EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Randy Shulman

MAY 5, 2016
Volume 23 / Issue 1

ART DIRECTOR
Todd Franson
MANAGING EDITOR
Rhuaridh Marr
SENIOR EDITOR
John Riley
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Doug Rule
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim

NEWS

Seeking Safety

Counseling Crisis

10

by John Riley

by John Riley

Community Calendar

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR
Scott G. Brooks
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Gordon Ashenhurst, Sean Bugg, Fallon Forbush,
Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield
WEBMASTER
David Uy

FEATURE
15
Vox Populi
Interviews by Randy Shulman





Photography by Julian Vankim

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Julian Vankim

SALES & MARKETING

PUBLISHER
Randy Shulman
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Rivendell Media Co.
212-242-6863
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Dennis Havrilla

PATRON SAINT
Robert Wonneberger

COVER PHOTOGRAPhy
Julian Vankim
COVER MODEL
Charles Ramsey

METRO WEEKLY
1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150
Washington, DC 20006
202-638-6830
MetroWeekly.com
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.

2016 Jansi LLC.

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

OUT ON THE TOWN

26

Dancing Queen

30

Hump

FILM

35

Captain America: Civil War

STAGE

37

Disgraced

MUSIC

39

Cyndi Laupers Detour

OPERA

41

WNOs Ring Cycle

NIGHTLIFE

47

Ziegfelds / Secrets

54

Last Word

by Doug Rule

by Randy Shulman

by Rhuaridh Marr

by Kate Wingfield

by Gordon Ashenhurst

by Kate Wingfield

Photography by Ward Morrison

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

DANIELFELA

LGBT

News

Now online at MetroWeekly.com

Saudi Cleric: Homosexuals shouldnt be punished

Republicans clash over Eric Fannings stalled nomination

Seeking Safety
Local asylum seekers share their stories following the deaths of two LGBT
activists in Bangladesh
by John Riley

ICHAEL NAMELUM HAS A BOUNTY ON HIS

head if he ever returns to Azerbaijan.
The 34-year-olds father and male relatives
have sworn to kill him because he is gay and was
once engaged to a man in the United States. And its not just
an empty threat: the men previously killed an older cousin of
his who was suspected of being gay when Namelum was just a
child.
His father has even targeted his mother and 16-year-old sister because of his sexual orientation.
My father found out, and he targeted my mother for producing a gay child. And he blamed her, as if she knew what I
was, and didnt tell him. He tried to burn my moms hands. He
literally dragged her to the kitchen, turned the stove on, and lit
6

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

her hands on fire. And my sister came to help her, and that was
how they escaped, Namelum says. They are hiding in terror
because my father could find them at any time. In fact, as were
talking right now, they might be getting killed.
Namelum, a human rights activist, had twice been
attacked while in Azerbaijan. Once, in the mid-2000s, he was
blackmailed by a police officer who tried to extort money
from him. That officer ended up raping and torturing him. In
2011, Namelum was attacked and gang-raped by three men
for his activism on HIV/AIDS prevention among men who
have sex with men (MSM) and on LGBT rights, including his
involvement with a group that supported LGBT Americans
abroad in Azerbaijan.
Namelum came to the United States and reunited with a for-

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

mer boyfriend he had previously lived here for a year in 2006

and the two began talking about getting married. Then, just
weeks before their wedding, they broke up, leaving Namelum
in the lurch.
At the time, Namelum was based in Dallas with his ex-fiance.
He knew he couldnt return home because of the threats against
him, so he decided to apply for asylum. But first, he had to get
out of Texas he had been warned that he would be more likely
to have his application rejected coming from an anti-gay state.
So he moved cross-country to live with friends in Washington,
D.C., sleeping on their couch for about a year.
Upon moving to D.C., Namelum began forming ties with fellow asylum seekers and torture survivors. He became involved
with both Center Global, a program of The DC Center, and the
Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC),
and applied for asylum. Because government regulations prohibit asylum seekers from even applying to obtain a work permit
for six months after they initially apply, he was unable to work,
having to rely on charity and limited support from groups like
Center Global in the form of gift cards for food and prepaid
Metro cards for transportation.
With the help of a pro bono lawyer, Lindsey Wilkes,
Namelum was able to expedite his case, having it heard within
six months. He calls it a miracle, particularly considering that
most asylum seekers can wait years before even being granted a
hearing to see if they will be granted asylum.

Thats currently the situation facing Michael Ivanov, a

31-year-old asylum seeker from the Crimea region of Ukraine.
Ivanov, who was a scientist in his home country, is currently
in school because he has not yet been scheduled for a hearing
regarding his application, due to a massive backlog in processing
applications from those seeking asylum.
Ivanovs mistreatment began as a child, when he was bullied,
harassed and picked on by his classmates and neighbors because
they suspected he was gay. When he was 14 or 15, a classmate
even threw a lit firework into his backpack, but was never punished for it.
Ivanov, who contracted HIV from an untested blood transfusion in 2010, was also denied medical treatment because of
his HIV status. This denial of treatment continued even after a
2012 incident that left him seriously injured and hospitalized.
During that incident, Ivanov was contacted by a man named
Andrey, who he began corresponding with for about a month.
They agreed to meet at a local park one evening, but it turned
out to be a set-up: five men wearing surgical masks descended
upon Ivanov and began beating him until he lost consciousness.
He was left lying in a puddle of blood until a passerby called an
ambulance. Ivanov received such poor treatment at the hands of
hospital staff that they discharged him even though he still had
broken bones, severe lacerations, and damage to his right eye.
Unfortunately, such mistreatment of LGBT people is not
uncommon in many regions throughout the world. The recent

Counseling Crisis

Mental health professionals balk at Tennessee bill allowing therapists and

counselors to reject LGBT clients
by John Riley

TS OUTRAGEOUS, SAYS DR. GORDON COHEN.

The D.C.-based psychologist is talking about a recently
passed bill in Tennessee and his reaction is far from
overstated. As written, it allows therapists and counselors
to refuse treatment to potential clients if their lifestyle or identity violates the therapists sincerely held principles.
My partner is originally from Tennessee, and he was so
upset hes thinking we shouldnt go back any longer to visit his
family, says Cohen. And Im saying, Well, were not going to
do that. But it really does upset me a lot that Tennessee is doing
this right now.
Supporters of the bill, which was signed into law by Gov.
Bill Haslam (R) last week, have argued that it was essential
to protect the religious liberty of therapists and counselors.
Specifically, they objected to a 2014 change to the American
Counseling Associations (ACA) code of ethics, which instructs
counselors not to turn away clients based solely on a number
of different characteristics such as race or religion, as well as
sexual orientation and gender identity.
The bill granted the exemption based on a therapists sincerely held religious beliefs, but was later amended to the
8

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

much broader and, critics contend, ill-defined language of

sincerely held principles.
This bill could so easily be expanded to other groups, says
Joshua Riley, a certified counselor who serves as director of
community relations and external affairs at Whitman-Walker
Health. Someone could say, Okay, Im racist, so Im not going
to see a person of color. Or, Im a pacifist, so Im not going
to work with someone in the military. You name it. Theres a
whole number of places where this bill could go.
Haslam argued that the bill contains two provisions that will
ensure those seeking counseling or treatment will still be able to
obtain it. The first provision says that the religious exemption
shall not apply when a client is in imminent danger of harming themselves or others. The second requires the therapist or
counselor objecting to providing treatment to refer that client or
patient to another counselor or therapist who is willing to work
with them.
Kris Oseth, a psychotherapist and licensed professional
counselor, says the provisions referenced by Haslam may not
be sufficient.
Just because someone is not in imminent danger of

LGBTNews

harming themselves, in that

moment, on that particular
day, does not mean that they
are not at risk of being a danger to themselves or others
later on, she says. The time
that it takes the counselor
and client to find another
source of therapy could be
detrimental to someone who
is having chronic suicidal ideation, or homicidal ideation,
or psychosis.
While the bill does not specifically target LGBT people,
allowing counselors and therapists to reject clients could end
up having an equally negative
impact on that community.
We know from the studies
and the statistics that LGBT
folks experience higher levels
of depression and anxiety, he
says. Suicide rates are off the
charts, particularly for young
people and trans-identified people. So LGBT peoples mental
health needs are certainly on par with, but sometimes greater
than, the needs of other groups.
For Cohen, the idea of rejecting a client because of personal views or beliefs is a gross violation of the code of ethics
for anybody in the mental health profession. Each professions code of ethics already contains provisions that allow
therapists to refer a client to another clinician if they feel
uncomfortable working with that client. As a result, it makes

protected, and I can be who I am.

Despite the obstacles that LGBT asylum seekers face upon
arriving in the United States, there can be positive outcomes
for some. Namelum has since obtained a steady job with an
international research institute that focuses on womens rights,
along with private health insurance. He has continued speaking
out on behalf of LGBT rights, lobbying Congress on issues from
the importance of making the position of Special Envoy for the
Human Rights of LGBTI Persons permanent to speaking up for
immigrant transgender women who have been detained in male
detention centers. He has even met with House Minority Leader
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on two separate occasions.
I am an activist. You guys created a monster, he says. I make
speeches, I give interviews. Being an activist gives me strength, it
gives me power. It helps me to heal.... I feel empowered to stand
up for people who are currently being tortured and killed, in
Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Uganda, all over Africa.
Due to how quickly he was able to obtain a hearing on his
asylum status, Namelum is just two months shy of being eligible
to apply for a green card, which will make him, in legal terms, a
lawful permanent resident of the United States.
America has become home for a lot of LGBT people who
came here, and America saved their lives by providing them
shelter and a new home, says Namelum. D.C. is my home. This
is my country now. And Im proud to be here, to be alive, and
thankful. l

PHOTO.UA

news of two LGBT rights activists who were hacked to death with
machetes in Bangladesh highlights the severity of the threats that
many LGBT people face abroad, particularly in countries where
homosexuality is criminalized. For many asylum seekers, fleeing
to another country, such as the United States, becomes the only
viable option if they wish to remain alive.
Daniel Tendai, another asylum seeker, says his involvement
with the LGBT group Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)
placed him on the governments radar as a potential threat to its
anti-LGBT stances. But it was an interview that he did while at a
U.S. conference, in which he suggested that the United States do
more to help the LGBT community in Zimbabwe, that became
the turning point.
I got messages from people telling me that it had gone
viral, says Tendai. And, to me, that meant that something
could get really bad if I tried to go back home. They would be
waiting for me.
Tendai has since been living with a friend in Rockville, Md.
while he waits for a pending hearing date to review his application for asylum. He is receiving help from a pro bono lawyer, but
realizes it may take years before he is officially granted asylum.
I would want to return to Zimbabwe, if and only if the system changed. But I cannot go to Zimbabwe right now because of
the very strict laws [against homosexuality] there, Tendai says.
I will not be free and I do not know what would happen to me....
I want to live a normal life, where I am free and my rights are

Tennessee State Capitol

the exemption bill completely redundant and unnecessary.

You wouldnt want a counselor to work with a transgender
person if they werent going to be helpful, or were going to be
harmful to them, Cohen says. But that clause is already written
into the code of ethics. You already have an out. If there was a
counselor in Tennessee who felt uncomfortable for that reason,
they could simply let the client know that. They have that right.
You dont have to legislate over it with yet another law, which
basically codifies discrimination. l
METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

LGBTCommunityCalendar
Metro Weeklys Community Calendar highlights important events in the D.C.-area
LGBT community, from alternative social events to volunteer opportunities.
Event information should be sent by email to calendar@MetroWeekly.com.
Deadline for inclusion is noon of the Friday before Thursdays publication.
Questions about the calendar may be directed to the
Metro Weekly office at 202-638-6830 or
the calendar email address.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for

LGBT community, family and friends.

6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-theHill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria.
All welcome. For more info, visit dignitynova.org.

GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses

critical languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellies, 900 U St. NW.
RVSP preferred. brendandarcy@
gmail.com.
IDENTITY offers free and confidential

THURSDAY, MAY 5

FRIDAY, MAY 6

SATURDAY, MAY 7

GAMMA, a confidential support

GAY DISTRICT, a group for GBTQI

men between the ages of 18-35, meets
on the first and third Fridays of each
month. 8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more information,
visit gaydistrict.org.

CENTER GLOBAL, a group focusing

on LGBT rights abroad that works
with LGBT asylum seekers and refugees, holds its monthly meetings on
the first Saturday of each month at
The DC Center. 12-2 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

group for men who are gay, bisexual,

questioning and who are married
or involved with a woman, meets in
Frederick, Md., on the first Thursday
of every month. GAMMA also offers
additional meetings in Northern
Virginia and Washington. 6:30-8:30
p.m. Grace United Church of Christ,
25 E. 2nd St., Frederick, Md. For
more information or to RSVP, visit
GAMMAinDC.org or meetup.com/
GAMMAinDC.

WEEKLY EVENTS
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Takoma Aquatic

Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9
p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-dancing group features

mainstream through advanced square
dancing at the National City Christian
Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30
p.m. Casual dress. 301-257-0517,
dclambdasquares.org.
The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern
Virginia social group meets for happy
hour at Sheraton in Reston, 11810
Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor
bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for

youth 21 and younger. 202-567-3155
or testing@smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics

Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.,

3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The group is
independent of UHU. 202-446-1100.

WOMENS LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE for young LBTQ women,
13-21, interested in leadership development. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth
Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3163,
catherine.chu@smyal.org.

10

MAY 5, 2016

LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP for

adults in Montgomery County offers
a safe space to explore coming out
and issues of identity. 10-11:30 a.m.
16220 S. Frederick Rd., Suite 512,
Gaithersburg, Md. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The DC Center hosts a meeting of
its TRANS SUPPORT GROUP for
transgender people and those who
identify outside of the gender binary.
7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The Trevor Project presents its
annual fundraiser, A NIGHT OUT
FOR TREVOR, at the Kimpton Hotel
Monaco. 7 p.m. 700 F St. NW. For
more information, visit thetrevorproject.org. For tickets, cities.thetrevorproject.org/event/a-night-out-fortrevor-d-c-2016.

WEEKLY EVENTS

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

tours world (i.e., non-European

Union) embassies on annual Open
House Weekend. Free. Meet at 9:30
a.m. at top of Metro escalators at 20th
& Q Streets NW. Craig, 202-4620535. craighowell1@verizon.net.

WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5

p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707 or andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded by

members of the LGBT community,
holds Saturday morning Shabbat
services, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddush
luncheon. Services in DCJCC
Community Room, 1529 16th St. NW.
betmish.org.
BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, includ-

session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr.

SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

ing others interested in Brazilian culture, meets. For location/time, email

braziliangaygroup@yahoo.com.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice

affirming social group for ages 11-24.

