Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
19 LIFE SAVER
Whitman-Walker’s 40-year history is inextricably
linked to that of both the LGBTQ community
and the larger D.C. community.
By John Riley
HUMANOID
Stephen Karam’s The Humans is a gritty,
affecting night to remember.
By Kate Wingfield
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Grey Matter
C
AMILA GREY IS ALL ABOUT OPRAH. “LET’S TALK of LURe this Saturday at Cobalt.
about that speech she gave at the Golden Globes,” says “We build our sets into each other,” says Grey. “I’m the more
the 36-year-old musician. “She’s was so inspirational. ethereal, electronic, and I generally start the set off with really
The world needs someone like an Oprah, someone who’s going cool, off-beat, off-kilter electronic music like Dark Wave, New
to inspire and unite — all the things that Barack was trying to do. Wave, all that ‘80s stuff that we love. I build it into hip hop and
We need some next-level stuff to happen.” She laughs. “I was then Kate takes it. We have found — and this is market research
going to use an expletive there, but I won’t.” — that people really like hip hop at the end of the night.”
Grey is the former member of the now dormant Uh-Huh- The conversation soon drifts back to politics. “I’m going to
Her (“We’ll never say we’re over; we’re saying we’re on an get political for a second,” says Grey, noting that her upcoming
indefinite hiatus”) and is currently singing lead with Summer appearance in D.C. marks one year to the day of the massive
Moon, a “supergroup” featuring bassist Nicholai Frasier (The Women’s March on Washington. “Under the Obama administra-
Strokes), drummer Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction) and tion, things felt like they were getting better. There was hope. He
guitarist Noah Harmon (Airborne Toxic Event). The band will was a human speaking to other humans. Now it feels as though
go out on tour with The Killers starting next week. But Grey’s we’re backpedaling back 100 years to this weird political ideology
sidegig is tag-team DJ-ing with friend Kate Moennig, one of the of keeping things dark and in the closet.... It’s going to be divisive
stars of The L Word and Ray Donovan, under the moniker DJ X for a while in the sense that there’s the old school and there’s
Names (“It’s pronounced DJ No Names”). The pair will head- going to be the new school. Rest-assured, I’ll be part of the new
line the 9th anniversary party of Bare, presented by The Ladies school. And so, like I said, Oprah for President.” —Randy Shulman
Bare’s 9th Anniversary Party is Saturday, Jan. 20 at Cobalt, 1639 R St. NW. The event will also feature the Miami-based DJ
Citizen Jane and DJ Eletr0x. The anti-smoking campaign This Free Life will raffle off a Google Home. General admission is
$40, or $75 for VIP admission including limited “Meet and Greet” Tickets. Call 202-232-4416 or visit cobaltdc.com.
BABYFACE
WITH THE NSO POPS
In his first-ever collaboration with
a full orchestra, music mogul, R&B
songwriter extraordinaire, and ’90s
hitmaker Kenny Edmonds will per-
form from his rich repertoire as Tim
Davies leads the NSO Pops. The con-
cert opens with a half-hour medley of
songs made famous by Babyface and
performed by students from D.C.’s
renowned Duke Ellington School
of the Arts. Friday, Jan. 19, and
Saturday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. Kennedy
Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $24
to $119. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org.
THE INFAMOUS
STRINGDUSTERS
A five-piece bluegrass band that
originated nearly a decade ago in
Massachusetts among students at the
Berklee College of Music returns to
the area for another concert at the 9:30
Club. Presented by All Good, with an
opening set from Dangermuffin, the
savvy Stringdusters tour in support
of their widely appealing new set
Laws of Gravity. Saturday, Jan. 20.
Doors at 7 p.m. 815 V St. NW. Tickets
are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit
930.com.
DC RESTAURANT WEEK
The winter edition of DC Restaurant Week
2018 kicks off Monday, Jan. 22 with 250
select restaurants offering three courses
for $22 at lunch or brunch, and $35 at
dinner. The price point makes many of the
more expensive restaurants in town a bit
more affordable and a more enticing way
for those restaurants to make a good first
impression with newcomers. Although the
promotion officially ends Sunday, Jan. 28,
a number of participating restaurants plan
to make it a two-week affair, continuing to
Sunday, Feb. 4. Visit ramw.org/restauran-
tweek for a full list, to book reservations,
and to enter for prizes including tickets,
gift cards, and cookbooks.
