CONTENTS

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 Volume 24 Issue 29

14 GOBBLE WORTHY
Skip the kitchen. Try these restaurants
for your Thanksgiving fare.

By Doug Rule

FREEDOM WRITER
Playwright Jon Robin Baitz is using his skills to fight
Trump the way only he can with deep, biting, close
to the bone satire.

Exclusive Interview by Andr Hereford

Photography by Todd Franson
26
32 SAVING THE PLANET
Justice League pits a gaggle of superheroes against
a foe that would demolish Earth. And no,
its not Trump.

By Randy Shulman

SPOTLIGHT: 10 YEARS OF TOWN p.9 OUT ON THE TOWN p.13

GOBBLE WORTHY: THANKSGIVING OPTIONS p.14
SOUL WITH HEART: BETTYE LAVETTE p.16 THE FEED p.21
COMMUNITY: DOLLARS FOR DOGS p.23 COVER STORY: FREEDOM WRITER p.26
FILM: JUSTICE LEAGUE p.32 STAGE: TOP GIRLS p.34 STAGE: THE PAJAMA GAME p.35
MUSIC: SAM SMITH & SHAMIR p.36 NIGHTLIFE p.39 SCENE: NUMBER NINE p.39
SCENE: DIK BAR p.45 LAST WORD p.46
Real LGBTQ News and Entertainment since 1994
Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Managing Editor Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editor Doug Rule
Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Andr Hereford,
Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint Liberal Democracy Cover Photography Todd Franson

Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830
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2017 Jansi LLC.

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 7

 Spotlight
WARD MORRISON / FILE PHOTO

Town Turns Ten

Lady Bunny and Chris Cox will toast the storied nightclub on its 10th and final anniversary.

T
here is a very clear shelf life to any successful, highly
visible nightclub, Ed Bailey says, citing anywhere from
five to seven years. After that, clubs struggle to remain
open or relevant or interesting.
Town Danceboutique beat those odds years ago and has
lasted twice as long as the initial five-year lease Bailey and his
business partners signed for the space in 2007.
The fact that were here celebrating a 10-year anniversary
is remarkable, and the fact that weve been as successful as
weve been is incredibly humbling, Bailey says, adding that
this anniversary is particularly poignant against the backdrop
of the reality that were closing. It feels like its a more notable
moment because of that.
As announced earlier in the year, Town will close after
Pride next June to make way for more development in the
now trendy and bustling North Shaw neighborhood it helped
spawn. We are proud of our part in the process of allowing
the neighborhood to become what it has become, Bailey says,
while conceding that Towns imminent closing is not only
bittersweet, it has also been emotionally draining. Bailey
has put more of himself into Town than any previous venture.
Certainly Towns success as a nightclub and in helping
transform its formerly derelict neighborhood over the past
decade deserves celebrating. For the occasion, Bailey has
lined up two tried-and-true headliners: legendary drag artist
Lady Bunny and longstanding house DJ Chris Cox. Ive been
booking Chris at clubs for about 17 or so years, he says, while
the funny Bunny has been a part of every single venue and
place weve ever done. Together, they offer good, solid, real
entertainment. Call it a perfect 10. Doug Rule

Town Turns Ten! is this Saturday, Nov. 18, starting at 10 p.m., with Lady Bunny in the Town Drag Show
and DJ Chris Cox upstairs, at 2009 8th St. NW. Cover is $15, while a 9 p.m. Meet and Greet with Lady Bunny is $25.
Call 202-234-TOWN (8696) or visit towndc.com.

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 9

 Spotlight
WTF HAPPENED TO BABY SISTER?!
If Studios hit production of Wig Out! wet your whistle for
Harlems enthralling gay house/ball subculture, the local
LGBTQ-focused Brave Soul Collective has just the ticket for
you. WTF Happened, inspired by Michael Sainte-Andress, pays
homage to the classic, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? with an
R&B/Motown-esque twist on the diva rivalry. Jared Shamberger
and Monte J. Wolfe play the Fabulous Jenkins Sisters in a
drag-infused dramedy full of reading, shade and ball bat-
tles, plus a little bondage, murder, and diva worship thrown in
for good measure. With Aleta C. Dunn and Jivon Lee Jackson.
Thursday, Nov. 16, through Saturday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. Anacostia
Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE. Tickets are $30 to $40. Call
202-241-2539 or visit tinyurl.com/WTF-BSC.

GERARD PANGAUD:
THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING
The man behind 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 two-
star Michelin rating (for the namesake French
restaurant he had prior to moving to the U.S.). At
the Hill Center he offers a regular 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 his
next class, at the Intermediate to Advanced level,
Pangaud demonstrates how to make Salmon
en Papillote with mango chutney, a soup of red
lentils and apple, and rice pudding with cara-
melized pineapple. Saturday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m.
Hill Center, Old Navy Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania
Ave. SE. Cost is $85, including wine pairings. Call
202-549-4172 or visit HillCenterDC.org.

LIGHTS ON THE BAY

More than 70 animated and stationary
displays depicting regional and holiday
themes factor into the annual holiday
show, featuring a two-mile scenic drive
along the shores of the Chesapeake
Bay. A North Pole Village & Enchanted
Fairy Tales is a new edition at this
years event, a benefit for the SPCA of
Anne Arundel County. Opens Saturday,
Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. On display every eve-
ning from 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 1.
Sandy Point State Park, 1100 E. College
Parkway, Annapolis. Admission is $15
per car, or $30 to $50 for larger vans
and buses. Visit lightsonthebay.org.

10 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY

 Spotlight
BPM
(BEATS PER MINUTE)
Robin Campillos drama examines the onslaught of AIDS
and the concomitant advance of gay rights in early 1990s
France, told through the Paris chapter of ACT UP. Touted
as heartbreaking and inspiring, but also funny and even
erotic, Campillo co-wrote BPM with Philippe Mangeot,
drawing on their personal experiences in ACT UP. A
four-time winner at Cannes this year and also Frances
Official Selection for Best Foreign Language Film at next
years Oscars, BPM stars Arnaud Valois as a shy newcom-
er to activism and Nahuel Prez Biscayart his opposite, an
outspokenly flamboyant radical. Subtitled. Opens Friday,
Nov. 17. Landmarks E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW.
Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

LADY GAGA
While the more restrained, con-
templative and self-aware Joanne
marks a dramatic turn from her
previous material, Lady Gaga is
still very much a pop star at heart.
Spectacle and artifice have been
staples of her act from the very
beginning, and there is no reason
to think she has abandoned it. For
the New York diva, channelling
the rural west is a performance
like any other and an intriguing
concept for her Joanne World
Tour. Sunday, Nov. 19, at 7:30
p.m. Capital One Arena, 601 F St.
NW. Call 202-628-3200 or visit
capitalonearena.com.

CATVIDEOFEST 2017
Will Braden has assembled an 80-min-
ute program thats a fancy feast for cat
lovers, chock-full of cat videos both
popular, as well as new and undiscov-
ered. Yet CatVideoFest, co-present-
ed with the Bethesda-based, global-
ly focused nonprofit Alley Cat Allies,
doubles as a fundraiser and networking
event for fellow feline fans. Saturday,
Nov. 18, at 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov.
19, at 5 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633
Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets
are $13 general admission. Call 301-
495-6720 or visit afi.com/Silver.

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 11

KATE WARREN
Out On The Town

FOTOWEEKDC 2017
A citywide celebration of photography, this years 10th annual FotoWeekDC specifically celebrates Landmarks of
Photography through special exhibitions and installations, events, film screenings, and lectures. Although many leading
museums and galleries participate through exhibitions of their own, most highlights of the week are on display at two loca-
tions, chief among them FotoWeekCentral, aka neighboring host venues Spain Arts & Culture and the Mexican Cultural
Institute on 16th Street NW. There youll find: the FotoWeekDC Competition Winners Gallery, Magnum: 70 at 70, celebrat-
ing the Magnum Photos agency and its work in capturing major world events and conflicts, and Cislanderus, focused on a
group of Spanish-speaking people who, in the late-18th century, migrated from the Canary Islands to what is now Texas
and Louisiana, where their culture lives on today, if barely. Located in the Shops at Georgetown Park, FotoGeorgetown
is an ancillary exhibition space featuring: Eyes of History, the annual exhibition of the White House News Photographers
Association highlighting the most notable images from the previous year, Finding Home, photos from the Pulitzer Center
and Time magazine capturing three families at the heart of Europes refugee crisis, and the Women Photojournalists of
Washingtons 11th Annual Juried Show. Visit fotodc.org for more details and a complete list of exhibits and events.

Compiled by Doug Rule
FILM
BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY
Still best known from his popu-
lar PBS kids science show, Nye is
increasingly dressing-down the
loud and well-funded activists
hellbent on holding back society
and progress with their denuncia-
tions of climate change, evolution,
science and scientific learning in
general. David Alvarado and Jason
Sussbergs film offers an exclu-
sive, behind-the-scenes portrait of
Nye and his new mission to fight
the spread of anti-scientific think-
ing and propaganda across the
world. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Landmarks West End Cinema, 2301
M St. NW. Call 202-534-1907 or
visit landmarktheatres.com.
COCO
Pixars newest film looks astonish-
ing. It follows 12-year-old Miguel as
he travels into the Land of the Dead
to unpick the truth behind a centu-
ry-old family secret. Based heavily
on Mexicos Da de los Muertos
holiday, it will hopefully offer more
of the charm, humor and emotion
that characterizes Pixars best offer-
ings. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.
(Rhuaridh Marr)
MUDBOUND
Six years ago, lesbian writer and
director Dee Rees took inspira-
tion from her own life for Pariah,
a critically acclaimed coming-of-
age drama that was also her fea-
ture-length debut. Shes since won
an Emmy for her HBO biopic Bessie
and is now generating significant
Oscar buzz with Mudbound, set
after World War II in Jim Crow-
era Mississippi. Carey Mulligan,
Garrett Hedlund, Rob Morgan, and
singer Mary J. Blige in a per-
formance that has critics swooning
star. Opens Friday, Nov. 17. Area
theaters. Visit fandango.com.
REBECCA
Alfred Hitchcocks first American
project, the 1940 Oscar winner
stars Joan Fontaine as the young
beloved of a brooding, aristocrat-
ic widower (Sir Laurence Olivier),
and forced to live forever in the
shadow of his first wife. Judith
Anderson, as the creepy housekeep-
er Mrs. Danvers, steals the film.
Also with George Sanders. Rebecca
screens as part of the American
Film Institutes month-long Joan Curtiz and William Keighley, with
Fontaine Centennial series. Friday,
Nov. 17, at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov.
19, at 11 a.m., Monday, Nov. 20, at
2 p.m, Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m.,
and Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m.
AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville
Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $13
general admission, or $10 for mat-
inee screenings. Call 301-495-6720
or visit afi.com/Silver.
THE ADVENTURES
OF ROBIN HOOD
Capital Classics continues its win-
ter season with the beloved adven-
ture classic starring Errol Flynn
as the dashing, athletic and wick-
edly funny Robin Hood. Olivia de
Havilland is Maid Marian and Basil
Rathbone and Claude Rains the
evil villains Sir Guy of Gisbourne
and Prince John in the 1938 sword-
fight-rich caper directed by Michael
an Oscar-winning score by Erich
Wolfgang Korngold. Happy Hour-
priced beer and wine from 4 to

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 13

JAI WILLIAMS
GOBBLE WORTHY
Skip the kitchen. Try these restaurants for your Thanksgiving fare. By Doug Rule
T
HANKSGIVING IS INTENDED TO BE A FEAST, THOUGH
not usually a fancy one. But for any foodie with an urge
to splurge, the Michelin-starred BLUE DUCK TAVERN in
the West End offers an all-American, three-course, prix-fixe
indulgence thats as pricey ($125 per person, pre-tax and tip)
as it is hard to beat. For starters, you wont find a fancier Beet
Salad than the one here with lemon-pickle turnip, candied
pistachio, fennel, Avruga caviar, croutons, and honey-thyme
vinaigrette over a bed of mixed greens. And thats just par for
the lavish first course from Executive Chef Troy Knapps menu,
also including a Chilled Seafood platter and a Local Cheese &
House Charcuterie spread. Amish Farm Turkey with cranberry
gravy and bread dumpling is the most traditional among the
main course options, vying with Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes and
Slow Roasted Prime Beef Ribeye. Side dishes include Beetroot
Gnocchi, Crispy Brussels Sprouts in a maple-bourbon-ginger
reduction, Potato Puree, and Glazed Carrots & Kohlrabi. In the
Park Hyatt Washington, 1201 24th St. NW. Call 202-419-6755 or
visit blueducktavern.com.
CENTRAL MICHEL RICHARD has long been an unfussy spe-
cial-occasion destination, and thats as true now as ever, with
a relatively affordable and altogether delectable three-course
Thanksgiving meal ($58 per person). David Deshaies carries on
the legacy of the bistros namesake, who passed away last year,
and his French-American menu offers staples such as Warm
Spinach Salad, French Onion Soup, plus wild card options
including a Pumpkin Soup with fried egg, prosciutto, and scal-
lion. Hanger Steak or Duck Leg Confit are two classics compet-
ing for Second Course with Thanksgiving Turkey paired with
gravy, mushroom stuffing, cranberry sauce, and potato gratin.
1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Call 202-626-0015 or visit central-
michelrichard.com.
For a more exotic splurge, try RASIKA, particularly if youve
never been to this revered temple of fine Indian cuisine. Every
Thanksgiving, Executive Chef Vikram Sunderam offers a special
turkey dish at lunch and dinner in addition to the regular menu
14 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
Taqueria del Barrio
full of shareable small to medium plates. This years is Turkey
Tikka Masala ($20) broiled turkey breast in a sauce of onion,
tomato, ginger, green chili, and fenugreek and served with
Brussels sprout pulao (pilaf), smoked butternut squash and cran-
berry dal, or a mash with lentil seeds, green chilies, and onion.
633 D St. NW. Call 202-637-1222 or visit rasikarestaurant.com.
Philadelphias craft beer-focused CITY TAP HOUSE opened its
second D.C. location last month just south of Dupont Circle. In
addition to its regular menu, the brewpub has partnered with
Maines Allagash Brewery for a special $30 Friendsgiving
plate of items enhanced with its branded brews. Complete the
meal with a slice of Curieux caramel sauce-topped pumpkin pie,
and wash it all down with specially priced Allagash drafts. 1250
Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-878-8235 or visit dupont.citytap.
com.
Its not quite turducken, but the Mexican Turkey Roulade at
TAQUERIA DEL BARRIO in Petworth is as close to the triple-fowl
family staple as youre likely to get at a hip restaurant. The rolled
stack of seasoned turkey, pork loin, and chorizo is offered as an
entree with a house-made cheese poblano tamale and cranberry
orange salsa ($13.99) all Thanksgiving weekend starting on Black
Friday. If you cant wait, you can have chef/owner Anna Bran-
Leis premake a roulade for your Thanksgiving dinner (priced at
$16 per pound and feeding two), with pickup from the restaurant
on Wednesday, Nov. 22. 821 Upshur St. NW. Call 202-723-0200
or visit taqueriadelbarrio.com.
At Thanksgiving, even the most health-conscious among us
tend to let down their guard and actually eat dessert. For a truly
holiday-worthy indulgence, check out the artisanal fare that
Tiffany MacIsaac has made her stock in trade with BUTTERCREAM
BAKESHOP in Shaw. Thanksgiving options include a Chai Spiced
Pumpkin Pie ($35), a Nutella Fudge Icebox Pie ($35), and an
Almond Upside Down Cranberry Cake ($22). While individual
pastries and pie/cake slices are available at the store, full pies
and cakes must be ordered 72 hours in advance. 1250 9th St. NW.
Call 202-735-0102 or visit buttercreamdc.com. l
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, at
1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m. Landmarks
West End Cinema, 2301 M St. NW.
Tickets are $12.50. Call 202-534-
1907 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
Jermaine Heredia as Rooster
Hannigan. To Dec. 31. Mainstage,
Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney,
Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit
olneytheatre.org.

