CONTENTS

MAY 3, 2018 Volume 25 Issue 1

22 SHOW STOPPER
Michael Feinstein brings his passion for showtunes and
the Great American Songbook to Strathmore.

By Doug Rule

SAMIRA’S TALE
Killed off in Orange Is the New Black, Samira Wiley
wondered if she’d ever work again. The dystopia of The
Handmaid’s Tale proved otherwise — and brought an
Emmy nomination for her efforts.

Interview by Randy Shulman

Photography by Todd Franson
33
43 WORTHY WAIT
Druid Theatre’s Waiting for Godot is a skillfully depicted
production of Beckett’s enigmatic tragicomedy.

By Kate Wingfield

OVERTURE p.7 SPOTLIGHT: TITUS ANDRONICUS p.9 OUT ON THE TOWN p.13
CULTURAL POWERHOUSE: ARTES DE CUBA p.14 JUSTICE FOR ALL: RBG p.20
SHOW STOPPER: MICHAEL FEINSTEIN p.22 THE FEED p.25 FORUM: COMIC TIMING p.28
COMMUNITY: SWEET SUCCESS p.29 COVER STORY: SAMIRA’S TALE p.33
FILM: DISOBEDIENCE p.42 STAGE: WAITING FOR GODOT p.43 STAGE: GIRLFRIEND / VIETGONE p.45
OPERA: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE p.48 NIGHTLIFE p.51 SCENE: COBALT p.51 LISTINGS p.52
SCENE: AGLA’S MISS GAY ARLINGTON PAGEANT p.59 LAST WORD p.64

Real LGBTQ News and Entertainment since 1994

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley
Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks
Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint Poussey Washington Cover Photography Todd Franson

Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830
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4 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Overture
24 YEARS AND COUNTING
I
F, IN 1994, YOU HAD SAID THAT I’D BE PRODUCING
an LGBTQ weekly for the next 24 years of my life, I would
have stared blankly at you and said, “Can you get me another
scotch, please?”
But here we are, somewhere around the 1,200 issue mark of
Metro Weekly, and I have no plans of stopping any time soon.
It’s a privilege for us to cover and celebrate the Washington,
D.C. LGBTQ community, in all of its wonderful orientations and
identities, and to report on the news, arts, culture, and nightlife
of our times.
As with any job, producing Metro Weekly has its ups and downs.
It’s still a business, after all, and the business of being in print has
never been without its challenges. People have been heralding the
death of print since we produced our first issue on May 5, 1994.
Well, we’re still here. We’re still queer. And we’re now glossy and
in full color. In the Nation’s Capital, no less, where hostility toward
the press is at an all-time, fever-pitched high.
Metro Weekly could not be produced without the efforts of
many hard-working people, to whom I owe tremendous gratitude,
including our tireless art director Todd Franson, who for more
than a decade I have found new ways to drive crazy each week,
and who retaliates with yet another fun-fact about Duran Duran.
John Riley and Doug Rule are both longtime fixtures, the
former with his head in the news of the day, the latter with
his head in the arts. David Uy keeps the mechanics of the web
running smoothly, and, along with Dennis Havrilla and Richard
Goldsmith, ensures that Metro Weekly gets where it needs to be
every Thursday.
Newer additions include critic André Hereford, columnist
Norman Rozenberg, and reporter Bailey Vogt. The incomparable
Ward Morrison hits the clubs weekly capturing our city’s vibrant
“Scene.” Finally, I would be remiss not to mention theater critic
Kate Wingfield, who’s been with the magazine since issue #1.
I encourage you to visit us at MetroWeekly.com, to fol-
low us on Instagram and Twitter at @metroweekly, like us
on Facebook, and sign up for our contests and daily email at
metroweekly.com/join.
Mostly, though, I hope you continue to pick up the paper
every week and find illumination and entertainment within its
pages. And please do remember to patronize our advertisers —
they’re what keeps Metro Weekly ticking along.
Okay, I’ll have that scotch now.
Randy Shulman
Editor & Publisher
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 7
 Spotlight
BRITTANY DILIBERTO
Titus Andronicus
S
YNETIC FOUNDER PAATA
Tsikurishvili tackles the
revenge-driven tragedy as the
13th entry in the company’s cele-
brated “Silent Shakespeare” series
— meaning no words, all fiery action,
energy, and violence, with choreog-
raphy led by Irina Tsikurishvili, who
also portrays Tamora. Philip Fletcher
is Titus in the large ensemble show
including Irina Kavsadze, Audrey
Tchoukoua, Dallas Tolentino, and
Alex Mills. To May 27. 1800 South
Bell St., Arlington. Tickets are $15
to $55. Call 800-494-8497 or visit
synetictheater.org.
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 9
 Spotlight
HOODED, OR BEING BLACK
FOR DUMMIES
A nominee for the Charles MacArthur Award for
Outstanding Original New Play at the upcoming
Helen Hayes Awards, this irreverent comedy is being
remounted by Mosaic Theater Company after its
original sold-out run last year. All but one of the
cast members as well as all of the designers return
to the show, a deft examination of two young black
teens from vastly different circumstances. Metro
Weekly’s André Hereford praised the voice of play-
wright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm as “authentic and
original,” further noting the “smart, funny staging” of
director Serge Seiden. But he heaped the most praise
on lead actor Jeremy Keith Hunter as “the engine
that keeps the show humming along.” Now to June
3. The Sprenger Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts
STAN BAROUH

Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $65. Call

202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org.

PETER PAN
Not just the standard fantasy foray to Neverland,
Baltimore’s adventurous, innovative professional
company Single Carrot Theatre has put an up-to-
date, localized queer spin on the classic tale.
Los Angeles-based writer Joshua Conkel (Off
Broadway’s MilkMilkLemonade, Netflix’s A Series
of Unfortunate Events) has drawn inspiration and
source material from stories shared by local LGBTQ
residents for a world-premiere adaptation with
contemporary conversations about gender, sexuali-
ty, and identity, and in which Neverland becomes a
modern-day safe-haven — a place where Peter and

BRITT OLSEN-ECKER
the Lost Boys can finally be themselves. To May 20.
2600 N Howard St., Baltimore. Tickets are $25 to
$29. Call 443-844-9253 or visit singlecarrot.com.

PAPERHAUS
The D.C. band makes rhythmically oriented,
richly instrumented psychedelic/prog rock
with a mournful edge, recalling everything
from The Doors, Pink Floyd, and Television
to experimental contemporaries Deerhunter
and Lower Dens. Fans of melodic electrified
rock will be hooked upon first listen to the
hazy, moody rocker “Told You What To
Say,” the first track off new set Are These The
Questions That We Need to Ask? D.C.’s The
Effects and Richmond’s Dove Lady open.
Saturday, May 5. Doors at 7 p.m. MilkBoy
ArtHouse, 7416 Baltimore Ave., College Park,
JOSHUA COGAN

Md. Tickets are $7 to $10. Call 240-623-1423

or visit milkboyarthouse.com.

10 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Spotlight
to create an entirely new
artistic language, a revolu-
tionary shift that continues
to define contemporary art
today. Artists represented
in Brand New include Gran
Fury, Jessica Diamond,
R.M. Fischer, Guerrilla
Girls, Peter Halley, Jeff
Koons, Barbara Kruger,
Joel Otterson, Richard
Prince, Erika Rothenberg,
Sarah Charlesworth, Haim
Steinbach, Meyer Vaisman,
BRAND NEW: ART AND COMMODITY IN THE 1980S and Julia Wachtel. To May
The Hirshhorn Museum presents an expansive exhibition that looks at pivotal moments in 13. Independence Avenue
the 1980s, when artwork became a commodity and the artist, a brand. Sharp, witty, satirical, and Seventh Street SW.
and deeply subversive, the nearly 150 works in this exhibition examine the the origins and Call 202-633-1000 or visit
rise of counterculture artists in New York who appropriated modern commercial strategies hirshhorn.si.edu.

JEFFREY EVERETT: ARCHITEXT

The local graphic designer and illustrator has worked with some of
the biggest names in rock, concocting vividly designed concert posters.
Strathmore presents an exhibition combining Everett’s signature style,
inspired by traditional printmaking, with his interests in architecture and
cinema, as evidenced in digital art prints highlighting iconic buildings,
structures, and quotes from cult classic films in custom-designed typog-
raphy. Opens Saturday, May 5. The opening reception is Thursday, May
10, at 7 p.m. The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North
Bethesda. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

HERE TO BE HEARD:
THE STORY OF THE SLITS
The first all-female punk band, formed in London in
1976, The Slits catapulted to the limelight when they
nabbed the opening slot for The Clash on their 1977
White Riot tour of England. The “punky reggae” band
didn’t last long, but their legacy has inspired count-
less of other musicians in the decades since. Director
William E. Badgley will be on hand for a post-screening
Q&A. Part of a two-month-long Rock Doc series at AFI,
8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Thursday, May 10,
at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $13 general admission. Call 301-
495-6720 or visit afi.com/Silver.

MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 11

ALL HALLOWS GUILD
Out On The Town

WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: FLOWER MART 2018

Since as far back as 1939, Washingtonians have flocked to the city’s grand neo-gothic edifice the first weekend in May in a
nod to Spring. A plethora of plants and flowers are on display as well as for sale, with proceeds benefiting the organization
All Hallows’ Guild, responsible for the upkeep of the cathedral’s beautiful gardens and grounds. Yet the greenery alone
isn’t what draws thousands of people to the historic 59 acres in Cathedral Heights. There’s also the gifts, collectibles, and
food available from local artisans and vendors set up at over 80 booths. Add to that the garden tours, gargoyle walks, and
many games and activities for children, most notably riding the Guild’s historic carousel dating to 1890. And of course peo-
ple come to visit the nave — decked out in an International Floral Display by area embassies — and/or to climb to the top
of the Cathedral for a bird’s eye view of the city. (Tower Climb tickets are $20.) There’s also the option of a Taste in the
Tower seated luncheon in the South Tower. (Advance reservations are $35 per person.) Live music will also be performed
throughout. Friday, May 4, and Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Call 202-537-2937 or visit
allhallowsguild.org.

Compiled by Doug Rule hired for her. Critics are mostly

FILM
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE
Director Nicholas Ray’s 1956 touch-
stone of teen angst, starring James
Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo,
returns to the big screen as part
of Landmark’s West End Cinema
Capital Classics series. Wednesday,
May 9, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m.,
2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from
4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to
$12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit
landmarktheatres.com.
TULLY
The latest film from Juno’s Jason
Reitman and Diablo Cody — direc-
tor and writer, respectively — sees
overworked and overstressed moth-
er of three Marlo (Charlize Theron)
adjust to life with the night nanny
(Mackenzie Davis) her brother has
enjoying Tully, but, true to form, it’s
the magnetic and exquisite Theron
who is garnering the lion’s share
of the praise. Opens Friday, May 4.
Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.
(Rhuaridh Marr)
WASHINGTON JEWISH
FILM FESTIVAL
Highlights include several films
in a category entitled “Rated
LGBTQ.” Among those are The
Strangest Stranger, Swedish film-
maker Magnus Bärtås’ mesmerizing
documentary focused on a myste-
rious man calling himself Johnnie
Walker (Saturday, May 5, at 12:15
p.m., at Landmark’s Bethesda Row
Cinema, 7235 Woodmont Ave., and
Sunday, May 6, at 8:15 p.m., at the
E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW)
and The Cakemaker, a drama about
a gay German baker who travels
to Jerusalem to secretly connect
with the female widow of his
Israeli lover (Tuesday, May 8, at
STAGE
7:30 p.m., at the DCJCC, 1529 16th
1984
St. NW, and Saturday, May 12, at
Robert McNamara directs Robert
4:30 p.m., at AFI Silver Theatre,
Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s
8633 Colesville Rd.) Other notable
staged version of George Orwell’s
(non-LGBTQ) films include Tevye’s
classic novel of a dystopian vision
Daughters, a send-up in Russian of
of the future. The play revolves
the famous folk tale behind Fiddler
around the story of Winston, a
on the Roof (Saturday, May 5, at 4
man forced to confess his thoughts
p.m., at the DCJCC) and the doc-
before an unseen inquisitor and jury
umentary Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve
— aka Big Brother — which con-
Gotta Be Me, featuring interviews
demn him to unspeakable punish-
with Billy Crystal, Norman Lear,
ment. Through May 27 at the Lab
Jerry Lewis, Whoopi Goldberg, and
Theatre II in the Atlas Performing
Kim Novak, plus never-before-seen
Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets
photographs from the vast person-
are $25 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or
al archives of the legendary black
visit scenatheatre.org.
entertainer who converted to
Judaism (Sunday, May 6, at 2 p.m.,
FLY BY NIGHT
at the AFI). The festival runs to
Kim Rosenstock conceived of this
May 13. Call 202-777-3210 or visit
darkly comic rock fable set during
wjff.org.
a New York City blackout in 1965
and focused on a man who becomes
enchanted with two sisters. Kathryn

MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 13

 Chase Bryer directs the bitter-
sweet romance, a sweeping ode to
young love, featuring Aaron Bliden,
Tiziano D’Affuso, Ryan Manning,
Sasha Olinick, Farrell Parker, Jamie
Smithson, and Caroline Wolfson.
Closes Sunday, May 6. 1st Stage,
1524 Spring Hill Rd. Tysons, Va.
Tickets are $38. Call 703-854-1856
or visit 1ststage.org.

IN THE TIME OF THE

BUTTERFLIES
Performed in Spanish with English
surtitles, Caridad Svich’s play,
based on the novel by Julia Alvarez,
focuses on the courageous Mirabal
sisters of the Dominican Republic.
They were elegant, wealthy, and
inspired resistance cells against a
dictatorial regime until their mur-
der. The cast is led by Cuban actors
CARLOS PERICAAS

Broselianda Hernández as older

Dedé, Catherine Núñez as young
Dedé, and Alina Robert as Minerva.
José Zayas directs. To May 13.
Portuondo GALA Theatre at Tivoli Square,
3333 14th St. NW. Call 202-234-

CULTURAL POWERHOUSE
7174 or visit galatheatre.org.

RITE OF SPRING
The puppetry-enhanced Pointless
Theatre assembles an all-female
With the Artes de Cuba Festival, the Kennedy Center toasts cast for a new adaptation of Igor
Stravinsky’s ballet, one that imag-
the island nation’s vast cultural riches. ines a future wrought by ecological
collapse and human desperation.