THE WOLVES
Sarah DeLappe’s play follows a group of 16-year-old stars of a high school girls’ soccer team. The play is about the “contact
sport of adolescence” as told from the female perspective. “I wanted to see a portrait of teenage girls as human beings,”
says DeLappe, who was commissioned by Studio to write The Wolves as part of the Women’s Voices Theater Festival. “[I
wanted to see them] as complicated, nuanced, very idiosyncratic people who weren’t just girlfriends or sex objects or manic
pixie dream girls but who were athletes and daughters and students and scholars and people who were trying actively to
figure out who they were in this changing world around them.” Marti Lyons directs. To March 4. Studio Theatre, 14th & P
Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.
Compiled by Doug Rule Jan. 19. Landmark’s Bethesda Row To Feb. 4. Sprenger Theatre in Atlas this bid for greater gender parity
Cinema, 7235 Woodmont Ave. Call Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. in American theater). McGrath, a
NE. Tickets are $10 to $50. Call directing fellow at the Shakespeare
FILM 301-652-7273 or visit landmarkthe-
atres.com. 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org. Theatre Company, has reimagined
Shakespeare’s original adventure
12 STRONG THE FINAL YEAR HENRY VIII with Princess Imogen examining
Chris Hemsworth stars as a U.S. A riveting, uncompromising, Shakespeare’s history play literal- her expectations when the fairytale
Special Forces agent in Nicolai and unique insiders’ account of ly burned down the original Globe strays from the tried and true. Also,
Fuglsig’s drama, co-produced President Barack Obama’s foreign Theatre in 1613 as a result of a mis- because it’s from Pointless, you can
by Jerry Bruckheimer, set in policy team as they attempt to fired cannon shot from the stage. expect puppets. To Feb. 11. Dance
Afghanistan immediately after 9/11. “lock-in” policies aimed at promot- The Rude Mechanicals, known for Loft on 14 Theater, 4618 14th St.
Incredibly handsome Hemsworth ing diplomacy over large-scale mil- providing edgy spins on classical NW 2nd Floor. Tickets are $30, or
as a swoon-worthy soldier and war itary action. Opens Friday, Jan. 19. works, fire up their own production $50 for Opening Night Friday, Jan.
hero — need we say more? Opens Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 (with, thankfully, no live cannons) 19. Call 202-621-3670 or visit point-
Friday, Jan. 19. Area theaters. Visit 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or of what happens when a country lesstheatre.com.
fandango.com. visit landmarktheatres.com. gets swept up in its king’s love affair.
Friday, Jan. 19, and Saturday, Jan. LOVE IS A BLUE TICK HOUND
FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN 20, at 8 p.m. West Arundel Creative A collection of four 20-minute,
LIVERPOOL STAGE Arts, 1788 Dorsey Rd., Hanover, Md. one-act plays by Audrey Cefaly,
Annette Bening portrays eccen- Tickets are $12 to $15. Call or visit Love Is A Blue Tick Hound is the
tric Oscar-winning actress Gloria GUILT rudemechanicals.com. contribution to the Women’s
Grahame, who starred in a string SCENA Theatre presents a world Voices Theater Festival from Rapid
of hit films in the 1950s — including premiere, based on historical IMOGEN Lemon Productions, which will
Oklahoma! — but by the late ’70s had events, by John Shand. The story An adaptation of Shakespeare’s present the work in two different
become a washed-up stage actress of a charming and clever philander- Cymbeline by local artist Charlie locations, including a February run
in Liverpool. The movie is based on ing priest in the 17th Century, the Marie McGrath, Imogen is notewor- at the Capital Fringe complex in
Peter Turner’s memoir, in which provocative drama delves into the thy as one of the first productions of Trinidad. The show, offering four
he recounts his relationship with intolerance, xenophobia and perse- the second Women’s Voices Theater intimate duets bearing witness to
Grahame as a young actor. Jamie cution of the powers that be, depict- Festival (a total of 25 local produc- all the many facets of love, runs this
Bell, Julie Walters, and Vanessa ing a collision between five people tions by women playwrights will be weekend in Baltimore. To Jan. 21.
