rounds referring to the unmistakable cover of the Neil Diamond song from the reggae band out of the U.K. “Red Red Wine” was a ubiquitous chart-topping hit in the mid-1980s, as was the band’s similarly novel reggae spin on the classic “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You.” For those craving a real blast from the past, a version of the original band featuring original lead singer Ali Campbell and original percussionist Astro performs under the stars at Wolf Trap for a nostalgia-steeped, summer-ending concert over Labor Day also featuring turn-of-the-millennium hitmaker Shaggy (“Oh Carolina,” “It Wasn’t Me”), plus D.C. reggae band Nkula. Sunday, Sept. 1. Gates at 6 p.m. The Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $40 to $60. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www.wolftrap.org.

READINGS NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

The Notorious R.B.G., more properly known as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will join José Andrés, Raina Telgemeier, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Barbara Kingsolver and other top authors in discussions at this 19th annual Library of Congress event. All told, more than 140 best-selling authors and illustrators will participate in the #NatBookFest, including Louis Bayard, Michael Beschloss, Holly Black, Douglas Brinkley, David Brooks, David Epstein, Joanne B. Freeman, Philippa Gregory, Monica Hesse, Linda Holmes, Alexandra Horowitz, David Maraniss, David McCullough, Joyce Carol Oates, Jim Ottaviani, Elaine Pagels, Steven Pearlstein, Evan Thomas, Ngozi Ukazu, and Frans de Waal. Saturday, Aug. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Pl. Call 202249-3000 or visit www.loc.gov.

FOOD & DRINK THE HEURICH HOUSE MUSEUM: 1921 IN THE CASTLE GARDEN

history. Also open during the event is the museum’s Home/Brewed exhibition. The Castle Garden, 1921 Sunderland Place NW. Free, with $7 glasses of beer and wine available. Call 202-429-1894 or visit http://heurichhouse.org.

THE PEMBROKE AT THE DUPONT CIRCLE HOTEL: LABOR DAY BRUNCH

The Pembroke, in the recently renovated boutique hotel located right on its namesake city circle, factors in among a crop of newer or renewed restaurants and cafes in town, and one inviting residents to check it out over Labor Day. Throughout the weekend as well as on Monday, Sept. 2, guests will be able to order from the Frenchthemed restaurant’s regular brunch menu developed by Chef Harper McClure. Favorites include a toasted farro breakfast bowl, the Croque Madame, or classic brioche French toast, all of which can be enjoyed through the gorgeously appointed interior space, set off by marble tabletops and plush salmon-colored leather sofas, or on the outdoor terrace. 1500 New Hampshire Ave. NW. Call 202.448.4302 or visit www.thepembrokedc.com.

On Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m., the Heurich House Museum in Dupont Circle hosts a bar event in its botanical backyard that spotlights D.C.’s brewing culture and

WHITE FORD BRONCO

“D.C.’s all ’90s party band,” cheekily named after O.J. Simpson’s notorious failed getaway car, is a five-member ensemble consisting of singer/guitarist Diego Valencia, singer Gretchen Gustafson, guitarists Ken Sigmund and McNasty, and drummer Max Shapiro. White Ford Bronco sings through that decade’s songbook in all styles of popular music. Friday, Aug. 30. Doors at 11 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $22 to $25. Call 202-588-1880 or visit www.ustreetmusichall.com.

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of architecture, narrative, and the movement. Through site-specific, parametric data sculptures and immersive installations, the L.A.based Turkish artist helps rethink the physical world, our relationship to time and space, and the creative potential where humans and machines interact. The exhibition’s title derives from an infamous, internationally touring immersive installation featuring three infinity boxes and a selection of multimedia works spanning Anadol’s career.

To Sept. 2. ArTecHouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets are $13 to $20, with “after hours” sessions featuring a bar with exhibition-related Augmented Reality cocktails. visit www.artechouse.com.

AMBAR

SUPERHEROES

AMBAR CAPITOL HILL: LABOR DAY BRUNCH

Provided you can snag a table, this weekend seems like an opportune time to try the much-acclaimed brunch offerings at what is purported to be the nation’s first Balkan restaurant. Although since expanded to Clarendon, the original Capitol Hill location of Ambar remains a draw on weekends for its fixed-price Unlimited Brunch ($30 to $39 per person, not including tax and gratuity) offering an all-you-can-eat array of mezze, soups, salads, sandwiches, egg dishes, and pastries and crepes, plus five distinctive brunch cocktails for those looking to booze it up. There’s “Popara” Balkan Bread Pudding, with aged cow’s cheese, milk and chili flakes, served with country-style bacon; an Almond & Walnut Crusted Fried Chicken Sandwich with a spring mix and apple-wasabi slaw; and Poached Pear Waffles with house-made caramel sauce and whipped cream. In addition to a traditional Bloody Mary and Mimosa, Ambar offers variations including a Peach Mimosa with Balkan sparkling wine and peach and lavender purée, and a Mixed Berry Mimosa with Balkan sparkling wine, mixed berry purée, and lime juice. Saturdays and Sundays — plus Monday, Sept. 2 — from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 523 8th St. SE. All diners at a table must order the Unlimited Brunch. Call 202-813-3039 or visit www.ambarrestaurant.com.

ART & EXHIBITS DINOROARS

Right now, dinosaurs are in motion and causing a commotion of sorts at the National Zoo — but in as harmless and science-lite a way, and as far from Jurassic Park, as possible. Although they can move, roar, and even spit water, the six prehistoric creatures roaming the Smithsonian park’s central Olmsted Walk are essentially toys — animatronic replicas of everything from a baby stegosaurus to a 13-foot-tall, 39-foot-long T-Rex. An additional attraction is “Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live,” a 30-minute show in which a team of skilled performers and puppeteers bring to life a collection of “lifelike dinosaurs” touted as providing “visual oomph to rival The Lion King.” Multiple shows daily, except Mondays. To Aug. 31. 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Zoo entry is free; tickets to “Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo” are $8 to $10. Call 202-633-4888 or visit www.nationalzoo.si.edu.

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IN MEMORIAM: TONI MORRISON, 1931-2019

In recognition of the significant cultural loss with the recent passing of Toni Morrison, the National Portrait Gallery displays Robert McCurdy’s painted portrait of the Pulitzer Prize- and Nobel Prizewinning author of Song of Solomon and Beloved. McCurdy’s portrait, based on an expressionless photograph he captured of Morrison “that has no implied past or future but exists in the eternal present,” has been added to the larger exhibition Twentieth Century Americans: 2000 to Present on the museum’s third floor. Now to Jan. 31. 8th and F Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300 or visit www.npg.si.edu.

AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

PARENTING: AN ART WITHOUT A MANUAL

The latest theme examined in a year-long exhibition at this quirkiest of museums is that of “what might be humanity’s most essential performance art.” Works by 36 artists, created out of every conceivable medium, express, in some way, their personal experience of parenting or being parented — be it good, bad, horrific, or sublime — alongside revelations from the latest scientific research, global wisdom, and fun. To Sept. 1. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway.

Baltimore. Tickets are $15.95. Call 410-244-1900 or visit avam.org.

REFIK ANADOL: INFINITE SPACE

D.C.’s technology-focused art gallery ArTecHouse presents the first major retrospective of Refik Anadol, a thoroughly 21st-century-focused artist who uses data and computerized networks to create radical visualizations of our digitized memories, expanding the possibilities

The National Museum of American History presents a nearly yearlong exhibition showcasing artifacts from its collections relating to animated protagonists, including comic books, movie and TV costumes and props and assorted memorabilia — from George Reeves’ Superman costume circa 1951 to Halle Berry’s Storm costume from 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past.

On display through Sept. 2. 14th St. and Constitution Ave. NW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit www.americanhistory.si.edu.

ABOVE & BEYOND PERFECT LIARS CLUB DC: SEPTEMBER SHOW

Another round of storytelling at the Bier Baron Tavern in Dupont Circle in which three of four shared stories are true while a fourth is a concocted yarn. The whole point of the evening is to deduce the liar through an interrogation round after the storytelling exercise. The crowd will vote and then brace itself “for the shocking truth” at this event with a first-come, first-seated ticket-holder policy. Wednesday, Sept.

4. Doors at 5:30 p.m. 1523 22nd St. NW. Tickets are $16.74 with service fee. Call 202-293-1887 or visit www.perfectliarsclub.com or www. inlovewithbier.com.

THE ASK RAYCEEN SHOW

For the latest edition of this monthly show, Rayceen Pendarvis hosts a variety showcase including live music by female vocal group Pink PaLiSh, burlesque by Lottie Ellington, and a play reading by Alan Sharpe’s African American Collective Theater. The evening begins with music by DJ Misfitz, along with vendors, a cash bar, and free catered food (while it lasts).

Wednesday, Sept. 4. Doors at 6 p.m.

HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Free. Visit www.

AskRayceen.com. l

theFeed

FOND FAREWELL

This DC Center’s Executive Director David Mariner will depart on Sept. 30. By John Riley

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AVID MARINER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DC Center for the LGBT Community, has announced he will step down from his position on Sept. 30 after 11 years with the organization. In a “Dear Friends” letter sent to supporters of The DC Center, Mariner said that he would be leaving around two weeks after The DC Center’s Fall Reception, on Friday, Sept. 13, and encouraged people to attend the event, in part, to bid him farewell.

“As we celebrate our 15th Anniversary this year, I hope we all take time to celebrate the many visionary board members, staff, volunteers, and community partners who have brought us to this point, including our past board chairs Michael Sessa and Michael Fowler, and our current board co-chairs Rehana Mohammed and Jonathan Gilad,” Mariner wrote.

“2019 also marks my 11th and final year at the DC Center.

September 30th will be my last day serving as Executive Director of this remarkable organization,” he added. “While I look forward to the opportunities in my future, the DC Center will always hold a very special place in my heart.”

Mariner said he was “grateful to be able to leave the DC Center in the hands of very capable board members and staff,” adding that it was “the right time to make way for new leadership, ideas, and vision. I look forward to seeing where we go from here.”

In a follow-up interview with Metro Weekly, Mariner confirmed that he is taking a position as the new executive director of Camp Rehoboth, the local LGBTQ community center for Rehoboth Beach, Del. “I’m very much looking forward to it,” he says. “Rehoboth is a special place for the LGBTQ community. It has a lot of connections to D.C., so it feels like a natural fit.”

A press release from Camp Rehoboth praised Mariner’s accomplishments in D.C., saying the LGBTQ community center is “well prepared to continue the important work that has allowed us to live up to our vision of building safe and inclusive communities for all.”

Asked about his achievements as executive director, Mariner cites the founding of the OutWrite literary festival,

the establishment of the Center Global program to help support LGBTQ asylum seekers, and his advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ seniors. But he’ll miss the connections, relationships, and friends he’s made within D.C.’s LGBTQ community the most.

“Leaving is definitely more emotional than I expected it to be,” he says. “However, a lot of the goals I set out to accomplish, we have accomplished together. So I think this is an opportunity for a new person to help write that next chapter for The DC Center. There is plenty of work to do and lots of room to grow.”

Jonathan Gilad, co-chair of The DC Center’s board of directors, praised Mariner’s longstanding contributions to the community center. “There’s not a single brick in The DC Center that doesn’t speak to David’s contributions to the community,” he says. “His contributions are incalculable.

Just in the last year, David helped move the needle with the D.C. Council in terms of securing funding for LBGT senior adults,” referring to Mariner convincing the DC Department of Aging and Community Living to give its first-ever grant to an LGBTQ organization.

The board is discussing a successor, but no decisions have been made yet. And while he is sad to Mariner go, Gilad is “really excited for him.”

“David was also instrumental in helping us find a home in the Reeves Center,” he says. “For many years, we didn’t have a permanent space, and filling that space with amazing programs, pretty much all week round, is a testament to the work he did. He doubled the amount of D.C. Council grants for health care, for mental health, for anti-violence programs, which is particularly important in light of recent hate crimes.... The sheer number of things he’s done for us will be felt for years after he leaves.” l The DC Center’s Fall Reception, marking its 15th anniversary, is on Friday, Sept. 13, at the Warner Building, 1299 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. For tickets and more information, visit www.thedccenter.org/events/fifteen.

SECURING DISCRIMINATION

A transgender woman was forced to show TSA officers her genitals in order to board a plane. By Rhuaridh Marr

A

TRANSGENDER WOMAN WAS PRESSURED INTO showing Transportation Security Administration officers her genitals in order to board her plane, according to a new report. ProPublica reached out to trans-

gender people to ask about their experiences with TSA and full-body scanners, and heard from 36-year-old trans woman Olivia (not her real name). She alleged that in September 2017, under pressure from TSA officers in Florida’s Fort

AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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theFeed Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, she had to expose herself in order to clear security and catch her flight.

Olivia said that, after using a full-body scanner, she was met by a female officer who told her that the scanner had detected something and she required a pat-down — with the display specifically highlighting her groin.