THE MAN WHO INVENTED MEAN GIRLS

CHRISTMAS
Charles Dickens mixed real-life
inspirations with his vivid imagina-
tion to create the plot and charac-
ters of A Christmas Carol, foremost
among them Ebenezer Scrooge.
Dan Stevens is Dickens and
Christopher Plummer, Scrooge in
director Bharat Nalluris look into
just how the holiday season became
a worldwide omnipresent celebra-
tion no humbug about it. Opens
Wednesday, Nov. 22. Angelika Film
Center - Mosaic, 2911 District Ave.,
Fairfax, Va. Call 571-512-3301 or
visit angelikafilmcenter.com.
Tina Feys hit film transformed as
a musical and the hottest ticket in
town especially since its stop at
the National Theatre is a tryout
prior to its Broadway debut, set
for the spring. Fey has written the
shows book with music by her
husband and 30 Rock composer
Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell
Benjamin (Legally Blonde). Casey
Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon)
directs. In previews. Runs to Dec.
3 at The National Theatre, 1321
Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are
$48 to $128, although the National
will hold a ticket lottery before each

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE
OF EBBING MISSOURI
Frances McDormand plays a work-
ing-class Midwestern mother who
uses highway billboards to shame
revered local police chief (Woody
Harrelson) into finally solving the
mystery of her brutally murdered
daughter. A dark comedic drama
from Irish filmmaker Martin
McDonagh (In Bruges), the work
is less of a crime story and more
a rumination on how people cope
with loss and deal with lifes injus-
tices. Opens Friday, Nov. 17. Area
theaters. Visit fandango.com.
STAGE
A SHORT SERIES OF
DISAGREEMENTS PRESENTED
HERE IN CHRONOLOGICAL
ORDER
British comedian/monologist
Daniel Kitson has become a main-
stay at the Edinburgh Festival
Fringe and has won plaudits in the
U.K. and Australia for story shows
that are simultaneously funny and
thoughtful, absurd and serious,
rich with humanity and riddled
with frustration. He brings his one-
man show to Studio X. To Nov. 25.
Studio Theatre, 1333 14th St. NW.
Call 202-332-3300 or visit studio-
theatre.org.
ANNIE
The sunll come out tomorrow and
every day this holiday season at
Olney Theatre Center. Forty years
after composer Charles Strouse, lyr-
icist Martin Charnin, and book writ-
er Thomas Meehan teamed up for
the feel-good musical about a deter-
minedly optimistic little orphan
girl, countless other, real-life kids
have been inspired by the popu-
lar work to become theater per-
formers (or at least theater queens)
in their own right. The latest is
Noelle Robinson, who heads a cast
of 32, including Rachel Zampelli as
Miss Hannigan, Kevin McAllister
as Daddy Warbucks, and Wilson
show, and individuals may submit
their names at the box office to
win up to two tickets at $25 each.
Twenty lottery seats will be avail-
able for each performance, with
names drawn 90 minutes prior to
the show. Call 202-628-6161 or visit
thenationaldc.org.
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Blake Robison directs a produc-
tion of Lee Halls adaptation of the
bawdy Oscar-winning film from
1998, both riffing on and celebrating
the Bard. Nicholas Carriere stars as
Will among a large cast including
Avery Glymph, Jefferson A. Russell,
Liz Daingerfield, and Naomi
Jacobson as Queen Elizabeth. To
Nov. 26. Baltimore Center Stage,
700 North Calvert St., Baltimore.
Call 410-332-0033 or visit center-
stage.org.
THE BOOK OF MERMAN
No, thats not a typo in the title:
While the Kennedy Center pres-
ents another run of the popular
Mormon-themed musical set in
Uganda (see next entry), the outr
Landless Theatre Company pres-
ents a similarly themed yet wackier
musical comedy that goes beyond
mere parody. Written and com-
posed by Chicagos Leo Schwartz,
...Merman weaves a story about
a chance encounter between two
Mormon missionaries and the
shows namesake, Broadways leg-
endary original diva. Ethel will
share advice and insights for the
budding boys, those who rang her
doorbell. Opens Thursday, Nov. 16.
To Dec. 8. District of Columbia Arts
Center (DCAC), 2438 18th St. NW.
Tickets are $25. Call 202-462-7833
or visit dcartscenter.org
THE BOOK OF MORMON
Written by South Parks Trey
Parker and Matt Stone, the riotous-
ly funny, audacious musical, which
won a whopping nine Tony Awards,
is both cutting edge in shocking
substance yet traditional in style.
The Book of Mormon may weave
ERIN SILVERMAN
BEIGNET VS. DOUGHNUT EATING CONTEST
Even if you couldnt care less about football, any
fried-dough lover can appreciate what Bayou Bakery
is cooking up during Sundays game between the
local home team and the New Orleans Saints. At
halftime, nine participants will compete to see whos
the fastest at scarfing down 10 beignets prepared by
Bayous David Guas and 10 doughnuts from Christine
Schaefer of District Doughnut 20 fattening fritters
in all, washed down with caf au lait and milk. The
speediest binger wins a $150 cash prize, though all
participants will earn gift cards from both venues.
As a New Orleans-themed establishment, Bayou will
be pouring draft Abita Beer, NOLA Swinger and
Gator-aide cocktails, and offering other Game-Day
Dishes for only $5. And then there are those beig-
nets.... Game starts Sunday, Nov. 19, at 1 p.m., though
interested competitors should arrive by 12:30 p.m., as
its first-come, first-entered. Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar
& Eatery, 1515 N. Courthouse Rd., Arlington. Call 703-
243-2410 or visit bayoubakerydc.com.
in unexpected and provocative plot staged in repertory in the month
twists and scenes as well as con- of December with Draw The Circle.
vey extremely modern sensibilities Charlie Varon directs. To Dec. 22.
about life, culture and organized Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab
religion. Yet it still hews to the stan- Theatre II, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets
dard musical mold, from repeated are $25 to $65. Call 202-399-7993 or
musical lines and lyrics, to boister- visit mosaictheater.org.
ous sing-along group anthems, to
sharp group choreography, includ-
ing a tap number. Closes Sunday, MUSIC
Nov. 19. Kennedy Center Opera
House. Tickets are $59 to $250. ALCINA
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kenne- The Washington National Opera
dy-center.org. presents its first-ever staging of
Handels masterful baroque opera,
THE REAL AMERICANS with world-class vocal talents led
Actor/journalist Dan Hoyle brings by Angela Meade as the sorceress
to life the characters he met travel- skilled in the art of seduction, who
ing outside the liberal bubble, pre- falls prey to the enchantment of
sented as part of Mosaic Theaters love in the land of illusion. In Italian
Transformational Journeys and with English supertitles. To Nov.

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 15

 19. Kennedy Center Eisenhower
Theater. Tickets are $69 to $195.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kenne-
dy-center.org.

BROADWAY, THE NEXT

GENERATION SERIES
Every year, the American Society of
Composers, Authors and Publishers
(ASCAP) offers a weeklong show-
case of new generation Broadway
composers at the Kennedy Center.
Previous lineups have included
recent Tony winners Steven Lutvak
(A Gentlemans Guide to Love and
Murder) and Benj Pasek and Justin
Paul (Dear Evan Hansen). Each pro-
gram features a different compos-
er or composing team, who either
perform themselves or recruit oth-
ers to highlight songs in their rep-
ertoire, cabaret-style. This years
series, offered in free programs at 6
p.m. on the Millennium Stage, con-
cludes with Max Vernon (The View
UpStairs), on Thursday, Nov. 16; and
Andrew Lippa (I Am Harvey Milk),
MARK SELIGER

on Friday, Nov. 17. Call 202-467-

4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

CECILY
Increasingly known by mononym,

SOUL WITH HEART

young soprano and D.C. native Cecil
Bumbrays sound is rooted in a deep
appreciation for mid-century soul
and jazz, 90s-era R&B and contem-
porary folk. More specifically, its
For veteran singer Bettye LaVette, the best may be yet to come. rooted in influences from Chocolate

B
City forebears, from Duke Ellington
ETTYE LAVETTE HAS HAD AFFAIRS WITH BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. I DONT to Gil Scott-Heron, Roberta Flack to
Meshell Ndegeocello. She returns
know that any of them could be called relationships, says the veteran soul singer. Theyd to the Atlas Performing Arts Center
have to be called dalliances because I was so young. And its not where I am now. for the third annual Cecily Salutes
The dalliances, recounted in her 2012 memoir A Woman Like Me, did give her keen insight DC, a concert followed by a dis-
cussion about how to keep gen-
into the LGBTQ experience, as well as enduring LGBTQ friendships. My best friend since we trification from chipping away at
were five years old is gay, and my best newest friend for 30 years is gay, and the other one, of 35 what makes the local arts scene
years, is a transsexual. I have a complete understanding and comfortability with people who are unique, with a panel including
not necessarily, quote-unquote, straight. Cecily, Art All Night creator Ariana
Austin, musician Aaron Myers and
Overall, very little has been straight, traditional or predictable in the life of LaVette, who grew Washington Project for the Arts
up in Motown-era Detroit and became a recording artist at 16. Ive sung whole songs, they tell Jordan Martin. Saturday, Nov. 18, at
me, since as long as I could talk, she says. 8 p.m. Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St.
NE. Tickets are $22.5 to $28. Call
More than a half-century later, the good-humored singer is in what she refers to as her fifth 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.
career, which over the past decade has included lauded performances at the Kennedy Center
Honors and at the first Obama Inauguration. There just have been so many false starts to suc- CONGRESSIONAL CHORUS: WE
cess. How does she stay positive, particularly in this politically dark, post-Obama era? WILL RISE! EQUALITY CONCERT
An afternoon of powerful and
Its very easy for me to get depressed, but its very easy for me to work it into a song. Theres inspiring works in song, poetry,
something for me to do with all of my feelings all of the time. I have great, great faith in this and dance chronicling the ongo-
country. I think that anyone who came from slavery has great faith in this country. When slavery ing and multifaceted struggle for
civil rights and equality in the
was first talked about as being abolished, 99 percent of the whites in this country were opposed U.S. A collaboration with Joy of
to that.... I believe that this little glitch that were in now I dont think were necessarily going Motion Dance Center, Alexandria
backwards, I just believe that the people who are backwards have been coming forth. Harmonizers, Unique Sounds of
Her best case for remaining optimistic is the promise of greater personal success to come. Love, Capitol Movement and Chris
Urquiaga, the concert features the
LaVette has just signed a new contract with Universal Records and has a new album due out full chorus and the American Youth
next spring. Chorus. The program includes the
Now, I dont have any thoughts of becoming Justin Bieber, she laughs, but I certainly D.C. premiere of Like Dust I Rise,
Mark Hayes four-movement song
would like to see the book turned into documentary form, and I would like to see whats going to cycle based on the poetry of Maya
happen over the hurdle with this new CD. All the ducks are in a row right now for the very first Angelou. Sunday, Nov. 19, at 4:30
time in my entire career. So if this shit dont work, Im going to start taking it personally. Doug p.m. Church of the Epiphany, 1317
Rule G St. NW. Tickets are $18 to $36.
Call 202-347-2635 or visit congres-
sionalchorus.org.
Bettye LaVette performs Sunday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m., at The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets
are $20 to $45. Call 202-787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.