4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW.
Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422,
layc-dc.org.

SMYALS REC NIGHT provides

a social atmosphere for GLBT and
questioning youth, featuring dance
parties, vogue nights, movies and
games. More info, catherine.chu@
smyal.org.

session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,

SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club welcomes all

levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, socializing
afterward. Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & P
Streets NW, for a walk; or 10 a.m. for
fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball team

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6
p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for
youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,
410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, testing@smyal.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

meets at Turkey Thicket Recreation

Center, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4
p.m. For players of all levels, gay or
straight. teamdcbasketball.org.

HIV testing in Takoma Park, 7676

New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walkins 12-3 p.m. For appointments other
hours, call 301-422-2398.

SUNDAY, MAY 8
ADVENTURING outdoors group takes
a 6.5-mile urban trek from Logan
Circle to Tenleytown via Columbia
Heights and Rock Creek Park, stopping at eight murals along the way.
Bring beverages, lunch, sunscreen,
bug spray, sensible walking shoes and
the $2 trip fee. Meet at 10 a.m. in front
of Dolcezza Coffee Shop, 1421 14th
Street NW, at P Street. Jay, 415-2037498. adventuring.org.
BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today
for DC Central Kitchen. To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive
and radically inclusive church holds
services at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota
Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice
session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,
SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED
CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes all
to 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW.
firstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317.

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

welcomes GLBT community for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 Old Telegraph
Road, Alexandria. hopeucc.org.

HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT

GROUP for gay men living in the DC

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

TEMPLE UNITED CHURCH OF

CHRIST for an inclusive, loving and

progressive faith community every

Sunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW,
near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood.
lincolntemple.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER

POLO TEAM practices 7-9 p.m.

services at 11 a.m., led by Rev. Emma

Chattin. Childrens Sunday School, 11
a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax.
703-691-0930, mccnova.com.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van

Buren St. NW. Newcomers with at
least basic swimming ability always
welcome. Tom, 703-299-0504, secretary@wetskins.org, wetskins.org.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN

CHURCH, inclusive church with

WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH

GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW.
202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.

HIV/AIDS Support Group for newly

diagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m.
Registration required. 202-939-7671,
hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.

ST. STEPHEN AND THE

INCARNATION, an interracial,

TUESDAY, MAY 10

multi-ethnic Christian Community

offers services in English, 8 a.m. and
10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m.
1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900,
saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING

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

MONDAY, MAY 9
WEEKLY EVENTS
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio
Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison

Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.

GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at

Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. NW.
getequal.wdc@gmail.com.
HIV Testing at WHITMAN-WALKER
HEALTH. At the Elizabeth Taylor
Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9
a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000. Visit whitmanwalker.org.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.

5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200,
Arlington. Appointments: 703-7894467.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for

youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,
410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155 or testing@smyal.org.

THE DC CENTER hosts Coffee DropIn for the Senior LGBT Community.
10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202682-2245, thedccenter.org.
US HELPING US hosts a black gay
mens evening affinity group. 3636
Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

The DC Center holds a meeting of its

COMING OUT DISCUSSION GROUP

for those navigating issues associated

with coming out and personal identity.
7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The DC Center hosts a meeting of its
TRANS SUPPORT GROUP for transgender people and those who identify
outside of the gender binary. 7-9 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5

p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly dinner

in Dupont/Logan Circle area, 6:30 p.m.
afwash@aol.com, afwashington.net.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Takoma Aquatic

Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9
p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walking/social club serving greater D.C.s

LGBT community and allies hosts an
evening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org.

THE GAY MENS HEALTH

COLLABORATIVE offers free HIV

testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.
Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic,
Alexandria Health Department, 4480
King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-2149617. james.leslie@inova.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor
Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THE
DC CENTER hosts Packing Party,

where volunteers assemble safe-sex

kits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m.,
Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW.
thedccenter.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

11

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY

(K.I.) SERVICES, at 3333 Duke St.,

Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV

testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
703-823-4401.

METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment

needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700.
202-638-0750.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
LGBT focused meeting every
Tuesday, 7 p.m. St. Georges
Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave.,
Arlington, just steps from Virginia
Square Metro. For more info. call
Dick, 703-521-1999. Handicapped
accessible. Newcomers welcome.
liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.
SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ
YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL,
410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. Cathy
Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@
smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a support

group for black gay men 40 and

older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.
NW. 202-446-1100.
Whitman-Walker Healths GAY

MENS HEALTH AND WELLNESS/

STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 1701

14th St. NW. Patients are seen on

walk-in basis. No-cost screening for
HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes testing
available for fee. whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11
BIG GAY BOOK GROUP meet to

discuss, What Belongs to You by

Garth Greenwell. 7 p.m. 1155 F Street,
NW, Suite 200, near Metro Center
in Downtown Washington, DC.
For more information, biggaybookgroup@hotmail.com or biggaybookgroup.com. Newcomers are always
welcome.

RAINBOW RESPONSE, a coalition

dedicated to combating LGBTQ
intimate partner violence, holds its
monthly meeting at The DC Center
on the second Wednesday of every
month. 6-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information, visit
rainbowresponse.org.
THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB

meets for Duplicate Bridge. 7:30 p.m.

Dignity Center, 721 8th St SE (across
from Marine Barracks). No reservations needed. All welcome. 202-8410279 if you need a partner.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of
Arlington presents the second session
of BECOMING A TRANS* ALLY, a
four-part series looking at the transgender community. The topic for the
night is Gender Justice, presented

12

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

by Bri Sanders, Camden Hargrove and

Kathleen Campisano, of the National
LGBTQ Task Force. 7-8:30 p.m. 4444
Arlington Blvd., Arlington, Va. For
more information, visit hrc.org or
pofev.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m.,
Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome.
For more information, call Fausto
Fernandez, 703-732-5174.
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5

p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio

Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison

Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.

HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH

offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.

and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.
Washington St., Alexandria. 703-5491450, historicchristchurch.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor
Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confiden-

tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414

East Diamond Ave. Walk-ins 2-7 p.m.
For appointments other hours, call
Gaithersburg at 301-300-9978.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-

gram for job entrants and seekers,

meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
info, www.centercareers.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th
St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.

11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite
200, Arlington. Appointments: 703789-4467.

PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social

club for mature gay men, hosts
weekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,
Windows Bar above Dupont Italian
Kitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl, 703573-8316. l

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

13

As the Gay Mens Chorus

of Washington turns 35,
its members reflect on
a life well sung

Vox Populi
Interviews by Randy Shulman
Photography by Julian P. Vankim

Paul Negron - Baritone

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

15

(L-R) Tim Gillham - Tenor 1, Jack Reiffer - Tenor 1, Thomas Schmitt - Baritone 1 and Bob Klein - support section leader / house manager

GE IS JUST A NUMBER. AND WHEN THAT NUMber is affixed to an entity, the larger that number
grows, either one of two things happen.
The entity becomes stale, set in its ways, lifeless,
a dinosaur lumbering, with fatalistic inevitability, toward the
tar pits.
Or....
The entity evolves. It grows. Flourishes. It puts faith in
its own time-honored traditions while forging new ones. It
becomes a necessity that extends beyond the reaches of its own
community.
It becomes iconic.
After 35 years, its safe to say that the Gay Mens Chorus of
Washington is a local artistic and cultural icon. And yet, this
is a humble organization, warm, welcoming, sociable, fueled
by camaraderie and love. Its an entity whose embrace of the
arts is driven by a sense of purpose though one with a notably flamboyant joie de vivre. The GMCW is a gay organization
determined to change minds, open hearts, elicit smiles, soothe
troubled souls, foster tolerance over hate all through the
power of song.
Two hundred voices strong, with an active membership that
ranges in age from early 20s to late 70s, GMCW is the LGBT
communitys national cultural emissary. There are other incredible gay mens choruses out there, sure. But theyre not based in
the heart of Washington. They werent gathered, at a moments
notice, voices rising, on the steps of the Supreme Court the day
marriage equality became law of the land. They werent singing with Josh Groban and Heather Headley at the inauguration
of the countrys first African-American president on a frigid
16

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

January day. And they werent recently in Cuba, building bridges

with song, showing the residents of a closed-off Communist
society that in order to be truly proud, one must be fully out.
These other choruses might be good great, even but they
are not iconic. And they are not ours.
Years ago, LGBT choruses were thought of as either maudlin or silly, says Robert Agnello, a 46-year-old baritone who has
sung with the chorus for 14 years. But the quality in all LGBT
choruses has raised in the last decade. The movement has truly
matured. And we are enjoying amazing music as a result. GMCW
has led this effort, especially being here, at the political forefront,
in D.C.
We wanted to celebrate 35 years of the Gay Mens Chorus
by turning our eyes and ears to its membership, to the men who
give it voice (and the woman who so capably shapes that voice).
Thirty-six members participated in an open photo call at the
Wonder Bread Factory last Sunday afternoon, a few hours prior
to rehearsing for this Sundays 35th Anniversary concert at the
Kennedy Center, featuring an appearance by Gallim Dance. We
also asked the membership to talk about their time in the chorus
and what it means to them. We found that even as individuals
their voices are as one, evoking a perfect unifying sentiment,
beautifully summed up by Cliff Gilbert, 56, who has performed
with the chorus since 2008.
When people think of the chorus, says Gilbert, I hope they
think about equality, justice and freedom for all minority groups
in our backyard, and also worldwide. I want people to think we
are a progressive group rich with diverse values, race, religious
beliefs and, surprisingly, political affiliations.
Music to our ears.

(L-R) Jim Orrell - Baritone, Guy Bosworth - Tenor 2, Dan Kaufman - Bass and Jayson Scirratt - Tenor 2

METRO WEEKLY: What prompted you join the Gay Mens

Chorus of Washington?
MIKE ALLEN (34, 6 YEARS,
BASS): I saw the chorus give
an amazingly powerful performance at Church of the
Epiphany back in 2010. Right
then and there I said, I have to
sing with this group!
PATRICK NELSON (48, 7 YEARS,
BARITONE): I was not a member, but I was dating a member
who passed away. While I had
a few friends in GMCW at
the time, I was overwhelmed
at how many of the guys that
I didnt know reached out to
me to make sure I was doing
okay after Dereks death. They
invited me to their homes, to
dinner, to a rehearsal. About a
year later, a member who had
become a close friend told me it
was time to audition.
TODD PAUL (50, 22 YEARS,
BASS): Ive always loved performing and doing theater,
so when a friend who was a

member of the chorus fundraising arm said he had the

feeling it would be a perfect fit,
I thought, What the heck? Ill
audition. I got in and 21 years
later, it still means as much to
me as it did then.
PAUL NEGRON (35, 2 YEARS,
BARITONE): I moved to D.C. in
2013, and I was initially looking
to make new friends and get
back to one of my loves, singing.
Joining the chorus has been
such an amazing experience.
Ive made some of the best
friends Ive ever had in my life
and I get to perform in some
of the best venues in the city.
BEN HARRIS : I was looking for
a chorus where I could sing
both contemporary and classical choral music in a setting
where I felt comfortable being
who I was.
LUCAS REGNER (25, 1 YEAR,
TENOR 2): Many members will
say community. For me, it
wasnt that at all community
was a fun by-product. I really

a buddy to chaperone them to

make sure they are comfortable.
For your first concert, your
buddy gives you a bauble. Even
though I know its something
every new member receives, my
first one was still very heartwarming.

wanted to learn more about

music. About the songs that
everyone seems to know, but
people like myself never heard
of. And I wanted to learn how
to read music. Yes, you can pass
the audition without knowing
how to read music. And yes, I
now spend double the time trying to learn it.
MATTHEW WILLIAMSON (32, 2
YEARS, TENOR 2): I saw GMCW
perform at Lisner a few years ago
and I was intrigued I wanted
to be a part of a group that showcased my talents and allowed
me to be comfortable in my own
skin. In February 2014, I went
on a date with a guy who told me
he was auditioning. He sent me
the info. He did not make it in,
but a week later I auditioned and
got in. We stopped dating a short
time after.
MW: The chorus is known for its
signature baubles. Whats your
favorite bauble?
JOSH WILLETT (26, 2 YEARS,
BASS): Every new member has

LUCAS REGNER: Oh man, I

know the baubles are an important part I just havent quite
gotten it. For my first performance, I remade my Swedish
military tag into a bauble, thinking it would suffice. Luckily, a
member had a spare bauble to
loan me.
BEN HARRIS (35, 1 YEAR,
BARITONE): My favorite is a
simple heart shape that really
resonates with me. That bauble
reminds me that putting love
into everything we do doesnt
have to be difficult.
JOHN-PAUL HAYWORTH (37, 11
YEARS, BASS): I have a lot of
baubles I tend to buy them in
bulk or at auctions. I love being
able to share them with my

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

17

(L-R) Jim Tavenner - Tenor 2, Michael Gottlieb - Baritone, Paul Negron - Baritone and Charles Ramsey - Baritone

chorus brothers. I often never

see them again, but the point is
the camaraderie of sharing.
MATT HOLLAND (42, 7 YEARS,
TENOR 1): A large, rhinestonecovered Decepticon bauble
from the Transformers cartoon.
Im a little bit evil, and Im okay
with that.
CHARLES BUTLER (63, 35
YEARS, TENOR 1): A seahorse
bauble given to me by my wife.
The seahorse is the only male
who gives birth, so its become a
sort of totem for our household,
as my wife is transgender.
PATRICK NELSON: The year I
joined there were several of
us that went shopping for a
bauble. We all decided to buy
matching sparkly snowflakes.
Seven years later, I buy one for
my buddies and they buy the
same one for theirs. Its become
a tradition in my family line
of buddies.
JAY BALL (57, 15 YEARS, TENOR
2): My favorite bauble is a rela18

MAY 5, 2016

tively simple sunburst. I bought

it at a sales booth run by a lesbian couple at a Gay Rodeo in
Oklahoma City.
THEA KANO (50, 12 YEARS,
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): My
Swarovski crystal stilettos.
One of our very talented former members, Soo Park, created them.
JIM WILLIAMS (58, 22 YEARS,
TENOR 1): A Star Trek communicator bauble. Because Im
a nerd.
DONALD MCARTHUR (79, 10
YEARS, TENOR 2): My bauble
was on sale at CVS for three
bucks but looks like a million
dollars.
DARCEE NEAL (30, 4 YEARS,
BARITONE): I have an oversized,
lopsided crystal heart bauble
that I love, because it symbolizes how I felt about the chorus.
I came to D.C. without a job,
without friends, struggling, and
in the chorus I found an instant
family. As a gay disabled person

METROWEEKLY.COM

of color, I also feel so conspicuous whenever were performing

like Im the only one there. The
bauble reminds me that everyone here is loved.

girls, getting their coats off, and

none of them were paying any
attention to us. I didnt care
in the least. It was still a great
honor to be there!