She told ProPublica that she had experienced additional security before as a trans woman, but a manual search usually sufficed. On this occasion, she was instead taken to a private room, where the officer gave Olivia another pat-down, paying particular attention to her legs and groin.

“I told her: ‘If the issue is what you are feeling, let me tell you what this is. It is my penis,’” Olivia said.

Two more female officers and a female supervisor then entered the room, with the supervisor telling her that she would need another pat-down, but this time by a male officer. That contradicts policy for transgender travelers, who must be patted down by officers that match their gender, based on presentation.

Olivia said that she refused to be searched by a male officer, but was told that if she denied consent, she would not clear security and would be removed from the airport.

After starting to cry, she pleaded with the officers, “Can I just show you?”

TSA officers are not allowed to let passengers remove their underwear in front of them, but according to Olivia none of the officers objected to her request. After she removed her clothes and exposed her genitals, they allowed her to clear security and board her flight.

ProPublica’s investigation found that, despite TSA’s commitment to treating all passengers fairly, the agency was struggling to “ensure the fair treatment of transgender and gender nonconforming people.”

By reviewing complaints filed with the TSA, ProPublica found that, between January 2016 and April 2019, 5% of complaints came from transgender travelers — despite trans people comprising less than 1% of the population, according to estimates.

TSA press secretary Jenny Burke said that the agency doesn’t conduct strip searches, but does require passengers to “adjust clothing” during pat-downs if required.

Burke told ProPublica that TSA screening is done “without regard to a person’s race, color, sex, gender identity, national origin, religion or disability.” l

HORRIFIC PRECEDENT

Trump administration tells the Supreme Court it should be legal to fire gay employees. By John Riley

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OLLOWING A FAMILIAR PATTERN, THE TRUMP administration has told the U.S. Supreme Court that employers should be allowed to fire or discriminate against gay, lesbian, or bisexual employees, arguing that they are not protected by laws prohibiting sex discrimination.

The court is examining a consolidated case regarding two separate instances of discrimination, both involving men who alleged that they were fired for being gay.

At issue in the case is whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination “based on sex,” applies to instances of anti-LGB discrimination.

The Trump administration says it does not.

“The question here is not whether Title VII should forbid employment discrimination because of sexual orientation, but whether it already does,” Solicitor General Noel Francisco writes in an amicus brief on behalf of the administration. “The statute’s plain text makes clear that it does not; discrimination because of ‘sex’ forbids treating members of one sex worse than similarly situated members of the other — and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, standing alone, does not result in such treatment.

“Congress has amended other statutes expressly to cover sexual-orientation discrimination, and it remains free to do the same with Title VII. But until it does, this Court should enforce the statute as written.”

The Trump administration’s brief was submitted a little

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more than a week after the Trump administration argued in a separate case that Title VII does not protect transgender individuals from workplace discrimination.

LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD criticized the Trump administration for its brief, noting that it had adopted an argument that is nearly identical to that promulgated by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, now a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.

“This is the Trump Administration’s 124th attack on LGBTQ people since taking office, and they join Roy Moore in opposition to workplace protections for LGBTQ people,” GLAAD said in a statement.

Attorneys General for 21 states and the District of Columbia, prominent businesses, employment law scholars, and a number of civic and religious groups have filed their own briefs, arguing that the high court should find that Title VII protects LGBTQ individuals.

“Like the majority of Americans, the individuals and entities that signed these powerful briefs in support of LGBTQ people agree that it is both wrong and unlawful to fire someone for being LGBTQ,” James Esseks, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT & HIV Project, said of the more than 40 pro-LGBTQ briefs that have been submitted thus far. “These briefs show that if the court rules against LGBTQ people, everyone who has been protected from discrimination on the basis of sex will be put in harm’s way.” l

Community THURSDAY, August 29

Ave. SE. For an appointment, call 202-745-7000 or visit www.whitman-walker.org.

OUTRIDERS, a Metro D.C.-

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

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

DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

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

DC FRONT RUNNERS run-

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

DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s

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

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

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice. The team is always looking for new members. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www.scandalsrfc.org.

THE DULLES TRIANGLES

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

For more information, visit www.dullestriangles.com.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-5 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr.

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

COURTESY OF NMAC

area LGBTQ cycling group, holds an evening ride of about 15-20 miles. Annual membership is $6 per year. New members can try the organization for free for the first two months. 6:15 p.m. For meeting place and more information, visit www.meetup.com/ OutRiders-DC-VA-MD.

METROHEALTH CENTER

EPIDEMIC ENDGAME This year’s U.S. Conference on AIDS will focus on ending the HIV epidemic in America.

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HERE ARE 1.2 MILLION AMERICANS LIVING WITH HIV right now,” says Paul Kawata. “Every year, there are about 40,000 new cases.” As the executive director of the AIDS/HIV advocacy organization NMAC for thirty years, Kawata pays close attention to the numbers. Next weekend, the organization will continue a more than two-decades-long tradition of producing the U.S. Conference on AIDS. This year’s conference, in Washington from Sept. 5 to 8, will bring together more than 3,000 experts, researchers, advocates, service providers, and other professionals for more than 160 workshops and four plenaries focusing on the latest developments in HIV research, prevention, and treatment, with special program tracks focusing on HIV’s impact on specific communities.

The overall focus of the conference centers around federal efforts to effectively “end” the HIV epidemic in America by reducing new HIV-positive diagnoses to below 3,000 per year by 2030.

“In less than 30 days after the start of the conference, our nation will begin building plans in 57 jurisdictions across the country,” says Kawata. “This is, at some level, a very historic moment, because we have never ended an epidemic without a vaccine or a cure.”

Ending the epidemic will rely heavily on biomedical interventions, such as the U=U campaign connecting HIV-positive individuals with medication to reduce their viral loads to undetectable levels, and the use of Truvada, or PrEP, by HIV-negative individuals to block transmission of the virus.

To help spread awareness, NMAC will be hosting a “Demonstration Ball” as part of its opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 5. The ball will celebrate the influence of ballroom culture on the HIV epidemic and was inspired by a recent storyline from Pose about HIV in the African-American gay and trans communities.

NMAC will also host a screening of the documentary 5B, about the first hospital ward in San Francisco to deal with AIDS patients on a large-scale basis, as well as a discussion with actors from the LGBTQ TV series Noah’s Arc, and performances by various artists, including America’s Got Talent star Branden James and Canadian drag queen Jade Elektra.

“NMAC believes that culture is how we learn about different communities,” says Kawata. “We use culture as a way to train the movement about the communities that are hardest hit by HIV and how we need to reach them.” —John Riley The U.S. Conference on AIDS is Thursday, Sept. 5 to Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Marriott Marquis Washington, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.2019usca.org.

offers free, rapid HIV testing.