16 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 17
 DOM FLEMONS DUO
One of the founders of the great
black bluegrass band the Carolina
Chocolate Drops headlines a con-
cert with bandmate Dante Pope and
opening act the Herd of Main Street
at the new District Wharfs more
intimate concert venue that serves
as a restaurant/cafe by day now
including breakfast starting at 7:30
a.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Doors at
7 p.m. Pearl Street Warehouse, 33
Pearl St. SW. Tickets are $14 in
advance, or $16 day-of show. Call
202-380-9620 or visit pearlstreet-
warehouse.com.
ETHEREA VOCAL ENSEMBLE
The Georgetown Concert Series
offers one of the first Christmas-
themed concerts in the area, with
a candlelight Christmas perfor-
mance by the intimate chamber
group specializing in choral rep-
ertoire for treble, or high, voices.
Led by countertenor Derek Greten-
Harrison, the New York-based
Etherea makes its Washington-area
debut with a program featuring
Benjamin Brittens Ceremony of
Carols and John Rutters Dancing
Day with harpist Grace Cloutier,
plus traditional carols of the sea-
son, accompanied by organist and
choirmaster Samuel J. Carabetta. A
holiday reception follows the per-
formance. Saturday, Nov. 25, at 5
p.m. St. Johns Episcopal Church,
Georgetown Parish, 3240 O St. NW.
Tickets are $20. Call 202-338-1796
or visit stjohnsgeorgetown.org.
JACQUES BREL: SONGS FROM
HIS WORLD
The InSeries presents a new cabaret
about the Belgian chanson master
directed by Steven Scott Mazzola.
Weve taken the most beautiful,
the deepest, the most profound of
his songs and assembled them in
one, performer Byron Jones tells
Metro Weekly. Fleta Hylton, Simon
Charette, and Brian J. Shaw join
Jones as featured vocalists in the
InSeries production with music
director Reenie Codelka. Why Brel
and why now? Though he was a
child of World War II, his take
on life and relationships and the
realities and the idiocy of war, it
seems so current, Jones says. I
think thats why his songs resonate
with us, because theyre about the
human condition, and about human
relationships, and about struggling
with self, and trying to escape from
the situation youre in. Performed
in French with English superti-
tles. Remaining performances are
Friday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m., Saturday,
Nov. 18, at 2:30 and 8 p.m., and
Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2:30 p.m. Source
Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets
are $20 to $43. Call 202-204-7741
or visit inseries.org.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
Gershwins An American in Paris fac-
tors into a tour of Europe program
18 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
led by Gianandrea Noseda and also
featuring Respighis Fountains of
Rome, Chaussons Pome, and Fallas
The Three-Cornered Hat Suites No.
1 & 2. Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.,
Saturday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m., and
Sunday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. Kennedy
Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $15
to $89. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org.
SCOTT BRADLEES
POSTMODERN JUKEBOX
You very likely will laugh out loud
as Kenton Chen sings an incongru-
ently jaunty, retro-swing jazz cover
of Nine Inch Nails hardcore banger
Closer throwing out lyrics like
I want to fuck you like an animal
as if he were a carefree Rat Pack
crooner. (Better still is the way he
lets out a scream like a hyena in
heat toward the songs end.) And
so it goes in the repertoire of Scott
Bradlees group, which has made
silly, swinging covers of modern
pop and rock songs its stock in
trade. This years full-length set,
New Gramophone, Who Dis? isnt
as strong as youd hope it would be,
on account of several grating guest
vocalists and ill-considered covers
(most egregiously, Kygo featuring
Selena Gomezs bitter It Aint Me offer eclectic choreography in the
as a tone-deaf jovial jam). But the
group has a strong repertoire over-
all, and Bradlee is an entertainer at
heart and gives good show. Sunday,
Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. Fillmore Silver
Spring, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver
Spring. Tickets are $35. Call 301-
960-9999 or visit fillmoresilver-
spring.com.
SHEPPARD
Say Geronimo they shouted over a
rousing banjo-plucking electro-pop
Top 40 hit back in 2015. Now the
six-piece group named after three
siblings, George, Amy, and Emma,
returns with another feel-good
ditty Coming Home. Sheppard is
also previewing new music on a
U.S. tour that comes after the band
opened for Justin Bieber in their
native Australia and Little Mix in
Europe. Monday, Nov. 20. U Street
Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets
are $20. Call 202-588-1880 or visit
ustreetmusichall.com.
THE CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY:
MONTEVERDIS VESPERS OF
1610
Scott Tucker leads the full chorus
and orchestra along with special
guests the Thirteen in a perfor-
mance of a choral masterpiece that
brilliantly superimposes Baroque
music over traditional Gregorian
chants, combines sacred music with
secular styles, and alternates the
grandeur of the large ensemble with
solos and duets. Saturday, Nov. 18,
at 3 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert
Hall. Tickets are $15 to $69. Call
202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-cen-
ter.org.
WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA:
LA STRANIERA
Inspired by true events during the
12th century, Bellinis La Straniera
tells the tale of a French kings
scandalous divorce from a Danish
princess and his subsequent mar-
riage to a mysterious foreign
woman, whos kept tucked away
in a wooded cottage. The bel canto
treasure features soprano Amanda
Woodbury, mezzo-soprano Corrie
Stallings, tenor Gerard Schneider,
and baritone Javier Arrey. Sunday,
Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. GW Lisner, The
George Washington University,
730 21st St. NW. Tickets are $40
to $110. Call 202-994-6851 or visit
concertopera.org.
DANCE
DANCE PLACES
WHATS GOING ON
Dance Places first full-length pro-
duction is a reflection of the world
today as viewed through the lens
of Marvin Gayes music, specifical-
ly the 1971 classic about life, love
and social justice that gives the
show its title. Vincent E. Thomas,
Ralph Glenmore and Sylvia Soumah
Nov. 17. To Dec. 16. Susan Calloway
work, spearheaded by Thomas in a
co-commission with the National
Performance Network Creation
Fund Project with additional part-
nership from RestonCenterStage.
The work returns home after a year-
long nationwide tour. Saturday,
Nov. 18, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov.
19, at 4 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th
St. NE. Tickets are $25 in advance,
or $30 at the door. Call 202-269-
1600 or visit danceplace.org.
EXHIBITS
10X10 INVITATIONAL
Over 85 regional and national artists
are represented in the third annual
10x10 invitational. Every artwork is
different, although the same size,
and are intended as original holi-
day gifts, priced at $50 each. The
invitational benefits Hyattsvilles
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, locat-
ed in the historic Arcade building
in the Gateway Arts District and
featuring a papermaking studio,
print shop, letterpress studio, bind-
ery, a darkroom and a woodshop.
Now to Dec. 17. Pyramid Atlantic
Art Center, 4318 Gallatin Street,
Hyattsville. Call 301-608-9101 or
visit pryamidatlanticartcenter.org.
AARON LACRATE: JUST A KID
FROM HIGHLANDTOWN
The man behind the New York-
based fashion brand and record
label Milkcrate gets his first solo
exhibition in his hometown of
Baltimore. Creative Alliance pres-
ents works by the visual artist and
fashion designer, ranging from
vintage flyers and photographs,
to t-shirts and clothing from his
Milkcrate Athletics brand, to cus-
tomized skate decks. The exhibition
features an immersive recreation
of LaCrates initial basement shop,
which also points to his work and
influence as a DJ and producer in
helping popularize what is known
as Baltimore Club music. It also
includes a mural painting celebrat-
ing skateboard culture in 80s-era
Highlandtown and referencing
LaCrates recent work through his
Bodymore Skateboard Co., help-
ing young black men in the city
of Baltimore find stability through
skating. Closes Saturday, Nov. 25.
Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern
Ave., Baltimore. Call 410-276-1651
or visit creativealliance.org.
CARL BRETZKE: RECENT WORK
A mix of plein air sketches and
more refined studio paintings are
on display in Bretzkes second solo
exhibit at Susan Calloways con-
temporary gallery in Georgetown.
Based in Minnesota, Bretzkes
work recalls Edward Hopper and
the Ashcan school and typically
features vehicles or figures from
everyday life often set off by an
intriguingly lit landscape or city-
scape background. Opens Friday,
Fine Arts, 1643 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
Call 202-965-4601 or visit calloway-
art.com.
DEL RAY ARTISANS: UNDER $100
Members present artworks priced
at $100 or less that can go home at
the time of purchase in this annu-
al exhibition with new works
on display all month long. Closes
Sunday, Nov. 26. Del Ray Artisans
Gallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria. Call 703-731-8802 or
visit thedelrayartisans.org.
GREGORY FERRAND:
IT IS YOU (AND ME TOO)
Youve likely seen striking work
by this artist before, particularly if
youre a regular local theatergoer.
Mosaic Theater Company, GALA
Hispanic Theatre, and Theater J
have all commissioned Ferrand for
illustrations capturing key charac-
ters in key scenes used to promote
specific productions. In his first solo
show at Marylands contemporary
Adah Rose Gallery, the focus is on
stylized paintings portraying sub-
jects who feel isolated, alienated or
alone even if surrounded by those
they love, and despite the ever-con-
nected state of modern-day life.
Opening reception with live music
by the band Terraplane is Saturday,
Nov. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. On display
through Jan. 5. 3766 Howard Ave.
Kensington, Md. Call 301-922-0162
or visit adahrosegallery.com.
SALVATORE PIRRONE: STRING
ROOM INSTALLATION
CulturalDC has transformed a
40-foot shipping container, retrofit-
ting it as the mobile gallery Space4:
Visual Arts, which will showcase
works by local visual artists on a
rotating basis. First up is an immer-
sive exhibit by Pirrone, a local
sculptor, designer and educator,
who has used yarn donated by Ward
6 residents to create an intimate
environment where people of all
ages and abilities can dismantle the
piece, one string at a time, expos-
ing a new, unexpected physical
environment beneath the surface.
Closes Tuesday, Nov. 21. Yards Park
at the Capitol Riverfront, 301 Water
St. SE. Call 202-315-1321 or visit
culturaldc.org.
SUPERSIZED: DISH UP
The Ceramic Guild stuffs the Scope
Gallery with pottery big and tall,
all with a focus on eating and din-
ing and the Thanksgiving holi-
day. Expect all manner of serving
platters, bowls and gravy boats. In
conjunction with the Art Leagues
Tabletop show. Closes Sunday,
Nov. 26. Scope Gallery in Torpedo
Factory Art Center, 105 North
Union St. Alexandria. Free. Call
703-838-4565 or visit torpedofac-
tory.org.
WONDER WOMEN!
From the Guerrilla Girls right-
ing the wrongs of the art world,
to painter Edna Reindels tough
WWII riveters, to vintage feminist
comic books, this exhibition at the
National Museum of Women in the
Arts features images of the power-
20 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
ful woman, real and fictional. The
wide-ranging selection, including
artist correspondence, sketches,
ephemera, photographs, posters,
rare books, museum archival mate-
rial and artists books, draws from
the special collections and artists
archives of the museums Betty
Boyd Dettre Library and Research
Center. Closes Friday, Nov. 17. 1250
New York Ave NW. Admission
is $10. Call 202-783-5000 or visit
nmwa.org.
FOOD & DRINK
BINDAAS FOGGY BOTTOM
James Beard Award-winning chef
Vikram Sunderams newest dining
concept reflecting the modern-day
cuisine of his native India makes
for a similarly satisfying and note-
worthy experience as his original
Rasika. A degree above fast-casual,
Bindaas focuses on the kind of food
one might find on the streets and
in the food markets of Mumbai,
yet offered in a more relaxed and
refined environment. With this just-
opened second outpost, the inti-
mate, not-quite-secret Cleveland
Park gem becomes a much bigger
and more noticeable jewel in a
younger, hipper, and more diverse
part of town. Impressive dishes
from the opening menu include
Roadside Sandwich burgers made
from either chicken or seasonal veg-
etables and served on a pao bun
with chutney, a Butternut Squash
lentil/rice pancake with green
curry sauce, and a delicious and
filling Chicken Curry with toma-
toes, garam masala and saffron rice.
Bindaas also features a full bar with
wine, beer and creative cocktails
made with spirits from local distill-
eries, including Green Hat Gin and
Cotton & Reed Rum. Dont even
think of going without trying the
Tamarind soda, housemade with
honey, ginger, clove, nutmeg and
sumac. 2000 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. Call 202-516-4326 or visit
bindaasdc.com.
FRENCHIES: THANKSGIVING
PIES TUTORIAL
If youd like professional guid-
ance in attempting to make your
own pie for the holiday, the Hill
Center is here to help. Three days
before Thanksgiving, the On the
Cooling Rack hands-on tutorial
will be offered by Erica Skolnik,
who in 2011 founded the local arti-
san bakery Frenchies, which works
with local producers for fresh and
seasonal ingredients. Monday,
Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. Hill Center, Old
Navy Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania
Ave. SE. Call 202-549-4172 or visit
HillCenterDC.org.
HANKS PASTA BAR: SPARKLE
SATURDAYS
Every third Saturday, Hanks in
Alexandria offers a drag brunch led
by Summer Knight and her girls
Whitney GucciGoo, India Larelle
Houston and a special guest. Jug
O Mimosas and Bloody Marys will
also be available. Two seatings, at 11
a.m. and 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18.
Hanks Pasta Bar, 600 Montgomery
St., Alexandria. Tickets are $25 per
person, excluding drinks. Call 571-
312-4117 or visit hankspastabar.
com.
TAQUERIA DEL BARRIO:
DRAG BRUNCH
Petworths Mexican eatery from
the DC Empanadas crew presents
another round of its monthly drag
brunch. Desiree Dik hosts a show
featuring queens Chicki Parm and
La Bella Mafia, who perform while
guests enjoy French toast, chilaq-
uiles and Taquerias signature tacos,
among other dishes, all washed
down with mimosas, Bloody Marys
and Absolut vodka cocktails. Two
seatings Saturday, Nov. 18, at 10
a.m. and 1 p.m. 821 Upshur St. NW.
Tickets are $25 and include one
brunch entree or three tacos and
one brunch cocktail. Call 202-723-
0200 or visit taqueriadelbarrio.
com. l
 theFeed
TEMPORARY TRUCE
Russia and Egypt tried and failed to undermine LGBTQ protections at
the 2018 Olympics. By John Riley
T
HE UNITED NATIONS AVOIDED CRISIS
THIS week when all 193 member states voted
to approve a pro-LGBTQ resolution ahead of
the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018. The Olympic Truce
Resolution, approved every two years prior to the start of
a Winter or Summer Olympics, is part of a long tradition
in which nation-states agree not to engage in geopolitical
conflicts directly before and after the Olympic Games.
Usually such resolutions are approved without hassle.
But after the 2014 Sochi Olympics, there were con-
cerns about the impact of Russias anti-propaganda
law, which prevents people from speaking positively
about homosexuality. To protect athletes from anti-gay
discrimination at future Games, sexual orientation was
added to Principle 6.
Principle 6 is essentially the nondiscrimination clause
of the Olympic charter, says Hudson Taylor, co-founder
and executive director of Athlete Ally. Sexual orien-
tation was added to the language of Principle 6, and
then built into the bidding process, so countries that
are bidding on a games have to agree to abide by those
principles.
On Monday, the UNs member states agreed to adopt
the Olympic Truce Resolution with Principle 6 intact,
avoiding a roll call vote that could have placed a number
of nations on record as opposing the resolution, thereby
undermining its efficacy.
In the days leading up to Mondays vote, a group of
countries hostile to LGBTQ rights, led by Russia and
Egypt, threatened behind the scenes to vote against
the Resolution unless all references to Principle 6 were
removed.
According to Taylor, the hypothetical situations that
could occur if protections were removed would be highly
problematic. For example, during the Sochi Olympics,
there was concern that an athlete who won a gold medal
and kissed their partner to celebrate could be fined or
arrested under Russias anti-gay law.
In another instance, Kazakhstan put forth a bid to
host the Olympics at a time when lawmakers in the
country were trying to pass a law similar to Russias. But
human rights advocates pointed out that it would violate
Principle 6 and thus hamper Kazakhstans bid. Three
days later, the proposed anti-LGBTQ law was dropped.
Without those explicit protections for sexual orien-
tation, in countries without legal protections, we [risk]
putting the Olympic Games in places where people can
really be harmed, Taylor says.
Prior to the vote, Athlete Ally released a letter
addressed to UN member states, signed by 17 prominent
LGBTQ Olympians, that called for the approval of the
resolution, with no amendments. Signatories included
tennis legends Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova,
diver Greg Louganis, basketball star Breanna Stewart,
swimmer Casey Legler, and rower Gearoid Towey.
Siri May, the United Nations program coordinator for
OutRight International, says the inclusion of Principle
6 doesnt affect the ability of athletes to compete in the
games, but is symbolically important.
The mention of sexual orientation at the UN General
Assembly is limited to two resolutions: one of extraju-
dicial executions, and the other establishing the first
independent expert on sexual orientation or gender
identity, May says. Because theres so little mention
of LGBTI people in the United Nations, every mention,
even an indirect one like this, matters, because it gives us
visibility. Unless we have visibility, violations of human
rights can happen.... Its easier not to respect the rights of
LGBTI people if theyre not mentioned.
While Principle 6 remained unscathed in the current
fight, human rights advocates warn that the same coun-
tries will likely attempt to excise it in 2019, when the
Olympic Truce Resolution must be renewed ahead of the
2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Louis Charbonneau, the United Nations Director at
Human Rights Watch, says Egypt and Russia have led
crusades against the recognition of human rights at the
United Nations, opposing the creation of an independent
expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, and
even trying to get words like human rights removed
from as many official UN documents and resolutions as
possible.
Charbonneau calls it part of a sustained effort and
an ongoing strategy employed to undermine existing
protections. Other nations that have been involved in
pushing anti-LGBTQ actions at the UN include members
of the African Union and the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation.
In recent weeks, Egyptian authorities have arrested
dozens of people perceived to be LGBTQ, and a member
of parliament has introduced a bill that would crimi-
nalize life, speech and activism by LGBTQ Egyptians or
their allies. In Russia, the government has essentially
ignored reports of ongoing persecution, including the
torture and imprisonment of LGBTQ people, at the
NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 21
 theFeed
hands of authorities in the republic of Chechnya.
Charbonneau warns that advocates for equality have
to be vigilant in protecting against future attempts to
erode equality measures.
This is an ongoing thing that shows up a few times
LOVE WINS DOWN UNDER
Australians overwhelmingly support marriage equality
in nationwide vote. By Rhuaridh Marr
A
USTRALIANS HAVE OVERWHELMINGLY
voted in favor of marriage equality in a nation-
wide postal vote survey. Over 7.8 million (61.1%)
Australians voted in support of legalizing same-sex mar-
riage, and 4.8 million opposed (38.4%), according to the
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Turnout was almost 80%,
which Australian statistician David Kalisch called out-
standing for a voluntary survey, The Guardian reports.
Australias two largest cities, Melbourne and Sydney,
had the highest percentage of Yes votes, with nearly
84% of residents in the cities supporting marriage equal-
ity unsurprising, given Sydney is renowned worldwide
for its LGBTQ population and Mardi Gras parade, and
LGBTQ people tend to concentrate in urban areas.
The vote doesnt legally bind Australia to legal-
ize same-sex marriage, but Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull said he intended to make it the law of the land
by Christmas.
Turnbull added that Australians had voted over-
whelmingly yes for fairness, for commitment, for love,
in a video posted to Twitter.
We asked the Australian public for their view. This
was an unprecedented exercise in democracy, Turnbull
said. A voluntary survey in which 80% participated and
22 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
a year, particularly when theyre talking about LGBTI
rights, he says. This particular fight, of making sure
that this language stays in this resolution, is just a small
battle in a larger war that is going to continue to be
waged. l
61.6% have said yes. That is an overwhelming participa-
tion rate and an overwhelming yes vote. I know many
people a minority, obviously voted no. But we are a
fair nation. There is nothing more Australian than...equal-
ity and mutual respect, and everyone has had their say.
Alex Greenwich, of the Equality Campaign, said
the YES campaign triumphed because millions of
Australians reached out to our own families, neighbor-
hoods, organizations to stand up for equality, stand by
our loved ones and share why YES was so important.
Now, because of you, ours will be the last generation
in which LGBTI relationships are not equal under the
law, he said. For the young person growing up in a
small town, for the couple who have been together 40
years, and the person whos been longing to propose: you
belong here, your love is celebrated and honoured here,
and never again will you be made to feel otherwise by our
countrys laws.
So pick up the phone right now. Call your son or
daughter. Text your best friend. Hug your grandma.
High-five the coffee guy. Pump the music in your office.
Put a shiny new badge on your profile pic. Give your
child a great big cuddle. Because today in Australia, fair-
ness and equality triumphed, and we can all be proud. l
 Community
THURSDAY, NOV. 16
The DC Center holds a meet-
ing of its POLY DISCUSSION
GROUP, for people interested
in polyamory, non-monogamy
or other non-traditional rela-
tionships. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. Visit thedc-
center.org