Redgrave co-star. Opens Friday, who cannot tell the truth from lies. presented through mid-February in Theatre Project, 45 West Preston St.
RABBIT SUMMER
Playwright Tracey Conyer
Lee explores police brutality,
#BlackLivesMatter and American
ideals in a work that Ally Theatre
Company offers as its contribution
to the Women’s Voices Theater
Festival. Tamieka Chavis, Michelle
Rogers, and Jeremy Keith Hunter
star in the world-premiere produc-
tion, directed by KenYatta Rogers,
and focused on the core-rocking con-
sternation that befalls a black police
officer after a family friend loses her
husband to a trigger-happy white
officer. To Jan. 28. Joe’s Movement
Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road,
Mount Rainier, Md. Tickets are $15
to $25. Call 301-699-1819 or visit
alltheatrecompany.com.
ELLI PAPAYANOPOULOS
PERSONAL SOUNDS
II and beyond. Lexi Langs and
Wood Van Meter return as May and
Raleigh, and we see them at home in
Kentucky with their very different
mothers, who have plenty of ideas
Local singer-songwriter Justin Trawick explores new routes for how they should proceed with
to make musical connections. their lives. Opens Thursday, Jan. 18.
To Feb. 11. Undercroft Theatre of
I
Mount Vernon United Methodist
DREAM OF ONE DAY HAVING MY MUSIC PLAYED IN SAFEWAY,” JUSTIN TRAWICK Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave.
says. He’s only half-joking. After all, some of the acts that inspired the Northern Virginia-based NW. Tickets are $50 to $60. Call
240-582-0050 or visit stageguild.org.
singer-songwriter have become the soundtrack to shopping everywhere, from Safeway to CVS.
“It always seems like it’s grocery stores and convenience stores that Tracy Chapman is now played THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH
at,” he says, bolstering his point. Thornton Wilder’s other Pulitzer
Prize-winning play, less well-
Trawick’s musings on retail airplay come while discussing his latest release, Riverwash. The known than Our Town, is an epic
Americana-focused EP, from the four-piece band Justin Trawick and the Common Good, features saga, dating to 1943, that was far
guitar work from Adam Levy, who “was the guy that played the lead guitar part and electric guitar ahead of its time in mixing farce,
solo in ‘Give Me One Reason’ by Tracy Chapman.” burlesque, satire and absurdism.
Who better than Constellation
Trawick first met and performed with Levy in 2009 at a New York offshoot of the 9 Songwriter Theatre Company to bring that to
Series. Trawick developed the concept a decade ago as “The 9 at DC9,” a multi-artist show with life in the 21st century? Mary Hall
nine different acts randomly performing twice. “As an individual, lesser-known performer or band, Surface directs an ensemble cast
acting out the time-traveling tragi-
it’s hard to [get booked] at a respectable venue and fill it, because not as many people know you,” comedy about the Eternal Family,
he says. led by a couple who have been mar-
The 9:30 Club and the Kennedy Center are just two celebrated local venues that have repeated- ried 5,000 years, with a baby dino-
ly played host to the series, which has also featured Rachel Platten “back when no one really knew saur and a woolly mammoth saved
from extinction as family pets. Now
who she was,” well before “Fight Song” went double platinum in 2015. Trawick is diligently work- to Feb. 18. Source Theatre, 1835 14th
ing to expand the 9 Songwriter Series into a national touring production akin to the Moth storytell- St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $55. Call
ing showcase, to make it “more of a movement, rather than just another live show that I play in.” 202-204-7741 or visit constellation-
theatre.org.