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

STI TESTING at Whitman-

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

US HELPING US hosts a

Narcotics Anonymous Meeting.

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

FRIDAY, August 30 BLACK QUEER WOMEN NERDS hosts a Board Game

Happy Hour for LGBTQIA+ African-American women at The Boardroom. Come for games, drinks, and fun! 6:309:30 p.m. 1737 Connecticut Ave. NW. For more info, visit www. meetup.com/Black-QueerWomen-Nerds.

The DC Center and Liz Sabatiuk of Tango Mercurio hold a QUEER TANGO CLASS for beginner students. The course will combine instruction on fundamental tango vocabulary and technique with discussion and exploration of the assumptions about gender, masculinity, and femininity — and how that might affect how one dances and interacts with others. Students will be invited to experiment with both roles and reflect on their experiences. Tickets are $10, with proceeds benefiting The DC Center. Sliding-scale tickets are available for those of lower incomes. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, email supportdesk@ thedccenter.org.

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Young Lesbians and Bisexual Women in NoVa host FRIDAY NIGHT BOWLING. 7-10 p.m.

Bowlero Centreville, 13814 Lee Hwy., Centreville, Va. For more information, visit www.meetup. com/YLBWNoVA.

Weekly Events BET MISHPACHAH, founded by

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

1529 16th St. NW. For more information, visit www.betmish.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-

tice session at Howard University.

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

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-

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

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a

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

SATURDAY, August 31 ADVENTURING outdoors group

hikes a moderate 7-mile circuit with 1300 feet of elevation gain in Sky Meadows State Park on the Blue Ridge Mountains near Paris, Va. Bring plenty of beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, bug spray, sunscreen, and about $15 for fees.

Carpool at 8 a.m. from the East Falls Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. Return by 4 p.m. For more information, contact Jerry, 571-2413787, or visit www.adventuring.org.

The DC Center holds a

FACILITATOR TRAINING session for

those interested in leading or facilitating discussions for The Center’s many support groups. 12-2 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, email justin@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org.

The DC Center holds SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING aimed at training individuals on how best to deal with and comfort people struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide, including important resources that they can access to save lives. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-

tice session at Montgomery College Aquatics Club. 8:30-10 a.m. 7600 Takoma Ave., Takoma, Md. For

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AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

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

Route distance will be 3-6 miles.

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

SUNDAY, September 1 Weekly Events BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive and radically inclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, www.betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

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

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

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

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, God-centered

new age church & learning center.

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

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites all to

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

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

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

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

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

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

THE GAY MEN'S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free

HIV testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday.

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

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS

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

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

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.

Support group for LGBTQ youth ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL. 5-6:30 p.m. 410 7th St. SE. For more information, contact Rebecca York, 202567-3165, or visit www.smyal.org.

MONDAY, September 2

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

HAPPY LABOR DAY! In observance of the holiday, all local support groups, including the DC Center’s LGBTQ Senior Coffee Drop-In and its monthly volunteer orientation, are cancelled.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

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

DC’S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

US HELPING US hosts a support

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, September 4

welcomes musicians of all abilities to join its Monday night rehearsals. The group hosts marching/color guard, concert, and jazz ensembles, with performances year round. Please contact Membership@DCDD.org to inquire about joining one of the ensembles or visit www.DCDD.org.

BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9

Weekly Events

p.m. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome.

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

TUESDAY, September 3 Weekly Events 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.

gay-literature group, discusses Such Times, Christopher Coe’s 1993 novel, at the Cleveland Park Library. All are welcome. 7:30 p.m.

3310 Connecticut Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.bookmendc.blogspot.com.

AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-

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

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

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

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

For more info, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers. l

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Reaching F

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WO WEEKS AHEAD OF ITS SEPT. ember 7 opening, the John F. Kennedy Center’s much-anticipated new expansion, the REACH, is a hive of activity.

Construction commenced nearly four years ago on this unprecedented addition to Edward Durell Stone’s original goldstreaked, white stone monolith, and on this uncharacteristically brisk August day

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in the District, construction buzzes along to complete the $250 million project in time for its 16-day REACH Opening Festival.

The festival’s nearly 500 planned events will officially inaugurate the 4.6-acre project, designed by Steven Holl Architects “as a complement to and extension of” the Kennedy Center’s artistic and educational mission. Holl’s fresh expanse of elegantly sweeping grounds — topped by a trio of matching minimal, white concrete and glass buildings arranged around a spacious plaza — houses new studios, classrooms, performance and public

Forward The Kennedy Center prepares to raise the curtain on the first-ever expansion in its 47-year history.

By André Hereford Exterior Photography by Richard Barnes Interior Photography by Todd Franson

spaces, and even lounges and a club.

For nearly half-a-century, Stone’s familiar temple to the performing arts has stood alone, perched behind the Watergate complex on a hillside inordinately wrapped in access roads and driveways. Now, sloping southwest from the Stone building, down towards the Rock Creek Parkway running alongside the Potomac, the REACH in one fell swoop enlarges the Kennedy Center to a rolling, green campus.

Mario Rossero, the Kennedy Center’s Senior Vice-President of Education, and Brendan Padgett, Senior Press Representative, led Metro

Weekly on a private tour of the REACH campus for a detailed preview of the high-profile new addition. Our tour starts at the bottom, winding across the Kennedy Center’s underground garage, which also has been expanded with an entrance into the REACH’s soaring Welcome Lobby.

From the lobby, the REACH interior cascades gracefully downhill, secreted away like the lair of an art-loving Bond villain under the city’s largest green roof, and those three white rhombuses on the surface. Sliced into above-ground and subterranean levels, the 72,000 square feet of interior space gathers plenty of outdoor light, even on a cloudy day, thanks to skylights, cutouts, and walls of windows facing in every direction. Striking, angled views of the river, and Roosevelt Island beyond, abound.

Though set below-ground, the Welcome Lobby is flooded with light. While the space doesn’t evoke the sense of awe and prestige provided by entering big brother next door, there is a sense of drama provided by the glass staircase that descends into the lobby from the outdoor plaza.

The staircase, still wrapped in plastic, awaits finishing touches as Rossero describes the Roy Lichtenstein sculpture, Brushstroke, that will soon be installed on the lawn outside the welcome pavilion.

The Lichtenstein will be joined on the grounds, at least temporarily, by a giant, blow-up pigeon, playfully honoring the work of the Kennedy Center’s inaugural Education Artist-in-Residence, Mo Willems, author of the popular Pigeon Book series.