MW: The chorus has performed

at several historic occasions.
What was the most memorable
for you?

DAN KAUFMAN (50, 26 YEARS,

BASS): We were backstage
at the We Are One concert
when the music started for our
number with Josh Groban and
Heather Headley, and I started
to panic. The stage manager
yelled GO! and a hundred of
us ran, single file, up the narrow
scaffold stairs. About a half-second before the rolling wall was
pulled back to reveal us, the last
member got in place. There was
no time to be nervous by then.

CHRISTOPHER GRIEDER
(52, 26 YEARS, BARITONE):
The We Are One performance for President Obamas
Inauguration in 2009. It was
a 15-degree day and Heather
Headley and Josh Groban sang
in front of a wall separating
us. It slid away to reveal us as
we joined them in singing. The
thousands of people gathered,
as well as those watching, and
the president being right there,
made for a once-in-a-lifetime
experience.
JIM WILLIAMS: When we sang
at President Obamas inaugural
concert, I glanced briefly at the
Obamas while we were singing.
Mrs. Obama was busy with the

JIM GRUSCHUS (50, 21 YEARS,

BASS): At Obamas inauguration it was cold very cold. We
gave Ms. Headley some of the
chemical hand-warmer packets
organizers were giving out.
She thanked us profusely and
stuffed them right into her bra.
BRIAN DAY (42, 11 YEARS, TENOR
1): I was there singing with

(L-R) Timothy Allmond - Tenor 1, Kyle Holland - Tenor 2, Jim Madigan - Tenor 2 and David Jonas - Tenor 2

my chorus brothers when the

Supreme Court announced
Marriage Equality for all. I had
never been so proud, not to be
just a gay and married man,
but also to be a part of GMCW
and to put into song the many
feelings and emotions many
of us had on that historic day.
Sometimes we, as humans, are
better at expressing ourselves in
song than any other medium.
CHARLES BUTLER: The anticipation of the Supreme Court
decision on the steps of the
SCOTUS was palpable. We
arrived early, it was very hot,
and we sang more than a dozen
times, Make Them Hear You.
Very few hecklers were there,
though one soul just stood there
with a sign a silent witness
to a differing opinion. We sang,
it seemed, every 10 minutes for
two hours until an aide brought
word of the decision.
DARCEE NEAL: At the Supreme
Court, as we moved to the steps
to sing, I got yelled at and spit
on by a few of the protesters

screaming in my face. I literally had to stop for a moment

as these people stood around
me screaming that I should
burn in Hell or die. I thought,
Is this what my parents went
through during the Civil Rights
movement? It was a surreal
moment.

the Supreme Court was such

a galvanizing experience. I
felt so connected to the LGBT
community and so proud to be
there with people I love, singing about something deeply
personal. It made me feel a part
of something so much bigger
than myself.

TODD PAUL: In June of 1998,

GMCW went on a performance
tour of Scandinavia. We sang in
Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen,
the hall in Oslo where MLK
received his Nobel Peace Prize,
and in Stockholm, Sweden. The
experience of seeing how we
were received was amazing!

CHIPPER DEAN (40, 4 YEARS,

BASS): Weve sung our National
Anthem countless times in
our lives, but it took on a new,
personal meaning to sing it at
SCOTUS in 2013 when DOMA
was overturned and again in
2015 when marriage equality
was affirmed. We sang later
that evening in 2015 on the
Town Patio and inside, where
patrons joined us to sing the
Anthem and listened quietly,
some crying, as we sang Make
Them Hear You.

JAMI RODGERS (36, 3 YEARS,

TENOR 2): Singing on the steps
of the Supreme Court was
definitely a memorable experience. This was really my first
moment witnessing how our
message of equality and the
power of music can impact a
perfect stranger. So many in
the crowd showed so much
emotion in anticipation of the
ruling. I remember that it was
difficult to sing with a lump in
my throat, being overcome by
the joy of the moment.

KEVIN MORRIS (39, 2 YEARS,

BARITONE): I was part of the
group that went to Cuba last
year. Its hard to articulate just
how life changing that experience was. To be invited by
[Fidel Castros niece] Mariela
Castro to promote LGBTQ
equality in a communist country is very surreal. But meeting
the people of Havana, many of
them elderly, who, with tears in
their eyes, said things like, Ive
been waiting 60 years for you
had a lasting, profound impact.

MIKE FILA (31, 4 YEARS, BASS):

I hadnt directly participated in
any historic event for the LGBT
community until the decision
on marriage equality. Singing
with the chorus on the steps of

DON GRIESHEIMER (58, 16

YEARS, TENOR 2): My heart
pumps faster and fills with
pride each time I set foot on the
infield at National Stadium to
sing the national anthem.

PATRICK NELSON: Cuba was an

unbelievable experience. We
sang for the Ambassador and
for Mariela Castro. We sang
at a senior center and a community center in the barrios of
METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

19

(L-R) Larry Cohen - Baritone, Matt Graf - Baritone, DArcee Neal - Baritone and Ethan Chiang - Bass

Havana. But the most intense

experience was sitting at the
very first concert where a youth
chorus opened the show with
the Cuban Anthem then transitioned into the Star Spangled
Banner. What we were doing
became very real.
CHASE MAGGIANO (32, 3
YEARS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): I was fortunate to be in
Cuba with GMCW the same
week that diplomatic relations
were being restored. We were
embraced not only because
we were gay though that
certainly was part of it but
because we were American. It
may have been the first time
that GMCWs identity was not
LGBT-focused first.
JAY BALL: The most memorable
moment I recall was at the
20

MAY 5, 2016

2002 Kennedy Center Honors

when we sang Thats What
Friends Are For with Dionne
Warwick and Burt Bacharach
to Elizabeth Taylor. At the end
of the song, Ms. Taylor stood
when she barely could and blew
kisses to the stage. Though
there were many luminaries
there, including the President
and First Lady, there was no
doubt who was the star that
night.
JERRY BLACKMON (37, 6
YEARS, TENOR 1): Everything
the chorus does is historic,
honestly. We perform regularly
in Lincoln Theatre in the heart
of black Broadway. We sing
on the same stage where Ella
Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington
performed. Were part of the
pantheon of the District.

METROWEEKLY.COM

STU GOLDSTONE (42, 15 YEARS,

BARITONE): Weve had the
privilege of performing at
many high-profile events, such
as Obamas inauguration, the

Kennedy Center Honors, and so

on. But to me the most important times are when we sing to
honor our own fallen members.
Performing for Thom Gibbs
memorial in 2011, for Michael
Baker in 2010, for Peter Fox in
2012, for Bob Wonneberger in
2002. These are more special to
me than those historic events.
MW: Recall your most memorable role or performance.
STU GOLDSTONE: Two months
after I joined the chorus, I was
cast as Dorothy in our all-male
production of The Wizard of Oz.
I had been pretty quiet up until
that point, so when the cast was
announced, I think a lot of chorus members were like, Who?

JOHN KNAPP (55, 2 YEARS,
BASS): Singing the opening solo
in Bare Necessities backed by
a line of bears. It was my second concert with GMCW.

JOSH WILLETT: The Pride 2015

concert. In March 2015, my
older brother unexpectedly
passed away. He loved music,
and loved to rap. As a way to
honor him, I decided to audition for a rap solo to Glory
by Common and John Legend.
Before every performance, I
would think about my brother
and perform the song as if he
were the one performing.
CLIFF GILBERT (56, 8 YEARS,
BARITONE): When Christopher
Peterson was doing a spot-on
imitation of Judy Garland and
did some on stage improvisation as he was losing his voice.
He was so accurate, it was if I
had a chance to perform Get
Happy with Judy.
DARCEE NEAL: Playing the
role of Ursula, the Sea Witch
in our When You Wish concert. When it was announced,
I disregarded even auditioning because the role called for

drag makeup, a giant dress,

heels. And I thought with my
wheelchair and my disability I
wouldnt be able to do it. But I
tried out and when I won the
role, it really exposed me to a
different side of performance
that Ill never forget.
MATT HOLLAND: For me, it was
probably when I sang If You
Were Gay from Avenue Q at
the Kennedy Center a few years
ago. There I am, in my big solo
debut at the Kennedy Center,
with one hand inside a puppet,
and the other making jerk-off
motions with its puppet hand.
Thats high-class entertainment
right there, folks!
JERRY BLACKMON: Grease. Ive
never experienced a show as
chaotic as that one. Injuries,
ambulances called, seat of the
pants management. It was
totally thrilling. Thing of the
past now. Ive helped to professionalize the management side
of productions.

JAMI RODGERS: My first concert was the 2013 holiday show.

My mother had just passed
away and Christmas was her
favorite holiday. I invited my
father, his two sisters, and my
sister and her husband. As we
fanned out into the Lincoln
Theatres aisles to sing O
Come All Ye Faithful while
holding candles, I felt her presence and imagined how proud
she must be that I was affirming
who I was and doing something
I love in making music.
MATTHEW WILLIAMSON:
Our recent Holiday show
ReWrapped. I didnt sing
with the full chorus, but I had
five dance numbers. I was
dressed as Rudolph in high
heels, kissed a guy in another
number, and in just my boxers
for the opening. My mom was
in the second row for one of
those shows. Just eight weeks
prior, we werent speaking due
to differences with my sexuality. Having her there meant
everything.
JIM GRUSCHUS: Charlie Brown.
Metro Weekly wrote a great
review.
DARRYL WALLER (54, 1 YEAR,
TENOR 1): Being from a conservative area, I remember during
the Spring concert, When You
Wish, the duet between two
members and they were to kiss
at the end of the selection. I
thought, This is the place for
me. It gave me permission to
be who I really am.
PAUL NEGRON: I was honored
to be part of our cabaret show
this year, The S* Show.
Im singing Thats Life,

(L-R) Rob Finn - Bass, Walker Green - Tenor 2,

W. Eric Balthrop - Bass Upper and Ralph Alston - Baritone

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

21

(L-R) Yoshi Nishio - Bass 2, Robert T. Boaz - Baritone, John Knapp - Bass 2 and Brett Kessler - Baritone

which epitomizes some of the

struggles and ups and downs
Ive gone through in my life. I
endured a rather rocky coming
out process that involved getting kicked out of my fraternity
for being gay. Getting to tell my
story and then sing this song
in front of my parents at the
Kennedy Center was a dream.
ROB FINN (39, 2 YEARS, BASS):
Singing True Colors to an
audience of hundreds of senior
citizens, mostly women, at a
huge senior center in Havana,
Cuba, last summer was an
experience I will cherish for the
rest of my life. The love coming from that crowd, knowing
we are Americans, knowing
we are gay, was overwhelming. They remembered a time
before the blockade. They sang
and danced for and with us, too.
Unforgettable.
MW: The Gay Mens Chorus has
performed with some huge guest
stars. Do you have a backstage
anecdote to share?

22

MAY 5, 2016

TOM BOEKE (56, 10 YEARS,

TENOR 1): I remember singing
at the Kennedy Center for Jerry
Herman, and during rehearsal,
we were lined up behind the
amazing Broadway talent in
front of us. When it came time
for us to start singing at the
end of the number, the wall of
sound coming at them made all
of them turn around and just
look at us in amazement. We
could tell they were all thinking WOW! That was pretty
special.
MARIO SENGCO (44, 3 YEARS,
TENOR 1): Singing with Laura
Benanti was a gift. Not only is
she a great talent, what made
it special was her personal
connection to the chorus. Her
[late] uncle, Bob Wonneberger,
was a founding member. From
the moment she stepped out to
greet us, we knew how she felt
about GMCW there was an
immediate connection with her.
It also made [artistic director]
Jeff Buhrmans departure even
more poignant for me. It was
one of the best performances.

METROWEEKLY.COM

THEA KANO: When I told Laura

Benanti that I had seen her 6
times front row center in Gypsy
on Broadway I could read
her thought bubble as great,
another stalker.
KIRK SOBELL (33, 2 YEARS,
BARITONE): Laura Benanti. She
was so warm, high-spirited, and
supportive of the chorus. She
wasnt just a guest star, she was
family. Plus, she made a vagina
joke on stage at the Kennedy
Center. Pretty badass, if you
ask me.
ROMM GATONGAY (39, 2 YEARS,
BASS): Maiya Sykes, who was
a contestant on The Voice and
is now a powerhouse singer
with Postmodern Jukebox. She
sang John Legends portion of
Glory while I rapped a verse.
She was so gracious and friendly. At the end of our last performance, she grabbed my hand
and encouraged me to take a
bow. That is just one example
of the kind of encouragement
that I get from this wonderful
organization.

CHARLES BUTLER: Seventh

anniversary concert at the
Kennedy Center. Maureen
Forrester, a Canadian opera
singer, was our guest soloist.
She was standing in the hallway, and I commented on her
dress. Her response was I was
sewn into this costume, I cant
sit down or it would split wide
open. She was regal and funny
and charming and put everyone
at ease.
DAN KAUFMAN: When we
rehearsed with Barbara Cook,
we were told in no uncertain
terms that we were to clear the
hall after our numbers with her
so that she could rehearse with
her pianist. We were just about
to leave the stage when we saw
her whisper to Jeff, our director at the time. He then said
that, if we wanted to, we could
sit quietly in the audience while
she rehearsed. We wanted to
and did!
CHRISTOPHER GRIEDER: An
instrumentalist who traveled
with Ellen Greene had just

(L-R) Lucas Regnr - Tenor 2, Jim Williams - Tenor 1, Romm Gatongay - Bass and Shawn Morris - Baritone 2

come backstage after a truly

horrendous sound check before
our show with her. He said, and
I quote, Does anyone have a
gun? Ellen is famous for being
difficult and, boy, did she show
that on stage for the sound
check. I dont think anyone
who performed with her back
then would deny the level of
insanity.
RUSS CAPPS (50, 17 YEARS,
BASS): Well, Ellen Greene was
a complete trainwreck and
quite possibly certifiably insane,
but you didnt hear that
from me.
MW: Talk about why the Gay
Mens Chorus is so relevant to
our LGBT culture.
BRIAN DAY: We are able to
reach audiences who otherwise
may not have had much interaction with the LGBT community. We sing everywhere, from
homeless shelters and public
libraries to retirement communities. The outreach we do
to help educate others on LGBT

issues is tremendous. Not to

mention our GenOUT Chorus,
made up entirely of high
school-aged children. I love that
about GMCW.
ROBERT AGNELLO (46, 14
YEARS, BARITONE): The fight
isnt over. We have marriage
and adoption, but no laws
against discrimination in
employment, housing, commerce. Our voice still needs to
be heard not only for us, but
for civil rights, womens rights,
disabled rights, workers rights.
With every concert we make
the weak stronger, the hard
softer, and the stranger our
friend.
DON GRIESHEIMER: Though
progress can be seen throughout the United States, there
are still those who live in areas
where to be visible is to risk life
and limb. Its those residents
and their neighbors that we
need to show our love through
song.