For now, he’s focused on a headlining gig and album release party at Pearl Street Warehouse,
the intimate new venue on the D.C. Wharf. “It’s the first record that I’ve done that I feel really rep- THE WAY OF THE WORLD
resents me as a musician and us as a band,” he says. Trawick is less rock-oriented now than when Theresa Rebeck (TV’s Smash)
he made music his full-time pursuit over a decade ago, but however different in sound, the songs loosely adapts William Congreve’s
17th-century comedy of man-
on Riverwash are every bit as personal as his prior output. ners by exposing the foibles of
“The best part about this job is that you’re writing things that come from the heart, and often- the one-percenters. Presented
times you’re connecting with people based on the emotions that you’ve conveyed in a song,” he by Folger Theatre as part of the
Women’s Voices Theatre Festival,
says. “If you write something that people identify with, that’s when you make a fan forever. That’s The Way of the World is set in mod-
what I’m trying to do.” —Doug Rule ern-day Hamptons and stars noted
Broadway actress Kristine Nielsen
(Vanya and Sonia and Masha and
Justin Trawick and the Common Good perform Friday, Jan. 26, with doors at 7 p.m., at Pearl Street Spike). To Feb. 11. 201 East Capitol
Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. Tickets are $12. Call 202-380-9620 or visit pearlstreetwarehouse.com. St. SE. Call 202-544-7077 or visit
folger.edu.
Life Saver
Whitman-Walker’s 40-year history is inextricably linked to that of both the LGBTQ community
and the larger D.C. community. By John Riley
“Whitman-Walker Health
is evidence of how any group of people, when they come togeth-
of the Washington Free Clinic, known as the Gay Men’s VD
Clinic, which operated out of the basement of Georgetown
Lutheran Church on Saturday mornings. Five years later, with a
er for a common purposes, can make a tremendous impact,” says new name and $15,000 in funding from the D.C. government, the
Joseph Izzo. Whitman-Walker Clinic rented a new facility on 17th Street NW,
Izzo, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist at with its services emphasizing gay men’s sexual health. The clinic
the community health center has witnessed firsthand Whitman- would later move to 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan, where it
Walker’s ability to weather difficult times. He’s been with the would remain until 1987 before moving to the first of three sites
clinic since 1986 and, as such, is its longest-serving employee. along 14th Street NW.
Despite a series of boom-and-bust cycles that threatened its “The first 10 years was largely about Whitman-Walker being
financial solvency, and until 2006, frequent changes in manage- a safe space, a sanctuary, a gathering space for gay men and lesbi-
ment, Whitman-Walker has overcome a number of challenges ans,” says Don Blanchon, Whitman-Walker’s current executive
to continue operating crucial health care programs, including director. “There was less embracing or acceptance [of LGBTQ
LGBTQ-competent health services and HIV/AIDS care. people] in society, which meant that, particularly in urban areas,
Now in its 40th year, Whitman-Walker has long served as there were a lot of places like Whitman-Walker that basically
the anchor of the 14th Street corridor, and a go-to health center became a place where gay people could gather, beyond just the
for D.C.’s LGBTQ community, whose own history is inextricably club scene.”
intertwined with that of the organization. The clinic’s role as a community gathering place would
Whitman-Walker began in 1973 as an all-volunteer program change in 1981, when reports of a new form of cancer and pneu-
WARD MORRISON
ANDROMEDA 301-422-2398.
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing and HIV METROHEALTH CENTER
services (by appointment). 9 offers free, rapid HIV testing.
a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center, Appointment needed. 1012 14th
1400 Decatur St. NW. To 2017 Women’s March on Washington St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange
arrange an appointment, call an appointment, call 202-638-
MARCHING
202-291-4707, or visit androm- 0750.
edatransculturalhealth.org.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing,
DC AQUATICS CLUB practice 3-5 p.m., by appointment and
FOR CHANGE
session at Takoma Aquatic walk-in, for youth 21 and
Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van younger. Youth Center, 410 7th
Buren St. NW. For more infor- St. SE. 202-567-3155 or test-
mation, visit swimdcac.org. ing@smyal.org.
A
welcomes runners of all ability p.m. and 2-3 p.m. at both 1525
levels for exercise in a fun and YEAR AGO, THE STREETS WERE JAMMED AS WOMEN 14th St. NW and the Max
supportive environment, with Robinson Center, 2301 Martin
and progressive allies flooded Washington, D.C. to protest Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE.
socializing afterward. Route the Trump administration and their political agenda. This
distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at Testing is intended for those
7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
weekend, on the anniversary of the historic Women’s March on without symptoms. For an
For more information, visit Washington, a group from Virginia will return to the district to appointment call 202-745-7000
dcfrontrunners.org. once again encourage participation in the political process. or visit whitman-walker.org.