Not quite primed for the pigeon, the REACH’s lush lawns still are yet to be rolled out, and construction crews work doggedly indoors hanging ceiling panels and placards directing patrons around the halls. The atmosphere of a company gearing up to open a landmark show is unmistakable. And with the clock counting down to ready the REACH for its fabulous coming out festival, there appears to be plenty of work left to do in order to meet audiences’ robust expectations.

“It's definitely a heavy lift,” says Rossero, “but the one thing that it's done is given every single team member a way to be part of the opening, and a way to really have ownership and celebrate. I think that's really meaningful.” Planning and programming a world-class festival in the midst of a massive construction project has proven to be quite the team-building exercise. “We talk about how our work is matrixed and interconnected, and the REACH is the best way for us to really live that,” Rossero says.

“We're all constantly in planning sessions, but if I'm planning for an inflatable, two-story tall pigeon to be installed in the campus, I literally have to talk to every other department to understand how that's going to work and function. Not to mention one full day of programming where you have a hundred different artists.”

The Opening Festival’s extensive slate — featuring everything from live music, dance, and comedy, to yoga on the lawn at dawn, DJ parties at night, and a virtual reality lounge — aptly reflects the ambitious AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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scope of the new venue and the Kennedy Center’s larger mission. “Through the festival, you'll see every aspect of who we are in a single day,” Rossero says. “Then it repeats in different ways throughout the 16 days.”

Before there could be a festival, or the REACH, administrators at the Kennedy Center, as well as members of the community they serve, had to identify a need. Primarily, it was the same thing most residents need in a hectic city: more space.

“The Stone building is a wonderful space of a million square feet,” says Robert van Leer, Senior Vice-President of Artistic Planning at the Kennedy Center. “But we're maxed out, because, of course, when it was envisaged in the late sixties and opened in 1971, it wasn't imagined that it would need the amount of staff and space simply to run the operation we have with our existing seven theaters and nine stages, including Millennium Stage. So this building is full. It's a model that made sense at the time, but no longer fulfills our need just for what we do in this building, and the expanded education program and all of the other community-facing programs we have.”

So in 2012, the administration and board began formulating plans to transform the Kennedy Center’s space to meet its changing requirements. Further, they would seize upon the opportunity, as van Leer elaborates, to determine “how could we make the public a part of who we are and what we do on a day-to-day basis?”

The resulting project and design, by Holl Architects, was unveiled in 2013, and promised to add 72,000 square feet of new interior space and nearly twice the volume of outdoor space. Holl’s designs addressed the venerable institution’s growth and connectedness to the community, with landscaped pavilions and eleven flexible new spaces for rehearsals, performances, events, cafes and classes, an outdoor stage and video wall, and a pedestrian bridge spanning Rock Creek Parkway, among several highlights. The plans were well-received, although not every one of team Holl’s ideas survived the leap from drawing board to reality. A proposed river-bound structure, designed to float on pontoons in the Potomac, “turned out to be perhaps more ambitious than the project needed it to be,” says van Leer.

Former managing director of the Nederlands Dans Theatre, van Leer was appointed by Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter to the newly created role of Senior Vice-President of Artistic Planning just in time to be part of what he calls “the re-envisaging of what the REACH could be.” That process involved not just artistic and strategic planning — and major fundraising led by Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubinstein — but targeted outreach to the center’s neighbors and the community-at-large for input on how best to extend the institution’s REACH. Rossero — who, like van Leer, joined the Kennedy Center in 2015 — mobilized a team that “did a lot of listening tours in the community when we were updating our strategy,” he says.

“And the thing that I heard from every corner of the District, in Maryland and Virginia, was ‘We love the Center, even if we haven't been there. We feel some respect for it and we have an interest, but it's not always on a human scale,’ or ‘I might feel like I need to wear a tux to attend.’ I think the REACH is really our coming-out party around how we embrace the community. We do have spaces, we do have programming, we do have opportunities for you to linger, learn, listen, spend time with us. That's always been true, but this just makes it more visible.”

Increasing visibility of the center’s education programs was one of the main thrusts in developing the REACH from concept 22

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“THE WORDS OF JFK STILL HAVE A LOT OF POWER AND MEANING. There are beautiful speeches where he talks about the role and power of the artist in society. I think a lot of those messages still ring true.” —Mario Rossero

to concrete. According to van Leer, it provided an opportunity to put front-and-center “that sense of process, the sense of cooperation, the sense of shared experience, and our relationship with our neighborhood” that shapes the center’s focus on education and community. And he believes that by better serving the entire DMV community, the Kennedy Center can “by extension become a leader in terms of how these worlds come together on a national and international platform.”

Not that it’s a matter of competing with fellow internationally renowned arts institutions like New York’s Lincoln Center. “I think it's not about competition because I think we're all striving for the same thing: How do we increase our relevance?” says van

“IT SEEMS SIMPLE AND ELEGANT NOW, BUT THERE’S REAL BIG AMBITION IN THAT BUILDING. [Steven Holl] had a vision, found a way to make it happen, and we were able to deliver it. Knock wood on that.”

—Robert van Leer

Leer. “Whether you live next door, or you live across the country, how do we make that more powerful? How do we help you to change your life, your experience, your perception of yourself as a creative individual?”

It seems the creative individuals at the Kennedy Center are as committed to the needs of their patrons and visitors, as to those of this 47-year old performing arts center and living memorial. Perhaps that commitment at least partly accounts for the REACH’s rousing, harmonious feel, inside and out, from its serene Skylight Pavilion to every sharp corner and unexpected vista overlooking the Potomac. For good reason, New York magazine architecture critic Justin Davidson described the REACH

as “the rare project that improved on its way from concept and digital renderings to final construction.”

Giving credit for the project’s relatively propitious progress to Holl’s visionary concept, van Leer agrees that the (almost) finished expansion truly inspires. “The thing that really still takes my breath away is to see those arches, the walls, as they rise out of the ground,” he says, describing the curved, self-cleaning, titanium white, board-formed concrete of Holl’s three pavilion buildings.

“And if you weren't here to see what was involved in the engineering and the physical structure, to pour a concrete wall which curves on both its axes, you know, that that was truly AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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ambitious. It seems simple and elegant now, as it should be, but there's real big ambition in that building. And I think that comes back to the point about why is this [project] meeting or even surpassing some of the expectations? Because he had a vision, found a way to make it happen, and we were able to deliver it.

Knock wood on that.”

While many will find inspiration in these exciting new spaces — or in thrilling new encounters at the festival, attending regular programming, or simply visiting the campus — just as many might seek inspiration at the REACH by convening with the memory of the center’s namesake, John F. Kennedy.