C
Rite of Spring is told through dance,
UBA PUNCHES WAY ABOVE ITS WEIGHT IN WHAT THEY HAVE DELIVERED TO puppetry, mask, Stravinsky’s icon-
the world in terms of art and culture,” says Alicia Adams. A mere glance at the Kennedy ic score, and no words. Developed
Center’s calendar over the next two weeks proves her point. The island nation 100 miles by the company’s co-founders Patti
Kalil and Matt Reckeweg, who
off the coast of Florida is the focus of this year’s extensive cultural festival organized by Adams, also directs an 11-member cast. In
the center’s vice president for international programming. Some of the most popular and revered previews. Opens Friday, May 4.
artists from Cuba or the Cuban diaspora have been invited to participate. Weekends to May 27. Dance Loft
on 14 Theater, 4618 14th St. NW
“There’s great musical artists that come out of Cuba, and that [almost] overwhelms the pro-
2nd Floor. Tickets are $18 to $30.
gram, if you will,” she says. Indeed, Artes de Cuba officially kicks off Tuesday, May 8, with a sold- Call 202-621-3670 or visit pointless-
out concert with various renowned musicians from the island and headlined by Cuba’s greatest theatre.com.
living diva, Omara Portuondo, the 87-year-old immortalized star of the Buena Vista Social Club.
SNOW CHILD
But it’s not all horn and rhythm sections — and it’s in the theater offerings where LGBTQ The world premiere of a magical,
themes are strongly represented. Chief among these is an autobiographical theater piece per- epic musical featuring a book by
formed in Spanish (with projected English titles) by members of Argos Teatro and written and John Strand adapted from Eowyn
Ivey’s novel, a Pulitzer Prize final-
directed by the Havana-based company’s founder Carlos Celdrán. Set for Saturday, May 19, and
ist, with a score combining back-
Sunday, May 20, 10 Million “tells a story about a family divided because of politics and [the] havoc country string-band traditions and
it wreaks for the parents, for the children,” Adams says. “And it’s told through the eyes of the son contemporary musical theater by
who happens to be gay. In Cuba at that time there was a conversion process that one went through, composers Georgia Stitt and Bob
Banghart. Set in 1920s Alaska, Snow
that madness.” Child focuses on a couple reeling
Another stage production of note is the return of Havana’s Teatro El Público. On Wednesday, from the loss of an unborn child and
May 16, and Thursday, May 17, the company performs Carlos Díaz’s take on The Bitter Tears of the growing fissures in their rela-
tionship — until they’re visited by a
Petra Von Kant by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. “All of the women’s roles are being played by men
wild, mysterious girl from the dark
in drag,” says Adams. “[That] should be interesting coming from Cuba.” woods surrounding their cabin. To
The festival offers three dance companies from the island nation, closing with a run from the May 20. Kreeger Theater in the
Ballet Nacional de Cuba. The internationally renowned troupe returns to celebrate the 40th anni- Mead Center for American Theater,
1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $51
versary of its landmark debut in the U.S. at the Kennedy Center. to $66. Call 202-488-3300 or visit
Meanwhile, visual artists will be represented throughout the grand arts complex on the arenastage.org.
Potomac. “When you walk into the Kennedy Center, you will be faced with extraordinary work by
great artists like Manuel Mendive and Roberto Diago,” Adams says. “We will have invested all of SOUL THE STAX MUSICAL
Kwame Kwei-Armah concludes
the public spaces with the work of these artists, so you will not miss that there is a festival going his tenure as artistic director of
on.” —Doug Rule Baltimore Center Stage with a
world-premiere musical about
the storied Memphis-based label
Artes de Cuba starts on Tuesday, May 8 at the Kennedy Center. For more information as well as a Stax Records, which created the
full schedule of Artes de Cuba activities, call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

14 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 MUSIC
ANI DIFRANCO
The queer-popular indie-rock pio-
neer performs in support of her
first release since 2014’s Allergic
to Water, one of her most intimate
and musically expansive recordings.
Her new followup, Binary, touch-
es on family and relationships and
her new identity as a mother of
a four-year-old. DiFranco’s music
is still full of edge and angst, it’s
just that now, she characterizes the
approach as: “Take that! My kid
is sleeping right now and I want
to talk about some shit!” And it all
goes far beyond the rise of Trump
and our current politico-cultural
predicament — in fact, all Binary
songs were purportedly written
prior to the 2016 elections. Gracie
DANNY NAVARRO

and Rachel open. Saturday, May 5.

Doors at 8 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St.
NW. Tickets are $40. Call 202-265-
0930 or visit 930.com.

AUDREY ANDRIST
DC LEATHER PRIDE 2018 “From Baroque to Broadway” is
the title of the final program in the
Originally organized during Capital Pride, this locally focused leather weekend event Washington Conservatory’s perfor-
successfully moved last year to the month prior, a pattern followed with this year’s line- mance season featuring a faculty
up, which kicks off Thursday, May 11, with the popular weekly promotion enticing men member and Canadian pianist. The
program spans centuries and genres,
to strip their shirts for free drinks from 10 to 11 p.m., and again for those willing to strip ranging from CPE Bach’s Sonata
to their underwear from 12 to 12:30 a.m., at Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct. NW. The next in A Major to Robert Schumann’s
evening, Friday, May 11, starts at 6 p.m. with Bear Happy Hour at Town, and ends with a Davidsbündlertänze Op. 6 to Jerome
Kern’s All The Things You Are as
Play Party from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Crucible, 412 V St. NE. The DC Eagle is the destina- transcribed for left-hand only by
tion for events Saturday, May 12, starting with the Kink Du Soleil Expo with demos, from 1 Stephen Prutsman. A post-con-
to 6 p.m., followed by a Rubber Gear Social from 8 p.m. to midnight, and concluding with cert Wine & Words informal Q&A
the monthly DistrktC Dance Party in the Exile upstairs from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Kristina reception with complimentary bev-
erages will take place in the church
Kelly kickstarts the final day, returning as emcee for the Drag Out Your Leather event, social hall. Saturday, May 5, at 8
this time offered over brunch with fellow drag entertainers including Tula, Moka Loka p.m. Westmoreland Congregational
Latte, Ashley Madison Kuter, and Pam d’Ammonia, and served with bottomless mimosas Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle.
Bethesda. Tickets are free, donations
and food provided by Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. Sunday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. welcome. Call 301-320-2770 or visit
Cobalt, 1639 R St. NW. Later comes the Closing Beer Blast featuring $10 pitchers of Trade washingtonconservatory.org.
Lager and XL Happy Hour drinks, from 3 to 8 p.m. Trade, 1410 14th St. NW. A Weekend
Pass is $70. Visit facebook.com/DCLeatherPride for more information. BE STEADWELL
The D.C.-based Be Steadwell cel-
ebrates the Friday, May 4, release
of her first full-length studio album
very foundation of American back wall, no proscenium” — pro- or visit repstage.org. Queer Love Songs, a far more elabo-
Soul Music through its star ros- pelled by an original rock-inspired rate production than her previous
ter. Stax launched the careers of score by Brian Lotter and Matthew WITCH bedroom recording. The set, made
Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, Schleigh. To May 13. Source Stephen Gregory Smith and Matt possible by a grant from Astraea
Isaac Hayes, Wilson Pickett, and Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets Conner debut their fourth musical Lesbian Foundation for Justice,
Booker T & the MG’s. Matthew are $25 to $45. Call 202-204-7741 or developed as part of the Bold New includes a few reworked versions of
Benjamin wrote the book for what visit constellationtheatre.org. Works for Intimate Stages series for previously released songs, but most
is essentially a jukebox musical Virginia theater company Creative are new compositions including
featuring a huge 21-member cast. TRUE WEST Cauldron. With a book and lyrics “The Door,” co-written with Toshi
Choreography by Chase Brock. The late Sam Shepard’s explosive, by Smith set to music by Conner, Reagon, and “Gay Sex,” a strutting,
Previews begin Friday, May 4. To darkly funny American classic sees the insightful, provocative Witch jazzy, and timely queer celebration.
June 10. 700 North Calvert St., the floodlights in Columbia in a channels the current #MeToo Saturday, May 5, at 8 p.m. Amp
Baltimore. Tickets are $20 to $79. Rep Stage production directed by zeitgeist while also examining the by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park
Call 410-332-0033 or visit center- Vincent Lancisi. A tale of sibling roots of misogyny and inequal- Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are
stage.org. rivalry, Hollywood producers and ity across centuries and cultures. $15 to $22. Call 301-581-5100 or visit
stolen toasters, True West centers Well-regarded local actors Florence strathmore.org.
THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE on well-educated screenwriter Lacey and Iyona Blake lead an
A woman saves an abandoned baby Austin and thieving conman Lee, all-female cast also featuring Susan BSO: BERNSTEIN TRIBUTES
put on trial during a time of corrup- estranged brothers who reunite Derry and Catherine Purcell, plus Conductor Marin Alsop leads two
tion and violence in the Caucasus in their mother’s California kitch- student actors. Closes Sunday, May programs this weekend celebrating
Mountains in Bertolt Brecht’s en. To May 13. The Horowitz 6. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South her mentor, the late, great legend
drama. Allison Arkell Stockman Center’s Studio Theatre at Howard Maple Ave. in Falls Church. Tickets Leonard Bernstein. To Bernstein
directs 14 actors playing more than Community College, 10901 Little are $20 to $30. Call 703-436-9948 with Love features violinist Nicola
60 characters in a 360-degree the- Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. or visit creativecauldron.org. Benedetti performing a program of
atrical experience — “no curtain, no Tickets are $40. Call 443-518-1500 favorites from the maestro’s musi-

16 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 FLEETWOOD MAC
Lindsey Buckingham is out, Mike
Campbell (Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers) and Neil Finn
(Crowded House) are in as part of
a revamped lineup of the legend-
ary rock band that Mick Fleetwood
founded 51 years ago. They’ll
join band veterans John McVie,
Christine McVie, and the indelible
Stevie Nicks on an extensive North
American stadium tour presented
by LiveNation that won’t get around
to us until next spring. It’s instruc-
tive to remember that in 2014, the
show sold out well in advance.
Consider this a fan’s public service
announcement: Tickets on sale to
the general public Friday, May 4, at
10 a.m., for a show Tuesday, March
5, 2019. Capital One Arena, 601 F
St. NW. Call 202-628-3200 or visit
capitalonearena.com.
MANUEL HARLAN
RUBEN STUDDARD: AN EVENING
OF LUTHER VANDROSS
The “Velvet Teddy Bear” and for-
mer American Idol — who bested
Clay Aiken for the crown in 2003
HAMLET — pays tribute to one of his idols
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Paapa Essiedu makes with the special concert “Always
and Forever: An Evening of Luther
his U.S. debut portraying a college student full of prom- Vandross.” Saturday, May 5, at 8
ise with the world at his feet — until he’s called home to
avenge his father’s brutal death and immerse himself in
p.m. Montgomery College’s Robert
E. Parilla Performing Arts Center,
local politics. A rising star in the U.K., Essiedu was laud- 51 Mannakee St., Rockville. Tickets
are $10. Call 240-567-5301 or visit
ed for his revelatory portrayal as Hamlet in the original montgomerycollege.edu/PAC.
2016 run in the U.K. Director Simon Godwin was also
THE COOLOTS
heralded for reimagining the play’s setting of Denmark
An eclectic D.C.-based rock/soul
as a modern state in West Africa, a culture steeped in rit- band whose style merges influenc-
ual and tradition, beauty and drama. With original music es as varied as N.E.R.D., Meshell
composed by Jamiroquai percussionist Sola Akingbola. Ndegeocello, Sade, Staind, Erykah
Badu, Kanye West, and System of a
Remaining performances are Thursday, May 3, through
Down. Similarly eclectic electron-
Saturday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. Also Saturday, May 5, and ic/soul act Jenna Camille and her
Sunday, May 6, at 1 p.m. Kennedy Center Eisenhower group The Free Radicals open for a
show presented by Capital Fringe.
Theater. Tickets are $49 to $139. Call 202-467-4600 or
Friday, May 4. Doors at 8 p.m.
visit kennedy-center.org. Logan Fringe Arts Space’s Trinidad
Theatre], 1358 Florida Ave. NE.
Tickets are $20. Call 202-733-6321
or visit capitalfringe.org.
cals West Side Story and On the CHOPTEETH
Town, his Serenade, plus a medley of The Washington Post has referred URBANARIAS:
works by modern composers writ- to the 12-piece band as “a storm- CRAIGSLISTLIEDER
ten in homage, on Friday, May 4, at ing powerhouse of big-band African The Arlington-based opera com-
8 p.m., and Sunday, May 6, at 3 p.m. funk...smart, tight and relentless- pany dedicated to short, contem-
Meanwhile, A Salute to Bernstein is ly driving.” Chopteeth has won a porary works presents Gabriel
a special Off The Cuff program with number of Washington Area Music Kahane’s popular, decade-old song
lively commentary from Alsop and Association Awards, including cycle, Craigslistlieder. A riotous
Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Artist of the Year in 2008, and the sendup of online personals, the
Edition Saturday, interacting as they Afrobeat-driven group performs piece features music by the eclec-
often do on air, this time focused regularly throughout the region. tic rock/classical artist as paired
on Bernstein’s Overture to Candide Saturday, May 5. Doors at 7 p.m. to text drawn from eight actual
and selections from West Side Story Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. Craigslist ads, right down to the
and On The Town. Jamie Bernstein, SW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-380- song titles — “Neurotic and Lonely,”
the composer’s daughter, joins as 9620 or visit pearlstreetwarehouse. “You Looked Sexy Even Though
special guest for a concert includ- com. You Were Having a Seizure,” and
ing a display of Bernstein’s notes “Assless Chaps,” among them. The
and letters presented by the Library evening also features the second
of Congress Music Division, and installment in the company’s Opera
followed by a book signing with Improv Series, a gimmick adapted
Simon and a CD signing with Alsop. from the world of comedy in which
Saturday, May 5, at 7 p.m. Joseph the professional opera singers per-
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 form mini-operas they create on
Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets the spot per audience suggestions.
are $25 to $99 per program. Call Thursday, May 10, at 8 p.m. Amp by
410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.
18 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave.
North Bethesda. Tickets are $25 to
$30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit amp-
bystrathmore.com.
WASHINGTON NATIONAL
OPERA: CANDIDE
Straddling the divide between
musical theater and opera, and as
complicated and tricky as you’d
expect from composer Leonard
Bernstein, this funny, fast-paced
take on Voltaire’s biting satire is not
produced as often we’d like. The
WNO’s Francesca Zambello directs
a production from the Glimmerglass
Festival for the Kennedy Center’s
“Leonard Bernstein at 100” series.
Denyce Graves stars as The Old
Lady alongside Alek Shrader in
the title role, Emily Pogorelc as
Cunegonde, and Wynn Harmon
as Pangloss/Voltaire. Lyrics by
Richard Wilbur, plus additional
lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John
Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy
Parker, and Bernstein himself.
Opens Saturday, May 5, at 7 p.m.
Select dates to May 26. Kennedy
Center Opera House. Tickets are
$45 to $275. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.
READINGS
CAROL BURNETT: AN EVENING
OF LAUGHTER AND REFLECTION
The comedy pioneer and dynamic
entertainer puts herself on the spot,
taking questions from the audi-
ence, just as she did in the intro to
every episode of The Carol Burnett
Show. The focus of the 90-minute
“Laughter and Reflection” program
is on the 85-year-old’s performing
career, which was launched into
superstardom with a 1959 Tony-
nominated role in Once Upon A
Mattress. More recently she’s been
heralded not once but twice by the
Kennedy Center, as an Honoree in
2003 and as the 2013 recipient of
the Mark Twain Prize for Humor.
Friday, May 11, at 8 p.m. Concert
Hall. Tickets are $59 to $149. Call
202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-cen-
ter.org.
EHUD BARAK, JEFFREY
GOLDBERG
My Country, My Life: Fighting for
Israel, Searching for Peace reflects
on the country’s first seven decades,
including its successes, setbacks,
and misjudgments, as written by
Israel’s 10th prime minister. Barak
will be in discussion with Goldberg,
editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
Tuesday, May 8, at 7 p.m. Sixth
& I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St.
NW. Tickets are $15, or $32 with
one book, $45 for two tickets and
one book. Call 202-408-3100 or visit
sixthandi.org.
 GALLERIES
ARTES DE CUBA VISUAL ARTS
INSTALLATIONS
As part of its celebration of Cuban
culture, the Kennedy Center will
be decked out with displays of art-
ists from the island. The displays
include Esterio Segura’s slyly
humorous installation Hybrid of
a Chrysler, with metal airplane
wings attached to the roof of a
vintage car similar to those used
daily in Cuba, on the River Terrace;
Santería-influenced Afro-Cuban
artist Manuel Mendive’s universe-
as-one dreamscapes Fragmento de
Paisaje as well as his festival-com-
missioned three-dimensional sculp-
tures La Naturaleza, El Espíritu, y
MAGNOLIA PICTURES

El Hombre, in the Hall of States;

and The Art of Celia Ledón, fea-
turing 11 show-stopping costume
art pieces often using reclaimed
and repurposed materials, in the
Atrium. Opens Tuesday, May 8. To
May 20. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.

JUSTICE FOR ALL

It took years for the filmmakers behind the inspiring RBG
BILL WARRELL: RESIST
Subtitled “New Works with Old
Friends in the Age of Trump,” the
local artist has created portraits of
our dangerous time. Resist is a col-
to gain full access to one of America’s greatest trailblazers. lection of remix paintings and cus-
tom frames made from a group of
Eurocentric paintings that helped

R
shape Warrell’s artistic sensibilities
BG, JULIE COHEN AND BETSY WEST’S ENTERTAINING DOCUMEN- growing up in D.C. in the 1960s. The
tary, contends that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has attained the status of opening reception, which includes a
icon among liberals. Yet, beyond lighthearted looks at Notorious R.B.G. mural dedication and birthday cel-
ebration for Warrell, is Wednesday,
memes and t-shirts, the film states a more urgent case examining the substance of May 9, at 8 p.m. On view through
Ginsburg’s life and legal career. June 23. Logan Fringe Art Space,
“We wanted to tell the story of what she had accomplished, securing equal 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Free. Call 202-
737-7230 or visit capitalfringe.org.
rights for men and women under the U.S. Constitution,” says Cohen. “That’s an
important legal story, it’s why she’s such an important historical figure. But we KRISTAL MCLAUGHLIN:
also want [the film] to be a biography of this interesting woman who faced a lot of KONTROLLED KHAOS
personal obstacles in her own life — discrimination, for a career woman that was A self-taught abstract artist, the
D.C.-based McLaughlin is the latest
so common for women of her era — as well as an amazing love story.” to be featured in the gallery space
In fact, Justice Ginsburg’s late husband of more than fifty years, Marty, is a at the DC Center for the LGBT
prominent figure in the film. According to West, merging the Ginsburg love story Community. With a master’s in psy-
chology, McLaughlin aka Ms. Bald-
with the timeline of the Justice’s path to the bench posed a unique challenge.
Du styles her art as therapy and
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a living person and we didn’t want it to feel like the approaches her sketches on paper,
biography of someone who’s not around,” she says. “So the trick was to structure to a certain extent, as a way to make
it going back and forth in time to show her today, not shy away from that, and sense or take control of the chaos of
life. Center Art Gallery, 2000 14th
also then go back and tell you the various chapters in her both personal and pro- St. NW. Call 202-682-2245 or visit
fessional life.” thedccenter.org/centerartgallery.
The greatest challenge might have been persuading the notoriously private
Ginsburg to open up her personal life to public scrutiny. It took some time before
she allowed the filmmakers more than indirect access.
ABOVE
“She was comfortable giving her friends and former colleagues permission to AND BEYOND
start talking to us,” says West. “[But] she held off giving us the main interview for
two years. Eventually we asked for access to more of her personal life which she AROUND THE WORLD
EMBASSY TOUR
did give us about a year ago. But we waited. We just kind of moved in closer and Every year more than 40 embas-
closer. And then we also got up the nerve to ask her if we could film in her gym. A sies open their doors to visitors
few months later there we were, our eyes wide open, amazed to see that, in fact, to show off their impressive edi-
fices and especially to showcase
her workout is as vigorous as had been advertised.” —André Hereford
their cultural and culinary tradi-
tions, artifacts, and eccentricities.
RBG opens Friday, May 4 at Landmark’s Bethesda and E Street Cinemas, Organized by the Cultural Tourism
and other area theaters. Visit landmarktheatres.com. DC nonprofit coalition, the 2018
lineup includes the embassies of

20 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Afghanistan, the African Union,
Australia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica,
Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico,
Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Peru, the
Philippines, South Africa, Thailand,
and Turkey. Saturday, May 5, from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free, no tickets
required though government-is-
sued photo ID recommended. Call
202-661-7581 or visit culturaltour-
ismdc.org.

DICTIONARY OF MARX: A
MULTIMEDIA BIRTHDAY
ANNIVERSARY
Presented as part of the Goethe-
Institut’s international series Marx
Now celebrating the 200th birth-
day of Karl Marx, this is the sig-
nature event in D.C. also includ-
ing the Cinemarx film series (see
separate entry) and the German
Cultural Center’s forthcoming exhi-
bition Marx in the Study. The nov-
elist/playwright John Feffer of the
Institute for Policy Studies curat-
ed this one-time-only experience
exploring Marx’s economic theories
in today’s context. A dozen local
presenters/performers from the

SHOW STOPPER
realms of theater, film, literature,
music, and more perform, includ-
ing: queer writer/spoken-word art-
ist Regie Cabico, Chilean-born visu-
Michael Feinstein brings his passion for showtunes al artist Edgar Endress of George
Mason University, Michael Kazin
and the Great American Songbook to Strathmore. of Georgetown University and
Dissent magazine, filmmakers Erica

M
Ginsberg and Leon Gerskovic and
ICHAEL FEINSTEIN WASN’T EXACTLY SOLD ON THE IDEA OF BASING HIS their short documentary Creative
Great American Songbook Foundation in deep-red Indiana, and a meeting with the Feds, theater artists Angela Kay
Pirko and Mary Myers of Nu Sass
mayor of the city of Carmel seemed unlikely to change his mind. “Before I met with him, Productions, bilingual Latin folk/
I thought, ‘Why would I want to go there?’” he says. But nine years ago, Feinstein moved to the rock duo Elena & Los Fulanos,
Indianapolis suburb, a city Money magazine has consistently called one of the best places in the dancer/choreographer Vincent
Thomas, and poet/literary art-
country to live. “It went from being this little podunk farm town to a model city for other commu-
ist Tanya Paperny of Bellwether
nities with the combination of redevelopment, of support for the arts, of bringing industry, and all Education Partners. The event also
of those things interrelated to create one of the most extraordinary, high-quality living situations.” includes a creative writing work-
It’s also become a welcome landing pad for Feinstein — who also serves as artistic director for shop and the playing of a game of
Anti-Monopoly. Saturday, May 5, at
Carmel’s Center for the Performing Arts — and his husband when the performer isn’t in New York, 6 p.m. Logan Fringe Arts Space,
or out on the road. 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Tickets are
“It seems like it is my lot in life to be an itinerant musician, to travel and sometimes be routed $10. Call 202-847-4700 or visit cap-
italfringe.org.
like a ping-pong ball from one point back to the other on the globe,” he says. Not that he takes it
for granted. “I’m constantly counting blessings and realizing that it is miraculous for me, an uned- HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF D.C.:
ucated musician, to be able to share music as my livelihood.” ANNIVERSARY GALA
What Feinstein lacks in formal music training he more than makes up for in sheer devotion to The Historical Society of
Washington, D.C., will conclude
the art, such as highlighting “the next generation of performers” in the cabaret series he launched its 124th year in operation with
earlier this season at AMP by Strathmore. (There’s one more starlet still to come: Eva Noblezada, a return to the Carnegie Library,
last year’s Tony-nominated star of Miss Saigon, on Sunday, June 24. Cabaret veteran Marilyn Maye when the Mt. Vernon Square edi-
fice reopens this December with a
will also appear at AMP courtesy of Feinstein on Saturday, July 14.)
new Apple Store as its centerpiece.
Feinstein is currently focused on his next engagement: Strathmore’s Spring Gala. “We will have Next week the organization will
a 17-piece big band, and Laura Osnes will be a special guest,” he says. In between performances of celebrate its centuries-old work
showtunes and other pop and cabaret standards, Feinstein will share insights and anecdotes about in collecting and interpreting the
city’s history with its annual gala.
the Great American Songbook. Thursday, May 10, at 6 p.m. Walter
“I promised so many of the songwriters whom I was lucky enough to meet when I was 20 that E. Washington Convention Center,
I would always do what I can to help keep their work alive,” he says. “I take that seriously because 801 Mt. Vernon Pl. Tickets, includ-
ing drinks, hors-d’oeuvres, and des-
what they created is so extraordinarily healing and important for our time now, and the work is
serts, are $75 to $100. Call 202-249-
timeless. It resonates so deeply.” —Doug Rule 3955 or visit dchistory.org. l

Strathmore’s Annual Spring Gala is Saturday, May 12, at 9 p.m., at the Music Center,
5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $45 to $130, including an after-party.
Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

22 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 theFeed
MASS PANIC
Anti-gay pastor Scott Lively has qualified for the Republican primary
in Massachusetts governor’s race. By John Riley
A
CONSERVATIVE PASTOR WITH A LONG
history of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric will chal-
lenge Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker in
the Republican primary for governor. Scott Lively,
a Springfield-based pastor who runs Abiding Truth
Ministries, received 28% of the vote from nearly
2,400 delegates at the GOP state convention in
Worcester — significantly more than the 15% need-
ed to qualify for the primary ballot.
GOP officials — and Baker supporters — had
hoped to avoid a primary, given Baker’s crossover
appeal to Democrats and independents. As gov-
ernor, he has amassed a pro-LGBTQ record, even
signing a law providing nondiscrimination protec-
tions in public accommodations. That law is now
being challenged at the ballot box, and Baker has
promised to defend it on the campaign trail.
When asked about support for Lively, Baker told
the Springfield-based newspaper The Republican
he was “more interested in the 70 percent of the
delegates who supported my message and support-
ed our administration.”
“Look, I can’t get into the minds of people who
made decisions to support us or support anybody
else,” Baker added. “But I can tell you that Scott
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
A large number of straight-identifying people
have had same-sex experiences. By Bailey Vogt
A
SURPRISING NUMBER OF STRAIGHT
people have had same-sex experiences
but still identify as heterosexual, according
to a new study. The Archives of Sexual Behavior
conducted research on 24,000 undergraduate stu-
dents, and found that almost one in eight men and
one in four women have had sexual encounters with
partners of their own gender, but do not identify as
gay or bisexual.
The study found that there are two central
reasons for a straight-identifying person taking a
same-sex partner to bed: Experimentation, where
they want to try out the experience, despite it not
aligning with their sexual identity, and believe
it doesn’t change their orientation regardless of
enjoyment; and Performative Bisexuality, where
Lively, a lot of what he says and a lot of what he
believes doesn’t belong in public discourse.”
For LGBTQ Massachusetts residents, Lively’s
candidacy is particularly concerning, given his past
anti-LGBTQ statements or political positions. On
his campaign website, Lively says that he supports
the traditional definition of marriage, writing:
“The natural family of a man and woman united in
life-long marriage for mutual love and support and
the bearing and nurturing of children — through
birth or adoption — is the self-evident foundation
of all civilization.
“I believe the primacy of the natural family
must be preserved and protected in the main-
stream of society, with tolerance for those who
choose to live discretely outside the mainstream,”
adds Lively.
He also appears to link political corruption
to sexual immorality, writing: ”All corruption is
rooted in the selfishness of people who put their
personal lust for money, sex or power ahead of the
best interests of others. The longer that corruption
goes unchallenged, the deeper and wider it spreads
through a society — like cancer — and the more
harm it causes.” l
someone engages in sexual contact with the same-
sex because it elicits arousal in other people —
because it is less about the act and more about
the attention it can summon, it makes people less
inclined to believe they are LGBTQ.
The co-author of the study, Arielle Kuperberg,
Ph.D., director of Undergraduate Studies in
Sociology at The University of North Carolina, told
Britain’s Metro that their research makes it clear
that sexual experiences do not permanently alter
or reflect sexuality.
“Not everybody who has same-sex relation-
ships is secretly gay,” she said, noting that there
was, “a big disconnect between what people said
their sexual orientation was and what their actions
were.” l
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 25
 theFeed
ADOPTING HATE
Oklahoma anti-gay adoption bill moves closer to becoming law. By John Riley
O
KLAHOMA LAWMAKERS HAVE APPROVED A
measure allowing adoption and foster care agencies
to refuse to place children with “immoral” same-sex
couples. The bill states that no “private child-placing agency
shall be required to perform, assist, counsel, recommend, con-
sent to, refer, or participate in any placement of a child for foster
care or adoption when the proposed placement would violate
the agency’s written religious or moral convictions or policies.”
As a result, an agency could reject a prospective parent
or couple based on their status as a single parent, same-sex
couple, opposite-sex couple in an interfaith marriage, or any
other characteristic that would cause the agency to deem a
parent’s lifestyle as “immoral.”
Troy Stevenson, the executive director of Freedom
Oklahoma, notes that the House version of the bill has been
slightly watered down by the addition of an amendment by
Rep. Leslie Osborn (R-Mustang), a longtime LGBTQ ally,
that prevents private agencies that do discriminate from
receiving taxpayer dollars. However, Freedom Oklahoma
still opposes the bill, because it would make it lawful for
agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples and other
prospective parents.
“We will not file suit if the bill goes forward as is,” says
Stevenson. “But because we think there’s a very slim chance
the Senate would accept any amendments, if they strip the
26 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
amendment in conference, we’ve hired the biggest law firm
in the state and would sue immediately.” He also says that
Freedom Oklahoma has been in contact with Gov. Mary
Fallin’s office, and there’s “a chance she would veto” the bill
if it was sent to her without the House amendments.
Many LGBTQ groups have been harshly critical of both
the House and Senate versions of the bill, saying the legis-
lation’s sole purpose is to discriminate, prioritizing personal
religious beliefs over the best interests of children.
“This bill is heartless and un-American,” Zeke Stokes,
vice president of programs at GLAAD, said in a statement.
“No qualified parent should be turned away from adoption or
foster agencies simply because they are LGBTQ.”
“SB 1140 is a deeply discriminatory bill rooted in animus
toward the LGBTQ community that would harm children in
need and discriminate against loving families who want to
open their hearts and homes,” added Chad Griffin, the presi-
dent of the Human Rights Campaign. “We should be making
it easier — not harder — for children to find loving homes, and
limiting the pool of parents for discriminatory reasons harms
the very children these lawmakers are entrusted to protect.
“If SB 1140 becomes law, it could prove catastrophic for
Oklahoma’s economy and reputation,” said Griffin. “If it
reaches the governor’s desk, HRC urges Governor Fallin to
reject this dangerous legislation.” l
 Forum
COMIC TIMING
On Saturday, Michelle Wolf reminded us that comedians are going
where journalism and our government has failed us.
By Norman Rozenberg
W
E’VE FORGOTTEN HOW ILLUMINATING
comedy can be. That is, until we had a woman
stand up in front of a crowd of Trump adminis-
tration officials and members of the most respected press
outlets in the country and tell it like it is.
Comedy plays an integral role in the fight against tyran-
ny. There is a reason why so many look to late night com-
edy shows for news: Comedians offer
the truth that no one, including news
outlets, are willing to tell. At the White
House Correspondents’ Association din- “We are
ner, Michelle Wolf took aim.
Wolf roasted Congress, Roy Moore,
Hillary Clinton’s campaign, Trump’s now so
pulling out of the Paris agreement and
his net worth, Democrats, Don Jr.,
Mike Pence, Al Franken, Ted Kennedy,
accustomed
to lies that
Kellyanne Conway, and Sarah Huckabee
Sanders. She unapologetically tore into
the very personalities undermining
and failing to protect democracy in this
country. If you don’t think this is comedy
gold yet, keep reading.
it’s difficult
She also came for the media. We are
living in a time when CNN, in its mis- to identify
guided attempts to offer a “balanced”
perspective, gives credibility to those
who defend bigots and proud Nazis. A
fact.”
time when calling the president a racist is
controversial. A time when news outlets
can seriously discuss Trump’s affair with a pornographic
film actress, without questioning the moral authority of the
Office of the President. Did Trump use a condom? That’s a
reasonable question in today’s world.
Media plays a starring role in this Orwellian nightmare.
Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper are not pointing out the
ridiculousness of the world we find ourselves in because
they are contributing to it in a fundamental way. In hosting
pointless parades of pundits screaming at each other for
hours on end, journalism is losing its ability to report on
reality. The focus of the news is on Mueller, Russia, Trump,
and the pundits arguing over the latest updates. But what of
ICE raids in rural Tennessee? What of the Trump admin-
istration’s efforts to remove mandatory insurance coverage
for birth control? Wolf is right. The only thing CNN is good
for is learning where to find the best noodles. Thank you,
Anthony Bourdain.
And Wolf didn’t shy from the Trump administration.
28 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
What could get Trump mad? Let’s talk about his net worth.
We still haven’t seen his taxes — a first in 40 years. We have
Sarah “Aunt Lydia” Huckabee Sanders tying it all together
by consistently misrepresenting facts, creating outright
lies, and questioning the integrity of the very institutions
that drive our republic, all with a perfect smokey eye.
Contrary to Aunt Lydia’s statements during press con-
ferences, diversity visa-holders do get
vetted before they are allowed to enter
the country and Trump has constantly
incited violence among his supporters.
If only Kellyanne Conway would get
stuck under a tree, so she couldn’t make
it in time to help Sanders lie to the
cameras.
And the impact of the constant bar-
rage of lies coming from the White
House? They’ve made the country doubt
the validity of truth. Reality is upside-
down. We are now so accustomed to lies
that it’s difficult to identify fact. We’re
distracted, as we get lost in the weeds
of the Trump administration’s constant
barrage of nonsense.
But we have comedians who can
observe the world we live in and dis-
mantle the delusion that bigots, racists,
Nazis, and rapists who call themselves
politicians deserve an iota of respect.
We have comedians who, through their
observations, are reporting on the state of our democracy.
Comedy is political and comedians are going where jour-
nalism and our government has failed us.
Supporters say that they like Trump because he is
“someone who tells it like it is.” Yet, when Wolf points
out that Trump is a bigot, or that Sarah Huckabee Sanders
codes Trump’s overt racism, she is blasted as unprofession-
al and disrespectful. That’s called a reality check.
Comedy has a lot to say about what is real and what is
truth. Wolf reminded us that comedians have the ability to
hold a mirror up to the audience.
Norman Rozenberg is a writer based in Washington, D.C. He
can be reached at @_nprtweets.
The opinions expressed in Forum do not necessarily reflect
those of Metro Weekly or its employees. Add your voice to
Forum. Learn how at metroweekly.com/forum. l

THURSDAY, May 3
The DC Center holds a meet-
ing of its ASIAN PACIFIC
ISLANDER QUEER SUPPORT
GROUP. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
mation, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
ANDROMEDA
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing and HIV
services (by appointment). 9
a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center,
1400 Decatur St. NW. To
arrange an appointment, call
202-291-4707, or visit androm-
edatransculturalhealth.org.
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.
DC FRONT RUNNERS run-
ning/walking/social club
welcomes runners of all ability
levels for exercise in a fun and
supportive environment, with
socializing afterward. Route
distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at
7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
For more information, visit
dcfrontrunners.org.
DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s
gay and lesbian square-dancing
group, features mainstream
through advanced square
dancing at the National City
Christian Church. Please dress
casually. 7-9:30 p.m. 5 Thomas
Circle NW. 202-930-1058,
dclambdasquares.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
practice. The team is always
looking for new members. All
welcome. 7:30-9:30 p.m. King
Greenleaf Recreation Center,
201 N St. SW. For more infor-
mation, visit scandalsrfc.org or
dcscandals@gmail.com.
THE DULLES TRIANGLES
Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at
Sheraton in Reston. All wel-
come. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise
Valley Drive, second-floor bar.
For more information, visit
dullestriangles.com.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-
Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30
p.m. and from 2-5 p.m. at 1525
14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12
p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max
Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr.
Ave. SE. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000 or visit whit-
man-walker.org.
IDENTITY offers free and
confidential HIV testing at
Community
two separate locations. Walk-
ins accepted from 2-6 p.m.,
by appointment for all other
hours. 414 East Diamond Ave.,
Gaithersburg, Md. or 7676
New Hampshire Ave., Suite
411, Takoma Park, Md. To set
up an appointment or for more
information, call Gaithersburg,
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CAKEROOM
301-300-9978, or Takoma Park,
301-422-2398.
METROHEALTH CENTER
offers free, rapid HIV testing.
Appointment needed. 1012 14th
St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange
an appointment, call 202-638-
0750.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing,
SWEET SUCCESS
3-5 p.m., by appointment and
walk-in, for youth 21 and
younger. Youth Center, 410 7th
St. SE. 202-567-3155 or test-
ing@smyal.org.
At The Cakeroom, Fadi Jaber’s “American Dream”
comes baked to perfection and covered in frosting. STI TESTING at Whitman-
Walker Health. 10 a.m.-12:30
I
p.m. and 2-3 p.m. at both 1525
THINK BEING KNOWN AS A GAY-OWNED BAKERY 14th St. NW and the Max
actually has helped my business, because a lot of my baristas Robinson Center, 2301 Martin
will tell me about people who have come in and say they’re Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE.
supporting our business because we are LGBT-owned,” says Fadi Testing is intended for those
Jaber, owner of The Cakeroom bakery in Adams Morgan. “It’s without symptoms. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000
very refreshing to me, especially compared to Jordan, where peo-
or visit whitman-walker.org.
ple would boycott my shop because I was gay.”
That bakery is Sugar Daddy’s, and it has locations in Amman, US HELPING US hosts a
Jordan, and Beirut. After finding success with Sugar Daddy’s — Narcotics Anonymous Meeting.
complete with a glowing profile in the New York Times — Jaber The group is independent of
moved to the more gay-friendly United States. After settling in UHU. 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636
Georgia Ave. NW. For more
Washington, D.C., he opened Sugar Daddy’s on 18th Street in
information, call 202-446-1100.
2013.
His first year, however, was far from the American Dream. WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP
Arriving at the onset of the novelty cupcake boom, he faced stiff INSTITUTE for young LBTQ
competition, and was even hit with a lawsuit from Sugar Daddy’s women, 13-21, interested in
bakery in Columbus, Ohio, forcing him to rename his shop The leadership development. 5-6:30
p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410
Cakeroom. He eventually turned things around. “The trick was 7th St. SE. For more informa-
to stay alive as long as you can,” Jaber says. “Word-of-mouth just tion, call 202-567-3163, or email
takes a really long time to pick up, and it took about 15 months for catherine.chu@smyal.org.
us to get our name out there.”
Specializing in “desserts to go,” The Cakeroom offers every- FRIDAY, May 4
thing from custom-made cakes to cupcakes to cheesecakes to
brownies. Jaber’s personal favorite? Nutella cookies. “It’s my GAY DISTRICT, a group for
GBTQQI men between the ages
weakness,” he laughs. “I go through phases where I have to have of 18-35, meets on the first and
one every day.” third Fridays of each month.
The Masterpiece Cakeshop case sparked debate over a baker’s 8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.
right to refuse to make cakes for gay weddings, but Jaber sees his NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
business as the “antithesis” of such exclusion. Take, for example, mation, visit gaydistrict.org.
when he learned he was getting a green card.
The DC Center’s TRANS
“I was very stressed out about it, because it was during the SUPPORT GROUP provides
Trump election, and I knew where he stood on immigration,” a space to talk for transgender
he says. “I got the text while I was doing a cake-tasting with a people and those who identify
lesbian couple. They were the first people I hugged when I was outside of the gender binary.
7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
screaming up and down for joy, because I got approved for this
Suite 105. For more informa-
green card.
tion, visit thedccenter.org.
“That will forever be in my memory, that positive energy,
doing this tasting for this lesbian couple. And that’s what our Weekly Events
bakery is all about.” —John Riley
BET MISHPACHAH, founded
The Cakeroom, 2006 18th St. NW, is open daily. For hours or to by members of the LGBT com-
munity, holds Friday evening
place an order, call 202-450-4462 or visit cakeroombakery.com.
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 29
Shabbat services in the DC Jewish
Community Center’s Community
Room. 8 p.m. 1529 16th St. NW. For
more information, visit betmish.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-
tice session at Howard University.
6:30-8 p.m. Burr Gymnasium, 2400
6th St. NW. For more information,
visit swimdcac.org.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-
affirming social group for ages
11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road
NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-
0422, layc-dc.org.
SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a
social atmosphere for LGBT and
questioning youth, featuring dance
parties, vogue nights, movies and
games. For more info, email cather-
ine.chu@smyal.org.
SATURDAY, May 5
ADVENTURING outdoors group
hikes a very strenuous 13.4-mile
route with 2700 feet of elevation
gain in the southern section of
Massanutten Mountain, near New
Market, Va. Bring beverages, lunch,
sunscreen, bug spray, sturdy boots,
about $20 for fees, and money for
dinner on the way home. Carpool
at 8:30 a.m. from East Falls Church
Metro Kiss & Ride lot at North
Sycamore and 19th Street. Return
after dark. Contact Jackson, 410-
422-9257 or visit adventuring.org.
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group
participates in annual World
Embassy Open House, visiting
as many non-EU embassies as
we can along Embassy Row
(Massachusetts Avenue NW). Free,
but bring money to buy lunch in
one of the embassies. Meet at 9:30
a.m. at 20th and Q Streets NW, at
the top of the Dupont Circle Metro
escalators. Contact Kevin, 571-338-
1433 or kgiles27@gmail.com.
Rainbow Families DC hosts its
2018 FAMILY CONFERENCE AND
GATHERING at Georgetown Day
High School. The day will feature
workshops and panels focusing on
various aspects of LGBTQ family
planning and parenting. Virginia
Del. Danica Roem and Maryland
gubernatorial candidate Richard
Madaleno will be the conference’s
keynote speakers. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
4200 Davenport St. NW. For more
information, visit rainbowfamilies-
dc.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.
30 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
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.
DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for
LGBT community, family and
friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel
Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary
Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For
more info, visit dignitynova.org.
SUNDAY, May 6
ADVENTURING outdoors group
strolls 5 easy miles through the
National Arboretum in Northeast
Washington at the peak of the aza-
lea season. Bring beverages, lunch,
sunscreen, bug spray, and about
$5 for fees. Carpool at 9 a.m. from
20th and Q Streets NW, return by
mid-afternoon. Drivers needed.
Contact Martin, 240-988-5304 or
visit adventuring.org.
GAY DAY AT THE ZOO and the
Smithsonian’s INTERNATIONAL
FAMILY EQUALITY DAY celebra-
tion offers LGBTQ families a dat
of child-friendly activities, animal
enrichments, field day games, live
music, and an ice cream social. 9:30
a.m-4 p.m. Smithsonian National
Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW.
For a full schedule of the zoo’s
family day events, visit nationalzoo.
si.edu.
Weekly Events
LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS
MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH
celebrates Low Mass at 8:30
a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300
Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244,
allsoulsdc.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 will be a distance run of 8, 10
or 12 miles. Meet at 9 a.m. at 23rd
& P Streets NW. For more informa-
tion, visit dcfrontrunners.org.
DIGNITYUSA offers Roman
Catholic Mass for the LGBT
community. All welcome. Sign
interpreted. 6 p.m. St. Margaret’s
Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave.
NW. For more info, visit dignity-
washington.org.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service,
945 G St. NW. firstuccdc.org or
202-628-4317.
HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF
CHRIST welcomes GLBT commu-
nity for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130
Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.
hopeucc.org.
HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT
GROUP for gay men living in the
DC metro area. This group will be
meeting once a month. For infor-
mation on location and time, visit
H2gether.com.
Join LINCOLN
CONGREGATIONAL TEMPLE –
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for
an inclusive, loving and progressive
faith community every Sunday. 11
a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in
Shaw/Logan neighborhood. lincol-
ntemple.org.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF NORTHERN
VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led
by Rev. Emma Chattin. Children’s
Sunday School, 11 a.m. 10383
Democracy Lane, Fairfax. 703-691-
0930, mccnova.com.
NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN
CHURCH, inclusive church with
GLBT fellowship, offers gospel wor-
ship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional wor-
ship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW.
202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.
ST. STEPHEN AND THE
INCARNATION, an “interra-
cial, multi-ethnic Christian
Community” offers services in
English, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and
in Spanish at 5:15 p.m. 1525 Newton
St. NW. 202-232-0900, saintste-
phensdc.org.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING
invites LGBTQ families and indi-
viduals of all creeds and cultures to
join the church. Services 9:15 and
11:15 a.m. 10309 New Hampshire
Ave. uucss.org.
MONDAY, May 7
The DC Center hosts a
VOLUNTEER NIGHT for commu-
nity members to lend a hand with
various duties, including cleaning,
keeping safe-sex kit inventory, and
sorting through book donations.
Pizza provided. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org.
Weekly Events
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a
practice session at Dunbar Aquatic
Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 101 N St. NW.
For more information, visit swim-
dcac.org.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV test-
ing. 5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite
200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-
789-4467.
STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at both 1525
14th St. NW and the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 Martin Luther King,
Jr. Ave. SE. Testing is intended for
those without symptoms. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000 or
visit whitman-walker.org.
The DC Center hosts COFFEE
DROP-IN FOR THE SENIOR LGBT
COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000
14th St. NW. For more information,
call 202-682-2245 or visit thedc-
center.org.
US HELPING US hosts a black gay
men’s evening affinity group for
GBT black men. Light refreshments
provided. 7-9 p.m. 3636 Georgia
Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.
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.
WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH
HIV/AIDS SUPPORT GROUP
for newly diagnosed individuals,
meets 7 p.m. Registration required.
202-939-7671, hivsupport@whit-
man-walker.org.
TUESDAY, May 8
The DC Center holds a monthly
meeting of its COMING OUT
DISCUSSION GROUP for those
navigating issues associated with
coming out and personal identity.
7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
The DC Center’s TRANS
SUPPORT GROUP provides a
space to talk for transgender people
and those who identify outside of
the gender binary. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
DC AQUATICS CLUB practice
session at Takoma Aquatic Center.
7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van Buren St. NW.
For more information, visit swim-
dcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes run-
ners of all ability levels for exercise
in a fun and supportive environment,
with socializing afterward. Route
distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at 7 p.m.
at Union Station. For more informa-
tion, visit dcfrontrunners.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds prac-
tice. The team is always looking
for new members. All welcome.
7:30-9:30 p.m. King Greenleaf
Recreation Center, 201 N St. SW.
For more information, visit scan-
dalsrfc.org or dcscandals@gmail.
com.
THE GAY MEN’S HEALTH
COLLABORATIVE offers free
HIV testing and STI screening
and treatment every Tuesday.
5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday
LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health
Department, 4480 King St. 703-
746-4986 or text 571-214-9617.
james.leslie@inova.org.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
holds an LGBT-focused meet-
ing every Tuesday, 7 p.m. at St.
George’s Episcopal Church, 915
Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps
from Virginia Square Metro. For
more info. call Dick, 703-521-
1999. Handicapped accessible.
Newcomers welcome. liveandletli-
veoa@gmail.com.
STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at both 1525
14th St. NW and the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 Martin Luther King,
Jr. Ave. SE. Testing is intended for
those without symptoms. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000 or
visit whitman-walker.org.
Support group for LGBTQ youth
ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL. 5-6:30
p.m. 410 7th St. SE. For more
information, contact Cathy Chu,
202-567-3163, or catherine.chu@
smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a support
group for black gay men 40 and
older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.
NW. 202-446-1100.
Whitman-Walker Health holds its
weekly GAY MEN’S HEALTH AND
WELLNESS/STD CLINIC. Patients
are seen on walk-in basis. No-cost
screening for HIV, syphilis, gon-
orrhea and chlamydia. Hepatitis
and herpes testing available for fee.
Testing starts at 6 p.m, but should
arrive early to ensure a spot. 1525
14th St. NW. For more information,
visit whitman-walker.org.
WEDNESDAY, May 9
BIG GAY BOOK GROUP meets at
Trio Bistro to discuss Speak No Evil
by Uzodinma Iweala. Newcomers
always welcome. 7 p.m. 1537 17th
St. NW, on the corner of Q and 17th
Streets. For more information and
to RSVP, email biggaybookgroup@
hotmail.com.
The LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meets
at the Dignity Center, across from
the Marine Barracks, for Duplicate
Bridge. No reservations needed.
Newcomers welcome. 7:30 p.m. 721
8th St. SE. Call 202-841-0279 if you
need a partner.
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.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at 1525 14th
St. NW, and 9 a.m-12 p.m. and 1-5
p.m. at the Max Robinson Center,
2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000 or
visit whitman-walker.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.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers
free, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-
ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012
14th St. NW, Suite 700. For more
information, call 202-638-0750.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV
testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N.
15th St., Suite 200, Arlington.
Appointments: 703-789-4467.
STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at both 1525
14th St. NW and the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 Martin Luther King,
Jr. Ave. SE. Testing is intended for
those without symptoms. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000 or
visit whitman-walker.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. l
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 31
S A M I R A ’ S T A L E
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 33
34 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
“AS AN ARTIST, I
FEEL LIKE IT’S MY
RESPONSIBILITY TO
REFLECT THE TIME THAT
I’M LIVING IN, so that
people who come after me
can look at this show and
have it point to the time
we were living in when we
were making it.”

MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 35

 T H E T A L E O F S A M I R A W I L E Y B E G I N S W H E N
S H E W A S N I N E . O R T E N . O R T W E L V E .
Reverend Dennis Wiley can’t exactly remember how old his
daughter was when “she heard about an arts program called All
About Creativity at Howard University, and enrolled in it,” but
it set the buoyant young girl with a warming, bright smile on
a path that would one day lead to national recognition and an
Emmy nomination.
“It was very clear that acting is what Samira wanted to do,”
says the elder Wiley, who along with his wife, Christine, pas-
tored at D.C.’s Covenant Baptist Church for 32 years, and was an
emphatic, vocal leader in the local charge for marriage equality.
“Everybody doesn’t get a chance to do what they really have a
passion for as a job. Fortunately, she’s been able to fulfill that
dream, and get paid for it at the same time.”
Samira Wiley first came into the national spotlight in 2013
with Netflix’s groundbreaking Orange Is The New Black. She
played Poussey Washington, a spry, gentle incarcerated soul
with a profound intellect and a concerning dependency on
homemade alcohol. When, in season 4, Poussey was accidentally
killed by a prison guard, the loss set off a massive prison riot
that informed the whole of season five. For her part, the 31-year-
old Wiley — who is married to Lauren Morelli, one of Orange’s
former lead writers — had no clue she was being fired from the
show. It was heartbreaking reality to be cut loose from a series
that had come to mean so much to her personally.
“My wife and I actually were like, ‘Why would they eliminate
one of the most beloved characters on the show?’” says her father.
“But then, that’s show business. I guess that’s real life, too —
some of the worst things sometimes happen to some of the best
people.”
Released from Orange, Wiley landed an even better job, one
just as high profile and currently the buzz of TV-land — Hulu’s
brilliant, soul-shattering The Handmaid’s Tale. Based on the
dystopian 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood, it’s set in a not-too-
distant future, where humankind has lost much of its ability to
reproduce. The show chronicles the downfall of America and
the rise of Gilead, a totalitarian nation fueled by religious fanat-
icism and a brutally sadistic patriarchy that suppresses women
in almost every respect imaginable. Dissenters, both male and
female, are routinely put to death, often in public, and gays and
lesbians are branded as “gender traitors” and are either executed
or shipped off to The Colonies, where they till toxic earth until
they drop dead from radiation poisoning.
The show’s first season followed the basic track of Atwood’s
novel, recounted primarily from the point of view of Offred
(Elisabeth Moss, awarded an Emmy for her searing portray-
al), a Handmaid in the home of Commander and Serena Joy
Waterford. Like all Handmaids, Offred is still able to bear chil-
dren, and therefore is forced into surrogate servitude, by means
of ritualistic rape, to produce an offspring for the couple.
Wiley’s character, Moira, was Offred’s best friend before
Gilead. But Moira’s trajectory takes a different path when she
escapes to Canada, where she’s granted asylum. It’s clear from
the first few episodes of season two that Moira is grappling with
survivor’s guilt, unable to do anything to save her best friend
from the horrors of Gilead.
“Samira is a treasure,” says series creator Bruce Miller. “She’s
a spectacularly talented actress. Such a smart woman, such an
I N T E R V I E W B Y
P H O T G R A P H Y B Y
36 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
articulate, thoughtful human being, and also just a pleasure to
work with. I cannot rave about her enough.”
“Samira’s incredible to work with,” agrees Alexis Bledel, who
plays Ofglen, a “gender traitor” whose furious act of rebellion in
season one lands her in the unforgiving Colonies. “As a co-work-
er, I love her energy. And I admire her as an advocate for LGBTQ
rights. I am totally inspired by her.”
“Like Moira, she’s fierce,” adds the show’s executive produc-
er Warren Littlefield. “She is strong and yet laced through all the
strength is a tenderness and a wonderful, gentle side.... We’re
thrilled that she’s such an important part of the show.”
Perhaps Wiley’s father says it best: “Samira seems to be
always happy for the other person — it’s not all about her. She
rejoices when other people rejoice, even when things haven’t
gone so well for her. I’ve never seen her bitter with regard to
playing roles that she would have liked to play but maybe didn’t
get. She has a very healthy outlook and perspective on her career.
And I think it is serving her well.”
METRO WEEKLY: What’s it like to be part of The Handmaid’s Tale?
SAMIRA WILEY: What’s specifically nice for me is to be a part of
a show that is truly about women. I’m surrounded by so many
talented women — whether front-of-the-camera people like
Elisabeth Moss, or those behind the camera. The very first sea-
son, every single director we had was a woman, save one. I’m
inspired when I go to work — I’m able to see people doing things
that I would like to do one day.
Margaret Atwood is [often] on set, and even just seeing her
helps me realize that “Yes, I’m an actor and it’s my life’s work to
bring other people’s stories to life, but this show is really, really,
really, really helping me realize the voice that I have.” And it’s so
powerful to realize that you have a voice. There’s so much chat-
ter and conversation going on around the themes in this show,
and I’m able to be a part of this global conversation in a way that
I wouldn’t be if I wasn’t in it.
MW: The show is not kind to women, to say the least. Women are
treated brutally in every respect, even the wives of the command-
ers. Obviously, there’s going to be an endgame at some point — a
revolt, an uprising — we’ve seen hints of it. But we’ve also now seen
the horrible measures Gilead’s government takes when people fight
back. In season two — and I’ve seen six episodes — the pervading
atmosphere remains horrific and bleak.
WILEY: I think the show is about women’s resilience and resis-
tance — the “keep going” power of women. I think it is a story
of perseverance. I have faith that it will ultimately be a story of
triumph. There are so many things that these women in this fic-
tional world of Gilead have to endure. But I am so bolstered by
Offred’s resolve. It’s horrible, horrible, horrible, but you see how
much these women have in them because they’re being pushed
down over and over and over again.
We see Moira in the first season, and her spirit is pretty much
completely broken. She has retreated to Jezebel’s. She has been
reduced to taking drugs every night and falling asleep without
pain to escape it all. It’s for survival, really. All of this, I think, is
about survival. Every single decision that the characters make is
about survival. Moira even creates another persona for herself
— Ruby — to be able to survive through all of this. It’s not easy.
R A N D Y S H U L M A N
T O D D F R A N S O N
MW: It does seem to focus more on survival this season. The
Colonies alone show what people are willing to endure to survive
with their humanity intact, when those who imprison them treat
them less than human — in fact, less than animals. The horses
are given gas masks while the women out in the radioactive fields
aren’t. It’s brutal. I can’t imagine, but what is the atmosphere like
on the set?
WILEY: You’ve got Gilead, you’ve got Canada, you’ve got flash-
backs, you’ve got the Colonies. There are many different parts
of the world that I never come in contact with, and there are
many parts of the world that other actors I’m involved with
never come in contact with. This season I’m mostly with Luke
in Canada, so it’s a different show experience for us than when
they’re in shooting in the Colonies.
The main thing I try to hold onto on our set is some cheer.
When the camera turns off, we always talk about the cookie
tray. The cookie tray is something that comes around at a cer-
tain time every day, and we’re always looking for it, because
after being fully immersed in Handmaid’s world, it’s only
healthy to be able to fully step out of it.
MW: How does the Handmaid’s set differ from the Orange set?
WILEY: Everyone is so respectful on the Handmaid’s set. For
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 37
Orange, it was just a mess all the time when the cameras were
off. We were yelling and screaming and throwing things. I think
about my behavior sometimes on that set and I’m like, “Jeez,
would I have a job now?” It just was like that. The energy was so
frenetic — and it was infectious and exciting and everything was
so new. Handmaid’s seems more like a grown-up job. There’s
an understanding of the issues that we are bringing to light, an
understanding that the story we’re telling is one of real impor-
tance and relevance, and that we need to get it right. Margaret
Atwood has created a world that is so
alive. I think everyone just wants to real-
ly get it right. “There’s an
MW: It’s terrifying because this could hap-
pen. This could be our world someday. understanding that
WILEY: I hate it when people say that.
MW: That’s what makes it so harrowing,
the story we’re
I think. In one of the flashbacks, when
Alexis Bledel and her wife are stopped by
telling is one of real
immigration trying to leave the country,
what occurs is alarming and distressing. It
importance and
shows how quickly circumstances we take relevance. Margaret
for granted can change. It’s a warning
shot about how fragile our rights truly are. Atwood has created a
WILEY: It’s scary when you think about it
in those terms. There are a lot of things world that is so alive. I
that have been happening in this world
today, where you read the headline and THINK EVERYONE
it’s like, “How could that have hap-
pened?” Specifically, for me, I’ve been so JUST WANTS TO
personally affected by the transgender
[ban] in the military policies. It just feels REALLY, REALLY
like something that couldn’t happen, and
then it just did. That’s the same thing
GET IT RIGHT.”
that’s happening in Handmaid’s. Moira
and June show up at a coffee shop one day after a run to buy a
cappuccino, and all of a sudden they’re denied because they’re
women. It’s like, “What? How could this happen? It’s 2018!”
So it is scary, but when you actually think about it, the par-
allels between the actual feelings that I have to muster to play
Moira and bring her actual emotional reactions to light are not
so different from the feelings that Samira has on a random April
morning reading a headline.
MW: You’ve been a key part of two shows that deal with topical,
important issues. Orange is arguably even more socially vital
because of the way it deals with the prison system. Though it’s a
little lighter, thankfully.
WILEY: [Laughs.] I know. It’s crazy to think a prison show is light!
MW: Your character on that show, Poussey, was universally
beloved, by both the characters on the show and the fans. It was
devastating when she was killed.
WILEY: It was a complete shock to me. Complete shock. I don’t
know how it would have gone down if my wife wasn’t writing on
the show at the time. She told me.
MW: What did she say?
WILEY: She started off with like, “Hey, like, Poussey’s going to die
this season,” and then explained why. I went through so many
emotions. I was angry. I was so upset. I couldn’t believe it. It felt
like this was my family, and they were all of a sudden just saying
they didn’t want me anymore. I couldn’t understand what I did
wrong. I was blindsided.
Then after really listening to what the story was that they
were trying to tell, I felt a little better about it, and felt honored
that they wanted to tell this story with this character.
38 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
MW: The narrative probably wouldn’t have worked as well with
any other character.
WILEY: That’s what I ended up talking to Jenji [Kohan, Orange’s
creator] about. She said those exact words to me. She said they
had to find someone who would impact people in a way that it
did. I think they succeeded.
MW: Did you at least have Handmaid’s on the horizon?
WILEY: No, I didn’t have a job for months after. There was no
Handmaid’s on my radar. I didn’t know what I was going to do.
I was like, “Well, should I go look for a
bartender job?” It’s scary to have this job
security — or a false sense of job security
that I thought that I had for so long —
and then to be cast out in the audition
pool again.
MW: You’re on the verge of tears just
talking about it.
WILEY: There’s no way I can overstate
how big Orange was for me. It gave me
everything. I mean, I met my wife on
the show! But specifically bringing the
character of Poussey to life. I walk down
the street and that’s all people call me
“Poussey!” People yell from across the
street, “Poussey, Poussey!” It’s some-
thing that is in there now. It’s not going
anywhere. It’s in there.
MW: She was a remarkable character, and
you brought her to life in such a sweet,
intelligent, loving way. There was so much
depth to her.
WILEY: Yeah, I’m going to cry now.
MW: It’s quite a coincidence that your two
major roles have been queer women.
WILEY: It’s really interesting, actually. I didn’t want to play Moira
when I learned she was queer. I was already queer myself and
I just finished playing a queer character. I didn’t want to get
typecast. Then I had a conversation with Lauren, my wife. She’s
a huge fan of Margaret Atwood’s. She told me I would be crazy
if I didn’t do this. She was right.
I was able to take two queer characters and make them com-
pletely distinct from each other. I think that that is only going
to help as well — people seeing that there are so many different
types of people within the queer community. I’m happy that I
was able to do that — that I am doing that.
MW: What is different about Moira this season?
WILEY: She’s literally completely removed from Gilead. One
thing that we see in season two is there’s this wonderful thing
of being a refugee, meaning that you have escaped this horrible
place. You are not getting raped every day. You walk into a new
country and they give you a health insurance card. You have
money, which is illegal for a woman to even possess in Gilead.
But then there’s the flip side of it, being kind of fucking hor-
rible. I don’t know anyone here. My best friend is not actually
dead, but dead to me because she’s not around. My fiancee, who
we hear a little bit about in season one, is not around, is dead.
All I’ve got is [Offred’s husband] Luke, and I guess we’ll put up
some little American flags and call it Little America. Every single
decision is just about trying to survive.
MW: You grew up in a religious home. Your parents are pastors.
You lived in an environment where religion was warm and wel-
coming — an embracement. You’re in a show where religion is fully
weaponized and used as a means to justify selfish purposes and
ideals. How does it feel to be thrust into the dark side of religion?
WILEY: To be honest, I’ve always been very aware growing up
that my parents were not the norm. Unfortunately, the show
that I’m on, with its horrible depiction of how they’re treating
women and people in general, seems to be the status quo of how
people used religion that weren’t my parents. Growing up, I was
aware of how rare it was that my parents were the way that they
were. Unfortunately, we’re more used to people using the Bible,
or whatever good book, to justify horrible acts.
MW: Gays are recast as gender-traitors by Gilead and either put to
death or sent to the Colonies. They seem powerless to fight back, or
at least that’s the implication. Do you think that, were something
like this ever to happen in America, the LGBTQ community would
be strong enough to fight back?
WILEY: When I hear about transgender people serving in the
military, it feels like these are civil rights that we won. When I
say we, I mean we as a human race. Then we’ve seen, in the past
couple of months, that it can be rolled back. So I get to places
where I start to feel like, “Oh God, is everything in jeopardy?”
The thing that gives me the most hope is thinking about the
people. I know that there are so many people out here in the
world and in America who are like-minded, who, even if they
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 39
get it wrong sometimes, want to act out of love rather than fear.
By God, I want to believe in that, I really do. I want to believe in
that. That’s the whole battle of the world — love versus fear. At
the end of the day, the people that I surround myself with, the
people that I meet every day, give me faith in humanity. Maybe
too much.
MW: I read there’s a scene coming up where Moira confronts
Serena in Canada. Are you allowed to talk about that?
WILEY: Sure. The Waterfords come to Canada and we — when I
say “we,” I mean me and Luke — both have our own encounters
with them. I think it’s great TV, number one, to have two parts
of this show collide in this way, but also, I can’t even describe
to you the moment when Moira actually
sees Commander Waterford. You know
what I mean? This man who was her rap- “She said, ‘Hey,
ist at Jezebel’s. I think it’s brilliant writ-
ing, and I had a lot fun doing it, but I also Poussey’s going to die
think that one thing we try to remember
is how much responsibility we have in
this season.’I was angry.
trying to make sure that the story has the
utmost amount of integrity. I’m excited
I was upset. It felt like
about that episode, truly. this was my family,
MW: Given the #MeToo movement and the
election of Donald Trump, Handmaid’s and they were all of
feels even more relevant than it might have
otherwise been. The show is taking today’s a sudden just saying
issues and reflecting them back to us.
WILEY: Absolutely. When we started
they didn’t want me
shooting season one, we didn’t know anymore. I COULDN’T
how relevant it was going to be. We
didn’t know Donald Trump was going UNDERSTAND WHAT
to be our president. We assumed that he
was not. I don’t know how exactly how I DID WRONG.”
it’s happening, other than I just would
like to think our writers are completely
in tune with the world that they’re living in and with where our
society is right now.
As an artist, I feel like it’s my responsibility to reflect the time
that I’m living in, so that people who come after me can look at
this show and have it point to the time we were living in when
we were making it. I think about the history of television in the
beginning, thinking about Leave It To Beaver and shows like
that — it seemed like an ideal was put on television that no one
could reach. No one’s hair could look that perfect every time
they walked in the room.
People are craving to see people who look like them. We
saw that on Orange. We see people of all different shapes, sizes,
and everything. Now we’re seeing it with this, that people want
something that is relevant to what is going on in their everyday.
That’s the kind of work I want to be a part of. I love a good time
at the movies, but having watched something with someone and
having a conversation that you would not have had otherwise,
thoughts that wouldn’t have gone down otherwise, that’s some-
thing that I want to be involved in.
Everyone always talks about how relevant and timely this
show is. That is one-hundred percent correct, but it’s also just
really good television, you know? It’s visually stunning. The act-
ing — I am inspired every day by my fellow actors. I think we’re
trying to make something that’s all-around relevant, but also of
excellent quality.
MW: You were nominated for an Emmy this year.
WILEY: I was.
MW: How did that feel?
40 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
WILEY: Oh, gosh, it was so far from my mind. I remember
the morning I found out. I was such a champion for Lizzie’s
[Elisabeth Moss] work in the season, the main thing I was
thinking was, “I hope Lizzie gets a nomination. I hope Lizzie
gets a nomination.” In the car, on the way to some photo shoot,
I looked it up and saw Lizzie got a nomination. Then I saw the
show got a nomination. I was like, “This is amazing!” I put my
phone down. I didn’t even check for me because it was so far
from what was on my mind.
MW: You were up against Ann Dowd, who ultimately won for her
role as Aunt Lydia.
WILEY: Yeah. No one’s going to win against Ann. She’s amazing.
MW: I keep fantasizing about what I want
to see happen to Aunt Lydia when she
finally gets her comeuppance. She’s one
of the most insidious characters I’ve ever
encountered on TV.
WILEY: She’s also the nicest person you’ll
ever meet in your entire life.
MW: I want to wrap things up with your
parents. They’re so well-known in the gay
community for their support, both vocally
and in practice. What was it like coming
out to them?
WILEY: It was like the most non-event
ever. I remember thinking, “I need to
tell them about this.” I sat them down.
I told them. I was like, “Please don’t
talk until I’m finished.” I finished, and
my dad was like, “Cool, awesome, that’s
great! Come give me a hug.” I was like,
“Wait, did you hear what I said?” To
them, people are people and everyone is
God’s child. It just wasn’t a thing.
Here’s the thing I thought of the
most: I didn’t want someone to say, “Oh, that’s why you guys are
[supportive of LGBTQ equality]. It’s all because your daughter
is gay.” A lot of people said that. And I didn’t want their motives
to be questioned. My father told me, he said, “That’s one way to
look at it, Samira, that they’re going to come and say whatever
about our motives. Who cares? We know what our motives are.
Another way to look at it is how lucky you are that this is our
life’s work.”
MW: Your parents are extraordinary people.
WILEY: Yeah, I mean, they are truly awe-inspiring people. People
always laugh at me when I say my parents are my heroes, but it
really is true. They inspire me. I’m just so in awe of them, and I
feel so blessed that they are my parents. I look at the work that
they’ve done and sometimes I just ask myself “How? How did
you guys keep going in the face of [opposition]?” But they will
tell you that they didn’t think that they had a choice. It was,
“No, this is the path that God has laid for us. And so we’re going
to walk down this path.” And that, to me, is what I’m trying to
figure out how to do every day in my life. I know that God has a
path for me that is my own, and I am — through their example —
trying to walk down that path. l
The Handmaid’s Tale, season two, airs new episodes every
Wednesday on Hulu, and is available on catch-up. The first season
is available to stream now. Visit hulu.com.
Orange Is The New Black seasons one to five are available to
stream on Netflix. Visit netflix.com.
BLEEKER STREET
Movies

what she supposedly has done wrong.

Unorthodox
Lelio, directing from a script he
co-wrote with Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based
on Naomi Alderman’s prize-winning

Attraction
In Disobedience, the unexpected reunion of two childhood friends
stirs long-suppressed desires. By André Hereford
novel, likes to work with the camera in
tight closeup. In Weisz, he’s found a mas-
ter collaborator for his mode of relying on
each twitch of the actor’s face, revealing
truths that words and actions might dis-
guise.
The filmmaker also seems intent on

R
keeping characters in motion — rov-
ACHEL WEISZ SWANS THROUGH THE LESBIAN ROMANCE DISOBEDIENCE ing, puttering, and pondering. In that,
(HHHHH), radiating independence as successful photographer Ronit Curtis. A McAdams excels, drawing attention at
Londoner living in New York, Ronit’s loose curls and flinty, no-fucks-given first to Esti’s quiet servitude. Then, gradu-
demeanor — she smokes everywhere, even in hotel rooms — signal her hard-won sense ally, Esti’s whole presence dawns with the
of freedom. reemergence of the forbidden same-sex
The film tallies the high price Ronit has paid for her liberation: complete ostracism attraction she’s long kept hidden.
from her strictly Orthodox Jewish family, friends, and community back home in the Where Dovid falls in all of this is more
U.K. She’s suddenly called home upon the death of her father, Rav Krushka (Anton inscrutable than perhaps it should be, as
Lesser), the spiritual leader of their synagogue and most respected member of the the character recedes, in many senses of
community. the word, from this triangle, and from the
Sebastián Lelio’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning trans-themed A Fantastic Woman story. Nivola imbues the devout man of
similarly tracks an outcast’s fight to assert her identity. Here, the prodigal daugh- HaShem with the sensitivity of someone
ter’s return forces a reunion with her father’s most devoted pupil, Dovid Kuperman genuinely in awe of the divine. But when
(Alessandro Nivola), who was raised practically as a brother alongside Ronit. Now he’s thrown into crisis, neither the script
married to their childhood friend Esti (Rachel McAdams), Dovid takes Ronit into his nor the performance exploits the detailed
home as the community mourns the Rav and lays him to rest. portrait of religiosity that’s been estab-
As Ronit, Weisz is a sardonic force of nature, barreling from awkward family gather- lished in the film’s first act. A challenge
ings to staid ceremonies, her cigarettes and short fuse always lit. Facing confrontation arises, but the character just caves.
after confrontation, Ronit is pressured to answer for all of her choices, particularly for The movie at times seems singularly
how she left. Although, no one much wants to discuss why she took off. interested in having its way with Ronit
Despite her bravado, she’s not impervious to the community’s disapproval, most and Esti’s scintillating affair, and no obsta-
of it emanating from her stern uncle Moshe (Allan Corduner). Weisz is most effective cle of plotting or character development is
exposing the guilt Ronit bears for disappointing her family, for abandoning her com- going to stand in the way. The pair goes at
munity, and ghosting her friends. Ronit wants forgiveness, even if she doesn’t agree on continues on page 44

42 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

MATTHEW THOMPSON
Stage

less continuum, bound to the knowledge

Worthy Wait
of our impending nothingness, pumping at
worthless metaphysical brakes. And while
the days are long and the years are short,
the point of it all is like a twilight’s flicker
Druid Theatre’s Waiting for Godot is a skillfully depicted production in one’s peripheral vision — you sense it’s
of Beckett’s enigmatic tragicomedy. By Kate Wingfield there, but if you look, it’s gone.
And yet, for another viewer, Godot

B
might speak to some wholly different
y all accounts, Samuel Beckett seems to have enjoyed being as obtuse as possible idea. Perhaps, being creatures of the twen-
about Waiting for Godot (HHHHH). His seminal, absurdist play is considered ty-first century, one can’t help but notice
one of the most significant of the twentieth century, and indeed, in 1955, just how the play works as a metaphor for the
two years after its premier, Beckett is attributed with the almost mischievous remark, latest mind-bending discoveries in phys-
“Why people have to complicate a thing so simple I can’t make out.” His later respons- ics. Consider what Godot seems to say
es — especially to actors trying to make sense of the characters Vladimir (aka Didi) and about time and what we now know about
Estragon (aka Gogo) — only compounded this “simplicity.” its physical properties — it is no longer
For Beckett scholars and fans, the ambiguity and pointed refusal by the author to conceptualized as linear or even uniform.
explain his work fuels a happy fervor. But what, one must ask, about everybody else? Consider Beckett’s language and how the
How does one approach a play that — never quite real, never fully surreal, often comic, words move in meaning depending on
but also tragic — simply refuses to explain itself? who says what, when, and to whom. Such
Perhaps the best answer is two-fold: expect nothing and allow anything. In that shifting sands are not unlike the subatom-
frame of mind, there may arise a something. In a perfect world, it will be personally ic particles we now know “exist” in two
moving, intriguing, or thought-provoking. Perhaps it is finding that, in watching the ways at once — even if we can only “see”
clever, agitated Vladimir and the weary, absentminded Estragon spin their wheels one. Could the two men be struggling
waiting for the mysterious Godot, their cycles of frustration, boredom, and futility begin with time and memory because they are
to deliver something larger. Perhaps it is the sense that humankind is caged in a time- like such particles existing in a multi-uni-

MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 43

 verse? Are such connections sheer gobbledygook — especially
since the play was written before such discoveries? Perhaps, and
Beckett might have been the first to say it. But he also said that
his “work does not depend on experience — [it is] not a record of
experience. Of course you use it.”
If all this potential for pontification induces a (non-existen-
tial) dread of an evening waiting for Godot to end, rest assured
that deep thoughts are optional with this production by Druid,
the acclaimed Irish theater company. If the cosmos doesn’t
speak to you, you can take it all at face value and simply enjoy the
clever wordplay, the antics reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy, the
thoughtful intimacy, and the quietly mounting despair. Indeed,
the cast delivers the play with such skill and crystalline timing,
and Garry Hynes’ direction is so keen and crisp — as mystifying
as Godot may be in its grand design — the actual, in-the-moment
aspect is wholly worth the experience.
And it’s a fresh kind of flair that makes such a difference here.
There is something a bit younger, even a bit hipper and relevant
about this lanky Vladimir and bearded Estragon. Perhaps it’s the
vague feeling that, if they weren’t immersed in this world, they
might be running a microbrewery together, juggling radishes, or
breathing fire in their spare time. It gives their antics a certain
“street” zest, an ever-so-slightly unpredictable energy — and it’s
Waiting for Godot runs to May 20 at Shakespeare Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Tickets are $44 to $118.
Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.
BLEEKER STREET
continued from page 42
it with a sensuality that, for Esti, fills a void untended by Dovid’s
affections. But somehow the women’s passion feels less exhila-
rating than perfunctory.
Their scenes of intimacy do feature more than enough
panting and moaning to state a case for the R-rating. However,
the heat of their attraction doesn’t register the most powerful
impact. The weight of convention bearing down on Esti lands
harder. Lelio’s close-up inspection of the dutiful wife’s struggle
against an ingrained orthodoxy captures the distinct oppressive-
ness of living even a comfortable life in denial.
Disobedience is rated R, and opens Friday, May 4, at the Landmark E Street Cinema. Visit landmarktheatres.com.
44 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
a vibe that cleverly resets notions of the play. As Vladimir, Marty
Rea revels in his comic exaggerations, but also captures — with
fine craft and wit — Beckett’s rich ironies and this man’s increas-
ing despair. As Estragon, Aaron Monaghan delivers the perfect
blend of vaguely-agonized deadpan and utter bewilderment.
Crucially, the two couldn’t have better chemistry, their banter
joyfully in sync, the tenderness as Vladimir takes Estragon’s
hand momentously genuine and authentic.
As the strangely troublesome visitors to the pair’s patch of
wasteland, Pozzo and his servant Lucky, Rory Nolan and Garrett
Lombard inject a pitch-perfect sense of chaos and frisson. If
Nolan takes a few beats to get into his stride (and waffles a
bit between an Irish and English accent), he finishes with an
ideal blend of the desperate, entitled, and unhinged. As Lucky,
Lombard is splendidly, subtly sinister (despite the wig giving
him the look of Drew Barrymore post-binge) and his mono-
logue almost steals the show. Any fans of the 2004 Battlestar
Galactica’s Hybrid will thrill to the similar urgency Lombard
generates in his delivery, the sense of catastrophe coming like
the overheating fuel rod in a nuclear reactor.
If we are no closer than Didi and Gogo to answers, and if
Godot will forever remain an existential mystery or mirror, the
experience of it here is a rich and lasting moment in time. l
McAdams isn’t necessarily subtle in delivering Esti’s awaken-
ing, but it’s a moving journey nonetheless. By the same token, the
film isn’t subtle in its messaging, either — for instance, the Rav
dies delivering a sermon describing human beings’ elemental
flaw as their propensity for exercising free will.
But peeking through the obvious melodrama are brilliant
facets of truth to keep the story grounded. And Weisz and
McAdams, both ready for their closeups, enact a compelling
seduction between the two lifelong friends. As is often the case
with seduction, though, the buildup penetrates deeper than the
resulting act. l
CHRISTOPHER MUELLER
Stage

Rock ’n’ Romance

Mavrikes also keeps Miller on his toes
with deft comic timing. Whereas Will
could veer too far into puppy dog territory,
Mavrikes ensures the youngster maintains
Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend taps fully into a ’90s pop sensibility, while his sardonic wit, even while he’s clearly
Vietgone deploys a ’70s groove. By André Hereford smitten with self-described “handsome”
dude Mike.

U
Girlfriend shares with the aforemen-
NSPOOLING A GOLDEN SUMMER OF MIXTAPE SINGALONGS AND tioned Love, Simon, as well as Call Me By
weeknight movie dates, the gay-themed teen musical Girlfriend (HHHHH) Your Name, a gentle touch and wisdom.
hits a sweet spot of coming-of-age nostalgia. That forever-young feeling should Yes, this is all new to Will and Mike, but
taste many times sweeter for fans of ’90s pop-rock hero Matthew Sweet and his com- most in the audience will know that what-
mercial breakthrough album Girlfriend, released in October 1991. The rocker’s set of ever pain these crazy kids feel now isn’t of
post-breakup tunes serves as the soundtrack for the laid-back summer adventures of the type that stings forever. So, roadblocks
unlikely Nebraska high school pals Will (Jimmy Mavrikes) and Mike (Lukas James like a conservative dad, or obnoxious
Miller). friends, might divert the couple’s path, but
It’s largely via Sweet’s songs that Mike and Will express their burgeoning feelings they won’t stand in the way of love.
for each other, backed by a four-piece all-female band. For Signature’s production, It all goes down a little easily, in fact,
director Matthew Gardiner has the musicians lined up behind scenic designer Misha and without the meaningful or comple-
Kachman’s stylish wall of glass, which backs the boys’ bedrooms. From there, the quar- mentary diversion of a side story. Mike
tet watches like muses over sensitive jock Mike’s halting seduction of shy, clever Will. and Will are the only show on stage, and
Flirting and bantering through Todd Almond’s script, Mavrikes and Miller paint the only characters in their world who
a charming portrait of innocence. A romance that should feel familiar to anyone who truly are brought to life. Gardiner’s staging
can recall the blush of first love — or maybe recently saw Love, Simon — still registers pinpoints the tiny sparks — knees grazing
as new for Will and Mike. They’re perceptive in different ways, insecure in others, and in the front seat of the car, an unexpected
both performers delineate sharply what’s drawing them closer now, during the final kiss — that can set hormones racing, but
handful of weeks before Mike heads off to college in Lincoln. the story still plays out like an uncompli-
For better and worse, Miller’s Mike sings less like a drama kid than like a high school cated shot down a long, straight highway.
athlete, which can be adorable, if not altogether aurally pleasing. His renditions of the In a movie version, one of these guys
songs could stand to be more persuasive, although Miller compensates somewhat with at least would have a quirky best friend to
appealing self-confidence. And duetting with Mavrikes, who uniformly sounds great add flavor to the mix. Instead, there’s the
singing Sweet, the pair warms up to a sensational take on the title tune. band (Britt Bonney, Beth Cannon, Nicole

MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 45

 Saphos, Erika Johnson), smiling on Mike and Will’s improbable
romance from behind glass, to add some suggestion of the guys’
community of peers.
They also add driving backbeats and harmonies for the love
songs, filling out the show’s old-school atmosphere of late-night
chats on a landline. Lighting designer Colin K. Bills’ multi-col-
ored neon tubes line the set’s glass partition, warmly accentuat-
ing the twilight glow of Will and Mike’s trips, night after night,
to catch the same action flick at the local drive-in.
Girlfriend quite assuredly captures the way, at that age,
summer days and nights bleed into weeks that disappear into
memory before anyone’s taken notice. Blink and you’ve missed
it. Mavrikes and Miller clearly communicate that once-in-a-
lifetime memory of first love. “You remind me of my girlfriend,”
Mike tells Will. As heartfelt declarations go, that doesn’t have
exactly the ring of “I love you,” but it makes for memorably awk-
ward fledgling romance.
TERESA WOOD
A COMIC ROAD-TRIPPING period musical biographical war
refugee romance, Vietgone (HHHHH) packs a wealth of trea-
sure into two tidy acts. Vietnamese-American playwright Qui
Nguyen’s sly, “completely made-up” chronicle of his parents’
real-life love story is bracing, funny, elegantly constructed, and
adroitly staged by director Natsu Onoda Power.
Studio Theatre’s production adds an original folk-punk-rock
score, by Jeff Song, to Nguyen’s time-shifting take on the par-
allel postwar trajectories of Quang (Marc Delacruz) and Tong
(Regina Aquino). The two refugees outlasted the Vietnam War
to be airlifted out of Saigon and shipped to the U.S., where they
first cross paths at a refugee camp in Arkansas.
They’ve both sacrificed tremendously to have this opportu-
nity to reset their lives. Quang and his buddy Nhan (Joe Ngo)
maintain an optimistic outlook, but they’ve no idea what the
future holds for them in America. First, they’ll have to wrest
control of their destinies back from their savior Uncle Sam.
Tong, a self-proclaimed bitch, is not as buoyantly hopeful,
but she’s no less determined to manage her own life, war be
Vietgone runs through May 20, at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St., NW. Tickets are $20 to $57.
Call 202-332-3300, or visit studiotheatre.org.
Girlfriend runs through June 10 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $103.
Call (703) 820-9771, or visit sigtheatre.org.
46 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
damned, and in spite of a mother, Huong (Eileen Rivera), who’s
always putting her down. Navigating dire, extraordinary cir-
cumstances, Quang, Tong, Nhan, and Huong bare raw, relatable
emotion and sensuality that is superbly channeled through the
characters’ groovy ’70s rock songs.
Backed by a live band — the Vietgoners (Song, Jonathan
Hawkins, Keith Butler, Jr. and Andy Santospago) — the cast
belts out a varied score of Seger-style odes to Mary Jane, and
classic rock that captures the immigrants’ fascination with the
vast land of the free. Joined by Jacob Yeh in the role of play-
wright Nguyen, the ensemble essays a host of characters, from
U.S. soldiers to pot-smoking swingers.
Traveling cross-country by motorcycle, Quang and Nhan are
introduced to burritos (“fat spring rolls”), hippies, and grass.
Tte immigrants also experience their share of culture shock
and prejudice. Nguyen applies an equal-opportunity offender
bite to the play’s satirical view of Murican-style nationalism,
often delivered with an aw-shucks cheer.
And Power ensures that the history, and
commentary on U.S. intervention in Vietnam,
feel folded organically into the courtship of a
pair of mutually appealing survivors.
The production transitions smooth-
ly between broadly comic family squabbles,
Quang and Nhan’s trek from one refugee camp
to another, and assorted bursts of stress, rage,
and frustration that come pouring out through
song. Aquino’s interpretations of Tong’s songs
feel, in general, a little tight or unnatural, but
when Tong storms the stage for a punk-rock
plea, the performer really lets loose with a
fierceness.
Delacruz projects a commanding presence
throughout as army pilot Quang, attacking the
role with a sure-footed versatility whether
romancing Tong, or rocking out. He’s well-
matched by Ngo, as Quang’s best buddy Nhan
(and other roles). The two share a great comic
rapport, and also knock their heavier dramatic
scenes out of the park. Yet neither the performances nor the
production are weighed down by the seriousness of the subject
matter.
The cast makes excellent, occasionally hilarious use of props
to mark their journeys from a Saigon hut, to a Huey helicopter,
the open road, or Tong’s busy bunk at Fort Chaffee. The script’s
frank sexuality is one of its best qualities, as is the creative
approach to representing the characters’ varying proficiency
speaking English.
Power even throws in a movie-style, choreographed “mon-
tage” of Quang and Tong’s blossoming romance that should be
a kick for film fans, a laugh for everybody else, and it effectively
advances the story.
Elegantly weaving past, even earlier past, present, then 40
years later into a moving narrative that represents both an inti-
mate family history, and a broad view of a country and culture
upended, Vietgone makes the complex look easy. And it does it all
with a warmth and rebellious garage rock attitude that will leave
audiences, like Quang’s bro Nhan, laughing through tears. l
 Opera
SCOTT SUCHMAN

Running
comic turn from the rest if the cast, his
time in the backseat is far less noticeable.
Of course, this particular Figaro is a
little hard to ignore. Gorgeously magnetic

with Scissors
and with charisma by the bucket-loads,
baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky has the
kind of bravado that says, “Whatever you
think of my singing, tell me you wouldn’t
Expect to laugh more than you thought possible in the company of a rather watch me than someone else?”
full orchestra, wigs, Counts, and world-class singing. By Kate Wingfield And he is right — he’s got that je ne sais
quoi. Thankfully, his singing shines just

T
as bright, with a bold, rich sound and an
HE WORDS “COMIC” TOGETHER WITH “OPERA” ARE USUALLY TAKEN athletic, pleasing dexterity (if one that is
with a massive grain of salt. More often than not, a comic opera is about sitting occasionally a tad rushed).
politely through buffo/buffa displays that, no matter how finely-crafted, are about As Count Almaviva, the besotted young
as funny as your average grandpa’s repertoire of jokes. We indulge it, groaning inwardly, man who enlists Figaro’s help in win-
because the music is the point, right? Not the laughs. All of which makes the WNO’s pro- ning the beautiful Rosina, Taylor Stayton
duction of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (HHHHH) all that more shockingly wonderful: makes for a good contrast. Stayton’s man
it’s actually incredibly funny. And not just here and there — but everywhere. isn’t trying to outdo the out-doable Figaro,
It can only be that — despite the genre’s constraints — director Peter Kazaras’ instead he is bringing his own game: a
sensibility is simply irrepressible. He wants something within hailing distance of Mel dignified kind of handsome, a healthy dose
Brooks (not to mention Looney Toons) and he gets it. Don’t expect comic miracles — of comedy, and a strong sense of being
this is an opera, after all. But do expect to laugh more than you thought possible in the worthy of this particular Rosina. A very
company of a full orchestra, wigs, Counts, and world-class singing. attractive tenor (despite a couple of minor
Of course, none of this would be possible without a cast that gets it. And what works wobbles), Stayton brings some gratifyingly
so well here is the sense that each singer (or non-singing actor) is bringing their own light notes and much expression. As the
brand of humor, as well as seriousness as the occasion requires. Nothing feels forced, object of his affections, Isabel Leonard is
everything feels fresh. This lock-stock-and-barrel approach is not only immensely a sophisticated Rosina, but she is the fun
entertaining, it helps balance out one of the opera’s weaker aspects: the introduction of kind of well-bred: her silent protests are
the fun and exciting barber and fixer Figaro, who arrives with a bang and then recedes clever, never over-done, and always amus-
before making more of a visual rather than a vocal return. But thanks to such a strong ing. A deliciously velvety mezzo-soprano,

48 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

Leonard delivers her Rossini with warmth
and fluidity.
For pure comedy, Paolo Bordogna as
Rosina’s guardian and would-be husband
Dr. Bartolo outdoes himself on the comical
antics with consummate timing and a com-
plete silliness that truly pays off. A robust
bass, Bordogna offers the right kind of grow-
ly command, while adding in all manner of
huffs, puffs and outrage. It is over-the-top
in perfect measure and nothing but fun. And
no praise is high enough for his ability to run
at — and miss — a door.
Another standout is Wei Wu as Don
Basilio, Rosina’s easily-corrupted tutor. Wu
achieves that ever-elusive goal of humor that
emanates from a character even in the slight-

est tilt of the head. Even better, he knows
exactly when to make his Basilio menacing
and when to make him silly. Singing with a
gorgeously smooth and expressive bass, he
is a joy to the ears. And though he never utters a word, actor
Matthew Pauli positively kills it with his aged servant Ambrogio,
delivering some of the best physical comedy of the evening, all
timed perfectly to the music. In a small role as servant Berta,
soprano Alexandria Shiner sings with power and pleasing care.
Complementing the playful mood, is the quietly wonderful
“puppet theatre” set of Allen Moyer and the clever lighting
SCOTT SUCHMAN
choices of Mark McCullough. Finally, conductor Emily Senturia,
after the orchestra’s slightly hesitant start, delivers Rossini’s
score with lively precision.
The Barber of Seville truly is one of the finest nights to be had
at the opera, the kind that would surprise and delight the unini-
tiated, if only they knew. Put simply, if ever there was a produc-
tion custom made for Opera in the Outfield, this is the one. l

The Barber of Seville runs to May 19 at the Kennedy Center Opera House.
Tickets are $45 to $150. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 49

NightLife
Photography by
Ward Morrison

MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 51


DrinksDragDJsEtc...
Thursday,
May 3
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, 3-9pm, all
liquors, beers and wines up
to 50% off • $5 Pitchers
of Miller Lite all night long
• $3 Well Drinks in Nest
until 11pm, $3 in Tavern all
day • RuPaul’s Drag Race
Season 10 Viewing, hosted
by Washington Heights
and featuring Whimsy
Thrift and Anita Minute,
8-10pm in the Nest • $5
Cover for ages 18-20, Free
52 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
Scene
Cobalt - Saturday, April 28
Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene
12-12:30am • DJs 5-10pm • Beer and wine Cover • Elyx Vodka and SHAW’S TAVERN
BacK2bACk only $4 • RuPaul’s Drag Any Red Bull Flavor for $7 Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Race Season 10 viewing all day long • thebalti- Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR party moreeagle.com $5 House Wines, $5 Rail
for 21 and up • Underwear
Night, 9pm-2am • For
Beat the Clock Happy Hour Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
men in underwear, all well
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers •
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
and Select Appetizers
drinks $2, 9pm-12am •
Beer $15 • All Leagues DJ • 9pm • Cover 21+ Karaoke, 9pm TOWN
Best Underwear Contest at
Night Patio open 6pm • DC Bear
Midnight • Code enforced
GREEN LANTERN Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm
in Code Bar after 9pm •
NUMBER NINE Happy Hour, 4-9pm • • $3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud
College Night Thursdays,
9pm-2am • EDM Dance
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
Friday, $5 Svedka, all flavors
all night long • Davon
Bottles • Free Pizza, 7pm
• No cover before 9:30pm
Party, 10pm-2am • Free
admission to the Tavern •
May 4 Hamilton Events presents • 21+ • Drag Show starts
SHAW’S TAVERN Adonis Underwear Party, at 10:30pm • Hosted by
Admission to the Nest is
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 9 1/2 10pm-close • Music by Lena Lett and featuring
free until 10:30pm • After
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, Open at 5pm • Happy DJ Tryfe • $200 Hot Body Miss Tatianna, Shi-
10:30pm, $5 Cover for
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, Contest • $10 Cover Queeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx
21 and up, $10 Cover for
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas 5-9pm • Friday Night and Ba’Naka • DJ Wess
18-20 • thebaltimoreea-
and Select Appetizers • All Videos, 9:30pm • Rotating NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk
gle.com
You Can Eat Ribs, 5-10pm, DJs • Expanded craft beer Open 3pm • Guest DJs • downstairs following the
$24.95 • $4 Corona and selection • No Cover Beat the Clock Happy Hour show • GoGo Boys after
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Heineken all night — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), 11pm • Doors open at
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
BALTIMORE EAGLE $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of 10pm • For those 21 and
Karaoke, 9pm
TRADE Doors open at noon • Beer $15 over, $12 • For those
Doors open 5pm • Huge Baltimore Bear Happy 18-20, $15 • Club: 18+ •
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour: Any drink Hour, 3-9pm, all liquors, NUMBER NINE Patio: 21+
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
normally served in a cock- beers and wines up to 50% Open 5pm • Happy Hour:
• Shirtless Thursday,
tail glass served in a huge off • Bad Bears After Dark 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
10-11pm • Men in
glass for the same price, in the Code Bar, 9pm • $5 • No Cover • Friday Night
Underwear Drink Free,
Piano with Chris, 7:30pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm •
Guest dancers • Rotating
DJs • Ladies of Illusion
Drag Show • Doors at
9pm, Shows at 11:30pm
and 1:30am • DJ Don T. in
Ziegfeld’s • Cover 21+
Saturday,
May 5
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut
and $5 Bulleit Bourbon,
9pm-close • Expanded
craft beer selection •
No Cover
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Doors open at noon
• Happy Hour, 3-9pm
• Leather and Fetish
Saturdays, Code Bar,
8pm-2am • Code enforced
after 9pm in the Code
Bar • Retro Saturdays
Dance Party in the Nest,
9:30pm-2am • $5 Cover
• Drink Specials in the
Nest • Long Island Leather
Saturdays — $5 Long
Islands all day • thebalti-
moreeagle.com
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Saturday Breakfast Buffet,
10am-3pm • $14.99 with
one glass of champagne
or coffee, soda or juice •
Additional champagne $2
per glass • World Tavern
Poker Tournament, 1-3pm
• Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
Freddie’s Follies Drag
Show, hosted by Miss
Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm
• Karaoke, 10pm-close
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 53
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5
Bacardi, all flavors, all
night long • REWIND:
Request Line, an ‘80s
and ‘90s Dance Party,
9pm-close • Featuring
DJ Darryl Strickland •
No Cover
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Drag Brunch, hosted
by Chanel Devereaux,
10:30am-12:30pm and
1-3pm • House Rail Drinks,
Zing Zang Bloody Marys,
Nellie Beer and Mimosas,
$4, 11am-close • Buckets
of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs
NUMBER NINE
Doors open 2pm • Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5
Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close
• Time Machine and
Power Hour, featuring DJ
Jack Rayburn, 9:30pm
SHAW’S TAVERN
$15 Bottomless Mimosas,
10am-3pm • Happy Hour,
5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite,
$4 Blue Moon, $5 House
Wines, $5 Rail Drinks •
Half-Priced Pizzas and
Select Appetizers
TOWN
DC Rawhides host Town
& Country: Two-Step, Line
Dancing, Waltz and West
Coast Swing, $5 Cover to
stay all night • Doors open
6:30pm, Lessons 7-8pm,
Open dance 8-10:30pm •
Doors open to public at
10pm • FUNKYTOWN:
Music of the ‘70s, ‘80s
and ‘90s, featuring music
and video by DJ Ed Bailey
• Music and video by DJ
Wess downstairs • Drag
Show starts at 10:30pm •
Hosted by Lena Lett and
featuring Tatianna, Shi-
Queeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx
and Ba’Naka • $15 Cover
from 10pm-midnight, $12
after midnight • 21+
TRADE
Doors open 2pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
2-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm-4am
• Guest dancers • Ladies
of Illusion Drag Show
with host Ella Fitzgerald
• Doors at 9pm, Shows
at 11:30pm and 1:30am
• DJ Don T. in Ziegfeld’s
• DJ Steve Henderson in
Secrets • Cover 21+
Sunday,
May 6
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut
and $5 Bulleit Bourbon,
9pm-close • Multiple TVs
showing movies, shows,
sports • Expanded craft
beer selection • No Cover
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Doors open at noon •
Lizzie Beaumont and
Betty Whitecastle present
Queens Who Brunch,
12-2pm • $34 per person
includes All You Can
Eat • Free pitcher of
Mimosas per 4 admissions
• Reservations highly
suggested and can be
made online beforehand
• Sunday Fun-Day, 4-9pm
• From 2-8pm, buy a cup
for $5 and fill it with any
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
Absolut Flavor and Mixer
for $3 each time(excluding
Nellie Beer and Mimosas,
$4, 11am-close • Buckets
energy drink mixers) • of Beer, $15
thebaltimoreeagle.com
NUMBER NINE
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
Champagne Brunch Buffet, any drink, 2-9pm • $5
10am-3pm • $24.99 with Absolut and $5 Bulleit
four glasses of champagne Bourbon, 9pm-close • Pop
or mimosas, 1 Bloody Goes the World with Wes
Mary, or coffee, soda or Della Volla at 9:30pm •
juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm No Cover
• Zodiac Drag Contest,
hosted by Miss Ophelia SHAW’S TAVERN
Bottoms, 8pm • Karaoke, Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3
10pm-close Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
GREEN LANTERN Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • and Select Appetizers
Karaoke with Kevin down- • Dinner-n-Drag, with
stairs, 9:30pm-close Miss Kristina Kelly, 7pm
• For reservations, email
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR shawsdinnerdragshow@
Drag Brunch, hosted gmail.com
by Chanel Devereaux,
10:30am-12:30pm and
1-3pm • House Rail Drinks,
Zing Zang Bloody Marys,
55
TRADE
Doors open 2pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
2-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Monday,
May 7
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports • Expanded
craft beer selection •
No Cover
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 3-9pm, all
liquors, beers and wines up
to 50% off • Micro Brew
Draft/Bottle Mondays —
$4 all day • SIN: Service
Industry Night, 11pm-2am
• First Well Drink or
Domestic Beer Free • 10%
off your Food Order all day
• thebaltimoreeagle.com
56 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
Singles Night • Half-Priced
Pasta Dishes • Poker Night
— 7pm and 9pm games •
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm •
$3 rail cocktails and
domestic beers all night
long • Singing with the
Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke
Night with the Sisters
of Perpetual Indulgence,
9:30pm-close
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
Beer $15 • Texas Hold’em
Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards
• Paint Nite, 7pm • Two
Ping-Pong Tables
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with
Jeremy, 7:30pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Tuesday,
May 8
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports • Expanded
craft beer selection •
No Cover
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 3-9pm, all
liquors, beers and wines
up to 50% off • Fibbage
Tuesdays, 8pm — How
good are you at fibbing?
• Free to play with your
smartphone • $6 Any
Flavor Martinis and $7
Manhattans (call liquors) •
thebaltimoreeagle.com
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco
Tuesday • Poker Night —
7pm and 9pm games •
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm
• $3 rail cocktails and
domestic beers all night
long
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
Beer $15 • Karaoke and
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Half-Priced Burgers and
Pizzas all night with $5
House Wines and $5 Sam
Adams
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Wednesday,
May 9
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports • Expanded
craft beer selection •
No Cover
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 3-9pm, all
liquors, beers and wines
up to 50% off • Domestic
Bottles are $3 all day •
Team Trivia, 8-10pm •
thebaltimoreeagle.com
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6
Burgers • Beach Blanket
Drag Bingo Night, hosted
by Ms. Regina Jozet
Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes
• Karaoke, 10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm •
Bear Yoga with Greg Leo,
6:30-7:30pm • $10 per
class • Upstairs opens
9pm • Lantern GoGo
Dancers, 10pm-2am • $3
rail cocktails and domestic
beers all night long
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night,
8pm and 9pm • Prizes
include bar tabs and
tickets to shows at the
9:30 Club • $15 Buckets of
Beer for SmartAss Teams
only • Snatched Drag
Show, hosted by Brooklyn
Heights, 9pm
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4 l
MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 57
Scene
AGLA’s Miss Gay Arlington Pageant at Freddie’s
Friday, April 27 • Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 59

60 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
 LastWord.
People say the queerest things

“It’s time we take a stand against

this administration
by electing representatives this upcoming November who actively support
and believe in equality for everyone.
”
— Winter Olympian GUS KENWORTHY, in a statement after it was announced that he would headline the DNC LGBTQ Gala in June.
Kenworthy said he “couldn’t be more excited to attend. He also slammed the Trump-Pence administration for
“[pushing] our community to the sidelines, attacking us for who we are and who we love.”

“Phoenix is committed to ensuring

equal treatment and rights for everyone.”
— Phoenix, Ariz., Mayor GREG STANTON, in a statement after the city council unanimously voted to install a rainbow crosswalk in
support of the city’s LGBTQ community. “[We’re] showing our support because we know diversity makes us stronger,” he added.

“The enemy had its grip and now

God has taken me from that moment.”
— LUIS JAVIER RUIZ, a Pulse shooting survivor, in a Facebook post claiming that after finding Christ he is no longer gay.
Ruiz said he was looking through photos from the nightclub and was reminded of his “struggles of [sic] perversion,
heavy drinking to drown out everything and having promiscuous sex that led to HIV.”

“These people, rejected by their loved ones,

can live in this old home like a big family.”
— AASHI BUTT, a transgender activist in Lahore, Pakistan, telling The Tribune about her newly opened home for the country’s
elderly trans people who have been rejected by their families. Butt spent her life savings to open the home,
which will provide free food, accommodation, and medical care.

“Most religious groups in the U.S.

now support same-sex marriage.”
— PUBLIC RELIGION RESEARCH INSTITUTE, in an excerpt from their 2017 American Values Atlas. PRRI found that
only white evangelicals remain opposed to same-sex marriage, with many religious groups, such as black
and hispanic Protestants and Muslims, moving from solid opposition to a plurality of support.

62 MAY 3, 2018 • METROWEEKLY