Weekly Events

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

DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

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

DOLLARS FOR DOGS

Nellies partners with Shaw Dog Park
DC FRONT RUNNERS run-
ning/walking/social club
welcomes runners of all ability
levels for exercise in a fun and
supportive environment, with
for a Drag Bingo fundraiser. socializing afterward. Route
distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at

S
7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
HAW DOG PARK IS HUGELY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WITH For more information, visit
the Shaw/U Street/Logan areas development, says Steve Oatmeyer, dcfrontrunners.org.
president of the Shaw Dog Park Association. We get close to 2,000
DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay
visitors every month, and were heavily promoted by realtors when theyre and lesbian square-dancing
showing properties or new condos. We provide a safe space for well-tempered group features mainstream
dogs, and a social space for their owners. through advanced square
dancing at the National City
But running D.C.s oldest and largest dog park requires a great deal of Christian Church, 5 Thomas
upkeep. It costs about $4500 each year to maintain the surface of the park, Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m. Casual
which includes spraying disinfectant, pulling weeds, grading the gravel in the dress. 301-257-0517, dclamb-
park, and watering and maintaining 10 great myrtle trees. And that can be a dasquares.org.

heavy lift for a space managed by volunteers and sustained by private dona- DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
tions. practice. The team is always
To cover those costs, the Shaw Dog Park Association has been holding looking for new members. All
welcome. 7:30-9:30 p.m. King
several fundraisers, including partnering with Nellies Sports Bar at its weekly Greenleaf Recreation Center,
Drag Bingo night, Tuesday, Nov. 21. Previous Drag Bingo nights have raised 201 N St. SW. For more infor-
between $300 to $400 for the dog park. mation, visit scandalsrfc.org or
Weve done multiple fundraisers in the past for various organizations, dcscandals@gmail.com.

says Justin Thomas, general manager of Nellies, who adds that animal-centric HIV TESTING at Whitman-
organizations are particularly close to managements hearts. We reach out to Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30
humane societies and other organizations to help out whenever we can. p.m. and from 2-5 p.m. at 1525
14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12
Nellies will donate $1 for every Nellie Beer sold during Drag Bingo, hosted p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max
by drag queens Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights. A jar will also be passed Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr.
around the room for extra donations. Ave. SE. For an appointment
The fundraisers we host at Drag Bingo are a lot of fun, says Thomas. The call 202-745-7000 or visit whit-
man-walker.org.
drag queens enjoy helping out a worthwhile cause, and its a really good way for
organizations to get their message out to other attendees. John Riley SMYAL offers free HIV Testing,
3-5 p.m., by appointment and
walk-in, for youth 21 and
The Nellies Drag Bingo fundraiser for the Shaw Dog Park Association is younger. Youth Center, 410 7th
Tuesday, Nov. 21 from 7-9 p.m. at Nellies Sports Bar, 900 U St. NW. The Shaw St. SE. 202-567-3155 or test-
Dog Park is at 1673 11th St. NW. For more information, or to make a direct ing@smyal.org.
donation to the dog park, visit shawdogs.org.
US HELPING US hosts a
Narcotics Anonymous Meeting.

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 23

The group is independent of UHU.
6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.
NW. For more information, call 202-
446-1100.
WOMENS LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE for young LBTQ
women, 13-21, interested in lead-
ership development. 5-6:30 p.m.
SMYAL Youth Center, 410 7th St.
SE. For more information, call 202-
567-3163, or email catherine.chu@
smyal.org.
FRIDAY, NOV. 17
Gay District, a group for GBTQQI
men between the ages of 18-35,
holds its 9TH ANNUAL GAY
DISTRICT POTLUCK. Bring a dish,
beverage, or dessert to share. 8:30-
9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. To RSVP, and for planning
purposes, you may send Gay District
a Facebook message or post on its
wall, or email Emmanuel at gaydis-
trictdc@gmail.com.
Volunteers are needed to help with
CASA RUBYS MONTHLY DINNER.
Held on the third Friday of each
month, in conjunction with The DC
Center, the event provides a hot
meal to those housed at Casa Ruby.
Homemade or store bought meals
welcome. 7-8 p.m. Casa Ruby, 3530
Georgia Ave. NW. For more infor-
mation, contact lamar@thedccenter.
org or visit casaruby.org.
24 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
SATURDAY, NOV. 18
ADVENTURING outdoors group
takes a very strenuous 13-mile hike
with up to 3,000 feet of cumulative
elevation gain to cover three moun-
tains overlooking historic Harpers
Ferry, W.V. Bring plenty of bever-
ages, sturdy boots, lunch, about $10
for fees, and money for dinner on
the way home. Carpool at 8:30 a.m.
from a Metro Station. For more
information, call Jeff, 301-775-9660
or visit adventuring.org.
ADVENTURING outdoors group
strolls several easy, level miles in
the Capitol Hill area from Eastern
Market to the Anacostia Riverwalk,
the Navy Yard, and Barracks
Row/8th Street SE. Bring beverag-
es, a snack, suitable walking shoes,
layered clothing, and the $2 trip
fee, plus money for an optional
lunch in the area afterwards. Meet
at 10 a.m. at the top of the escala-
tors for the Eastern Market Metro
Station on Pennsylvania Avenue
SE, between 7th and 8th Streets.
Call Elaine, 215-510-6121 or visit
adventuring.org.
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group
holds bi-monthly potluck social
in members home in the West
End near the Foggy Bottom Metro
Station. 7 p.m. Bring a dish large
enough to feed six people from one
of the following categories: appe-
tizers, salads, entrees, vegetable
dishes or desserts. Plans for early
winter museum visits and out-of-
town excursions will be reviewed.
Contact Kevin, 571-338-1433 or
kgiles27@gmail.com.
KHUSH DC, the group for LGBTQ
South Asians, hosts a monthly
meeting at The DC Center. 1:30-3
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more information, visit face-
book.com/khushdc.
SOLUTIONS FOR WELLNESS,
an initiative promoting wellness
among people of color, holds a
two-day conference dedicated to
addressing disparities in health
care. The conference starts with a
series of workshops and panels on
Saturday addressing legal issues
around wellness, veterans issues,
sex worker advocacy, support for
those who have been incarcerated,
Ryan White funds, transgender
health issues, and sensitivity and
cultural competence training. 10
a.m.-5 p.m. Reeves Center, 2000
14th St. NW, Second Floor. For
more information, visit deecurry.
wixsite.com/solutions2wellness.
The DC Center hosts a monthly LGBT
ASYLEES SUPPORT MEETING AND
DINNER for LGBT refugees and
asylum seekers. 5-7 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org.
The DC Center and the GW Cancer
Institute offer an informational ses-
sion on TRANS BREAST CANCER
AWARENESS. 3:30-5 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
SUNDAY, NOV. 19
SOLUTIONS FOR WELLNESS
holds an awards ceremony, com-
plete with keynote speeches and
live performances, to close out its
conference dedicated to addressing
disparities in health care among
people of color. 8 p.m.-12 a.m.
Reeves Center, 2000 14th St. NW,
Second Floor. For more informa-
tion, visit deecurry.wixsite.com/
solutions2wellness.
The DC Anti-Violence Project
presents a session on BYSTANDER
INTERVENTION TRAINING. Learn
skills on how to respond if you see
hate speech or violence occurring.
Lunch provided. Cost of class is
$10. 12-3 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org/dcavp.
MONDAY, NOV. 20
Join members of D.C.s transgen-
der community as they remember
those transgender people whose
lives were lost to anti-LGBTQ vio-
lence or suicide as part of the 17th
annual TRANSGENDER DAY OF
REMEMBRANCE. 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Metropolitan Community Church
of D.C., 444 Ridge St. NW. Visit
tdor.info or thedccenter.org.
The Metro D.C. chapter of PFLAG,
a support group for parents, family
members and allies of the LGBTQ
community, holds its monthly meet-
ing at The DC Center. 7-9 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
TUESDAY, NOV. 21
CENTER BI, a group of The DC
Center, hosts a monthly roundtable
discussion around issues of bisex-
uality. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. Visit thedccenter.org.
Join Danimal Yoga and The
DC Center for SHINE YOGA:
CELEBRATING THE LIGHT
OF DCS TRANSGENDER
COMMUNITY, a night of yoga flow
class led by Dan Carter and Leah
Haile, followed by a speech from
Shareese Mone, a peer educator
with The DC Center. All proceeds
benefit The DC Centers transgen-
der programming. $20 per class.
7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. Please RSVP via Facebook or
Eventbrite. For more information,
visit danimalyoga.com or facebook.
com/danimalyoga.
THE HIV WORKING GROUP of
THE DC CENTER hosts a Packing
Party, where volunteers assemble
safe-sex kits of condoms and lube.
7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. Visit thedccenter.org.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 22
Weekly Events
AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-
versation, meets about 6-6:30 p.m.,
Steam, 17th and R NW. All wel-
come. For more information, call
Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)
holds a practice session at Dunbar
Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 101 N
St. NW. For more information, visit
swimdcac.org.
FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a
group for LGBT people looking
to quit cigarettes and tobacco use,
holds a weekly support meeting at
The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
mation, visit thedccenter.org.
HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH
offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.
and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.
Washington St., Alexandria. 703-
549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.
JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-
gram for job entrants and seekers,
meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more info, centercareers.org.
WASHINGTON WETSKINS
WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9
p.m. Newcomers with at least basic
swimming ability always welcome.
Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van
Buren St. NW. For more informa-
tion, contact Tom, 703-299-0504
or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit
wetskins.org.
THURSDAY, NOV. 23
Happy Thanksgiving!
The DC Center hosts a
THANKSGIVING DINNER for those
who are alone during the holidays
or dont have plans. All welcome.
1-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. To volunteer or sign up for a
dish to bring, call 301-682-2245 or
visit goo.gl/WLij4c.
FRIDAY, NOV. 24
WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES
(AND THIRTIES), a social discus-
sion and activity group for queer
women, meets at The DC Center
on the second and fourth Friday of
each month. Group social activity
to follow the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org.
SATURDAY, NOV. 25
The Capital Area Gay and Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce and The
DC Center host SMALL BUSINESS
SATURDAY, a chance to support
LGBTQ local businesses during the
holiday season. Vendors from local
businesses will be on hand to sell
some of their wares, and there will
be snacks, music and door prizes.
12-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. Visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-
tice session at Montgomery College
Aquatics Club. 8:30-10 a.m. 7600
Takoma Ave., Takoma, Md. For more
information, visit swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes run-
ners of all ability levels for exercise
in a fun and supportive environ-
ment, with socializing afterward.
Route distance will be 3-6 miles.
Walker meet at 9:30 a.m. and run-
ners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets
NW. For more information, visit
dcfrontrunners.org.
Submit your community event for
consideration at least 10 days prior
to the Thursday publication in which
you would like it to appear. Email to
calendar@metroweekly.com. l
NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 25
 Freedom Writer
Playwright Jon Robin Baitz is using his skills to fight Trump the only way he
can with deep, biting, close to the bone satire.