“I think most folks find the biggest inspiration in his quotes,” Rossero says of the late president, who, along with wife Jackie, embraced the arts in daily life. “The words of JFK still have a lot of power and meaning. There are beautiful speeches where he 24

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Sloping southwest from the Stone building, down towards the Rock Creek Parkway running alongside the Potomac,

THE REACH IN ONE FELL SWOOP ENLARGES THE KENNEDY CENTER TO A ROLLING, GREEN CAMPUS.

talks about the role and power of the artist in society. I think a lot of those messages still ring true.”

As with Stone’s original building, several JFK quotes will appear throughout the REACH, and among the grove of ginkgo trees planted south of the pavilions. One such message, already emblazoned on the wall of the Welcome Lobby, exemplifies the thought process that led to the name for the center’s newest stage, and continues to define the Kennedy Center as a leader of innovation in Washington: “I believe the problems of humanity are not beyond the REACH of human beings.” l The REACH Opening Festival runs Saturday, Sept. 7 through Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Kennedy Center. Admission is free. For more information or a full schedule of events, visit www.kennedy-center.org/reach or call 202-467-4600.

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CHRISTOPHER MUELLER

Stage

Gun Play

Signature sets a scintillating stage for Sondheim’s rogues’ gallery of Assassins. By André Hereford

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HE NINE NOTORIOUS KILLERS AND WANNA-BE’S ROUNDED UP IN Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s musical Assassins (HHHHH) all have a gun and a dream. And, as they sing at the show’s start, “Everybody’s got the right to their dreams” in this here America. That they also have a right to their guns isn’t sung, but understood, as each of them raises a pistol towards the audience in director Eric Schaeffer’s first-class production at Signature Theatre.

Set inside a ghostly recreation of Ford’s Theatre, Schaeffer’s staging raises pistols and controversial questions, and still has a good laugh at the harrowing thought that any bad actor with a gun and a dream can change the course of history.

The show builds on the sound notion that Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth (Vincent Kempski) fired a shot that still ricochets through society in the form of infamy for lone gunmen. Booth’s success as a murderer might have created an endless loop of shooters who in turn inspire future shooters to express their aspirations and anger, or inflict their will, by becoming gun-wielding assassins.

Summoned to this exquisitely decrepit Ford’s by the theater’s guyliner-sporting Proprietor (Kurt Boehm), the assassins egg each other on to sing and say their piece about what led them to follow in Booth’s footsteps.

Kempski’s florid performance as florid thespian Booth takes a moment’s getting used to, but grabs hold in its tangy sense of humor and twangy Southern theatricality.

He sings the part well, too, with Booth assuming a vaunted position as patron saint to this ensemble of unstable Macks and Mabels. Godfather of modern assassins, he sounds like an expert extolling the virtues of pulling the trigger in “The Gun Song,” joined by

President Garfield’s killer, Charles Guiteau (Bobby Smith), and McKinley’s murderer, Leon Czolgosz (Lawrence Redmond).

Would-be assassin of President Ford, Sara Jane Moore (Tracy Lynn Olivera) also sings along, dreaming about the statement she could make with a gun. Moore is one of the shooters in Assassins who failed in her aim to take down a president, although, in this crowd, even the ones who failed miserably are remembered and respected for taking their shot. So while Sondheim’s sharp lyrics, and Olivera’s wide-eyed expressiveness, make great comedy of Moore’s foibles, the story never loses sight of the seriousness of what she set out to do.

The entire premise, the score, the costumes, and the performances of this Assassins teeter on a dagger’s edge between a morbid fascination with a killer’s mentality, and the cast’s mordant delivery — as in Smith’s charmingly deluded Guiteau. Smith’s superb timing sells the joke that Guiteau can hold the room’s attention just by waving his weapon. And alternately, his superb timing relays the sober reminder that some jokers kill for that sort of attention. When Moore and Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme (Rachel Zampelli) bond like giggling schoolkids

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CHRISTOPHER MUELLER

over the fact that they both knew an intense dude from West Virginia named Charlie, the audience can indulge a boisterous laugh with them, and at them, still woefully aware they’re referencing a mass murderer who’d put any of this lot to shame.

Schaeffer guides the company surely along the precarious edge, and, bolstered by music director Jon Kalbfleisch’s solid orchestra, the cast serves up Sondheim’s score with the right touch of showmanship to soften the show’s piercing blows. The lead cast, and a stacked chorus quintet — including Nova Y. Payton, Maria Rizzo, and Jimmy Mavrikes — spin through this soundtrack of broken dreams, reflecting myriad styles from barber shop to showtunes to spirituals. Sam Ludwig aptly captures an air of nostalgia in his pleasing vocals as the assassins’ Balladeer, then shades that all-American innocence with a hint of something sinister in his riveting turn as Lee Harvey Oswald.

Sinister, or simply unwell, the assassins tend to rhapsodize about their outsized ambitions, and even about their guns, though not much about their politics. In fact, this winking production, Signature’s third mounting of Assassins, adroitly sidesteps partisan arguments by focusing on the impartial power of a gun to affect anybody (or any body).

Especially in the hands of a shooter madly determined to prove their worth to the world, to their comrades, or just to Jodie Foster, the gun transcends politics. It’s a tool for the Everyman or for any woman or ideology, it’s protector and projector of the American dream, upholder of law or igniter of anarchy.

The joke and the truth of Sondheim and Weidman’s prescient ode to the power of one finger on the trigger is that the gun is the uncredited main character of Assassins. The show seems to suggest that the gun might be the principal character of American history, once all the ballads have been written. l Assassins runs through Sunday, Sept. 29 (with a Pride Night performance, Friday, Sept. 6) at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $108. Call 703-820-9771, or visit www.sigtheatre.org.

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CHRISTOPHER BANKS

Stage

Lessons Learned Felicia Curry leads a crack comic cast in the cutting fable Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine. By André Hereford

S

TYLISH, SUCCESSFUL NEW YORK CITY PUBLICIST UNDINE BARNES Calles is cruising for her comeuppance at the start of Lynn Nottage’s spiky comedy Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine (HHHHH). And in swift order, the catty, uncaring PR maven gets served all the retribution that’s coming to her, and then some, as she loses her man, her money, and her mantle as an upwardly mobile mover in Manhattan’s chic social circles.

The first act of Fabulation comprises a litany of losses for a despairing Undine, but yields a bounty of laughs for the audience at Mosaic’s new production, thanks to twotime Pulitzer winner Nottage’s brilliantly funny script and an on-the-money cast.