“The idea is to launch a year-long strategy, in which we will
DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay US HELPING US hosts a
eventually, for the midterms in 2018, march people to the polls Narcotics Anonymous Meeting.
and lesbian square-dancing
to vote,” says Vanessa Wruble, executive director of March On. The group is independent of
group features mainstream
through advanced square “We want to take the spirit of the Women’s March, the celebra- UHU. 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636
dancing at the National City tory feeling of it, and point it at something that will push the Georgia Ave. NW. For more
Christian Church, 5 Thomas needle politically.” information, call 202-446-1100.
Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m. Casual Various chapters of the Women’s March will host events
dress. 301-257-0517, dclamb- WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP
to rally people around progressive priorities. Locally, March INSTITUTE for young LBTQ
dasquares.org.
Forward Virginia will rally at the Lincoln Memorial before women, 13-21, interested in
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds marching to the White House as a sign of rejection of the agenda leadership development. 5-6:30
practice. The team is always being pushed at both the federal and state levels. p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410
7th St. SE. For more informa-
looking for new members. All Emily Patton, press chair and co-organizer of the 2018
welcome. 7:30-9:30 p.m. King tion, call 202-567-3163, or email
Women’s March on Washington, says the primary objective of catherine.chu@smyal.org.
Greenleaf Recreation Center,
this year’s rally is to encourage women — especially those from
201 N St. SW. For more infor-
mation, visit scandalsrfc.org or diverse and intersectional communities — to run for office, as FRIDAY, Jan. 19
dcscandals@gmail.com. well as to increase voter registration and engagement so people
are able to vote in the 2018 midterms and future elections. GAY DISTRICT, a group for
THE DULLES TRIANGLES The rally will feature speakers from women’s groups, pro- GBTQQI men between the ages
Northern Virginia social gressive organizations, filmmakers, and politicians like U.S. Sen. of 18-35, meets on the first and
group meets for happy hour at third Fridays of each month.
Tim Kaine and Virginia Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-Virginia 8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.
Sheraton in Reston. All wel-
come. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise Beach), who was inspired to run for office after last year’s NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
Valley Drive, second-floor bar. march. mation, visit gaydistrict.org.
For more information, visit “What the Women’s March did was help amplify the mes-
dullestriangles.com. sages that community groups were already focusing on,” says Join The DC Center for its
TRANS AND GENDERQUEER
Patton. “Over the past year, Virginians have become incredibly
HIV TESTING at Whitman- GAME NIGHT, featuring board
Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30
engaged. Public pressure has been kept up. The first march was and card games and a chance
p.m. and from 2-5 p.m. at 1525 the rallying cry, and this step is to push forward civic engage- to socialize with other people
14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12 ment and restore and exercise our voting rights.” —John Riley from the LGBTQ community.
p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. The 2018 Women’s March on Washington, hosted by March Suite 105. Visit thedccenter.org.
Ave. SE. For an appointment Forward Virginia, takes place on Saturday, Jan. 20, from
call 202-745-7000 or visit whit- Join the Human Rights
man-walker.org.
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Marchers will meet at the reflecting pool alongside Campaign and The DC Center
the Lincoln Memorial. For more information, visit MarchDC.com.
COCKTAIL HOUR
Y OU NEVER FORGET your first time at Mid-
Atlantic Leather, even if you’ve been attend-
ing for decades.
“I happened to be in the middle of the crowd
for the national anthem, surrounded by hundreds
of gay men, and I got goosebumps,” says Bear
Man, co-founder and CEO of Ft. Lauderdale’s
Leatherwerks.
Obviously a lot has changed since Bear Man’s
first moment in 1994 during Leather Cocktails.
Hosted by local leather group Centaur MC, MAL
has grown in nearly every way, as have a number
of similar fetish events around the country where
Bear Man sells his wares. “I’m the only vendor
at this event who’s been here since it started
a vendor market,” he says. “MAL is one of my
favorite events because it’s no drama, no hassles.
The Centaurs are great people.” To this day, the
potent mix of brotherhood and patriotism on
display during Leather Cocktails remains a goose-
bump-inducing highlight for Bear Man.
The Saturday evening reception famously grew
DOG SHOW
O N THE HUGE, neon blue mat in the middle of
the Hyatt Regency’s ballroom, chaos ensued.