ROBERT BOAZ (45, 19 YEARS,

BARITONE): We hear about
LGBT discrimination every day.
Maybe not always here in D.C.,
although hate crimes continue
to be committed on our brothers and sisters here. In other
parts of the U.S. and in other
countries, LGBT people are
still experiencing discrimination and hate. GMCW will be
relevant until those things stop.
Even then, there will always be
a reason to sing.
JERRY BLACKMON: GMCW
reaches people through music,
which is one of the most powerful, resonant and deepest
ways to move a person. The
songs the chorus sings impact
people at a guttural level. We
speak to souls and move the
spirit. There arent many other
groups quite so influential.
SAM LEE (32, 2 YEARS, BASS):
We sing for those whose voice
has been silenced. The voices
we lost to suicide and violence
against them. No amount of
social progress will bring back

that silenced voice, so its our

mission to make sure they are
heard. Thats why Make Them
Hear You is our anthem.
TOM BOEKE: There are still so
many people that need to hear
our strong and proud voice
for equality. You can see our
effect in the faces of the young
GenOUT singers who see a
brighter future for themselves.
You can see it in the faces of
fans at a Nats Game after the
National Anthem, who likely
have never been to one of our
concerts, but always remark
That was amazing as we walk
off the field.
CHRISTOPHER GRIEDER: It is
an affinity group that presents
the gay experience to people
who wouldnt otherwise know
of it. It brings awareness of gay
people to communities which
dont have a gay community. It
reinforces to the gay community that we do things worthy of
pride, worthy of acknowledge-

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

23

(L-R) Jay Michal - Tenor 2, Praddy Banerjee - Tenor 2, Todd Paul - Bass and Matt Holland - Tenor 1

ment, and supportive of more

than just gay people. It has a
place even if the world fully
integrates.
DAN KAUFMAN: We still have
stories to tell, we still have
fights to fight. I cant tell you
how many guys have used their
participation in the chorus as a
catalyst and conduit for coming
out to their families. Political
gains are one thing, and theyre
awesome. But we will always be
coming out, always be needing to
tell our stories, always growing.
SHAWN MORRIS (40, 1 YEAR,
BARITONE): Not only is it super
important to the community we
serve, but also to the gay men
that need it. There are men in
the chorus that will tell you
that in one way or another the
chorus saved their life, or at
the very least, changed it. Im
one of those. The chorus has
been a real life changer for me,
and most probably a life saver
as well.

24

MAY 5, 2016

ROB FINN: The story of our

communitys progress is still
being written. Battles are still
being fought. It would be tragic
to become complacent now,
and even more tragic to forget
our history. So many struggled
and sacrificed so much to
achieve this tremendous progress. We owe it to them to keep
telling their stories and to make
sure that nobody forgets where
weve come from.
THEA KANO: We have made
tremendous progress, but there
are still so many people who
need and want to hear us. Each
time we go beyond the Beltway
we are reminded of that. Until
all minds are open to equality
for all, our work will not be
done.
JJ VERA (25, 2 YEARS, TENOR
2): To say that there has been
tremendous progress is an
understatement, but at the same
time, to say the work is done is
hardly true. There are millions
of people that need to hear our

METROWEEKLY.COM

message, and were getting to

them one by one. Our audience
is slowly growing, but to touch
the soul of even one person has
always been the goal.
LUCAS REGNER: I daresay that
a majority of people in the chorus, and people who see our
shows, werent born and raised
in D.C. So the 23-year-old grad
who just moved to D.C. from
Alabama might find messages
of love and acceptance in our
show that the governor failed
to communicate to him back
home. Were here for him.
JAMI RODGERS: As long as
there is bias, hatred, and
inequality, we will continue
the push to change hearts and
minds through our music.
For every divisive law that is
passed, child that is bullied, or
demeaning joke that is told, we
will raise our voices in song to
counteract hatred. In the end,
we could all use a little more
love in the world.

KEN WOODHOUSE (35, 2 YEARS,

TENOR 2): As Thea always
tells us before a performance,
Never miss an opportunity to
make an impact. Someone in
our audience needs to hear you
today.
JIM GRUSCHUS: Were ambassadors of gay fabulousness.
Society needs us.
The Gay Mens Chorus of
Washingtons 35th Anniversary
Concert, featuring guests Gallim
Dance and the New York City
Master Chorale, is Sunday,
May 8 at 8 p.m. at the Kennedy
Center Concert Hall. Tickets are
$25 to $81. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org. l

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

25

Compiled by Doug Rule

Dancing
Queen

MAY 5 - 12, 2016

DEAN ALEXANDER

The Washington Ballet

presents works inspired
by Freddie Mercury and
David Bowie

HEN YOU HEAR THIS MUSIC, CHOREOGRAPHER

Edwaard Liang says, you start tapping your pen, you start
patting your leg, you start swaying a little bit.
The power of David Bowies music to inspire movement is reflected
in a new ballet, which Liang debuted last fall at the Ballet Met in
Columbus, Oh. The storyline is really about what the song Dancing in
the Streets is saying, Liang says. About how infectious dance is, and
just different scenarios of dancing in the streets.
Initially proposed by Septime Webre, Washington Ballets outgoing
artistic director, Liangs work will be performed by the company this
weekend and next at the Kennedy Center. Dancing In The Streets is
part of a program celebrating the bisexual Bowie as well as the all-out

SPOTLIGHT
AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA
WITH ERIK ALTEMUS,
NOVA PEYTON

Local musical theater performers Nicholas Rodriguez and Hayley

Travers are guests for Make Someone
Happy, a concert featuring show
tunes and pop songs from the 1960s.
Mark Frazier closes out the inaugural season of this local orchestra with
headliners Erik Altemus, best known
for playing Lewis in the recent revival of Pippin on Broadway, and Nova
Peyton, the local Helen Hayes Award26

MAY 5, 2016

winning powerhouse. Friday, May 6,

at 8 p.m. GW Lisner, The George
Washington University, 730 21st St.
NW. Tickets are $35 to $65. Call 202994-6851 or visit lisner.org.

CITYDANCES DREAMSCAPE

CityDance presents its annual gala

performance co-produced with Rasta
Thomas, in which Thomas and dancers with the CityDance Conservatory
and students from its Dream program appear alongside guest artists: Matthew Golding of the Royal
Ballet, Anna Tsygankova of the Dutch
National Ballet, Pete Walker of Aspen
Santa Fe Ballet, Anna Gerberich of the

METROWEEKLY.COM

gay Freddie Mercury, by two noted gay choreographers Liang and Trey McIntyre.
Im really happy and humbled to be a part of the
same program as Trey, and I have a lot of respect for
his work, Liang says. My piece is not as pyrotechnic. Its a more intimate look at dance. Liangs work
includes a few of Bowies songs threaded together by
an original composition from Gabriel Gaffney Smith
featuring electric violin and electric cello, performed
live by Machiko Ozawa.
McIntyres Mercury Half-Life is epic, operatic
in scale, says its choreographer. Its an incredibly
athletic, very high-energy piece. This will be the first
performance of the ballet since McIntyre shut down
his celebrated dance company a few years ago.
It is some of the most exacting choreography Ive
ever made, he says. Its also the first of his works to
incorporate tap dancing, which is the only reason I
went to a ballet class in the first place.... Theres been
this tap thats been wanting to get out of me my entire
life and it finally had a place to exist.
Mercury Half-Life was inspired by contrasts,
including the fact that Queens songs are rock
anthems that can move sports arenas and yet
Mercury was gay and flamboyant. Those two things,
especially in the time period, didnt seem congruent
to me, McIntyre says. The title is inspired by the
fact that Mercurys life was cut short from AIDSrelated complications. Its particularly poignant
with Freddie Mercury, how that music still resonates
today. And yet, he adds, There could have been so
much more. Doug Rule
Bowie & Queen opens Thursday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m.,
and is performed this weekend and next at the Kennedy
Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $32.25 to $130.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit washingtonballet.org.

Joffrey Ballet, Cartier Williams Dance

Theatre, Gallim Dance and more.
Saturday, May 7, at 8 p.m. Lincoln
Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are
$25 to $38. Call 202-328-6000 or visit
citydance.net.

JANINE BRITO

Touted as a rising star on the San

Francisco scene, this lesbian comic
offers a sarcastic, snarky smart bomb
of comedy funk straight from the 80s.
Thursday, May 12, at 9 p.m., Friday,
May 13, at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., and
Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. Drafthouse
Comedy, 1100 13th St. NW. Tickets are
$25. Call 202-750-6411 or visit drafthousecomedy.com.

THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN

Theater J presents the regional premiere of Dan OBriens breathtakingly provocative drama, based on a
true story, about the friendship that
develops between a playwright and a
photographer and traverses Rwanda,
Afghanistan and the Canadian Arctic.
Jose Carrasquillo directs a production
featuring Eric Hissom and Thomas
Keegan. Pride Night is Thursday,
May 12, at 7:30 p.m. Runs to May
22. The Aaron and Cecile Goldman
Theater, Washington, D.C.s Jewish
Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW.
Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

27

THE CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY WITH

RENEE FLEMING, NORM LEWIS

Scott Tucker helps the full 190-member-strong Choral Arts Society of

Washington celebrate the American
musical specifically the output
of Rodgers and Hammerstein, with
Some Enchanted Evening. Renee
Fleming, American opera superstar
dubbed the peoples diva, and Norm
Lewis, the Tony-nominated Broadway
baritone (The Gershwins Porgy & Bess)
join to sing through the hits. Sunday,
May 15, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center
Concert Hall. Tickets are $25 to $94.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedycenter.org.

FILM
HOLLYWOOD ON TRIAL

This seasons Seeing Red Film Series at

the Hill Center, with hosts New Yorker
staff writer Margaret Talbot and movie
critic Nell Minow, continues with 1947s
Body and Soul, a classic parable of temptation, corruption and redemption set in
the gritty world of boxing and inspired
by the real-life story of fighter Barney
Ross. Left-wing actor John Garfield stars
along with the soon-to-be blacklisted
Anne Revere, who plays Ross mother.
This is the rare pre-1960s film treating an African-American character,
played by Canada Lee, with dignity and
respect. The film is also noted for its
noir cinematography by James Wong
Howe and Oscar-nominated screenplay
by Abraham Polonsky. Sunday, May 8,
at 4 p.m. Hill Center, Old Navy Hospital,
921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free. Call 202549-4172 or visit HillCenterDC.org.

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY

Matthew Brown directs Dev Patel

starring as the real-life Srinivasa
Ramanjuan, a poor Indian mathematician who pioneered theories at
Cambridge University during World
War I. Jeremy Irons, Stephen Fry,
Jeremy Northam and Toby Jones also
star in this British biopic based on
Robert Kanigels 1991 book of the same
name. Opens Friday, May 6. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

STAGE
110 IN THE SHADE

Marcia Milgrom Dodge directs and

choreographs a new production of
this old-fashioned musical, set during a sweltering Texas summer in the
mid-1950s and featuring a lively score
from the creators of The Fantasticks.
The focus is on a self-proclaimed rainmaker who promises to reverse fortunes in the drought-stricken town,
to say nothing of its leading spinster,
played by Tracy Lynn Olivera. To May
14. Fords Theatre, 511 10th St. NW.
Tickets are $28 to $69. Call 800-9822787 or visit fordstheatre.org.

BLACK PEARL SINGS!

Over 20 American folk and spiritual songs factor into Frank Higgins
28

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

story inspired by the real-life discovery of Huddie Lead Belly Ledbetter

by folklorist John Lomax. Sandra
Holloway directs this MetroStage
production featuring Roz White as
Alberta Pearl Johnson and Teresa
Castracane as Susannah Mullally. To
May 29. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal
St., Alexandria. Tickets are $55. Call
800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.

BROUHAHA

Local theater company Happenstance

Theater presents another run of its
devised clown-esque piece focused
on an ensemble of eccentrics on the
precipice at the end of the world.
Happenstance co-founders and married team Sabrina Mandell and Mark
Jaster direct and perform among the
cast. What we actually do, nobody
is doing...and its hard to describe,
Mandell told Metro Weekly two years
ago. Each devised theater show is built
from scratch by the entire ensemble,
working as a collective from script
start to finished performance. Opens
Thursday, May 5, at 8 p.m. To May 22.
Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West
Preston St. Baltimore. Tickets are $22.
Call 410-752-8558 or visit happenstancetheater.com.

CAROLINE, OR CHANGE

Virginias fledgling theater company

Creative Cauldron presents a production of Tony Kushner and Jeanine
Tesoris coming-of-age musical set in
racially and politically charged 1960s
Louisiana. Now in previews. Opening
Night is Saturday, May 7, at 8 p.m. To
May 29. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410
South Maple Ave. in Falls Church.
Tickets are $26, or $50 for opening
night. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.

CHRONICLE OF
A DEATH FORETOLD

Gabriel Garcia Marquezs novella is

the source for another stage adaptation, though this time as a straight
play, unlike the 1995 Tony-nominated
musical. Jose Zayas directs GALA
Theatres production of the tale about
a murderous mission of revenge by a
band of brothers in Colombia, adapted by Jorge Triana and performed in
Spanish with English surtitles. Closes
this Sunday, May 8. GALA Theatre
at Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St. NW.
Tickets are $20 to $42. Call 202-2347174 or visit galatheatre.org.

DETROIT 67

Center Stage offers a production of

Dominique Morisseaus sharp-eyed
drama about racial and generational
differences during the riots of the
Motown era. Kamilah Forbes directs
this co-production with Detroit
Public Theatre and offered at Towson
University, while Center Stage renovates its downtown Baltimore venue.
Closes this Sunday, May 8. Mainstage
at Towson Universitys Center for the
Arts, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Towson, Md.
Tickets are $10 to $59. Call 410-9864000 or visit centerstage.org.