Felicia Curry is fabulous as Undine, registering a woman not so firmly ensconced in her so-called “rich and textured life.” High-and-mighty in her high-fashion stilettos, she’s rocked steadily downward by every disastrous blow until she lands back at the dreaded place she started: with her family in the Brooklyn projects.

Nottage wrings sardonic humor and a clarion ring of truth from Undine’s downfall, marking the character’s uniquely awful journey as a prep school Negro. It’s a rarely discussed, but widely experienced aspect of the American experience, documented in the 2012 film The Prep School Negro and in comedian W. Kamau Bell’s 2018 Netflix special Private School Negro, and explored incisively in this play: the story of a poor or working-class black kid who rockets up and away towards (white) privilege, powered by intelligence, ambition, and often, the love and support of their family or somebody else in their corner.

The other half of the success story, told here and in that film and comedy special, is of the chasm that opens up between the smart kid bound for the good life, and the friends and forebears they leave waving in the rearview mirror. Undine, who, we learn, left Brooklyn for a New England boarding school at 13, was just fine with leaping across

that chasm with nary a look back, until life forces her to reconnect with the family and neighborhood that raised her.

The script, under Eric Ruffin’s keen direction, captures the universal in Undine’s tale. In every culture, ethnicity, and nation a fortunate underdog can make it big, then find it both hard to relate to their old life and friends and too easy to let go of old ties. But this fable quite distinctly tells the Undine Barnes Calles version of the story, dished up with the snap and flavor of black Brooklyn meets Manhattan glam. Curry rocks Undine’s killer wardrobe, and caresses Nottage’s ripe language without being too precious about it. Her well-honed performance leads us safely along Undine’s dizzying ride towards redemption, anchoring a vibrant, versatile ensemble that handles just about everything else.

Roz White is a blast in a variety of roles, from Undine’s last bourgie girlfriend to her mostly in-denial mother, and Aakhu TuahNera Freeman carries the emotional weight of Undine’s troubled grandma with moving subtlety, while also nailing the comedy in a handful of other parts.

Carlos Saldaña, tasked with bringing the flavor and the glam, in opposing roles as Undine’s self-absorbed Argentinian husband Hervé and as the sweet guy she meets while scraping bottom, finds the

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right frequency on both channels.

Nearly every performer is afforded a moment to fly with Nottage’s springy dialogue, and Ruffin paces those moments well. Only Kevin E. Thorne II, as Undine’s rapping fabulist brother Flow, could pace himself better — he flies too often near the peak of Flow’s fanciful, high-wire rambling.

Still, Flow does convey a rightness in his warning to Undine that there’s “no greater crime than abandoning your history.” As she falls downward into an unfeeling system, her history is all she has to pull her back from the abyss. The play brings her ancestors to life around her, in the form of Yoruba priests, gods, and believers — essayed by the ensemble — who strike a chord of wisdom that Undine can either answer or ignore. She might or might not listen, and, frankly, the play’s leanings towards West African folksiness don’t always work, but the Orishas speak their share of truth, as does Nottage in this witty production. l Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine runs through September 22 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $45 to $65. Call 202-399-7993, ext. 2 or visit www.mosaictheater.org.

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NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

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Scene

A League of Her Own’s 1st Anniversary - Friday, Aug. 16 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, August 29 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 • Josh Zuckerman performs, 8-10pm • Karaoke, 10pm-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 PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm • Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • Dancing until 1:30am

Destinations A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.facebook.com/alohodc

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+

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Onyx Presents Splash!, 10pm-2am • Featuring DJ Kodjo • $5 Cover (includes clothes check) NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Open 3pm • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer,

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR 555 23rd St. S. Arlington, Va. 703-685-0555 www.freddiesbeachbar.com

AVALON SATURDAYS Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW 202-789-5429 www.facebook.com/ AvalonSaturdaysDC 32

Friday, August 30

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GREEN LANTERN 1335 Green Ct. NW 202-347-4533 www.greenlanterndc.com

$15 • Weekend Kickoff Dance Party, with Nellie’s DJs spinning bubbly pop music all night NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Friday Night Piano with Chris, 7:30pm • Rotating DJs, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers

TRADE Doors open 5pm • 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+

Saturday, August 31 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports

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

NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Compiled by Doug Rule

SUPERSTAR: A VARIETY DRAG REVUE These days, you can hardly put on a gay event, much less operate a bar or club, without enlisting a drag queen — or five — to help with production and promotion duties. Yet despite their near-ubiquity, local drag performers seem to be in short supply — or at least limited enough to inspire one local queen to launch a drag show with the primary aim of helping scout out drag newcomers. Developed and hosted

by Bombalicious Eklaver — one of D.C.’s newer drag darlings herself — the monthly revue, held upstairs at the Adams Morgan venue Songbyrd, is open to all, 18-and-up, amateur or professional, as each show’s tip-earning spots are filled by those who throw their wig into the proverbial performance ring that very night — “no advanced sign-ups available.” The third Superstar is set for this Saturday, Aug. 31, starting at 9 p.m. Songbyrd Vinyl Shop is at 2475 18th St. NW. Suggested donation of $5. Call 202-450-2917 or visit www.songbyrddc.com.

AVALON SATURDAYS @Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW Closed for the holiday weekend.

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Saturday Breakfast Buffet, 10am-3pm • $14.99 with one glass of champagne or coffee, soda or juice • Additional champagne $2 per glass • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm • Karaoke, 10pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Bacardi, all flavors, all night long • Imperial Court Underwear Dance Party, hosted by Empress and Emperor of the Imperial Court, 10pm-2am • Music

by DJs Alpha and Omega • $5 Cover

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 • Gays Against Guns Party, featuring DJ Khelan, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am

SHAW’S TAVERN 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

SPARK AT A LEAGUE OF HER OWN When Cobalt closed earlier this year, we lost one of the longest-running LGBTQ nightclubs in D.C. history. Also lost, as collateral damage: One of the city’s longest-running queer women’s dance events, the popular third-Saturdays Bare. Promoter Karen Diehl and her LURe DC team are now ready to reignite. They’ll launch a new party at a new venue, and with a new sense of purpose, this Sunday, Sept. 2, at 9 p.m. The inaugural Spark event at A League of Her Own in Adams Morgan should attract plenty of faces familiar from Bare — among them former Bare bartenders MJ and Erin. DJ KB will be on the decks stirring partygoers on the dance floor. In addition to luring like-minded queer folk to convene, connect, and celebrate their bonds together, each Spark event will also aim to raise money and/or awareness for a specific cause, organization, or “awesome” person. A portion of proceeds from this weekend’s first “party with a purpose” will go toward Annie Winn/Nguyen, better known as DJ Vanniety Kills, the prolific local DJ/promoter responsible for the ongoing, inclusive parties The House That U Built and OverEasy Tea Dance, among others. Tragically, Nguyen suffered a traumatic brain injury last October that rendered her unable to DJ and facing mounting debt. The Spark proceeds will go toward her debt as well as general recovery efforts via the GoFundMe campaign launched by Team Annie friends. A League of Her Own is at 2319 18th St. NW. No cover. 21 and up only. Call 202-733-2568 or visit www.pitchersdc.com.