Dozens of pups in brightly colored singlets, knee
pads, puppy masks, and tails, were frolicking on
all fours, biting and nipping at each other, wres-
tling and mounting each other. Squeaky toys and
brightly colored balls flew back and forth between
eager participants.
As the pups scampered about on the mat, an
organizer yelled “Squirrel!” and someone in a
giant squirrel costume dove into the middle of
the mosh, prompting all the pups to tackle the
creature. The pups eagerly tore off the squirrel’s
tail within a matter of seconds, showering rapt
onlookers with hundreds of wrapped Pez can-
dies. Immensely satisfied with themselves, the
pups began howling in unison, wagging their tails
furiously.
For the 10th year, Mid-Atlantic Leather
Weekend hosted Boy Tom’s Puppy Park, a mosh
where people into pup play can let loose. This
year’s mosh was co-hosted by Luna Grove Pack,
a bicoastal group with chapters in the Pacific
Northwest and the greater Philadelphia area.
“This is one of the larger moshes on the
East Coast,” says Ursus, a 29-year-old pup from
SEX SELLS
A S MID-ATLANTIC Leather has steadily
become one of the largest annual events in
D.C., a constant has remained: the marketplace
at its core. There, vendors arrive from across the
country to sell to and celebrate all manner of sex-
ual fetishes, transforming the Hyatt Regency into
a makeshift one-stop mall of leather jackets and
harnesses, puppy masks, gear, uniform, and many,
many toys.
For Jonathan Schroder, co-owner of Mr. S
Leather in San Francisco, MAL is an annual high-
BIG WIN
R EFRESH YOUR COCKTAILS, please stand
for “The Star-Spangled Banner” (and “O
Canada”), and welcome to the Mid-Atlantic
Leather Weekend’s crowning event, the 2018 Mr.
MAL Contest.
Open to any gay leatherman residing in North
America, 33rd annual edition of the competition
featured seven contestants competing for the cov-
eted title in three categories — bar wear, jock strap,
and formal leather. Many in the audience were
current and former title holders themselves, from
Mr. Queer Montreal and Mr. Israel Leather 2018,
to champions representing Kentucky, Louisiana,
Oklahoma, and Iowa.
More than three dozen title holders — includ-
ing a few reigning bootblacks and leatherwom-
en — entered in procession, during a ceremony
celebrating the leather community’s increasingly
diverse nature, as well as its robust history. The
Centaurs Motorcycle Club, the weekend’s hosts
and organizers, lit candles of remembrance, and
nine former Mr. MAL title holders were on hand
to help outgoing Mr. MAL 2017, Martel Brown,
pass the sash on to this year’s winner.
In addition to receiving a prize package that
includes thousands of dollars of leather gear and
a Fort Troff Rock Steady sling stand, the winner
gets to represent MAL at the upcoming 40th anni-
versary International Mr. Leather competition in
Chicago this May.
“There is no other contestant who is taken
care of as well at IML [as Mr. MAL],” says Brown,
who helped judge Sunday’s contest. “The support
system of the Centaurs and the entire Atlantic
Motorcycle Coordinating Council is unfathom-
Viva Gloria!
Gloria, and their band become the Miami
Sound Machine.
Delivering his share of their famous
tunes, including a well-placed rendition of
With a cast that genuinely clicks, On Your Feet! pulsates to the beat “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” Martínez sings
of the Estefans’ hits. By André Hereford with an Aaron Neville-like tenor, and
offers a delightfully swaggering portray-
M
al of the determined bandleader. Emilio
OMENTS BEFORE THE CURTAIN ROSE IN THE KENNEDY CENTER swept into the lives of Gloria Fajardo,
Opera House for On Your Feet!, a buzz of excitement swept through the her nay-saying mother, also named Gloria
crowd. Gloria and Emilio Estefan, whose lives and music had inspired the (Nancy Ticotin), her supportive grand-
show, were in the house for opening night. mother, Consuelo (Alma Cuervo), and
Most of the audience rose to their feet, hundreds of heads craning for a glimpse, as younger sister, Rebecca (Claudia Yanez),
they made their way to their seats as swiftly as the thrilled public would allow. Before even if he didn’t sweep his future bride off
the lights had even been dimmed, everything the audience needed to know about the her feet right away.