THE ELECTRIC BABY

Known for ambitious stagings of

eccentric or out-there tales, Rorschach
Theatre presents Stefanie Zadravecs
lyrical play exploring the theme of loss
with humor and folklore. Reviewing
another production, a critic for the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was both
charmed and enthralled by its
delicacy and its strength. Randy Baker
directs a production featuring William
Aitken, J. Shawn Durham, Jennifer
J. Hopkins, Cam Magee, Kiernan
McGowan and Sarah Taurchini. To
May 15. Atlas Performing Arts Center,
1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $30.
Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

THE MYSTERY OF LOVE & SEX

HIPSTER PORN

For those of you who miss the good old days where we enjoyed our porn in theatrical settings
albeit ones plagued by perpetually masturbating strangers wearing beige raincoats Dan Savage
presents the 2016 Hump! Film festival (
). A sex-positive, rough-around-the-edges assortment of homemade pornongraphy gay, straight, fetish, you name it Hump! is less erotic than
it is avant garde. Think of watching people pound, probe, lick and stick each other, but to hipper
music. While its definitely not soft-core, its also far from erotic. And yet it seems less designed to
titillate and more intent on breaking down sexual barriers. The 22 short films on display are sometimes funny, frequently bizarre, occasionally clever, with the quality varying considerably. There
are a few standouts buried deep within the festival. Film Bonoir, riffing off a famous skit in the
70s classic The Groove Tube, uses semi-erect penises, googly button eyes, and adorable little felt
hats to uproarious effect, even though the filmmaker clearly runs out of ideas before the ahem
climax. Then theres Lets Try to Fuck, a dead-on parody of 1950s educational films. Its balls-out
hilarious. Level Up is a clumsy parody of video games that salvages itself with a full-blown orgy,
emphasis on the word blown. The strangest film of the bunch is The Collector, in which a very
unusual man shows off his even more unusual assortment of semen-filled jars culled from various
sources. Whether or not hes seeking mail-in donations is never quite made clear. Hump! plays
Friday, May 6th and Saturday, May 7th at the Black Cat Main Stage, 1811 14th St. NW at 7 and 9:30
p.m. each night. Tickets are $20. Visit blackcatdc.com or call 202-667-4490. For more info on the
festival, visit humpfilmfest.com. Randy Shulman
EMPERORS NIGHTINGALE

Adventure Theatre MTC presents a

re-imagining of the Hans Christian
Anderson fairytale about an aimless prince who ultimately becomes
king. Natsu Onoda Power directs
Damon Chuas adaptation. To May
30. Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300
MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Tickets
are $19. Call 301-634-2270 or visit
adventuretheatre-mtc.org.

HUGO BALL: A SUPER

SPECTACULAR DADA ADVENTURE

A one-of-a-kind performance loosely

based on the life of one of the founders of the Dada anti-art movement.
Pointless Theatre Companys latest
experimental, multi-disciplinary puppet theater piece explores art, love
and faith and contains puppet
sexuality, profanity and violence. To
May 14. Logan Fringe Arts Spaces
30

MAY 5, 2016

Trinidad Theatre, 1358 Florida Ave.

NE. Tickets are $20 to $25. Call 202733-6321 or visit pointlesstheatre.com.

JOURNEY TO THE WEST

Constellation Theatre Companys

Allison Arkell Stockman directs the
fanciful global tale adapted by Mary
Zimmerman from an ancient Chinese
novel about a Buddhist monk who
travels in search of sacred scriptures,
meeting a monkey, a pig, a river monster and a monk along the way. Tom
Teasley returns to Constellation to
provide his percussive-based world
music style of live accompaniment.
To May 22. Source Theatre, 1835 14th
St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call
202-204-7741 or visit constellationtheatre.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

PHAETON

Taffety Punk Theater Company,

whose tagline is We Will Rock You
and styles itself as a theatrical rock
band, presents Michael Milligans
retelling of the classic Greek myth,
exploring the failure of society to live
up to the promise of its visionaries
and the repercussions of that failure.
Marcus Kyd directs a large cast featuring company members Dan Crane and
Helen Hayes Award-winner Kimberly
Gilbert and James Flanagan in the
title role, with choreography by Kelly
King. Opens Saturday, May 7, at 7:30
p.m. To May 28. Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. Tickets are
$15. Call 202-547-6839 or visit taffetypunk.com.

Signature Theatre offers this play

from Bathsheba Doran, a writer better known for his work on premium
cable, from HBOs Boardwalk Empire
and Showtimes Masters of Sex. The
Mystery of Love & Sex is an unexpected story of an evolving friendship
between a man and a woman, who
arent quite straight and arent quite
in love with each other but they
consider romance anyway, for the sake
of the parents. Closes Sunday, May
8. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell
Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or
visit signature-theatre.org.

TRANSMISSION

A three-year-old D.C.-based playwriting collective, and one of this

years Helen Hayes Award winners
as Outstanding Emerging Theatre
Company, the Welders offers its latest
production, an immersive, participatory performance play written and
performed by Gwydion Suilebhan.
Devised for a small audience of 20
people, all seated in 1930s armchairs
clustered around period radios,
Transmission focuses on the viral evolution of culture, from the radio age to
the present day. Touted as part-jazz,
part-science lecture and part-ritual
invocation, the show investigates
what it means to be inundated in our
always-connected, always-sharing
culture, which demands skepticism
and inquisitiveness. To May 28. Atlas
Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE.
Tickets are $15 to $30. Call 202-3997993 or visit atlasarts.org.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARES LONG

LOST FIRST PLAY (ABRIDGED)

The Reduced Shakespeare Company

returns to Folger Theatre with this
world premiere written and directed
by two of the worlds most famous
Shakespearean comedians, Austin
Tichenor and Reed Martin, who throw
themselves into a funny, punny physical
frenzy. Joining Tichenor and Martin to
perform the work as a comedic trio is
Teddy Spencer. Closes Sunday, May 8.
Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE.
Tickets are $35 to $75. Call 202-5447077 or visit folger.edu.

MUSIC
ARTURO SANDOVAL

A protg of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, the Cuban-born

Sandoval was granted political asylum in the U.S. decades ago. Hes
revered as one of the worlds best
jazz trumpeters and flugelhorn players, as well as a renowned pianist and
composer. Thursday, May 5, through
Sunday, May 8, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
Tickets are $50 to $55, plus $10 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or
visit bluesalley.com.

CAPITAL CITY SYMPHONY

Great Masters, Young Stars features Beethovens Symphony No. 6 in

F Major and Brahms Violin Concerto
in D Major, the latter performed with
Lara Boschkor, the winner of the
Johansen International Competition.
Sunday, May 8, at 5 p.m. Atlas
Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St.
NE. Tickets are $15 to $25. Call 202399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

CANTATE CHAMBER SINGERS

Live at 10th and G presents the third

concert of the season by this local
ensemble. Patterns and Lines is a
multimedia composition celebrating
the work of world-traveling photographers Judy and Wayne Guenther,
with poetry by Roberto Ifill and music
by Andrew Earle Simpson. Also on the
bill are works by Samuel Barber and
John Corigliano. Saturday, May 14,
at 7:30 p.m. Live! at 10th and G, 945
G ST. NW. Tickets are $35, or $45 for
premium seating. Call 202-628-4317
or visit facebook.com/liveat10thandg.

CHOPTEETH

The Washington Post has called this

12-piece band a storming powerhouse of big-band African funk...
smart, tight and relentlessly driving. Chopteeth has already won a
number of Washington Area Music
Association Awards otherwise
known as Wammies, including the
Artist of the Year accolade in 2008.
And now the Afrobeat-driven group
returns to Strathmores cabaret venue.
Saturday, May 14, at 8 p.m. Amp by
Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave.
North Bethesda. Tickets are $20 to
$30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.

GAY MENS CHORUS OF

WASHINGTON WITH
GALLIM DANCE

Everybodys favorite local chorus

group celebrates 35 years of singing
for equality with a retrospective concert at the Kennedy Center. The first
half of the evening offers Carl Orffs
springtime masterpiece Carmina
Burana. Thea Kano will lead the
chorus and additional singers from
the New York City Master Chorale
in a performance of the work, and
acclaimed Brooklyn-based company
Gallim Dance will make its Kennedy
Center debut with a new work as part

of the program. Sunday, May 8, at 8

p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Tickets are $25 to $81. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

ITZHAK PERLMAN AND

EMANUEL AX

Washington Performing Arts presents

a concert by two celebrated statesmen of classical music, touring in support of a new Deutsche Grammophon
recording of Faure and Strauss violin
sonatas. This is the rescheduled date
for the concert, originally scheduled
in September but postponed due to
Perlmans emergency gallbladder
surgery. Tuesday, May 10, at 7 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets
are $55 to $135. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.

THE RE-LIVES: A TRIBUTE

TO LUTHER VANDROSS

William Smooth Wardlaw, said to

be the spitting image and sound of the
man known as The Velvet Voice, will
lead this tribute performance to the
late R&B superstar. Friday, May 6, at 8
p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand
Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are
$25 to $35. Call 301-581-5100 or visit
ampbystrathmore.com.

X AMBASSADORS

After opening for Muse at the Verizon

Center in January, the upstate New
York quartet returns to town to offer
another round of its emotional, bluesy, syncopated chants (Renegades,
Hang On, Nervous) that youve no
doubt heard in commercials. Maybe
youve seen images of the bands lead
singer Sam Harris, whose as easy on
the eyes bald and bearded as
his voice is on the ears. Los Angelesbased dance-pop provocateur Robert
DeLong opens along with Sara
Hartman. Thursday, May 12, at 7 p.m.
Echostage, 2135 Queens Chapel Rd.
NE. Tickets are $35. Call 202-503-2330
or visit echostage.com.

COMEDY
JULIA SCOTTI AND
KEVIN MEANEY

A night of Out-standing comedy

featuring transgender comedian Julia
Scotti and Kevin Meaney, a standup comic and actor from both TV
and Broadway rescheduled after
Snowzilla postponed the debut at Amp
by Strathmore. Friday, May 13, at 8
p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand
Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are
$20 to $30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit
ampbystrathmore.com.

WILL DURST, BOB NELSON,

MAUREEN LANGAN

Wolf Trap closes out the winter season in the Barns with its 29th Annual
Evening of Comedy featuring standup. Friday, May 6, at 8 p.m., and
Saturday, May 7, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap
Road, Vienna. Tickets are $25 to $28.
Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolftrap.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

31

READINGS
ANGELA DUCKWORTH

Grit: The Power of Passion and

Perseverance offers insights from
decades of research into why some
people succeed and others fail at tasks
from the MacArthur genius grant
recipient. The answer, essentially, is
not talent, but a special blend of drive
and determination. Tuesday, May 10,
at 7 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue.
600 I St. NW. Tickets are $16 for one
ticket, or $30 for ticket with one book,
or $40 for two tickets and a book. Call
202-408-3100 or visit sixthandi.org.

GALLERIES
EXPLORING YELLOWSTONES
GREAT ANIMAL MIGRATIONS

Part of the National Park Services

centennial celebration. This Invisible
Boundaries exhibition, in conjunction with the May issue of National
Geographic, uses stunning photographs, immersive video, interactive migration maps, cultural objects,
and original artwork to explore the
compelling story behind some of the
most amazing animal migrations
on the planet. To Sept. 30. National
Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St.
NW. Free. Call 202-857-7588 or visit
ngmuseum.org.

LUMINOUS LANDSCAPES:
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALAN WARD

The National Building Museum offers

an exhibition focused on large-format
photographs, mostly in black and
white, by Alan Ward, a renowned practitioner of both landscape architecture
and photography. Ward has combined
his dual interests in these works, visually deconstructing the fundamental
elements of the landscape in stunning
ways. The museum also displays some
of his photography equipment and
large-format cameras. Through Sept.
5. National Building Museum, 401 F
St. NW. Call 202-272-2448 or visit
nbm.org.

RE-BALL!: RAISE/RAZE IN THE

DUPONT UNDERGROUND

The long-shuttered, former streetcar

station and one-time food court
below Dupont Circle reopens after two
decades. This site-specific installation
features the 650,000 translucent plastic
balls from last summers Beach exhibit
at the National Building Museum. The
New York architecture and design studio Hou de Sousa has assembled them
into a fully reconfigurable block system like sand in a giant sandbox
that visitors are encouraged to refashion into their own objects and spaces.
To June 1. The Dupont Underground,
Dupont Circle NW. Admission by reservation only, with priority given to
those who donate $25 to the Indiegogo
campaign Open These Doors. Due to
the interactive nature of the installation, small groups only. Visit dupontunderground.org.
32

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

TWISTED TEENAGE PLOT

Named after the band featuring artist

Kevin MacDonald, the Apler Initiative
for Washington Art offers this exhibition at the American University
Museum showcasing other local visual
artists who also played in bands in the
late 70s and early 80s. Represented
in the exhibition which includes
sound recordings, posters and videos are Dick Bangham, Michael
Baron, Jay Burch, Kim Kane, Clark
Vinson Fox (aka Michael Clark),
Steve Ludlum, Michael McCall, JW
Mahoney, Michael Reidy, Robin Rose,
Judith Watkins Tartt and Joe White.
Through May 29. American University
Museums Gallery 252 at the Katzen
Arts Center, 4400 Massachusetts Ave.
NW. Call 202-885-1300 or visit american.edu/cas/museum.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

LA-TI-DO

Regie Cabico and Don Mike

Mendozas La-Ti-Do variety show
is neither karaoke nor cabaret. The
show features higher-quality singing
than most karaoke, often from local
musical theater actors performing on
their night off. Cabico and co-host
Mendoza also select storytellers who
offer spoken-word poetry and comedy. Held at Bistro Bistro in Dupont
Circle, the next La-Ti-Do event features local musical theater actor Ian
Anthony Coleman, who has appeared
recently in Arena Stages Oliver!,
Keegan Theatres American Idiot and
Hair! and Creative Cauldrons Once
On This Island. Coleman will be joined
by Kristin Cardinal, Reavey Burke
and the Alexandria Singers. Monday,
May 9, at 8 p.m. Bistro Bistro, 1727
Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are $15,
or $10 if you eat dinner at the restaurant beforehand. Call 202-328-1640 or
visit latidodc.wix.com/latido.