Exclusive Interview by Andr Hereford

Photography by Todd Franson

J ON ROBIN BAITZ WASNT SURPRISED BY THE

results of the 2016 presidential election, but he
still was horrified by the victory of a candidate he
equates to a con man in his political satire Vicua &
The American Epilogue.
The outspoken gay playwright behind the
Broadway hit Other Desert Cities, a finalist for the
2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and The Substance of
Fire, Baitz couldnt help but respond to a campaign
he considered hostile towards immigrants, women,
and LGBTQ citizens. Born in Los Angeles and raised
in Brazil and South Africa, the L.A. resident says, I
felt a responsibility to bring perspective an outsiders insider
perspective to the problem of writing about this, so that I can
say at least my theater wasnt a passive one.
His artistic call to action produced Vicua, a searing theatrical
takedown of a morally threadbare Republican presidential can-
didate. Concerning a Trump stand-in named Kurt Seaman, his
Afghani immigrant tailor Anselm, and Seamans devoted daugh-
ter Srilanka, the comedy premiered at Center Theater Group in
Los Angeles just before the election, and afforded the artist some
measure of solace. What did you do during the war, dad? I
wrote some plays that tried to incrementally address what it was
like to live through that time.
Not only did Baitz write, he marched. In January, he joined
his friends amid thousands of protesters at the Womens March
in January. And it was while in D.C. that Baitz learned the true
nature of some of those who had helped put the new President
into office, finding himself embroiled in a physical altercation
with Trump supporters. The melee left Baitz shaken, incensed,
and inspired to re-address Vicua, to which he added a devastat-
ing new coda, The American Epilogue, which is having its World
Premiere at Mosaic, one of D.C.s most thrilling and vital new
theater companies.
I projected the feelings I had that night, lying on the curb
in Dupont Circle with blood pouring down my head, he says.
I projected them into their worst-case scenario, where those

26 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY

forces that were unleashed continued unabated.
A blistering glimpse into the soul of a man, to borrow a
phrase from the play, the just-completed Vicua & The American
Epilogue speaks for itself with Mosaic Theater Companys pow-
erful new production. Baitz, meanwhile, remains sheepish about
discussing details of the painful Womens March incident, and
not just because the criminal case against his alleged attacker
has yet to be litigated.
Instead, the gregarious stage, film, and TV storyteller, who
created and produced ABCs beloved series Brothers and Sisters
and has been tapped to write the next installment of Ryan
Murphys new series, Feud, has found himself using art as a
means of coping with the craziness of the current administra-
tion.
METRO WEEKLY: Did you stress over this production of Vicua as if
it were a new play, or did it feel more like a refinement?
JON ROBIN BAITZ: You know, this is an odd play and sort of
requires that it be new at least now. Its only the second produc-
tion of it, so I was still working on the text a lot, and of course
part of the text is brand new. Im not really going to notice when
the plays being done, hopefully, by colleges or places around
the country that Im not aware of, but since Im here, it can be a
kind of excruciating agony to get it right. I pride myself on being
cool and relatively sanguine, but its difficult at times. So it is a
new production in many ways. The L.A. production was sort of
a test balloon.
MW: How much do you keep an eye on what other people are doing
with your shows?
BAITZ: I always used to tease Edward Albee for that. He would
get faxes at home of every cast everywhere. Like it was the CIA. I
really think you have to let them go, because if you dont let them
go, youre not going to be able to do the new ones.
MW: Is Vicua something you couldnt let go?
BAITZ: No, I havent let go of the play. Since I started writing it,
its been a thorn in my side, because of the delicate balance trying
to get tone and a suspension of disbelief right. Forget about the
technical stuff. The problems the play looks at are just worse and
worse and worse now.
For me, the existential question is, is it measuring up to the
horror of our time? What is the angle of the laughter to the
event itself? Where are we coming at the laughter from? Are we
weary? Are we exhausted and depleted? Are we outraged still?
We need to be more outraged still. How do I do that? Ive always
been labeled as a political playwright, but Ive always thought
of myself as a lazy moralist. And this play in particular calls for
people to ask themselves the questions in the epilogue which is:
what are we going to do now? Whats next? What are we bring-
ing to it? Otherwise, were ghosts.
MW: When did you start writing the play?
BAITZ: During the primaries. I remember being on an airplane
and just sitting there, horrified, and thinking the playwrights
I have always really related to most have been British political
playwrights that came of age and thrived in the 60s and 70s
David Hare, Howard Brenton, and obviously Pinter earlier
than that. Caryl Churchill. Even Wally Shawn, who is an English
playwright in his own way.
So Im sitting, watching this kind of panoply of stupidity and
evil on television on a plane flying west to work on a television
thing, and I thought, What kind of playwright are you if you
cant actually live in this moment and fight this moment? The
way some of the playwrights I mentioned looked at Thatcherism,
28 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
which was a great evil of their time, and which was, in some
ways, responsible for some of their best work.
Yesterday, there was a talkback after the performance and
someone said, Theres so much despair. I said, Yeah, but the
question is, what now? And this lady said, Well, what now?
I said, Numbers. Its all about numbers. Its building on the
numbers of an emboldened populace that isnt benumbed and
becalmed. That scares them. They need to start being very much
afraid of the moral consequences that we do live with still,
despite their vast, almost unimaginable reserves of cynicism.
They exist in the same moral universe that we do.
MW: The play references the chant You will not replace us. Do
you feel that Charlottesville was a turning point, at least in the
question of morality?
BAITZ: There are so many turning points, its almost circular. I
think that was a turning point. For me, I had a kind of epiphany
on the night of the Womens March here in D.C., when I got
into an unfortunate altercation that ended up with me having a
broken wrist and a broken elbow and stitches in my forehead.
If you remember, the night before, D.C. was filled with cel-
ebrants mingling mostly peacefully, but some were intoxicated
with the scent of permission that theyd been given to be their
worst selves. And I had a run-in with I cant be specific,
because theres actually a trial with someone who picked me up
and threw me. I realized that night that the wink and nod com-
ing from our president, and the dog whistle, was very loud and
very evident and easily seen if you had the right glasses on. That
led me to writing the epilogue.
MW: The epilogue is despairing.
BAITZ: Yes.
MW: Is that still your point of view, after 10 months of the Trump
administration?
BAITZ: As long as you walk away with this question of what do
you bring to the fight, of where do you stand. Theres a particu-
lar kind of class apathy thats easily available to a lot of people.
And Ive seen it before. I spent eight very, very formative years
in South Africa during apartheid as an American kid, but I was
so amazed by how comfortable people who appeared to have a
sense of man and God and their place in the world were with the
evil of apartheid, and how one could benefit from it while tacitly
disapproving of it and how that disapproval meant nothing at
all unless there were actions. So many people did take action.
But now I see the same kind of upper middle class complacency
that for me was evident in my particular circle, which was the
wealthy Jewish population of Durban, South Africa in the 70s. I
went to a Jewish day school, and there would be so many films
about Nazi Germany shown to us kids, in the midst of apartheid,
and no connections being drawn except, of course, by me, the
asshole at 15, 16. But thats never subsided for me. Now I see the
culture of distraction here substituting for the culture of apathy
and indifference.
MW: Vicua seems more critical of Seamans enablers than of
him, but that also assumes that the enablers the Srilankas, or
Ivankas or Jareds of the world have a conscience that we hope
they have.
BAITZ: We cant assume it. I think that theres a psychopathology
in the case, for instance, of Jared. This is a weird corollary, but
stick with me. The children of suicides feel empowered, and the
impossible becomes possible for many of the children of sui-
cides. In many ways and I dont know the statistics youre
more likely to commit suicide because it has been made possible
by your parent. If you have a felon as a father, a criminal whos
clearly suffering from a profound lapse, at best, but whose moral
culpability is enormous, if thats your father, I think it could pos-
sibly create an opening in you for justifying anything.
Of course, not all criminals are born of criminals, but this
particular mendacity, this white collar savagery, as I think of
it, is extraordinary to me. The great national autism is simply a
moral one. We have to start looking at the disease of not having
empathy in a culture and how that can be inculcated. In the case
of Srilanka in the play, I give her a conscience, but I damn her
doubly more.
MW: For not acting on it?
BAITZ: Yes, shes the most complicit. Shes the most deadly of
the enablers. And I give her a suitable ending. I dont like these
people one bit. Theyre not good people.
MW: What about the bad guys on the other side? Are they not as
bad?
BAITZ: No.
MW: Is there only one side?
BAITZ: No, theres only love or its absence. If you live in love,
if you live in grace, if you live in goodness, if you live in giving
of yourself, giving greedily, which I think is the way Sigmund
Freud described Christ somewhere. He gave greedily. Im not
saying Im a religious man, but I do believe that sacrifice is one
of the only ways to purify yourself. Whether its through work
and time, but goodness is everything. So when I see all the forms
of cynical corruption on supposedly the Left, its actually worse.
Its much worse for me. Who are people supposed to believe
in? Who are our children, who are young people supposed to
believe in?
MW: You teach young artists. Whom do they believe in? Whats
inspiring them now?
BAITZ: Were in a strange moment now, where young artists are
kind of torquing their bodies out of an impersonal culture, and
theyre twisting their way out of a web in which theyre trapped
like its a death caul. So its a transition time. To be a young
white, cisgendered, heteronormative artist requires the most
agonizing questions that you ask of yourself. I see different kinds
of students with different kinds of voices having to grapple with
different moments that theyre all in culturally.
I know that theres also a mob as well. You see the mob in
colleges. I read that Michael Wellers play Buyer Beware was
shut down at Brandeis this week. A play about Lenny Bruce
and his use of the N word, but set now on the college campus at
Brandeis. And someone who hadnt even read the play demand-
ed that it be pulled. She wasnt even there, she was on the
West Coast, but she knew enough about it from descriptions to
demand that it be canceled. And it was canceled.
Weve got to find ways, and hopefully its in the theater first,
of coming together like its church, really coming together and
being able to fearlessly talk to one another, ask questions that
make us miserable, that make us face what we have done and
what we are.
MW: If that were to include supporters of Trump, what does this
show have to say to them?
BAITZ: Someone asked me that last night, and I said Ive said
everything already. Ive said that you made this possible. I no
longer have the luxury of trying to understand them. That is a
liberal conceit. Now I just want to fight them. I dont actually
feel compelled anymore to offer them the kind of humanizing
discourse that they refused everybody else.
MW: An early turning point for me and for a lot of people was
Trump mocking the reporter.
BAITZ: Totally.
MW: That anyone would need to have it explained to them, that he
This is an
extraordinary country
in a weird way. We
do everything wrong.
We get into wars
based on lies. We
abandon education as
a holy responsibility.
BUT THERES THIS
STRANGE LITTLE
CORNER OF THE
JUSTICE SYSTEM
THAT REMAINS
UNINFECTED.
was mocking someones disability. Thats what I cant deal with.
BAITZ: Yeah. It was hard enough to fucking deal with the
Clintons kleptocracies. It was hard enough to deal with the
strange sense of establishment rot that exuded from them. I
could never excuse it. Its why every young person in the world
turned away from them frankly. And its actually why I thought
that Donald Trump was going to be the next president.
MW: Do you feel at all encouraged by the indictments coming
down? I heard a phrase the other day, the end of the Trump era,
but is there such a thing and will it end well?
BAITZ: This is an extraordinary country in a weird way. Its
extraordinary. We do everything wrong. We lie about the wars
we get into. We get into wars based on lies. We create a religion
based on selling shit. We abandon education as a holy responsi-
bility. But theres this strange little corner of the justice system
that remains uninfected. I really do believe that. Its very small,
but its somehow there.
There are these rare glimpses of things. Edith Windsor, for
example. I feel like the resistance will be in part in court, and in
part in the voices of people, and probably also very much on the
West Coast. I think theres a kind of government in exile there
who are resisting and leading the resistance a legislative resis-
tance, a judicial resistance and offer sanctuary, too.
MW: Do you vote in New York or California?
BAITZ: Now, California, because I think its useful.
MW: Is that based on ideology?
BAITZ: No. Im native Californian and it was a great moment to
go back there with my husband. We were very worried, as hes
the, I guess you would call it, baby daddy to a trans gay couple.
He has two kids with them. Theyre in New York. We were sort
of wishing they would live in California, because their lives will
be easier there in some ways, though New York is pretty great.
NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 29
Hollywood liberalism
has been the cover for a
long time. When I think
about rumors about gay
men in Hollywood, and
how we have glanced
in the other direction
for so long, IM STRUCK
BY HOW EASY IT IS TO
FAIL AT BEING A GOOD
PERSON EVERY DAY.
MW: There are certainly worse places for them.
BAITZ: Yeah. My husband works for SAGE, which is Services
and Advocacy for Gay Elders, so he brings this stuff home every
day. The outrages, the ways in which the protections are being
challenged. So, being in California has been helpful.
MW: It felt like a bastion for the resistance?
BAITZ: It does feel that way to me. A place to gather and strength-
en.
MW: Is any of that undermined by whats currently going on in
Hollywood, in light of ongoing sexual assault and harassment
scandals? It doesnt help opinions of Hollywood liberals.
BAITZ: It doesnt. This is very much like Freuds suppression
of the seduction theory. He had sort of realized that the child
abuse in Austria during his time was epic. It was something that
scared him to deal with. In a way, it was a kind of failure for him,
because everybody he saw as a patient had a story of child abuse.
The epidemic now is of male monstrousness. Were seeing it
in the first places where it would come out, but its going to keep
happening. Hollywood liberalism actually has been the cover for
a long time. The ability to look away has been sickening for a long
time. When I think about rumors about gay men in Hollywood
all the collective rumors and how we have glanced in the other
direction for so long, Im struck by how easy it is to fail at being
a good person every day. Ive always actually been on the fringes
of show business, more of a playwright, so I go and dip in, then
come out, but you do feel it. You do feel this festering ugliness.
In my case, Ive always just ran the other way, not thinking about
who was there, who was left there defenselessly.
But the resistance doesnt really have to do with those peo-
ple on the west side of L.A. or in the hills of Berkeley. It has to
do with young people, the children of immigrants, immigrants
30 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
themselves, it has to do with trans, gay, people of color. Thats
who leads this moment. I will take my cue. I will take my direc-
tion thusly. Because Liberalism has failed completely. I grew up
in a liberal household, and I know how little it means. Its simply
really expensive makeup from Saks Fifth Avenue, to put on your
face so that you look nice when you look in the mirror. It is not a
real functioning philosophy.
MW: Is that why the voice of conservatism in the play, a fictional
Senator, is actually a good guy? She represents somebody who is at
least thoughtful.
BAITZ: Yeah, but she didnt do it the right way. She offered a
bribe, which is funny, comic. Its meant to be funny, and its
meant to be awful. The play tries to thread the needle between
that which is funny and that which is tragic.
MW: Speaking of tragic, youre working on the next season of FXs
Feud, about Charles and Diana.
BAITZ: I am. Ryan Murphy has blessed me with taking charge
of its next iteration. Me and my friend, Ned Martel, whos an
ex-journalist and critic from D.C. the Washington Post, New
York Times who transitioned into becoming a TV writer.
MW: To create a fair fight, do you need to tarnish Dianas halo, or is
there a powerful feud that we just dont know about?
BAITZ: I think its probably best to get rid of all the halos and to
look at it as conceptual art. That there is this institution, which
is based on artifice and a dream and a bloodline. It depends
upon a kind of theater in order to maintain itself. They selected
a woman who, on the face of it, represented all of those values.
She even came from their class. The great story of Diana its
sort of the only story that there is for me is someone waking
up, someone awakening. Shes most certainly not an angel. She
is capable of shallowness and of scheming. Shes tricky and
modern, but unlike many of the Windsors, she has an uncanny
empathy for the sorrows and tribulations around her of other
people, people who are less fortunate. Its a saving thing in her
case. She was the first person in that entire ridiculous cadre of
people to walk into an AIDS ward and to touch a patients hand.
Theyd never done it before. They were all afraid. She made it
normal to actually touch the ill, and it changed the perspective
in England at that time, really changed it. Shes a child when she
gets the thing she wants/doesnt want.
I think about it as Rosemarys Baby a lot. To wake up and to
realize that this beautiful fantasy that came true is in fact an end-
less nightmare where youre the only one not in on the lie. And
there was a lie from the very beginning. The lie was that Charles
truly, deeply loved her. He did love her in his own strange,
bewildered, stunted way, but not enough to make a life with her.
I think she was radicalized by that.
MW: Maybe that will happen to Melania too?
BAITZ: Maybe it will. I wouldnt count on it. I also see it as a war
of sex and of PR, and the story of a kind of bankrupt institution,
and a very cynical one at that, being forced to change. So yes,
there is a lot of tarnish on the halo. You could look at it as the
story of a catastrophic first marriage.
MW: If you were going to write a Feud of Trump versus someone,
whom would it be?
BAITZ: Id suppose it would eventually be the justice system. So, it
would more likely be American Crime Story, because, of course, I
think there will be criminal charges and hopefully [prison] time,
which will be a very redemptive moment in American history. l
Vicua & The American Epilogue runs until December 3 at Atlas
Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $65. Call
202-399-7993, ext. 2 or visit MosaicTheater.org.
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES/ TM & DC COMICS
Movies