warmth and nerve, savvy and showmanship of the Estefans was right there in that As Gloria, Prades does the subtle work
entrance, not grand but showstopping. of transitioning from the singer’s ini-
Thankfully, On Your Feet! The Emilio & Gloria Estefan Broadway Musical ( tial, shy resistance to a relationship with
) a touring production of the Broadway hit, lit up the Opera House with all Emilio, to confidently assuming a role in
the verve of its namesake couple. Directed by two-time Tony-winner Jerry Mitchell, their romantic and professional partner-
the exuberant jukebox crowd-pleaser finds its groove between current and cornball, ship. Prades walks a fine line of singing
while filling the house with vibrant musical numbers choreographed by another like Gloria while conveying her own inter-
Broadway vet, Sergio Trujillo. pretation of numbers like “Tradición” and
The book, by Alexander Dinelaris, who earned an Oscar for co-writing the 2014 film “Here We Are.” Her style veers at times
Birdman, zings with humor and a keen understanding of the immigrant experience. a bit showtune considering the show’s
Although the plotting doesn’t innovate on the romance and rise of Cuban immigrant otherwise Latin pop sensibility, but she
songwriter-musicians Emilio and Gloria Estefan (Mauricio Martínez and Christie sustains a command of the character and
Prades), there’s persuasive conviction in the storytelling. the stage.
A winning combination of Emilio’s brass and Gloria’s earnestness, the two leads That’s no small feat, as the constantly
generate scintillating chemistry, and lend heartfelt meaning to lines like, “This is what moving scenery flies around without really
an American looks like.” Martínez, a Mexican actor and recording artist, finds a strong providing much of a wow factor, although
comic voice for Emilio, rendered here as lovably full of himself, but with all the moxie continues on page 44
Humanoid
space that lays so much bear. Away from
the trappings of the familiar, life feels
fragile, connections unsettled. Everything
is grittier in an unloved space with a dirty
Stephen Karam’s The Humans is a gritty, affecting night security door.
to remember. By Kate Wingfield But of all the vulnerabilities and old
wounds that surface, the plight of Fiona
A
Blake, aka “Momo,” the grandmother
FINELY CRAFTED “FLY ON THE WALL” VIEW OF A FAMILY’S THANKSGIVING with dementia, is by far the most poi-
dinner, Stephen Karam’s The Humans (HHHHH), now at the Kennedy Center gnant. Though Karam creates the possi-
Eisenhower Theater, is the kind of play that lets an audience settle in before the bilities, it is Lauren Klein’s portrayal that
fault lines begin to show. To his credit, Karam almost, if not completely, avoids over-egg- makes this lost soul phenomenally credible.
ing the batter. There are no crisis hotline topics here, just the slings and arrows of life Understated until she is finally gut-wrench-
in the mediocre middle lane. It is about the ache of arthritis, the drag of colitis, unfair ing, Klein’s volatile, nonsensical woman
layoffs and interminable interim jobs. The art here is in how stealthily close to the bone speaks to the shadow that lurks in every
Karam cuts. At the heart of this family’s personal fray are the truths that affect us all: the family. Grandparents, parents and, finally,
little frailties of body, spirit and mind that shape a life and how it ends. ourselves — all of us wonder how, when and
Yet as good as Karam’s exploration is, there is something just a tad — how else to put who will take care of us when our bodies
it — mechanical in his process that tempers the emotional power. Like the almost-per- and minds fail. Kama’s characters may joke,
fect humanoid robot, there is an unmistakable sense of the coding behind the eyes. It cajole, or tenderly wrap a blanket around
appears in the forced family sing-along, the revelations that come along like clockwork, the legs of a once loving and vital person,
and in the final inner crisis of the most emotionally reticent of his characters. If Karam’s but they are playing witness to a ruthless
dialogue is charmingly realistic with jumbled interruptions, these, too (and despite the cruelty no one can outrun. Klein delivers
casts’ mastery) feel ever-so-slightly calculated. this message without pretense, fanfare or
The play itself aside, the 2016 Tony-winning production, under the hand of director cliché — and the desolation is complete.