GERARD PANGAUD: CLASSIC

FRENCH COOKING

The man behind the former D.C. restaurant Gerards Place and now chef
at Malmaison on the Georgetown
Waterfront, Gerard Pangaud was the
youngest chef ever to receive a twostar Michelin rating (for his namesake
French restaurant prior to moving
to the U.S.). At the Hill Center on
Capitol Hill he offers another Art of
French Cooking class, predicated on
his approach in the kitchen emphasizing the creative and unique over the
rote and standard in other words,
winging it versus relying on a recipe.
For this class Pangaud demonstrates
how to make a bouillabaisse of monkfish Marseillaise, crispy sweetbread
with wild mushrooms and roasted
garlic sauce, and a tart crumble with
rhubarb and strawberries. Saturday,
May 14, at 11 a.m. Hill Center, Old
Navy Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave.
SE. Cost is $85. Call 202-549-4172 or
visit HillCenterDC.org. l

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

33

film

Uncivil
Captain America: Civil War is an
ensemble film that asks big questions
and packs an even bigger punch
by RHUARIDH MARR

MARVEL

APTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR IS PERHAPS

the best outing yet from any of Marvels franchises
and yes, that includes the breath of fresh air that
was Joss Whedons first Avengers film. Though
Steve Rogers threatens to be overwhelmed by all of the characters, plot details, politicking, soul-searching and fighting in his
third outing, Civil War dares to scratch beneath the surface of its
heroes and, as a result, triumphs.
First, a disclaimer: if youre one of the few people whove
yet to see any of the current Marvel films, theres little here for
you. Without knowledge of the characters, their personalities,
established backstories, the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a
whole, or even a passing glance at a Wiki page, Civil War is a
fine action film stuffed with well-directed action scenes, snappy

dialogue, and a bunch of stuff that will leave you constantly

interrupting the person next to you to ask whats going on. At the
very least, Winter Soldier is a must-watch for jumping into Civil
War several characters and plot details carry through to this
third Captain film. If youre not willing to do the legwork, then
screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have
little time for you.
If youve invested in Marvels efforts, however, Civil War
(
) is phenomenal. For sheer quantity of content,
it more than justifies the price of your seat. It hinges on the
premise that, after at least ten films featuring some semblance
of destruction to civilian property and presumably significant
loss of life the Avengers need to be kept in check. Markus
and McFeely are tapping into a hotbed of foreign policy questions here: Can one entity be in charge of policing the world?
Can we hold to account those who accidentally cause death in
the pursuit of stopping a much larger threat? When it comes to
questions of morality, who holds ultimate authority? Answering
those questions, unsurprisingly, proves to be problematic.
A need to oversee the Avengers arises after a mission in
Nigeria leads to the deaths of a number of innocents. The United
Nations propose a council that will monitor the Avengers,
instruct them in missions, and approve or deny any actions that
need to be taken. Its here that Civil War gets its name, as our
METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

35

heroes start to fall into two very distinct camps. Rogers is resolutely against any oversight, believing the council to be subject to
the whims of whomever controls it, while Tony Stark is in favor,
after an encounter with a mother whose son was killed in Lagos
shakes what little conscience he has left. They become de facto
leaders for either side, with Cap and co. forced to go on the run
as Stark works with the government to reel them in.
The films other story arc involves the hunt for Bucky Barnes/
Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), accused of terrorism and
chased by security forces. Stark and Rogers initially fight about
Avengers oversight, but that schism fully opens when Rogers
protects Barnes from being caught, believing his old friend has
been framed. All the while, Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) is chasing down Soviet activation codes which were used to brainwash
and control Barnes, forcing him to carry out murders to obtain
information and items. His ultimate goal, however, is to coax
Iron Man and Captain America into a full-blown war.
Really, it was inevitable that Stark and Rogers were going to
butt heads. Their personalities are so well-established that the
constant do-goodery of Rogers was only ever going to clash with
Starks more grey, ambiguous nature. Its just a shame that, during initial discussions over any Avengers oversight, Markus and
McFeely fail to give either character room to properly state their
case. Indeed, its tough not to side with Stark his reasoning for
the oversight is vastly superior to Rogers doe-eyed pleading and
assertions that he must follow his gut, regardless of the consequences. When Stark retorts that he wants to punch Rogers in
his perfect teeth, more than a few audience members will wish
that he would.
Thankfully, it doesnt take long for things to devolve into fisticuffs, and thats when Civil War truly starts to sing. Anthony and
Joe Russo have proven capable of balancing the gentler interpersonal moments of these films with grand, overblown action, but
its in the latter that both their direction and the script find greatest comfort. At the films core is one momentous battle sequence,
as the two warring sides come to blows at a German airport. For
fans of the franchise, its an awesome moment heck, for everyone else its still pretty darn awesome. Far more interesting than
the ludicrous Batman versus Superman question (Superman,
cmon folks), Iron Man versus Captain America offers a real
fight, one where the outcome is less than certain.
It helps that such a momentous battle isnt the dark, depressing spectacle of that other superhero film. Throughout, despite
all of the fighting and debating and soul-searching, Marvels patented brand of humor remains on point, offering genuine laughs
even when a dozen of the heroes we know and love are knocking
lumps out of one another. Yes, a dozen.
Whats most impressive is that, despite the sheer number of
characters thrown at viewers during Civil Wars 147-minute runtime, it never overwhelms. As Steve Rogers/Captain America,
Chris Evans once again turns in a reliably altruistic performance.
Though hes occasionally been asked little more than to turn up,
make some jokes about being out of sync with modern culture,
and then punch things and throw his shield, here the character
is finally given genuine quandaries to consider. As those around
him bend to the will of the worlds governments, he steps up and
becomes the leader of his group of rebels. Its commanding, and
Evans handles the emotion asked of him well, but its surprising
that in his own film, Captain America seems to do little more
than keep the plot chugging along. Instead, its the supporting
cast who really shine.
Scarlett Johansson continues to offer justification for a Black
Widow film that will never be, as she switches allegiances, toys
36

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

with other characters, kicks ass, wisecracks, and then displays

raw emotion without missing a beat. Anthony Mackie returns
as Sam Wilson/Falcon, though as Rogers sidekick, Wilson is
forced to follow him due to little more than blind loyalty. Mackie
handles the humor asked of him well, but theres little extra
meat in the script to work with. As TChalla/Black Panther,
Chadwick Boseman offers an intriguing glimpse of the character
hell be portraying in a standalone film in 2018. Its little more
than that, however intent on avenging the death of his father
at the assumed hands of the Winter Soldier, theres no depth to
the hatred burning beneath the surface of his Catwoman-esque
costume. Presumably itll be fleshed out in 2018.
As Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Elizabeth Olsen offers
a surprisingly nuanced performance. More than anyone, she
wrestles with guilt, being the main reason for the civilian
deaths at the films start. Maximoff is forced to contemplate the
destructive potential of the power she wields, while faced with
the reality that she has brought about the initial reason for the
Iron Man/Captain America conflict. Olsens big, expressive eyes
carry this subplot, as Maximoff battles the need to control herself with the desire to explore the depths of her power.
One of Civil Wars biggest surprises is the introduction of a
new Spider-Man. Yes, its our third iteration of the character
in ten years, but dont start writing angry Reddit posts just yet.
Newcomer Tom Holland may be here mainly to offer comic
relief and to establish a thin veil of lore for his own franchise
next year, but in just a few minutes of screentime he manages to
outshine most of those around him. Jumping web first into the
role, Holland crackles with energy, offering just enough to justify sitting through yet another of the web-slingers films.
Surprisingly, though, Civil War belongs to Robert Downey, Jr.
As Tony Stark/Iron Man, audiences have become accustomed to
his fight first, consider the consequences later approach to
problem solving, but in Civil War, Starks internal struggle is
better defined and more interesting than Rogers. He abandoned
weapons manufacturing due to the destruction it could wreak,
yet now must face the fact that the Avengers are capable of far
greater destruction even in the quest for peace. Its tough not
to root for Stark throughout, not least because Downeys performance is as charismatic as ever, but also because his turmoil
is explored to a greater degree. He may not always be right, but
because hes more flawed than Rogers, hes more likable as a
result. In the climactic final battle sequence, in which Iron Man
squares off directly against Captain America, its Stark who has
the audiences backing.
When the dust eventually settles, however, were in no
clearer a place than two hours earlier. Civil War doesnt really
conclude anything. Its almost two-and-a-half hours of various
Avengers examining their place in the world, their personal
predilections, their affiliations. As the credits roll, audiences
are left in the rubble of the films central war any concrete
resolutions are left for future films in the MCU franchise. What
it does, however, is delve deeper than any Marvel film in recent
memory. Though the script doesnt always answer the questions
its asking, that it even poses them is noteworthy. This is a superhero film where guilt, responsibility, morality and loss all have
gravitas. The unseen deaths that so many of Marvels films are
filled with those in New York, Sokovia, and other places are
finally given weight. That Civil War never sags under that weight
is a marvel in and of itself. l
Captain America: Civil War opens in area theaters May 6. For
tickets, visit fandango.com.

stage

Tabletalk
Disgraced raises, but doesnt quite
embrace, some of the increasingly
vital questions of our time
C. STANLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

by KATE WINGFIELD

ow is not the time to shy away from the complexities of what it is to be a Muslim in a post-9/11, postISIS America. Ayad Akhtars Disgraced (HHHHH)
grapples with many of these important issues.
Unfortunately, its just too blunt.
The main problem is that, as deeply interesting as Akhtars

ideas are, he assumes too little knowledge. Those who will

attend plays about Muslim Americans are going to be a lot further along in the dialogue. The thirst is for a nuanced treatment,
not an education in the basics. Its not that Akhtar never touches
the complex or nuanced he does he just doesnt leave himself room to explore.
Akhtars protagonist, Amir, certainly begins in an intriguing
place. A successful lawyer, he and his wife Emily, an artist, enjoy
a prosperous life in a New York condo with a million-dollar
view. Amir is, by all accounts, a happy, modern male of rational
mind and easy humor. He may be fully aware of his traditional
Muslim roots, but he has long left them behind.
In order to explore him, Akhtar naturally wants to touch
Amirs pressure points. But the test feels far too contrived: when
Amir is asked by his nephew Abe to help an Imam, who may or
may not have been supporting terrorism, he has no such incliMETROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

37

nations. When the rather frantically idealistic Emily turns the

marital screws, he relents.
How could this couple have never discussed such matters
before, what with the endless news coverage of all things terrorism? Yet Emily rides roughshod over Amir without any reference to their history on the issue. It simply doesnt ring true.
Further problematic is the knock-on effect at work. Although
Amirs support of the Imam was apparently minor, it sets off
a seismic shift. We learn of this in fits and starts: a boss wont
return his calls, two other partners challenge Amir on his ethnicity, and there is some kind of breakdown in a meeting. But this
too feels contrived and far too remote from an Amir who simply
keeps drinking and looking pained.
By the time a work colleague, Jory, and her Gallery-owning
husband, Isaac, arrive for a dinner party, we know Amirs world
is quietly unravelling. But it still feels too much of a leap when
a dinner discussion of ethnic identity, 9/11 and the Middle East,
pushes Amir to enraged transformation. Social circuit-breakers
in this demographic are strong. And, again, we simply havent
learned enough of Amir to see how he could so profoundly revert
to another identity. Akhtar doesnt address Amirs intelligence,
self-knowledge, the years of belonging with other, intelligent
thoughtful people.
Finally, in his quest to capture the complexity of his subject
matter, the playwright also feels he must ensure that every
character, not just Amir, is seen as flawed. This is full of truth,
but life is never so systematic and it detracts from any sense of
authenticity.
Still, there is no question that Akhtar shows an extraordinary
ear for the complexity, logic (flawed and otherwise), and deep
understanding of todays discourse on religion and the modern

38

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

man. Each of the ideas raised the tensions within Amir, the
modern tribal conflicts, and the naivet of people like Emily
are important and deeply compelling issues in our times. They
just deserved deeper exploration with more nuanced drivers.
Matters are not helped by uneven acting. As Amir, Nehal
Joshi exudes the necessary warmth and intelligence but never
quite convinces either as the swaggering cell-phone addict or
later at his most primal. As gallery-owner Isaac, Joe Eisenberg
brings some of the better humor of the piece, reveling in Akhtars
amusing picture of an urban type. But Eisenberg also gets closest
to a genuine kind of grappling when it comes to the showdown
with Amir. His anger builds in appropriate fits and starts does
he really want to argue with his host? and when he lets rip, it
feels far more convincing. The subplot involving Emily falls flat,
but with a jam-packed agenda, there was never going to room for
more than a sketch.
Emily exists merely as the voice for the PC left and as plotmover, and virtually nothing else. This is certainly a challenge,
but Ivy Vahanian does little to get beneath her surface, even
when the opportunity arises. It kills any chemistry between her
and Amir and does nothing to help build the emotional power
that one must feel to understand and get Amirs anger and his
agony. Amirs colleague Jory, is also sparely-drawn, which begs
the question of where Akhtar sees the modern American female
in his depiction of this national dialogue. Felicia Curry does her
best with some rather stilted dialog and one-liners and injects as
much emotion as the truncated events allow. l
Disgraced runs to May 29 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW,
Washington. Tickets are $40 to $110. Call 202-488-3300 or visit
arenastage.org.

music

Wrong Turn
Cyndi Laupers Detour lacks
any true direction
by GORDON ASHENHURST

CHAPMAN BAEHLER

EW SINGERS FROM THE 80S HAVE AS MUCH

goodwill directed towards them as Cyndi Lauper.
When she first burst onto the music scene, sashaying
her wares on the streets of New York in the music
video to Girls Just Want To Have Fun, it heralded the start of
a new, untamed and uncensored pop star expression. That she
would spend the remainder of her career often struggling to find
that same vitality again has proved to be the biggest obstacle in
repeating her first albums enormous success.
Whether Laupers records subsequently became increasingly
weighed down by record label interference or not, the one thing
that has remained unsuppressable has been her multi-octave

), it is exactly
belter of a voice. And here on Detours (
that voice she is reliant upon in order to inject life into what is
a no more, no less approach to an interesting concept: a country
music covers album. Lauper rarely conquers her material with
the same relish as the original recordings of Girls Just Want
To Have Fun, Money Changes Everything and even Princes
When You Were Mine, making the album sound like no one
else wanted a go at a half empty karaoke bar.
It doesnt help that Tunnel of Love is a rough start. Possibly
mistaking a songs ubiquity for accessibility, that it sounds synthetic and functional is a waste of an exciting premise. Lauper
is in dependably confident vocal form, but inserting her vintage
hiccups into the mix (something she utilized on her first album,
yet has rarely reproduced since) highlights her struggle to make
the material her own.
If Lauper is rather rootless in the genre, she finds better footing on some of the duets that help connect the mix and match of
country with her preppier quirks. Detour, featuring Emmylou
Harris, is one such example. Matching the cut-glass beauty of
Harris, Lauper is in spirited form and the song strangely recalls
METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

39

her own self-written intro from

her album A Night To Remember.
Equally unassuming, Night Life,
featuring Willie Nelson, is a shoegazing, shoulder-shrugging number, with an arrangement giving
these two old pros plenty of room to
have a ball together, whether they
recorded it in the same room or not.
It is a rare moment on the album,
finding an after-hours groove that
rings true.
As on all Laupers albums, she
truly knows how to make sure her
ballads hit the spot. Misty Blue is
ravishingly, heartbreakingly lovely. A steamy torch ballad with an
air of rhythm and blues, here she
sounds much more natural and selfassured. This is Lauper at her best,
where she can bridge the gap between the teary eyed balladeer
who gave us Time After Time and the aching seduction found
on her sadly neglected 90s albums Hat Full of Stars and Sisters
of Avalon. Off-key, but on form, The End of the World conveys
the kind of brittle fragility that made her own songs, such as
Heading for the Moon and True Colors, so starkly pretty and
emotional. The beautifully wrought Hard Candy Christmas,
featuring Alison Krauss, significantly adds to the limited appeal
of the album, with the biggest pathos of all being that the rest of
the record cant equal its sweetness.
The plodding Walkin After Midnight falls flattest of all.