The Justice League storyline is pro-

Saving the Planet

pelled by the arrival of Steppenwolf, a
horned-helmeted villain with skin des-
perately in need of a Clinique counter,
who loudly and repeatedly proclaims him-
Justice League pits a gaggle of superheroes against a foe that would self the ender of worlds. Steppenwolfs
demolish Earth. And no, its not Trump. By Randy Shulman return (hes tried this before, we learn,

B
in a flashback involving the Amazons,
LESS JOSS WHEDON.WHERE WOULD THE BIG SCREEN COMIC BOOK Atlanteans, and wait, what? Is that
universe mostly Marvel, but now DC, as well be without his formidable a Green Lantern?) is precipitated by
gifts? Its impossible not to notice the Buffy creators influence, mostly as a writ- humankinds state of profound mourning
er, but also as the man who stepped in to complete Justice League after Zack Snyder over the death of Superman and, adjunct-
had to drop out for personal reasons. Because of Whedon, Justice League ( ) ly, intrepid, klutzy reporter Clark Kent.
has more joie de vivre than its predecessors, particularly the bloated, cumbersome, and The world is in a state of utter chaos,
genuinely idiotic Batman vs. Superman. uncertainty, and fear, which pretty much
Unlike the previous installments, the dialogue in Justice League is often laden with sums up how everyone who isnt a white
wit, which one assumes was a Whedon contribution. Case in point: Batman finally supremacist, an employee of Breitbart,
cracks a few jokes. And one of them is actually funny. Still, Whedon is merely a hired or Roy Moore has been feeling since the
handyman here, applying a bit of fresh paint and caulk to a fixer-upper teetering on election of Donald J. Trump. (The alle-
the brink of full collapse. And Justice League has plenty of problems, mostly resulting gory to our modern-day malaise runs
from Snyders stubbornly myopic super-serious, gloom-fortified take on DCs most through Justice League like a raging river.)
cherished properties. With the exception of Wonder Woman, which earlier this year So its up to Batman (Ben Affleck) and
lit up screens in a blaze of feminine-empowerment glory, the current DC approach Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to recruit a
to its iconic heroes has been lumbering, lethargic, and wholly dispiriting. Theyre the few other super-powered beings and forge
antithesis of Marvel, which, for the most part, keeps getting it right, and isnt afraid to an alliance. Were asking people who dont
try out new things. know us to risk their lives, WW says to the
Take Thor: Ragnarok. It feels whiz-bang fresh, thanks to a loosening of the formulaic Bat, and all he can do is shrug. Well, yes.
noose by director Taika Waititi. Justice League and all of DC could use a bit of the The new, reluctant heroes, who grow
Thor approach: it needs an injection of the frenzied and frenetic. At this point, howev- less reluctant as the plot lumbers for-
er, it still feels misaligned. ward, include the lightning-fast Flash
The biggest problem with Justice League lies with cramming too much story into (Ezra Miller), a dead college quarterback
two hours. The narrative feels like an overstuffed turkey, and genuine character devel- brought back to life as an ever-changing
opment is discarded in favor of quick-hit cardboard cutouts. So much has to happen in alien robot elegantly named Cyborg (Ray
Justice League for it to advance that we barely have time to relish the thin, predictable Fisher), and the hard-drinking, grumpy
storyline. Instead, it just passes before us, and we sit there, gazing at the screen like Aquaman (Jason Momoa), who would
obedient drones, mindlessly munching on popcorn. seem more at home riding a bike with the

32 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY

Hells Angels than swimming with sardines. They eventually
form an alliance lets call it the Justice League to take on the
all-powerful Steppenwolf, but not before deciding they need one
more superfriend in their employ.
Which raises the movies billion dollar question. Is Superman
really dead, or is he just playing possum in that pine box, read-
ing the latest Stephen King novel? So off they go for a late-night
cemetery dig, which, as The Flash notes, feels like a Pet Semetary
kind of moment. If he only knew.
Look, this isnt a spoiler. The fact that Henry Cavills name
is listed second in the opening credits should be a giveaway that
the Man of Steel figures into the story in some capacity. Fans
have put a lot of energy into speculating what kind of Superman
might emerge from that pine box. Will he be good? Bad?
Indifferent? Snyder and Whedon are well aware of the chatter,
and have enormous fun with it in the movies one truly great
sequence, one thats played with as much wit as alarming men-
ace. Its the only time in Justice League where the exhilaration of
the moment takes hold, and its absolutely amazing.
Mostly, though, the film is business as usual for these heroes,
who spend more time striking meaningful poses than fight-
ing their nemesis. And speaking of said nemesis, they might
as well be fighting something out of Dreamworks Animation.
Steppenwolf, boomingly voiced by the estimable Ciarn Hinds,
resembles a badly rendered video game boss. And hes not even
the worst special effect in the movie. Honestly, for all the money
poured into Justice League, the effects have a slapdash, unfin-
ished quality. Its possible all the talented special effects people
were busy working on the eye-popping Thor.
Justice League is rated PG-13 for moderate violence. It opens Friday at area theaters. Visit Fandango.com.
Affleck is clearly tired of playing Batman; you can sense it in
every second of his listless performance (though hes still better
at wearing the cowl than George Clooney). Gadot, by contrast,
lights up every scene shes in the camera adores her, she
adores the camera, and we all benefit from the mutual adoration.
Fisher, eradicated by a special effect costume with only a small
portion of his face showing, has a thankless role, though he gives
it his all, and, as a result, Cyborg seems the most potentially
interesting new character on offer a standalone film would
be welcome. Momoas Aquaman isnt shirtless nearly enough,
and his skills as an actor are limited to three expressions: angry,
angry with furrowed brow, and angry with scowl. Sometimes
Momoa combines all three and you just want to hand him an
Oscar for trying so very hard.
The savior of Justice League is Miller, who brings just the
right fizzy pop of nerdy, gee-whiz buoyancy to The Flash, whose
evolution to a full-on hero is the films most satisfying arc. Miller
provides Justice League its lightness of being and he is a more-
than-welcome addition.
The movie ends with a post-credits coda that promises big-
ger, badder things to come but, if Im reading this right, on
a more human scale. That would be a nice respite from these
planet-hungry super-entities bent on devouring earth for no
apparent reason other than to give the superheroes someone
to beat against all odds. (Marvel is just as guilty of this.) So per-
haps it is time to scale things back and let the characters and
their mythologies ripen a bit. As Alfred (Jeremy Irons) sighs to
Batman, One misses the days when ones biggest concern was
exploding wind-up penguins. Indeed. l
NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 33
Stage
MARGOT SCHULMAN

and the rest of the cast, are fabulous purvey-

Tops and Bottoms

Pajama Game brings serious steam to an exuberant Golden Age
musical, while Top Girls is powered by a potent,
all-female cast. By Andr Hereford
ors of choreographer Parker Esses flirty,
Fosse-inflected moves. The impressive
jump and jive of Hernandos Hideaway
and the PG-rated sizzle of Steam Heat
deliver pretty much as intended.
What the production doesnt exactly
deliver is a profound sense of place, visu-

A
ally or vocally, despite the contributions
UDIBLE GASPS AND WOLF WHISTLES GREET TIM ROGANS ENTRANCE, of good sound design and colorful charac-
shirtless, in the show-closing title number of the rollicking Golden Age musical ter-defining costumes. The original score
The Pajama Game (HHHHH). By that time, Rogan, possessed of greater assets and story conjure a unique atmosphere
than just a chiseled physique, has earned healthy rounds of applause from the Arena of friction between post-WWII industry
Stage audience, for his winning, wonderfully sung turn as lovestruck factory superin- and country picnic Americana, but on
tendent Sid Sorokin. this stage, the period and place register
Billed as a battle of the sexes, The Pajama Game, featuring music and lyrics by largely in exaggerated, cartoonish terms.
Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, is really more of a celebration of boy-girl romance Ultimately, the shows investment in what
and attraction, set within the contentious context of a labor dispute at the Sleep-Tite might become of the workers struggle
pajama factory. The working women and men of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based manu- feels subsumed by the will-they-or-wont-
facturer might lock horns over workplace gossip, but they stand mostly united against they of Babe and Sid. (Guess what? They
clueless Sleep-Tite owner, Mr. Hasler (Edward Gero) in their pursuit of an all-import- will.)
ant 7.5-cent raise. For a few brief moments, director Paul
Fighting the fight for management, Hasler has city boy Sid, his third superintendent does dangle some suspense, and Coleman
in a year. Fighting his own impulses, Sid has his hands full facing employee advocate makes her gorgeous reprise of Hey
and head of the factory Grievance Committee, Babe Williams, a role Britney Coleman There ache with doubt and longing. But
imbues with heart and pluck. theres no denying, nor is there really
Its a damn plucky production all around, thanks to focused direction by Alan Paul, much preventing, the sparks her Babe and
well-plied physical comedy, a dazzling puzzle box of a set from James Noone, and a Rogans Sid set off whenever they argue on
pair of leads who duet beautifully, spar spicily, and dance passably. the factory floor, or cuddle in her kitchen.
The show deploys stronger dancers amid a deep-bench ensemble that includes A Theyre a match as made for each other as
Chorus Line Tony-winner Donna McKechnie as Sids vivacious secretary, Mabel, and pajama tops and bottoms.
Eddie Korbich, a delight in every moment as Sleep-Tites tap-happy timekeeper, Hines.
As the factorys union president, Prez, Blakely Slaybaugh resembles a young Stanley THE AUDACIOUS OPENING act of
Tucci, dances like a sexed-up Ray Bolger, and nails his big number, Her Is, alongside Caryl Churchills modern classic Top Girls
Nancy Andersons daffy Gladys Hotchkiss. assembles a millenniums worth of female
Slaybaugh and Anderson, Steam Heat dancers Tony Neidenbach and Jay Adriel, power, pain, and wisdom at one lively