ELECTRIC RAINBOW: BACK FROM THE BEACH The first Sunday of every month, DJ Chord throws a weekend winddown party in the unmarked space behind the freezer door in Capo DC, the Shaw sandwich shop.

Starting at 5 p.m., this Sunday, Sept. 2 — precisely as some Washingtonians no doubt will be inching their way in traffic en route home from the beach — the September Electric Rainbow will be a dazzling urban respite for the rest of us, with the event’s (anything but) usual performances by KC B. Yoncé and Jazzmin in addition to beats by Chord until 10 p.m. The BackRoom is at 715A Florida Ave. NW. Call 202-910-6884 or visit facebook.com/TheBackRoomCapo.

LABOR GAY: THE ANNUAL DAY PARTY FOR WORKING GURLS On Monday, Sept. 2, Trade will observe Labor Day with an afternoon party intended “to celebrate all of you ‘working gurls.’” The bar’s Aaron Riggins will co-host a special holiday outing alongside the one and only Vernon A. Wall, longtime Capital Pride board member who will also be celebrating yet another personal trip around the sun. (It’s worth noting, as a kind of birthday shout-out, that Wall has played a critical role in making the Pride festival the marquee draw it’s become through his work in overseeing the entertainment lineup.) Those who come out for Labor Gay, which runs from 2 to 7 p.m., will be rewarded with “popsicles, cuties, performances” — and the chance for a prize, specifically the raffling of tickets to Capital Pride’s “Music In The Night!” cabaret set for October. Trade is at 1410 14th St. NW. No cover. Call 202-986-1094 or visit www.tradebardc.com.

FLASHY SUNDAYS: LABOR DAY WEEKEND DJs Sean Morris and Kurt “TWiN” Graves present an incredibly popular holiday-Sunday gay party at the hip, sharply designed nightclub Flash. On Sunday, Sept. 1, the two gay house mixmasters will take turns on the turntables on the main dance floor as usual, with DJ The Barber Streisand on roof decks duty and DJ Bill Spieler setting the groove in the first-floor lounge. While the party won’t stop until 5 a.m. — an hour after last call for alcohol — chances are you’ll spend a good chunk of otherwise peakhour dance time idling in line — if, that is, you don’t arrive as soon possible after doors open at 10 p.m. Flash is at 645 Florida Ave. NW. Cover is $20. Call 202-827-8791 or visit www.facebook.com/flashydc.l

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SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $15 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers

Sunday, September 1

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

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Ella’s Sunday Drag Brunch, 10am-3pm • $24.99 with four glasses of champagne or mimosas, 1 Bloody Mary, or coffee, soda or juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Zodiac Monthly Drag Contest, hosted by Ophelia Bottoms, 8-10pm • Karaoke, 10pm-close

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

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

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Labor Day Underwear Dance Party, 9pm-close • $3 Rail Vodka all night • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-1am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open Noon-2am • $4 Smirnoff, includes flavored, $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller Lites, 2-9pm • Video

AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Dinner and Drag with Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm • 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: Church-themed Dance Party featuring House Music and Pop-Up Performances, 9pm • Music by WesstheDJ,

Jesse Jackson, and special guest hosts and performers • GLAM BOX: A Monthly Dress-Up Dance Party, 10pm • Come in a look or find one from our house glam boxes • Walk-Off Contest at 10:30pm • Music by Joann Fabrixx

Monday, September 2 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 Labor Day Brunch, 11am-3pm • Bottomless Mimosas $16 • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers

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

Tuesday, September 3 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco Tuesday • Karaoke, 9pm

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GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo with Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close NUMBER NINE Open at 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover

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

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

AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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

by Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes • Karaoke, 10pm-1am GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm • Bear Yoga with Greg Leo, 6:30-7:30pm • $10 per class • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8-10pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • $15 Buckets of Beer for SmartAss Teams only • Absolutely Snatched Drag Show, hosted by Brooklyn Heights, 9pm • Tickets available at www.nelliessportsbar.com NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm

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

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LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“I wish we were able to find a way forward, but I think leaving the organization is best for all of us.”

— JERI ANN HENRY, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, speaking to CNN about her resignation after the organization’s board opted to endorse Donald Trump for reelection in 2020. A number of members have resigned following the endorsement, and asked if Log Cabin could survive, Henry said, “I’m not sure. My recommendation would be to shut it down, or just become the YR’s of the gay community — Republicans who just happen to be gay.”

“He’s married. He’s got a family. And that is just part of who he is.”

— Marvel Studios President KEVIN FEIGE, confirming on Good Morning America that upcoming film The Eternals will feature a gay superhero. Feige declined to say which character would be gay, but the male castmembers include Kit Harrington, Richard Madden, Kumail Najiani, and Brian Tyree Henry.

“It feels like a slap in the face to just go directly to the white gay guy, when for decades you’ve been trying to elect a woman. ” — A lesbian Democrat who works in national politics, speaking anonymously to Politico about Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. Lesbian women are reportedly divided over his historic run, with LGBTQ Victory Fund’s Annise Parker saying, “As a woman, as a lesbian, as someone who was all in for Hillary Clinton and as someone who was a historic first myself, I would love to see a woman at the top of the ticket.”

“Just seeing you guys stick up for this woman over here was so incredible to me.

It really just restored my faith in humanity.”

— Transgender activist JAZZ JENNINGS, in an episode of ABC News’ What Would You Do? The segment featured a trans woman trying to use a restaurant bathroom, while a bigoted mother stopped her. Every time the scenario was played out, other diners stepped in to help and defend the trans woman.

“Todd has an appetite for a variety of sexual sins including both homosexual and heterosexual activity. ” — Evangelical minister STEPHEN POWELL, in a Facebook post accusing prominent evangelical Todd Bentley, founder of Fresh Fire ministry, of a “perverse sexual addiction” to both men and women. Powell accused Bentley of trying to seduce interns, asking congregants for naked pictures, and having sex with men and women outside of marriage. Bentley subsequently admitted that many of the accusations were true.

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AUGUST 29, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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