40

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

In order to inhabit these songs to

the fullest, choosing such a predictable arrangement simply sounds
sterile in the inevitable comparison with the original. Heartache
by the Number compliments her
reverberating vocal throttle more
effectively, but, once again, musically this is a polished yet faceless
affair. I Want to Be a Cowboys
Sweetheart was originally a hit in
the 1930s and sounds more like a
skit. That Lauper doesnt let out a
yee-ha! is remarkable given we
are made to endure a lassoed-Jewel
yodelling.
Far from a completely pointless diversion, Detour simply lacks
any true direction. This stop-gap
album is uniformly pleasant, but it
is also rather pedestrian and predictable. Songs such as I Fall
to Pieces, Youre the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly and Tunnel
of Love are all flat readings, never showing the dynamic spark
Lauper has made her name with in either delivery or arrangement. Theres little here to remind us that she is one of pops
great charismatic and interpretive talents. Instead, in an effort to
be country and swing some of the classics, she forgot to be herself. An all-covers country album certainly wasnt a bad idea, but
Lauper sure has picked some rather big cowboy boots to fill. l
Detour is available May 6 through streaming, download, and on Amazon.

opera

The Rhinegold

Ringing True
The first two operas in WNOs Ring
Cycle are powerfully sung, brilliantly
staged, andstunningly executed
by KATE WINGFIELD

SCOTT SUCHMAN

ITH WASHINGTONS FIRST-EVER COMplete Ring of the Nibelung (HHHHH), director

Francesca Zambello achieves an extraordinary milestone not just in staging the four
operas consecutively, but in bringing her own voice and vision to
Wagners saga of conflicted Norse gods and their troubled entanglements with giants, dragons, earth spirits and a few bewildered mortals. Her Ring (a co-production with San Francisco
Opera) has taken more than a decade to develop, surviving not
just the usual financing woes of the arts, but a full-blown recession. It may not be perfect (and it has been modulated over its
years in development), but it arrives clear, strong and with more
imaginative power than ever. Its a testament to Zambellos
determination to grow the art form.
Directors are not shy in giving their Rings an update. They

come in many forms, from the minimalist to the sci fi to

the utterly traditional, with breastplates and medieval garb.
Zambellos is known as the American Ring because she, in large
part, interprets the story through this countrys lens, historically
and culturally referencing iconic times, places and vistas.
But to see this as another in the trend of flag-waving in the
arts would be shortsighted. Wagner is far too dark and Zambello
far too complex. Truth be told, there is something quite wonderfully un-American in the look and feel of these productions (all
of which have been staged individually by the WNO over past
seasons). In particular, set designer Michael Yeargan may invoke
American epochs (a panhandling 49er, a vintage boardroom),
places (urban underpasses and scrubland) or moods (the austere
palette of Frederic Church, the hyper-real vibrancy of Maxfield
Parrish), but his sensibility is also European. There is very much
the suggestion of an eons-old Continental grandeur in Wotans
mountaintop home, a fiery Lord of the Rings-esque underworld
in the Nibelungs caves, and a distinctly post-modern vision in
the urban scenes. Add the number of sleek leather dusters that
at a glance look awfully Germanic and the productions evoke far
more of the Old World than the New.
However one views them, these evocations provide an array
of interesting moods and flavors. But Zambellos innovation does
not stop with the mood and imagery. She also reveals a deep
METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

41

SCOTT SUCHMAN

interest in Wagners women. There is powerful commentary

here on the vulnerability of women in the face of male brutality and power. It appears in the way Alberich tries to crudely
force a river maiden into his crotch in the opening scene of The
Rhinegold, the way in which Hunding handles the submissive
Sieglinde, her arms covered in bruises, in The Valkyrie, and the
anger of Fricka in both operas as a woman roundly humiliated
and now defined by husband Wotans unfaithfulness.
By the time the confident and much loved Brunnhilde arrives
in father Wotans boardroom in The Valkyrie, she is a revelation
in comparison to the powerless women who have come before
her. When she gives her signature battle cry, she is a symbol of
power and self-determination. As such, it delivers a far greater
pathos to her later fall from grace, at the hands, yet again, of a
man. When Wotan condemns her to be the bride of a mortal
man, left to sew before his fire in humiliation, he is taking her
power, her independence and her equality. Zambello gives compelling emphasis to these aspects in her contrasts. It is also quite
fascinating to realize that Wagner himself spoke to them when
he penned Die Walkure in 1856.
Thus Zambello brings these intriguing features to her Ring,
but she also embraces Wagners more primal and ominous
themes: the poor and weak may be ruled by the powerful, but life
is capricious, power is fragile, and death is coming not just to us
all, but perhaps even the universe.
She captures much of the enormity in the first opera of the
cycle, The Rhinegold, through the use of the extraordinary projections of Jan Hartley and S. Katy Tucker. There is a long tradition in film of contrasting music with imagery, and its incorporation into opera has been a revelation. Back in 2003, for example,
while in temporary digs at DAR Constitution Hall, the WNOs
staging of The Valkyrie by necessity relied on projections. But
those long looping clips of depthless, angry waves and desolate
brackish winter waters were deeply poignant and evocative.
Such power returns here. As the overture begins, an amorphous, subtle cloud begins to roil and change with Wagners
ominous score, evolving into a phenomenal array of color and
movement evoking everything from the farthest reaches of the
universe to a bloodstream, to quarks and atoms, and to oblivion.
It is profoundly moving.
It also sets an entire frame of mind for what is to come. When
the projections return later they serve as evocative segues and
interludes as the story moves between the mountain top retreat
of the gods and the underground world of the Nibelung.
42

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

The beautiful imagery, Yeargans evocative

sets and Zambellos clear storytelling make for
a powerful vehicle. They also overcome aspects
that, at times, works less well in the quest to keep
Rhinegold accessible: a few creative translations
of the libretto that grate (a shorthand to slimy
sluts); Alberichs rather crude handling of the
river maidens; his later transformation into a silly
toad prop; and some less successful attempts to
bring dramatic realism to some of the more protracted scenes. Case in point is the long negotiation in which Wotan tries to get out of his promise
to give Frickas sister Freia to the giants Fasolt and
Fafner in payment for building Valhalla. Melody
Moore tries to convince, but her Freia is caught in
an endless unconvincing do-loop between panic
and relief as the negotiations vacillate.
But these moments aside, the drama and the
The Valkyrie
key roles here are powerfully intact. As Alberich,
the underground-dwelling Nibelung who steals the gold from
the river maidens and creates the ring that will bring destruction
to all who own it, Gordon Hawkins is menacing and memorable,
especially once he has found power. As Wotan, the god who
must obtain the gold from Alberich if he is to free Freia, Alan
Held is utterly in his element, mixing godlike certainty with a
more recognizable fallibility. A commanding presence, he sings
with handsomely expressive tone. Elizabeth Bishops Fricka
is convincingly acted and her mezzo-soprano attractively fullbodied (though richer and more glorious in The Valkyrie). As
Loge, Wotans frenemy who helps secure him the gold, William
Burden is convincing in his duplicitous cheeriness and sings
with a pleasingly bright tenor. As the three river maidens, Renee
Tatum, Jacqueline Echols and Catherine Martin offer a blend of
exquisite, lush, and otherworldly sound, even if their cavorting
around Alberich is rather aimless and awkward. Another standout is Julian Close as Fasolt, who sings with a quietly thundery
bass. Finally, Lindsay Ammann makes a beautifully choreographed entrance as Erda and delivers her desolate warning to
Wotan with a hauntingly resonant contralto.
As we leave The Rhinegold, the gods are cheerful and oblivious, climbing an impressively immense gangway to Valhalla. But
they leave in their wake the river maidens, begging for their help
and setting the stage for The Valkyrie, in which their troubles
compound and Wotan becomes his own worst enemy.
And this Rings Valkyrie is very much the production seen
at the WNO in 2007, losing none of its dramatic intensity. That
said, there is no doubt that the opening scene in which the
mortal Siegmund (albeit a mortal fathered by Wotan) stumbles
across his long-lost sister Sieglinde and her odious husband
Hunding, has its challenges. As beautiful as the music may be,
it is, dramatically speaking, long-winded. Its a lot of posturing
for Hunding, a lot of brooding for Siegmund and a great deal of
cowering from Sieglinde. It certainly helps that Zambello brings
a certain relevance in this Sieglinde and Meagan Millers portrayal of the abused woman is compelling. It is so strong, in fact,
it even helps to explain her ability to accept her brother as her
lover. Her sense of self has already been destroyed by the brutal
Hunding, what do her choices matter now?
But Miller doesnt just breathe life into Sieglinde and her suffering, she sings her into a soaring, transcendent sadness first
as she goes on the run with Siegmund and then, after his death,
when she finds a reason to live in the promise of her unborn child.
In the role of Siegmund, another in the long list of men in this

opera not easy to love, Christopher Ventris, singing with energy

if not much nuance, brings a tenderness towards Sieglinde that
goes at least some way to mitigate the creepiness of his passion
for her and his if-I-cant-have-her-nobody-can moment. As
Hunding, Raymond Aceto delivers a clearly defined villain and
sings with a pleasingly growly bass.
But for most fans, even those who have only a passing familiarity with the Ring, the highlights of The Valkyrie come with
acts two and three. They bring a return to the realm of the gods
and the arrival of Brunnhilde, her sisters, and their incredibly
rousing battle song. It is music to be heard live and conductor
Philippe Auguin, bringing a tremendous performance from the
WNO orchestra throughout, does not disappoint. It is also one
of Zambellos most inventive turns, flying her Valkyries down
from the heavens in the form of vintage paratroopers, singing
in a fabulous array of richly wondrous power-voices. Returning
also from 2007 are the photographs they carry as symbols of the
fallen warriors they will bring to Valhalla. As before, they are
the hauntingly handsome faces of young men lost in the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
It is not just the excitement of the Valkyries that makes these
acts so absorbing, this part of the story also brings some of the
Rings most emotionally potent moments. As we return to the
gods, Fricka is turning the screws on Wotan, forcing him to
renounce Siegmund, even though Wotan sees him as the man
who can save the gods from the doom predicted by Erda in The
Rhinegold. Elizabeth Bishop not only captures Frickas scorn, she
has believable chemistry with Helds Wotan. When Brunnhilde
arrives, happy and confident as the apple of her fathers eye,
Frickas disdain and the full picture of the family dynamic is
revealed. It creates a meaningful context for the later disastrous

falling out between Wotan and Brunnhilde, when she defies his
wishes and tries to save Siegmund. The love is deep, but the dysfunction is deeper in this privileged family.
The capturing of their relationship is crucial if we are to feel
the tragedy of Wotans decree that Brunnhilde be made mortal
and left for the first mortal man who wakes her. Its a tall order
at the best of times, but even more so under the circumstances
of this Rings opening: an injury sidelining Catherine Foster.
Christine Goerke stepped in at the last minute and does a superb
job in giving her young woman a convincingly youthful gusto
and irreverence, as well as a glimpse of fear and heartbreak,
despite her strength. Goerke sings her with golden tenacity
and expressive power and a most gratifying hojotoho. And
there is very much the feeling of father-daughter chemistry with
Helds Wotan. Held exudes palpable suffering in his decision
and when he tears off his coat to cover his sleeping daughter
and issues his protective might over her vulnerable body, the
moment is nothing less than stunning.
Up next are Siegfried and finally Twilight of the Gods (or
Gotterdammerung). There is no doubt: to see these operas
together as intended is a gift. For those who can clear their
mental and physical decks and that is no small feat as these
are long, really long, operas Zambellos Ring is an aural, visual
and spiritual event: an immersion in a dark and extraordinarily
beautiful world like no other. l
The Ring Cycle runs to May 22 The Rhinegold closes May 17,
The Valkyrie May 18, Siegfried May 20, and Twilight of the Gods
May 22 at the Kennedy Center Opera House, 2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC. Tickets are $75 to $525. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

43

exhibits

Kaleidoscopes: 200 Years

presents the humble childrens toy
as a tangible work of art
by FALLON FORBUSH

S A CHILD, YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST

kaleidoscope, says Charles Karadimos. As an
adult its no longer a toy, its an art form. Its
sculpture on the outside and magic on the inside.
A dedicated kaleidoscope artist from Damascus, Md.,
Karadimos is one of more than 50 international artists participating in Kaleidoscopes: 200 Years, currently at the Mansion
at Strathmore. Its a unique exhibit, one where attendees are
welcome not only to gaze at the various works on display, but
to experience them. Utilizing sight, sound and touch, each hand44

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

crafted kaleidoscope or kaleidoscope-inspired work aims

to transform the humble, entrancing, psychedelic toys we all
played with as children into bona fide works of art. We are just
fixated and fascinated with that imagery, says Carolyn Bennett,
who traveled from southern New Jersey to see her pieces on
display at the exhibits opening reception.
Kaleidoscopes: 200 Years is comprised of a mixture of quilts,
photography and actual kaleidoscopes, each work inspired by
the symmetrical shapes found within chambers filled with tumbling glass, plastic and rounded beads. The kaleidoscopes on display are made from the conventional and the unexpected: metal
tubing, wood, egg shells, train sets, even bread. Some are fused
together with melted glass in a technique known as slumping.
They vary in size from small jewelry to one that has been crafted
inside the gut of a large, wheeled cart.
I think of kaleidoscopes as having those dry, clunky rhinestones from Michaels, says Gabrielle Tillenburg, visual arts
coordinator at Strathmore. But I was fascinated by what types
of light are used. Its just mind-bending.
While some of the kaleidoscopes have their own internal

ROY COHEN

Magic Mirrors

CHARLES KARADIMOS

light sources one utilizes fiber optic tubing and black lights,
while another relies on the cellphone displays of those interacting with the piece others rely on natural light. All of the optical instruments use mirrors to warp light, but some use dichroic

glass to output natural light in different colors, depending on the angle.