Joe Mantello, has an extraordinariness all its own. It’s not often that sets and sound For Erik Blake, her middle-aged son,
speak as loudly as the characters, but David Zinn’s evocation of a dingy basement caring for an ailing parent is just one of the
apartment in New York’s Chinatown and Fitz Patton’s evocation of the sounds of an old many pressures revealed over the evening
building are hauntingly authentic. Anyone who has spent a tense first night discovering and Karam does an artful job in building
the unfamiliar noises of neighbors and their activities will shudder with recognition. It the picture of this man who is not just
The Humans runs to Jan. 28 at the Kennedy Center. Tickets are $49 to $139. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
On Your Feet! runs through January 28, at Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $59 to $149. Call 202-467-4600,
or visit Kennedy-Center.org.
Tepidly Glam
some star power, but not much else. It
flows awkwardly and inconsistently, not
sure whether it wants to be a breezy ear-
ly-hours track or something more festi-
BØRNS’ sophomore album plays to his strengths, but leaves plenty val-ready, and tonally is out of step with
of room for growth. By Sean Maunier the rest of the album. More than anything
else, it sounds like a Lana Del Rey single
D
with BØRNS providing the backing vocals
REAMY, SMALL-HOURS INDIE POP SEEMS TO COME NATURALLY and instrumentation. The problem here
to Garrett Clark Borns, better known as BØRNS. His 2015 debut Dopamine may be in pairing two artists with under-
showcased a unique style and a budding talent for ethereal yet catchy pop stated, downtempo styles who have very
hooks. Since then, BØRNS has been a force to be reckoned with, playing Coachella and little to play off, resulting in an awkward,
Bonnaroo and selling out most of his upcoming tour. listless and largely forgettable track. The
The Michigan-born artist brings that same synthy, glam-like and ever so slightly two might have seemed like a natural fit,
psychedelic pop finesse to Blue Madonna (HHHHH), a decent followup that rides but the problem may have been that they
on the strengths of Dopamine, with a moody, hazy edge to it. Nothing on the album were simply too similar.
quite matches the radio-ready pop hook of “Electric Love,” but there are a handful of Luckily, their odd, out-of-place duet
moments that come close. BØRNS avoids retreading the stomping, festival-ready sound does not set the tone for what’s to come.
of his first album, instead embracing a more laid-back, symphonic sound. BØRNS quickly redeems the album, fol-
While all this might set some high expectations, Blue Madonna gets off to a rough lowing the rocky start with “Faded Heart,”
Blue Madonna is available now to purchase from Amazon.com and iTunes, and on streaming services.
DrinksDragDJsEtc... NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Friday, Isabelle Epoque, Dainty SHAW’S TAVERN
Beat the Clock Happy Hour Dandridge, Maria Bella, Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
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Thursday, Night, 9pm-2am • For
men in underwear, all well
Beer $15 • Drag Bingo 9 1/2 $12 in advance, $15 at & Half-Priced Pizzas •
January 18 drinks $2, 9pm-12am •
NUMBER NINE
Open at 5pm • Happy
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DJ Wess • After 10:30pm, $5 Cover
Paint Night, Second Floor, beers and wines up to Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 at 10:30pm • Hosted by
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Happy Hour: Any drink • Baltimore Eagle 1-Year DJ Matt Bailer • Videos, upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk
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• $3 Well Drinks until Karaoke, 9pm
tail glass served in a huge Appreciation Celebration Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), show • GoGo Boys after
11pm • Thrifty Thursdays
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by Whimsy Thrift and Happy Hour, 4-9pm
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in the Nest — First well 10-11pm • Men in Open 5pm • Happy Hour:
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Fancy Feast, Fem Appeal, Patio: 21+
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All male, nude dancers • Dr. Ginger Snapz, Ophelia
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9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
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(excluding energy drink
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
any drink, 2-9pm • $5
Monday,
drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut mixers) • thebaltimoreea- Absolut and $5 Bulleit January 22
NUMBER NINE TRADE and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, gle.com Bourbon, 9pm-close • Pop
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— HARVEY FIERSTEIN, in a tweet paying homage to Dr. Mathilde Krim, a pioneering AIDS researcher, activist,
and co-founder of amFAR, who died this week aged 91. Fierstein called Krim “a true American hero,”
while an amFAR spokesperson called her the “the heart and soul of the organization.”