34 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY

dinner party. Setting the mood for a story focused on modern
career woman Marlene (Karina Hilleard), Churchill enlists five
larger-than-life female figures real and fictional, legendary
and literary to voice the struggles and conquests of women
throughout history.
An emperors concubine swaps stories with a 19th-century
free spirit, while a female pope breaks bread with a lady who led
a legion of looters into hell. Wine and laughter flow around the
table, and all roads of experience lead to 80s single lady Marlene.
Like Churchills fabulous feast, where one guest arrives late,
director Amber Paige McGinnis staging of Top Girls (
at Keegan takes a few moments to feel fully engaged. Then, as
Lady Nijo (Alexandra Palting), Isabella Bird (Susan Marie Rhea),
Pope Joan (Jessica Lefkow), Griselda (Amanda Forstrom), and
Gret (Caroline Dubberly) reveal their shared history of abuse,
of having their babies taken from them, or of overcoming their
oppressors, the camaraderie clicks.
The director and ensemble pinpoint the rhythms of commu-
nity the support, commiseration, and competitiveness that
Churchills script captures so well. That convivial spirit creates
a comforting space for the rage expressed in Dubberlys mostly
silent performance as Gret, or the hurt projected by Paltings
naive Lady Nijo, who doesnt much distinguish between being
with her man and being raped by him. The ladies strength and
independence is heartily exemplified in Rheas rousing turn as
trousers-clad traveler, Bird.
Hilleard, meanwhile, makes a riveting Marlene, leading the
story forward into Thatchers England, where she and sev-
eral other ladies toil at a London employment agency. Again,
McGinnis and the cast mine sharp comedy from the rapport of
Marlene and her mates, while delivering pointed portrayals of
several female clients who seek better prospects at the agency.
Here, Rhea veers impressively from embodying bon vivant
Bird in the first act, to depicting the desperate wife Mrs. Kidd,
who comes to the employment agency advocating for her hus-
bands promotion at the cost of another womans progress. Not
every member of the cast so adeptly disappears from one charac-
ter to the next, and Rhea later uncovers an even more compelling
layer as Marlenes sister, Joyce, a cleaning lady who clashes with
the exceedingly driven Marlene.
Divided by class, ambition, and the politics of Us versus
Them, Joyce and Marlene encompass many of the attributes
and flaws laid out along Churchills spectrum of top girls.
Hilleard and Rhea both dig in deep to plant Marlene and Joyces
respective demands for dignity, and theres a savage kind of
love in their fight over Joyces daughter, Angie (Dubberly), who
idolizes her aunt Marlene. Their searing confrontation provides
a fitting final roar of emotion, thats then deflated somewhat by
a shaky coda.
Yet what lingers is the intensity of sisterhood conjured by
Marlene, Joyce, and all the ladies, present or merely evoked, that
join them at the table. l

Top Girls runs to December 2 at The Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $45.
Call 202-265-3767, or visit KeeganTheatre.com.
The Pajama Game runs to December 24 at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $50 to $99.
Call (202) 488-3300, or visit arenastage.org.

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 35

RUVEN AFANADOR Music

wasted potential. He could very likely do

Vocally Queer
so much more, even if he stuck within the
piano ballad-driven confines he seems to
have imposed on himself. The feelings may
all be there and they may indeed be deeply
Sam Smith adds some heft to his vocal pop, while Shamir embraces an felt and genuine, but going to pains to find
early career reinvention By Sean Maunie a common denominator flattens them into
something bloodless and without the teeth

T
it might have had.
HERES A MOMENT ON SAM SMITHS HIM WHEN HE CROONS, I WALK
the streets of Mississippi/I hold my lover by the hand/I feel you staring when SHAMIR BAILEYS THIRD album carries a
he is with me. This stands out as a particularly visceral and poignant moment remarkably apt title. Revelations (HHHHH)
in the first track written for his latest album, The Thrill of it All. (HHHHH) Him is a picks up from Hope, the surprise sophomore
song that wrestles with faith and gay identity as it plays with the idea of God the father album recorded over a weekend on a 4-track
figure. Its refreshingly confident and unblinking from a top-selling artist who has skirt- that marked an abrupt shift into lo-fi from
ed around his sexuality in the past. Its also, unfortunately, an outlier in an album that the polished, disco-throwback pop of his
otherwise sticks to a pallet of familiar tropes and structures. debut Rachet. six months later, his latest
Smiths voice is strong and packed with enough emotion to provide a counterweight release shines up the rougher edges while
to the relative blandness of the material. Those heartrending vocals accompanied by a preserving the DIY rawness that works just
piano and a choral section are made for commercial success its not for nothing that as well on this album.
Too Good at Goodbyes topped the charts for weeks after its release. Formulaic as it The commitment to lo-fi and the
is, its a formula for a reason, and its easy enough to enjoy for two or even three songs. underriding idea of reinvention are appar-
Stretched over an entire album, however, the approach shows its limitations quickly. ent from the albums beginning. Games
Any of the songs would be fine on their own, but only a couple ever manage to stand opens with a plonking keyboard riff more
out from the rest. If you werent paying attention, you might wonder for a second if you evocative of a novices demo than an artist
had been listening to the same song stuck on a loop. who has experienced life as an overnight
Theres no reason to doubt that Smith is being genuine here, but something about pop success. As Shamirs unmistakable
the way the album is put together waters down the pathos in his voice. His feelings vocals come in to carry on an imagined
may be deep, but aside from the male pronouns, wordplay, and queer referents on the conversation with a record label exec who
standout track Him, Smith never manages to get very far in conveying thoughts and has just let him go, its clear that were
feelings beyond the broad, sweeping and universal. still dealing with an impressive talent.
Theres nothing inherently wrong with sticking to a format that works, and its Throughout the album, he jumps franti-
especially hard to fault Smith for hewing to an approach that has brought so much cally from one style to another, and we
commercial success. What makes his latest work a little disappointing is the feeling of see many hints of the punk and country he

36 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY

grew up listening to.
Vocals and instrumentals aside, Revelation
is also held up by some raw and memorable
songwriting. While Shamirs tone certainly
comes across as more honest and serious
in his lyrics, his stream of consciousness on
these tracks is as irreverent and fun as it is
blunt and revealing. We talk with vocal fry/
We watch our futures die, goes the opener
to 90s Kids, a track that is one long snarky
rejoinder to the innumerable hot takes on
millennials. On the albums closer, he flip-
pantly tosses off the line, Straight boys
ruin my life, a brief, elegantly simple, and
completely relatable confession. Blooming
gives us the best summation of his mission
statement: Im too strong to just lay down
and die. A little over-the-top, sure, but its
difficult not to believe him.
Not everything on Revelations works, and
Shamir does not always play to what seem
like obvious strengths, but these are more
growing pains than they are fundamental
flaws in the album. Hope proved his versatili-

ASON MACDONALD
ty and depth by totally reinventing his sound
and image, and Revelations is a sign that
Shamir has the creativity, energy and talent
to devote to whatever might come next. l

Revelations and The Thrill of It All are available to buy from Amazon and iTunes, and are on most streaming services.

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 37

NightLife Photography by
Ward Morrison

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 39


DrinksDragDJsEtc...
Thursday,
November 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
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 5-9pm,
all liquors, beers and
wines up to 50% off
$3 Well Drinks All Night
Underwear Night,
9pm-2am For men in
underwear, all well drinks
$2, 9pm-12am Thrifty
Thursdays Drag Show,
hosted by Whimsey
Thrift and Shaunda Leer,
8-9:30pm in the Nest
First well or domestic drink
40 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
Scene
Number Nine - Saturday, November 11
Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene
FREDDIES BEACH BAR TRADE BALTIMORE EAGLE COBALT/30 DEGREES
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm Doors open 5pm Huge Baltimore Bear Happy Happy Hour: $6 Top Shelf,
Karaoke, 9pm Happy Hour: Any drink Hour, 5-9pm, all liquors, $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light,
normally served in a cock- beers and wines up to 4-9pm Fancy Ass Fridays,
is on us! $5 Cover at
door Best Underwear
GREEN LANTERN tail glass served in a huge 50% off Bad Bears After 10pm $8 Grey Goose
Contest at Midnight
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Shirtless Thursday,
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
Dark in the Code Bar,
9pm $5 Cover Thats
$6 Skyy Vodka all night
Two 30-minute open bars
Code enforced in Code Bar
10-11pm Men in only $4 Talent Weekly Open Mic featuring Skyy, 11-11:30pm
after 9pm Beige Hip-Hop
Underwear Drink Free, Contest in the Nest, hosted and 1-1:30am DJ
Dance Party in the Nest,
12-12:30am DJs ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS by Washington Heights, MadScience upstairs
featuring DJ Waterzz,
BacK2bACk All male, nude dancers 7:30-9:30pm $25 Prize DJ Keenan Orr downstairs
10pm-close thebalti-
DJ 9pm Cover 21+ each week, with $250 $10 cover, 10pm-close
moreeagle.com
NELLIES SPORTS BAR Grand Prize after finals on 21+
Beat the Clock Happy Hour Dec. 15 Asian Explosion
COBALT/30 DEGREES
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), Drag Show, hosted by FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Happy Hour: $6 Top
Shelf, $3 Rail, $3 Bud
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Drag Bingo Friday, Bombalicious Eklaver,
10pm Special Guest Gia
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Karaoke, 9pm
Light, 4-9pm Locker
Room Thursday Nights, November 17 Gunn General admission
NUMBER NINE $15 Elyx Vodka and Any GREEN LANTERN
10pm-close $3 Rail
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any 9 1/2 Red Bull Flavor for $7 all Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Drinks, 10pm-midnight
drink, 5-9pm No Cover Open at 5pm Happy day long thebaltimoreea- Smirnoff, all flavors, all
DJs Sean Morris and
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, gle.com night long DJ Lemz pres-
MadScience Best Body
SHAWS TAVERN 5-9pm Friday Night ents HUSTLE: Disco Dance,
Contest at midnight, host-
Happy Hour, 4-7pm Videos, 9:30pm Rotating 9:30pm-close $3 Svedka
ed by BaNaka & Kristina
$3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue DJs Expanded craft beer until 11pm
Kelly $200 Cash Prize
Moon, $5 Rails and House selection No Cover
Doors open 10pm, 21+
Wines & Half-Priced Pizzas
Football Pitchers of
Beer and Food Specials,
7pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR Queeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx
DJ Matt Bailer Videos, and BaNaka DJ Wess
Dancing Beat the Clock upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm), downstairs following the
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) show GoGo Boys after
Buckets of Beer $15 11pm Doors open at
10pm For those 21 and
NUMBER NINE over, $12 For those
Open 5pm Happy Hour: 18-20, $15 Club: 18+
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm Patio: 21+
No Cover Friday Night
Piano with Chris, 7:30pm TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
SHAWS TAVERN Happy Hour: Any drink
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $3 normally served in a cock-
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, tail glass served in a huge
$5 Rails and House Wines glass for the same price,
& Half-Priced Pizzas 5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
TOWN
Patio open 6pm DC Bear ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm Men of Secrets, 9pm
$3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud Guest dancers Ladies
Bottles Free Pizza, 7pm of Illusion Drag Show
No cover before 9:30pm Doors at 9pm, Shows at
21+ Drag Show starts 11:30pm and 1:30am
at 10:30pm Hosted by DJ Don T. in Secrets
Lena Lett and featuring Cover 21+
Miss Tatianna, Shi-

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 41

 Saturday, NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Guest DJs Zing Zang
November 18 Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
9 1/2 Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any Buckets of Beer, $15
drink, 2-9pm $5 Absolut
and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, NUMBER NINE
9pm-close Expanded Doors open 2pm Happy
craft beer selection Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
No Cover 2-9pm $5 Absolut and $5
Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close
BALTIMORE EAGLE THIRSTY, with DJ Chord
$5 Drinks all day Leather
and Fetish Saturdays,
Bezerra, 9:30pm
Code Bar, 8pm-2am SHAWS TAVERN
Code enforced after Brunch with Bottomless
9pm in the Code Bar Mimosas, 10am-3pm
Shipmates of Baltimore Happy Hour, 5-7pm $3
Bar Night, 9pm-close Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
TESTOSTERONE Black
Light Underwear Dance
$5 Rails and House Wines
& Half-Priced Pizzas
Party 10pm-close Comedy Show, Second
Featuring DJ Ron Hamelin Floor, Doors open 7pm
$10 Cover in advance,
$12 at door thebalti- TOWN
moreeagle.com DC Rawhides host Town
& Country: Two-Step, Line
COBALT/30 DEGREES Dancing, Waltz and West
Drag Yourself to Brunch at Coast Swing, $5 Cover to
Level One, 11am-2pm and stay all night Doors open
2-4pm Featuring Kristina 6:30pm, Lessons 7-8pm,
Kelly and the Ladies of Open dance 8-10:30pm
Illusion Bottomless Special 10th Anniversary
Mimosas and Bloody Event: Town Turns 10
Marys Happy Hour: $6 Celebration Upstairs:
Top Shelf, $3 Rail, $3 Bud DJ Chris Cox, 10pm-close
Light, 4-9pm LURe DC: Downstairs: Music and
Ladies Night, 10pm-close video by DJ Wess Lady
Doors open 10pm 21+ Bunny performs in the Drag
$10 Cover Show Meet and Greet
with Lady Bunny, 9pm
FREDDIES BEACH BAR $25 Tickets, available via
Saturday Breakfast Buffet, Flavorus.com Drag Show
10am-3pm $14.99 with starts at 10:30pm Hosted
one glass of champagne by Lena Lett and featuring
or coffee, soda or juice Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-Lee,
Additional champagne $2 Riley Knoxx and BaNaka
per glass Crazy Hour, Doors open 10pm $15 COBALT/30 DEGREES
4-8pm Freddies Follies Cover from 10pm-12am Happy Hour: $6 Top Shelf,
Drag Show, hosted by Miss $12 after midnight 21+
Destiny B. Childs, 8-10 pm
Karaoke, 10pm-close TRADE
Doors open 12pm Huge
GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour: Any drink
Happy Hour, 4-9pm normally served in a cock-
$5 Bacardi, all flavors, tail glass served in a huge
all night long Bears glass for the same price,
Can Dance Leather/ 12-10pm Beer and wine
Jock/Underwear Party, only $4
9pm-close No Cover
42 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm-4am
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Champagne Brunch Buffet,
Guest dancers Ladies 10am-3pm $24.99 with
of Illusion Drag Show four glasses of champagne
with host Ella Fitzgerald or mimosas, 1 Bloody
Doors at 9pm, Shows Mary, or coffee, soda or
at 11:30pm and 1:30am juice Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
DJ Don T. in Ziegfelds Karaoke, 9pm-1am
DJ Steve Henderson in
Secrets Cover 21+ GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Open Mic Night Karaoke
with Kevin downstairs,
Sunday, 9:30pm-close
November 19 NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Drag Brunch, hosted by
9 1/2 Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any $20 Brunch Buffet
drink, 2-9pm $5 Absolut House Rail Drinks, Zing
and $5 Bulleit Bourbon,
9pm-close Multiple TVs
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
showing movies, shows, 11am-close Buckets of
sports Expanded craft Beer, $15
beer selection No Cover
NUMBER NINE
BALTIMORE EAGLE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
Lizzie Beaumont and any drink, 2-9pm $5
Betty Whitecastle present Absolut and $5 Bulleit
Queens Who Brunch, Bourbon, 9pm-close Pop
12-2pm $34 per person Goes the World with Wes
includes All You Can Della Volla at 9:30pm
Eat Free pitcher of No Cover
Mimosas per 4 admissions
Reservations highly SHAWS TAVERN
suggested and can be Brunch with Bottomless
made online beforehand Mimosas, 10am-3pm
Ravens Game, 1-5pm Stoli Sundays: $5 Stoli
Jack Daniels Tasting, Specials with DJ, 3:30pm
2-4pm Tickets $75 Happy Hour, 5-7pm $3
T-Dance Sundays, 4-9pm Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
Buy a cup for $5 and fill $5 Rails and House Wines
it with any Absolut Flavor & Half-Priced Pizzas
and Mixer for $3 each time
(excluding energy drink TRADE
mixers) thebaltimoreea- Doors open 12pm Huge
gle.com Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
$3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, 12-10pm Beer and wine
4-9pm Homowood only $4
Karaoke, hosted by Robert
Bise, 10pm-close No
Cover 21+
Monday, SHAWS TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $3
November 20 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 Rails and House Wines
9 1/2 and Half-Priced Pizzas
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any Shaw Nuff Trivia, with
drink, 5-9pm Multiple Jeremy, 7:30pm
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded TRADE
craft beer selection Doors open 5pm Huge
No Cover Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
BALTIMORE EAGLE tail glass served in a huge
Happy Hour, 5-9pm, all
liquors, beers and wines up
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Patio open until
to 50% off Micro Brew 11pm Beer and wine
Draft/Bottle Mondays only $4
$4 all day SIN: Service
Industry Night, 11pm-2am
First Well Drink or
Domestic Beer Free 10%
off your Food Order all day
Tuesday,
thebaltimoreeagle.com November 21
COBALT/30 DEGREES 9 1/2
Happy Hour: $6 Top Shelf, Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
$3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, drink, 5-9pm Multiple
4-9pm Monday Nights TVs showing movies,
A Drag, featuring Miss shows, sports Expanded
Kristina Kelly Doors craft beer selection
open at 10pm Showtime No Cover
at 11:30pm No Cover
21+ BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 5-9pm, all
FREDDIES BEACH BAR liquors, beers and wines up
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm to 50% off Well Bomb
Singles Night Half-Priced Shots $4 all Day Tavern
Pasta Dishes Karaoke, Tally presents Family Feud
9pm Game Show Night, 8pm
thebaltimoreeagle.com
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night COBALT/30 DEGREES
long Singing with the Happy Hour all night: $6
Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke Top Shelf, $3 Rail, $3 Bud
Night with the Sisters Light Gaymer Night,
of Perpetual Indulgence, 7-10pm Multiplayer
9:30pm-close Games on 7 TVs
Tournaments on the 2nd
NELLIES SPORTS BAR and 4th Tuesdays of each
Beat the Clock Happy Hour month Dance Floor
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), opens 10pm Featuring
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of DJ MadScience 21+
Beer $15 Texas Holdem
Poker, 8pm Dart Boards FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm Taco
NUMBER NINE Tuesday Karaoke, 9pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 43
NELLIES SPORTS BAR NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour SmartAss Trivia Night,
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), 8pm and 9pm Prizes
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of include bar tabs and
Beer $15 Karaoke and tickets to shows at the
Drag Bingo 9:30 Club $15 Buckets of
Beer for SmartAss Teams
NUMBER NINE only Bring a new team
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any member and each get a
drink, 5-9pm No Cover free $10 Dinner DJ Tag
Team with DJ LEMZ and
SHAWS TAVERN
Half-Priced Burgers and
Vodkatrina, 9pm
Pizzas, 5-10pm $5 House NUMBER NINE
Wines and $5 Sam Adams Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
Thanksgiving Drag drink, 5-9pm No Cover
Bingo, with Miss Kristina
Kelly, 8:30pm SHAWS TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm
TRADE $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue
Doors open 5pm Huge Moon, $5 Rails and House
Happy Hour: Any drink Wines and Half-Priced
normally served in a cock- Pizzas Thanksgiving Eve
tail glass served in a huge Party, with Piano Bar with
glass for the same price, Jill, 8pm
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4 TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a
Wednesday, cocktail glass served in a
huge glass for the same
November 22 price, 5-10pm Beer and
wine only $4 CHURCH
9 1/2 presents Wednesday Night
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any Supper Performances
drink, 5-9pm Multiple from Bombalicious Eklaver,
TVs showing movies, Christi Anna Tee, and spe-
shows, sports Expanded cial guests Music by DJs
craft beer selection Keenan Orr, Jess Jackson
No Cover and WesstheDJ Hosted
by Hellno Kitty
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 5-9pm,
all liquors, beers and
wines up to 50% off
Domestic Bottles are
Thursday,
$3 all day Fetlife: The November 23
Next Generation Happy
Hour, 8pm Team Trivia, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
8-10pm Thanksgiving
Eve Blowout, 9pm 9 1/2
Special Guest DJ Drew G
thebaltimoreeagle.com
Doors open 7pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
7-9pm Multiple TVs
COBALT/30 DEGREES showing movies, shows,
Happy Hour: $6 Top Shelf, sports Expanded craft
$3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, beer selection Music
4-9pm $4 Stoli and Stoli videos featuring DJ Wess
Flavors and Miller Lite
all night Wednesday BALTIMORE EAGLE
Thanksgiving Eve Party, Happy Hour, 5-9pm,
10pm-close 21+ all liquors, beers and
wines up to 50% off
FREDDIES BEACH BAR $3 Well Drinks All Night
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm $6 Underwear Night,
Burgers Drag Bingo 9pm-2am For men in
Night, hosted by Ms. underwear, all well drinks
Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm $2, 9pm-12am Thrifty
Bingo prizes Karaoke, Thursdays Drag Show,
10pm-1am hosted by Whimsey
Thrift and Shaunda Leer,
GREEN LANTERN 8-9:30pm in the Nest
Happy Hour all night First well or domestic drink
long, 4pm-close Bear is on us! $5 Cover at
Yoga with Greg Leo, 6:30- door Best Underwear
7:30pm $10 per class Contest at Midnight
Lantern Dancers, 9pm-2am Code enforced in Code Bar
Upstairs opens 9pm after 9pm Beige Hip-Hop
GoGo Boys at 10pm Dance Party in the Nest,
featuring DJ Waterzz,
10pm-close thebalti-
moreeagle.com
44 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Doors open 8pm Locker
Room Thursday Nights,
10pm-close $3 Rail
Drinks, 10pm-midnight
DJs Sean Morris and
MadScience 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm MadScience upstairs
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Doors open 9pm
Shirtless Thursday,
10-11pm Men in Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Underwear Drink Free,
12-12:30am DJs
BacK2bACk
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Doors open at 4pm
Football Games on Big
Screens Beat the Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
Doors open 7pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
7-9pm No Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
Closed for Thanksgiving
TRADE
Doors open 7pm Huge Piano with Chris, 7:30pm
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
7-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
DJ 9pm Cover 21+
Friday,
November 24
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos, 9:30pm Rotating
DJs Expanded craft beer
selection No Cover
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Baltimore Bear Happy Hour,
5-9pm, all liquors, beers
and wines up to 50% off
Bad Bears After Dark in the
Code Bar, 9pm $5 Cover
Thats Talent Weekly
Open Mic Contest in the
Nest, hosted by Washington
Heights, 7:30-9:30pm $25
Prize each week, with $250
Grand Prize after finals on
Dec. 15 Summer Knights 5-10pm Beer and wine
XXX Cabaret in the Nest,
10:30pm Cover is $10 in
advance, $12.50 at door
Elyx Vodka and Any Red Bull
Flavor for $7 all day long
thebaltimoreeagle.com
COBALT/30 DEGREES ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Happy Hour: $6 Top Shelf, Men of Secrets, 9pm Guest DJs Zing Zang
$3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, Guest dancers Rotating Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
4-9pm Fancy Ass Fridays, DJs Ladies of Illusion House Rail Drinks and
10pm $8 Grey Goose Drag Show Doors at Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
$6 Skyy Vodka all night 9pm, Shows at 11:30pm Buckets of Beer, $15
Two 30-minute open bars and 1:30am DJ Don T. in
featuring Skyy, 11-11:30pm Ziegfelds Cover 21+ NUMBER NINE
and 1-1:30am DJ Doors open 2pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
DJ Keenan Orr downstairs 2-9pm $5 Absolut and $5
$10 cover, 10pm-close
21+
Saturday, Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close
Jawbreaker: Music
November 25 of the 90s, with DJs
FREDDIES BEACH BAR BacK2bACk, 9:30pm
9 1/2
Karaoke, 9pm Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any SHAWS TAVERN
drink, 2-9pm $5 Absolut Brunch with Bottomless
GREEN LANTERN and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, Mimosas, 10am-3pm
Happy Hour, 4-9pm 9pm-close Expanded Happy Hour, 5-7pm $3
$5 Smirnoff, all flavors, craft beer selection Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
all night long Johny No Cover $5 Rails and House Wines
Vasquez and Sylvanna & Half-Priced Pizzas
Duvel present UNCUT, BALTIMORE EAGLE TOWN
10pm-close No Cover $5 Drinks all day Leather Upstairs: CTRL DC,
before 11pm, $10 after and Fetish Saturdays, Code 10pm-close Featuring
Bar, 8pm-2am Code DJs Devon Trotter, Jeff
NELLIES SPORTS BAR enforced after 9pm in the Prior, and Adam Koussari-
DJ Matt Bailer Videos, Code Bar Shipmates Amin Downstairs:
Dancing Beat the Clock of Baltimore Bar Night, Music and video by DJ
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
9pm-close Hybridnine
Purgatory, 9pm-close
Wess Drag Show starts
at 10:30pm Hosted by
Buckets of Beer $15 Music by DJs Del Lena Lett and featuring
Stamp and Matthew Lee, Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-Lee,
NUMBER NINE with GoGo Dancers and Riley Knoxx and BaNaka
Open 5pm Happy Hour: special performances Doors open 10pm $15
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm Dance Party in the Nest, Cover from 10pm-12am
No Cover Friday Night 10pm-close thebalti- $12 after midnight 21+
moreeagle.com
TRADE
SHAWS TAVERN COBALT/30 DEGREES Doors open 12pm Huge
Black Friday Brunch with Drag Yourself to Brunch at Happy Hour: Any drink
Bottomless Mimosas, Level One, 11am-2pm and normally served in a cock-
11am-3pm Happy Hour, 2-4pm Featuring Kristina tail glass served in a huge
4-7pm $3 Miller Lite, $4 Kelly and the Ladies of glass for the same price,
Blue Moon, $5 Rails and
House Wines & Half-Priced
Illusion Bottomless
Mimosas and Bloody
12-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
Pizzas Marys Happy Hour: $6
Top Shelf, $3 Rail, $3 Bud ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
TOWN Light, 4-9pm House DJs Men of Secrets, 9pm-4am
Patio open 6pm DC Bear Doors open 10pm 21+ Guest dancers Ladies
Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm $10 Cover of Illusion Drag Show
$3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud
Bottles Free Pizza, 7pm FREDDIES BEACH BAR
with host Ella Fitzgerald
Doors at 9pm, Shows
No cover before 9:30pm Saturday Breakfast Buffet, at 11:30pm and 1:30am
21+ Drag Show starts 10am-3pm $14.99 with DJ Don T. in Ziegfelds
at 10:30pm Hosted by one glass of champagne DJ Steve Henderson in
Lena Lett and featuring or coffee, soda or juice Secrets Cover 21+ l
Miss Tatianna, Shi- Additional champagne $2
Queeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx per glass Crazy Hour,
and BaNaka DJ Wess 4-8pm Freddies Follies
upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk Drag Show, hosted by Miss
downstairs following the Destiny B. Childs, 8-10 pm
show GoGo Boys after Karaoke, 10pm-close
11pm Doors open at
10pm For those 21 and GREEN LANTERN
over, $12 For those Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
18-20, $15 Club: 18+ Bacardi, all flavors, all
Patio: 21+ night long JOX: The
GL Underwear Party,
TRADE 9pm-close Featuring DJ
Doors open 5pm Huge David Merrill $5 Cover
Happy Hour: Any drink (includes clothes check)
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
only $4
Scene
DIK Bar - Saturday, November 11
Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY 45

 LastWord.
People say the queerest things

Love is love, always was love,

always will be love.
Australian singer KYLIE MINOGUE, in a tweet celebrating an overwhelming victory for supporters of marriage equality in a nation-
wide survey on whether the country should legalize same-sex marriage. LGBTQ celebrities flocked to social media to share their
joy at the news, including Sia, a fellow Aussie, who said that the Australian people have spoken loud and clear.

For decades,
I have played the part of a naughty gay grandpa
when I visit Howards show, a caricature I now regret.

GEORGE TAKEI, in a statement refuting allegations that he sexually assaulted male model Scott Brunton in 1981. After the allega-
tions were made, audio surface of Takei on the Howard Stern show, in which he joked about touching men inappropriately. I
want to be clear: I have never forced myself upon someone during a date. Sometimes my dates were the initiators,
and sometimes I was. It was always by mutual consent.

This long fought victory is the next step for California students
to learn about the contributions and history of
LGBTQ people.
Equality California Executive Director RICK ZBUR, praising the state board of educations decision to introduce
10 LGBTQ-inclusive history textbooks for elementary and middle school classrooms. California is the first state
in the country to introduce such books for students.

A childs emotional and physical welfare

is not up for debate.
Supporting a child when they begin to show dysphoria is not a debate. It is essential.

Transgender model MUNROE BERGDORF, in a series of tweets slamming TV news producers for inviting her to debate the welfare
of transgender children with transphobes and [Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists]. Giving such people a platform to debate
whether we should allow kids to express their gender identity is damaging and enforces the narrative
that being trans is a choice, Bergdorf said.

Making this tool publicly available would be a giant leap forward towards
our ambitious goal of
ending new HIV transmissions.
JASON MEYERS, executive director of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF), praising PHARMAC a government agency
that decides what pharmaceuticals to publicly fund for its decision to fund PrEP. NZAF estimates it would cost
$3.50 for a three month supply of PrEP with PHARMACs support.

46 NOVERMBER 16, 2017 METROWEEKLY