Im sort of a math and physics person from school,
so interpreting that into an art form thats participatory
is an infatuation, says Karadimos, who has been creating kaleidoscope art for 36 years. Its a personal expression. What youre seeing is connected to you, so your
impression will be different to anybody elses.
The word kaleidoscope is derived from three Greek
words that, when combined, mean beautiful image.
Depending on the preference of the artist, kaleidoscopes
can have dry chambers that clink as materials shift, or
chambers filled with oil for a quiet rotation. One kaleidoscope on display avoids a chamber altogether. Known as
a teleidoscope, it uses a marble-shaped lens to give those
who wield it the ability to view any object outside of the
instrument in a kaleidoscopic pattern.
Both Bennett and Karadimos are members of the
Brewster Kaleidoscope Society, currently celebrating
the 200th anniversary of David Brewsters invention of
the unique visual instrument. The exhibit is the societys
seventh gallery at Strathmore (the first was curated in
1985) and it remains on display through Saturday, June
4. Bennett is confident that visitors will never forget
what theyve seen, a sentiment Karadimos shares.
Visitors will walk away smiling, theres no question
about it. l
Kaleidoscopes: 200 Years is on display through June 4 at the
Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, in North Bethesda.
Free. Visit strathmore.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

MAY 5, 2016

45

NIGHT

LIFE
LISTINGS
THURS., 05.05.16
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple TVs
showing movies, shows,
sports Expanded craft beer
selection Music videos
featuring DJ Wess
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $6 Call Martini,
$3 Miller Lite, $4 Rail, $5
Call, 4-9pm $3 Rail Drinks,
10pm-midnight, $5 Red
Bull, Gatorade and Frozen
Virgin Drinks Locker Room
Thursday Nights DJs Sean
Morris and MadScience
Best Package Contest at
midnight, hosted by BaNaka
$200 Cash Prize Doors
open 10pm, 18+ $5 Cover
under 21 and free with college ID
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5pm Happy
Hour, 5-8pm $2 Bud and
Bud Light Draughts, $3
Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail
and Import Bottle Beer, $6
Call Strip Down Thursdays
Happy Hour starts with
shirtless men drink free rail
and domestic, 5-8pm Men
in jocks drink free rail and
domestic, 10pm-12am DJ
Switch starts spinning, 9pm1am No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm

JR.S
All You Can Drink for $15,
5-8pm $3 Rail Vodka
Highballs, $2 JR.s drafts,
8pm-close Flashback:
Music videos from 1975-

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm Ladies
Drink Free Power Hour,
4-5pm Shirtless Thursday,
10-11pm DJs BacK2bACk

METROWEEKLY.COM

47

48

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

scene
Ziegfelds / Secrets
Saturday, April 30
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!

Photography by
Ward Morrison

2005 with DJ Jason Royce,

8pm-12am
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
Happy Hour 4-7pm Cinco
de Mayo, 7pm-close $4
Coronas, $5 Modelos all
night Magician Danny
Dubin, 7:30pm Live Music
from DJ EZ, 8pm
THROBBING THURSDAYS
@THE HOUSE
NIGHTCLUB
3530 Georgia Ave. NW
Diverse group of all male, all
nude dancers Doors open
9pm Shows all night until
close, starting at 9pm $5
Domestic Beer, $6 Imports
$12 cover For Table
Reservations, 202-487-6646
rockharddc.com
TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm Happy Hour all
night, $4 drinks and draughts
21+

TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail
glass served in a huge glass
for the same price, 5-10pm
Beer and wine only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
9pm Cover 21+
FRI., 05.06.16
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
Friday Night Videos with
resident DJ Shea Van Horn
VJ Expanded craft beer
selection No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
All You Can Drink Happy
Hour $15 Rail and
Domestic, $21 Call &
Imports, 6-9pm Guys
Night Out Free Rail
Vodka, 11pm-Midnight, $6
Belvedere Vodka Drinks all
night DJ MadScience
upstairs DJ Keenan Orr
downstairs $10 cover
10pm-1am, $5 after 1am

DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5pm Happy
Hour, 5-8pm $2 Bud and
Bud Light Draughts, $3
Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail
and Import Bottle Beer,
$6 Call Mid-Atlantic
Kennel Korps on Club
Bar Trainers and Puppy
Mosh, 9pm-1am Fetish
Friday: Pups with collars and
leashes drink free, 8-10pm
No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Smirnoff, all flavors, all night
long OtterDen DC presents
Otter Crossing, 9pm-close
$5 Cover after 10pm
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm
$2 Skyy Highballs and $2
Drafts, 10pm-midnight Pop
and Dance Music Videos
with DJ Darryl Strickland
$5 Coronas, $8 Vodka Red
Bulls, 9pm-close

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat the Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour: 2
for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
Happy Hour 4-7pm Luke
Shaffer singing live, 8pm
TOWN
Patio open at 6pm DC
Bear Crue Happy Hour,
6-11pm $3 Rail, $3 Draft,
$3 Bud Bottles Free Pizza,
7pm No cover before
9:30pm 21+ Drag
Show starts at 10:30pm
Hosted by Lena Lett and
featuring Miss Tatianna,
Shi-Queeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx
and BaNaka DJ Wess
upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk
downstairs GoGo Boys
after 11pm Doors open
at 10pm For those 21 and
over, $12 For those 18-20,
$15 18+ Patio: 21+

TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail
glass served in a huge glass
for the same price, 5-10pm
Beer and wine only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers,
hosted by LaTroya Nicole
Ladies of Ziegfelds,
9pm Rotating Hosts
DJ in Secrets VJ Tre in
Ziegfelds Cover 21+
SAT., 05.07.16
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 3-9pm $5 Absolut
& Titos, $3 Miller Lite after
9pm Expanded craft beer
selection No Cover
Music videos featuring various DJs
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Drag Yourself to Brunch
at Level One, 11am-2pm
and 2-4pm Featuring
Kristina Kelly and the Ladies
of Illusion Bottomless
Mimosas and Bloody Marys
Happy Hour: $3 Miller
Lite, $4 Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm

METROWEEKLY.COM

Rumba Latina: Latin Night

at Cobalt, 10pm-close
Doors open 10pm $7 cover
before midnight, $10 cover
after 21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 4-6pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm Happy
Hour, 8-10pm $2 Bud
and Bud Light Draughts, $3
Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail
and Import Bottle Beer, $6
Call All Colors Night
meet DC Clubs for Raffles,
Jello Shots and Brotherhood
$2 suggested donation at
door Rubber Night men
in rubber or latex get special
prices No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Drag Queen Broadway
Brunch, 10am-3pm
Starring Freddies Broadway
Babes Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Freddies Follies Drag
Show, 8-10pm, hosted by
Miss Destiny B. Childs
No Cover

MAY 5, 2016

49

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Bacardi, all flavors, all night
long REWIND: Request
Line, an 80s and 90s Dance
Party, 9pm-close No Cover

at 10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring Miss
Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-Lee,
Riley Knoxx and BaNaka
Doors open 10pm $12
Cover 21+

COBALT/30 DEGREES
$4 Stoli, Stoli flavors
and Miller Lite all day
Homowood Karaoke, hosted
by Robert Bise, 10pm-close
21+

JR.S
$4 Coors, $5 Vodka
Highballs, $7 Vodka Red
Bulls

TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 2pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail
glass served in a huge glass
for the same price, 2-10pm
Beer and wine only $4

DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 2-6pm
dcnine.com

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 3-9pm No Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
Bottomless Mimosas, 10am3pm Happy Hour, 5-7pm
Kentucky Derby Party join
us before and after The Funk
Parade!
TOWN
Patio open 2pm DJ
Escapes SERVED series
featuring a live performance
by Robin S Featuring
House Music from DJ Ed
Bailey Drag Show starts

50

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion with host Ella
Fitzgerald Doors at 9 p.m.,
first show at 11:30 p.m.
DJs Doors open 8pm
Cover 21+
SUN., 05.08.16
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 3-9pm Multiple TVs
showing movies, shows,
sports Expanded craft beer
selection No Cover

DC EAGLE
Doors open at 12pm $2
Bud and Bud Light Draughts
all day and night, $3
Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail
and Import Bottle Beer, $6
Call Sunday Buffet $10
includes first rail or domestic
drink Check Facebook
page for menu No Cover
21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Champagne Brunch Buffet,
10am-3pm Crazy Hour,
4-7pm Karaoke, 8pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Mamas Trailer Park Karaoke
downstairs, 9:30pm-close

JR.S
Sunday Funday Liquid
Brunch Doors open at
1pm $2 Coors Lights and
$3 Skyy (all flavors), all day
and night

SHAWS TAVERN
Bottomless Mimosas,
10am-3pm Mothers Day
Brunch Free Mimosas for
the moms! Sunday Funday
Karaoke, 2nd Floor, 3-7pm

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

Drag Brunch, hosted by
Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm
$20 Brunch Buffet
House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer
and Mimosas, $4, 11amclose Buckets of Beer, $15

TOWN PATIO
Open 2pm Cornhole, Giant
Jenga, and Flip-cup

NUMBER NINE
Pop Goes the World with
Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 3-9pm No Cover
ROCK HARD SUNDAYS
@THE HOUSE
NIGHTCLUB
3530 Georgia Ave. NW
Diverse group of all male, all
nude dancers Doors open
9pm Shows all night until
close, starting at 9pm $5
Domestic Beer, $6 Imports
$12 cover For Table
Reservations, 202-487-6646
rockharddc.com

TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 2pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail
glass served in a huge glass
for the same price, 2-10pm
Beer and wine only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
9pm Cover 21+
MON., 05.09.16
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple TVs
showing movies, shows,
sports Expanded craft beer
selection No Cover

ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
Monday Nights A Drag,
hosted by Kristina Kelly
Doors open at 10pm $3
Skyy Cocktails, $8 Skyy and
Red Bull $8 Long Islands
No Cover, 18+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5pm Happy
Hour, 5-8pm $1 Bud and
Bud Light Draughts Free
Pool all day and night
Men in DC Eagle T-Shirts
get Happy Hour, 8pm-close
$3 Domestic Bottles, $4
Rail and Import Bottle Beer,
$6 Call No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long
Puppy-Oke: Open Mic Night
Karaoke, 9:30pm-close
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm
Showtunes Songs &
Singalongs, 9pm-close
DJ James $3 Draft Pints,
8pm-midnight
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Texas Holdem
Poker, 8pm Dart Boards
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm Trivia
w/Jeremy, 7:30pm
TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail
glass served in a huge glass
for the same price, 5-10pm
Beer and wine only $4

TUES., 05.10.16
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple TVs
showing movies, shows,
sports Expanded craft beer
selection No Cover
ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
DJ Honey Happy Hour:
$2 Rail, $3 Miller Lite, $5
Call, 4-9pm SIN Service
Industry Night, 10pm-close
$1 Rail Drinks all night
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close

METROWEEKLY.COM

JR.S
Birdie LaCage Show,
10:30pm Underground
(Indie Pop/Alt/Brit Rock),
9pm-close DJ Wes
Della Volla 2-for-1, 5pmmidnight
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Karaoke and
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
Safe Word: A Gay Spelling
Bee, 8-11pm Prizes to the
top three spellers After
9pm, $3 Absolut, Bulleit
& Stella
SHAWS TAVERN
Half Priced Burgers & Pizzas,
5pm-Close $5 House
Wines & Sam Adams Drafts,
5pm-Close
TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm Yappy Hour
Bring Your Dogs $4 Drinks
and Draughts

MAY 5, 2016

51

TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail
glass served in a huge glass
for the same price, 5-10pm
Beer and wine only $4
WED., 05.11.16
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple TVs
showing movies, shows,
sports Expanded craft beer
selection No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
Wednesday Night Karaoke,
hosted by Miss India Larelle
Houston, 10pm-2am $4
Stoli and Stoli Flavors and
Miller Lite all night No
Cover 21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com

52

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm $6
Burgers Drag Bingo Night,
hosted by Ms. Regina Jozet
Adams, 8pm Bingo prizes
Karaoke, 10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1 Free, 4-9pm
Trivia with MC Jay Ray,
8pm The Feud: Drag
Trivia, hosted by BaNaka,
10-11pm, with a $200 prize
$2 JR.s Drafts and $4
Vodka ($2 with College ID or
JR.s Team Shirt)
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night, 8pm
and 9pm Prizes include bar
tabs and tickets to shows at
the 9:30 Club $15 Buckets
of Beer for SmartAss Teams
only Bring a new team
member and each get a free
$10 Dinner
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover

SHAWS TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm Piano
Bar Second Floor, 8pm-Close
Industry Wednesdays,
9:30pm-close
TOWN PATIO
$4 drinks and draughts,
5-9pm Nashville
Wednesdays: Country music
and line dancing, with line
dancing lessons from DC
Rawhides every other week
TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail
glass served in a huge glass
for the same price, 5-10pm
Beer and wine only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Night, 10-11pm,
12-12:30am Military
Night, no cover with military
ID DJ Don T. in Secrets
9pm Cover 21+ l

Weve already had people testing this, going into Targets and
men trying to go into bathrooms. There is
absolutely no barrier.
SANDY RIOS, director of government affairs for the American Family Association, speaking with Breitbart. The chief concern
[is] trauma, certainly for little girls of having men dressed like women coming in their bathrooms, she continued.
It would seem the only men causing trauma to little girls in bathrooms are those working for the AFA.

This Free Life is designed to challenge the perception that

tobacco use is a necessary part of LGBT culture.
RICHARD WOLITSKI, of the Office for HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, commenting on a new FDA program designed to
combat smoking among LGBT youth. The FDA estimates that, of the 2 million LGBT young adults in the US,
more than 800,000 smoke at least occasionally.

The concern is not of the Caitlyn Jenners of the world,

but if the law is such that any man...can go in a womans restroom and you cant ask him to leave.

TED CRUZ, speaking on CNNs State of the Union. Cruz was responding to a video of Caitlyn Jenner in which the reality star
and former Olympian uses a female restroom in Trump Tower. Afterwards, Jenner states: Thank you, Donald,
really appreciate it. And by the way, Ted, nobody got molested.

This lends support to the argument for greater availability of sexually explicit media that contains
anal sex in which condoms are clearly used by actors.
ERIC GRIMSHAW, a PhD associate professor at Columbia University, discussing a report by the university and Public Health
Solutions which found that gay and bisexual men who watch bareback pornography are more likely to engage in bareback sex.

The transgender issue is very topical so much to explore.

It made for a great love story.
BRADLEY P. BELL, head writer for The Bold and the Beautiful, speaking with reporters after winning the Daytime Emmy for
Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team for a story involving a character, Maya Avant, who came out as transgender on the
soap last year. Obba Babatunde, who starred as Avants father, won for Outstanding Guest Performer in Drama Series.

54

MAY 5, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM