Category Archives: Ford’s Theatre

Channeling Channing

Hello Dolly!, Nancy Opel, gay news, Washington Blade

Nancy Opel, center, as Dolly Levi with (from left) Jp Qualters, Harris Milgrim, Kyle Vaughn and Alex Puette in the Ford’s/Signature co-production of ‘Hello, Dolly!’ (Photo by Carol Rosegg, courtesy Ford’s Theatre)

‘Hello, Dolly!’
Through May 18
Ford’s Theatre
511 Tenth Street, NW
$15-90
800-982-2787
fords.org

It feels hard to imagine the musical “Hello, Dolly!” without Carol Channing in the title role. After originating the part on Broadway in 1964 and starring in two revivals, she made the part her own.

Yet director Eric Schaeffer’s new version now playing at Ford’s Theatre puts the raspy voiced blonde out of mind almost entirely. OK, maybe once or twice, you might momentarily miss Channing’s googly eyed mugging and over-the-top entrances, but on the whole, this charm-filled production (presented by Ford’s and Signature Theatre) fares splendidly despite the absence of Channing’s star wattage.

As the ever-resourceful Dolly Gallagher Levi, Broadway veteran Nancy Opel delivers presence, an appealing voice and honed comedic skills best demonstrated when she’s happily bulldozing the bad-tempered half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder (played by an aptly grouchy Edward Gero) into a marriage he doesn’t yet know he wants. Opel’s Dolly is less loopy than Channing’s syrupy sweet yenta, but she’s definitely entertaining. Plus, her Dolly is a woman you might actually recognize.

Based on Thornton Wilder’s play “The Matchmaker,” “Hello, Dolly!” celebrates the possibility of happiness and new beginnings. It’s very American. Set in 1890s New York City and Yonkers, the musical (book by Michael Stewart; music and lyrics by Jerry Herman) follows the maneuvers of life-loving Dolly as she improves her circumstances and along the way brings a little joy to those around her. Among those benefiting from Dolly’s machinations is widowed milliner Irene Molloy (Tracy Lynn Olivera) who — with Dolly’s assistance — finds love with never-been-kissed shop clerk Cornelius Hackl played by boyish blonde actor Gregory Maheu. Olivera’s gorgeous rendition of “Ribbons Down My Back” is one of the show’s high points.

Similarly, Dolly bolsters love matches involving Irene’s young assistant Minnie Fay and Cornelius’ self-conscious co-worker Barnaby Tucker (Lauren Williams and Zack Colonna), as well as Vandergelder’s hilariously miserable niece Ermengarde (Carolyn Cole) and her artist boyfriend Ambrose (Ben Lurye).

Ford’s Hello Dolly trailer

When Jerry Herman came to Washington to receive a Helen Hayes Tribute in 2005, the famed gay composer shared that his goal has always been to make audiences happy. Herman’s score indeed does just that — filled with hummable, enduring classics like “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” “Elegance,” “Hello, Dolly!” and the stirring “Before the Parade Passes By,” it has long been an audience favorite. Herman also wrote, among others, the scores for megahits “Mame” and “La Cage Aux Folles.”

Celebrated for streamlining big musicals, Schaeffer (who is gay) has pared down his “Dolly” to a comparably small cast of 16, concentrating more on the show’s story and strong characters rather than spectacle. Adam Koch’s set is a rust-colored train station, the well-used link from Yonkers to the city and back, and though his set is spare, it’s filled with many beautiful things like Wade Laboissonniere’s gorgeous period costumes — plaid suits, bowlers, corseted slim silhouettes, outlandishly large hats — all realized in mostly muted tones; Karma Camp’s inventive, athletic choreography performed by an ensemble of graceful, top-notch dancers; the melodic strains of an on point, eight-man band led by the show’s musical director and keyboardist James Moore; and a spirited cast featuring a lot of local talent.

Earlier this year on a broadcast of “Radio 360,” comedian Sandra Bernhard talked about seeing “Hello, Dolly!” when she was a little girl. Bernhard remembered feeling she should be part of the cast. Then and there, she was ready to get on stage with Carol Channing and the show’s other bigger-than-life characters. Now it’s time for the next generation to get inspired by Ford’s “Hello, Dolly!” and join the parade.

Ford’s says ‘Hello Dolly!’

Edward Gero, Nancy Opel, Ford Theatre, Hello Dolly, gay news, Washington Blade

Edward Gero and Nancy Opel in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ at Ford’s Theatre. (Photo by Scott Suchman) (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy Ford’s)

Ford’s Theater (511 Tenth St., NW) opens the show “Hello, Dolly!” March 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Ford’s Theater Director on ‘Hello Dolly!’

The Tony-winning musical follows Horace Vandergelder, a half-millionaire, who hires matchmaker Dolly Levi to find him a wife. Dolly instead plans to woo Vandergelder for herself while arranging romantic matches for his niece, clerks and two eligible shop girls.

Tickets for this DC Theater gem are $25-$90. For more information, visit fords.org.

Theater: Stories and stages

Edward Gero, Nancy Opel, Ford Theatre, Hello Dolly, gay news

Edward Gero and Nancy Opel in Ford Theatre’s upcoming production of ‘Hello Dolly.’ (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy Ford’s)

For local LGBT theatergoers, the spring season promises a wide selection of both fresh and familiar offerings, some light and others more compelling.

At Arena Stage, Robert O’Hara is directing “The Mountaintop” (March 29-May12), playwright Katori Hall’s “bold reimagining of the last night of the historic life of Dr. Martin Luther King.” Talented, multifaceted and gay, O’Hara is currently playwright in residence at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

Arena (arenastage.org) is also mounting gay playwright Jon Robin Baitz’s newest play “Other Desert Cities” (April 26-May 26). While spending Christmas at the beige Palm Springs home of her aging Reaganite power couple parents, fragile adult daughter Brooke drops a bomb — she’s writing a tell-all memoir. Complications ensue. The New York Times’ Ben Brantley compared “Other Desert Cities” to sophisticated plays from the past. It’s like those “literate, thoughtful, well-tailored topical dramas in which people spoke with a fluency, wittiness and sense of timing we only wished we could command in real life.”

This spring will age MaryBeth Wise far beyond her years. She’s cast to play Mary in Round House Theatre’s (roundhousetheatre.org) production of “How to Write a New Book for the Bible” (April 10-May 5), playwright Bill Cain’s autobiographical work about a man who returns home to care for his dying mother. “It’s kind of a memory play,” says Wise, who is gay. “My part requires going from age 40 to 80, and back and forth.” She predicts a “funny and intense journey.” Ryan Rilette is directing.

Triple threat Bobby Smith will be spending a lot of time at Arlington’s Signature Theatre (signature-theatre.org) in the coming months. First, Smith (who is gay) plays Peter, a possibly gay man living happily with ex-wife Susan in Eric Schaeffer’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” (May 21-June 30), the award-winning musical about a marriage-phobic bachelor’s search for meaning. The show’s spectacular score includes “Being Alive,” “Side By Side,” “Little Things You Do Together,” “Another Hundred People” and “Ladies Who Lunch.”

And this summer, Smith is evil Richard Riddle in Signature’s “Spin,” a world premiere musical based on a Korean cult classic titled “Speedy Scandal.” Smith describes his character as a sort of Rex Reed-style gossip columnist villain.

At MetroStage (metrostage.org) in Alexandria, John Vreeke is directing “Ghost Writer” (April 25-June 2). When a famed novelist drops dead mid-sentence, his typist, Myra (Susan Lynskey), continues writing his unfinished book as if taking dictation from the great beyond. MetroStage’s artistic director Carolyn Griffin says Vreeke, who is gay, is brilliant at finding “the perfect tone and balance for gemlike plays with delicate scripts in which very special relationships are portrayed.”

At Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill (folger.edu), prolific gay set designer Tony Cisek is again collaborating with British director Robert Richmond — this time on Shakespeare’s gender bending comedy “Twelfth Night” (April 30-June 9). The cast features local favorites including Joshua Morgan (also gay) as Valentine, the gentleman attendant to Duke Orsino.

In Tysons Corner, 1st Stage (1ststagespringhill.org) is presenting gay playwright John Logan’s “Never the Sinner” (March 22-April 14), an erotically fraught telling of the real life Leopold and Loeb case in which a pair of affluent Chicago teenagers attempt to commit the perfect murder. The talented Jeremy Skidmore directs.

As part of the Kennedy Center’s Nordic Cool 2013 (a month-long celebration of Scandinavian culture), Stockholm’s Royal Dramatic Theatre is presenting the U.S. premiere of “Fanny and Alexander” (March 7-9), its much ballyhooed stage adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s beautiful Oscar-winning feature film.

Also coming to the Kennedy Center: “The Guardsman” (May 25-June 23), a revival of the 1920s Broadway comedy hit that starred the famed married acting team Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne as game-playing newlywed actors. Known for years as the first family of the American theater, Lunt and Fontanne, both gay, were married primarily for reasons of business and friendship. (kennedy-center.org)

On the Ides of March, Ford’s Theatre (in co-production with Signature) is rolling out that musical comedy chestnut “Hello Dolly!” (March 15-May 18) (fordstheatre.org). Based on gay playwright Thornton Wilder’s comedy “The Matchmaker,” the 1964 fun musical boasts a memorable score by gay composer Jerry Herman that includes enduring tunes like “Before the Parade Passes By,” and, of course, “Hello, Dolly!” The title role — most notably performed by Carol Channing in New York and on tour for what seems several centuries, and Barbra Streisand on the silver screen — will be played by Broadway veteran Nancy Opel. Terrific local actor Edward Gero is cast as Dolly’s grumpy romantic quarry Horace Vandergelder. Signature’s gay artistic director Eric Schaeffer is directing.

Philip Fletcher is taking on the lead role of the wronged Prospero in Synetic Theater’s (synetictheater.org) “The Tempest” (through March 24), the ninth installment of the fabulously innovative movement based company’s “Silent Shakespeare” series. Fletcher, who’s gay, won a Helen Hayes Award for his outstanding supporting actor effort as one of three witches in Synetic’s “Macbeth.”

Olney Theatre Center (olneytheatre.org) is mounting Jeff Talbott’s racially charged comedy “The Submission” (May 9-June 9). Here’s the premise: Using the pen name Shaleeha G’ntamobi, a nascent gay white playwright writes a about a black family dealing with ghetto life. When his play is selected to be produced by a prestigious theater festival, the playwright hires a black actress to stand in for him. Guess what? Things don’t go smoothly.

Don’t miss ‘Our Town’ at Ford’s

Until recently, I thought of Thornton Wilder as a famous, but avuncular American playwright and novelist and of his Pulitzer Prize winning play “Our Town” as an iconic, but comfy play. I knew it is performed almost daily in high schools and community theaters, and I’d read it as a teen. I’d have seen it if little else was playing, but, while nourishing, it seemed as surprising – as innovative to me – as mac and cheese.  My thinking changed dramatically after I saw the 75th anniversary production of “Our Town” playing at Ford’s Theatre through Feb. 24.

Why did I want to see Ford’s production of “Our Town?” Because in the wake of the 75th anniversary of the opening of “Our Town” on Broadway, Wilder is the talk of the town. A production of Wilder’s play “The Skin of Our Teeth” will be presented Feb. 14-16 at the Harold and Sylvia Theatre at American University and a new bio of Wilder “Thornton Wilder: A Life” by Penelope Niven is just out. I wanted to take a fresh look at Wilder’s life and his renowned play.

Wilder, who lived from 1897 to 1975, was of a generation that was often closeted about its sexuality. Known for his intellect, Wilder spent most of his life with his work and his friends (which ran the gamut from Gertrude Stein to boxing champion Gene Tunney) rather than in relationships. “… Art is not only the desire to tell one’s secret; it is the desire to tell it and hide it at the same time,” Wilder wrote.

Still, even with the limitations of biographical gaydar, it seems as if Wilder likely was queer.  Growing up, his father was concerned about Wilder’s “peculiar gait and certain effeminate ways.” In her splendid biography, Niven says, “a case can be made” that Wilder was bisexual.

The story of “Our Town” is known from Peoria to San Francisco to Tokyo. Set in the fictional New Hampshire small town of Grover’s Corner’s from 1901 to 1914, Wilder’s play not only illuminates daily life (from falling in love to marrying to dying) in a particular time in America, but opens our eyes to the interconnectivity of human beings and to the need to embrace life in the face of our mortality. Using deceptively simple language, “Our Town,” when staged well, stops us in our tracks. As we hear the Stage Manager’s narration and watch George and Emily love, marry and deal with death in the early 20th century, in the 21st century, we come face-to-face with the transience and timelessness of life.

Ford’s production of “Our Town,” featuring a racially diverse cast, is poignant and engaging.  The company’s lively staging, which used the minimalist staging Wilder had wanted for the play, removed the mothballs that too often encase “Our Town.” By play’s end, I found myself asking with Emily, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?”

“I’m always interested in reexamining classics,” Stephen Rayne, the director of Ford’s production of “Our Town,” said in a telephone interview. “When Wilder wrote the play, he saw himself as being in the forefront of the modernist tradition. He had become dissatisfied with theater on Broadway at the time.”

Wilder felt that theater wasn’t making any demand on the public, Rayne said. “With ‘Our Town,’ Wilder was hoping to get back to the purity of form that the Greek dramas had,” he added. “He wanted to make audiences use their imagination. Wilder wrote about falling in love, marrying and death –human moments for everybody, so that we would become more present while we’re alive.”

Now that same-sex marriage is becoming a reality, it would be great to see a production of “Our Town” featuring LGBT characters. Until then, check out Wilder’s play, which transcends differences in class, culture, sexual orientation and race. It’ll make you feel more alive.

Calendar: events through Dec. 27

TODAY (Friday) 

Ford’s Theatre (511 10th St., NW) hosts Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” tonight at 7:30 p.m. It runs with performances planned throughout the rest of December. The musical was originally conceived by Michael Baron and acclaimed Washington actor Edward Gero leads the show as Scrooge. Tickets are $55-$100. For more information, visit fordstheatre.org.

Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., NW) presents “Course Corrections” by Gale Wallar and “The Best of Touchstone” with artwork from 40 artists. Wallar’s pieces explore places we may not know. The annual holiday show features several artists whose artwork is affordable and great for gifts. The show runs until Dec. 30. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.

“Zoolights” is on display at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park (3001 Connecticut Ave., NW). The show includes around 500,000 environmentally friendly LED lights that make animal silhouettes, musical light displays and new garden scene light sculpture. Admission is free, but parking costs $9 for members and $16 for non-members. For details, visit nationalzoo.si.edu.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre (641 D St., NW) presents “The Pajama Men: In the Middle of No One,” the highest rated comedy routine at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, tonight at 7. Tickets are $55. For more information, visit woollymammoth.net.

The Black Cat (1811 14th St., NW) holds its “Dr. Who Happy Hour” tonight at 7 p.m. on its backstage. There will be one episode of “Dr. Who” along with drink specials. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.

Phase 1 (528 8th St. SE) has its weekly dance party with DJ Jay Von Teese tonight starting at 7:30. Cover is $10. For more information, visit phase1dc.com.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. This event is for people 21 and older. There is no cover charge. Later the drag show will start at 10:30 p.m. and the GoGo boys come out at 11. Cover is $5 before 11 and $10 after. There are $3 drinks until 11. For details, visit towndc.com.

The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) is having its happy hour tonight starting at 5 p.m. All drinks are half off until 7:30 p.m. After 9 p.m., admission is $10. The dance floor opens at 11 with DJ Tim-Nice and DJ Cameron. For details, visit thebachelorsmill.com.

The Black Cat (1811 14th St., NW) screens “Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance” tonight on its backstage at 9:30. This event is free. For details, visit blackcatdc.com.

Saturday, Dec. 22

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) opens its doors at 10 tonight and the drag show begins at 10:30. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after. There are $3 drinks before 11. For details, visit towndc.com.

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, is helping in food preparation and packing groceries for Food and Friends (219 Riggs Road, NE) this morning at 8 and again at 9:45. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, NW) holds its “Tainted Love: ‘80s Dance Party” tonight starting at 10 p.m. Cover is $5. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.

The Black Cat(1811 14th St., N.W.) hosts, “Hellmouth Happy Hour” where attendees watch one episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with drink specials. Cover is free and doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.

Sunday, Dec. 23

The National Symphony Orchestra gets into the holiday spirit by performing Handel’s “Messiah” today at 1 p.m. at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., NW). Tickets are $10 to $85. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.)  holds its weekly Martini Sundays and Homowood Karaoke. Karaoke starts at 10 p.m. and there is no charge for admission. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Monday, Dec. 24

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, NW) has its normal hours and drink specials this evening from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. but there will not be “Bears Do Yoga” and karaoke. Admission is free. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.

Tuesday, Dec. 25

The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., NW) brings the annual traditon from Millennium Stage, “All-Star Christmas Day Jazz Jam” with Chuck Redd, Rober Redd, Lenny Robinson, Tom Williams, James King and Delores Williams. This event is free. For details, visit kennedy-center.org.

The Black Cat (1811 14th St., NW) hosts “James Brown Death-Mas Holiday Bash” tonight at 9. The party is to commemorate the death of the “hardest working man in show business” who died on Christmas in 2006. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.

Wednesday, Dec. 26

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., NW) holds its gay men over 50 support group this evening at 6:30 p.m. The group is for gay men entering a new phase of life. Registration is required to attend. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., NW) holds its HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight at 7. It is a confidential support group for anyone recently diagnosed with HIV and the group welcomes all genders and sexual orientations. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.

Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 pm at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE). Newcomers are welcome and no reservations are needed. For more information, visit lambdabridge.com.

Thursday, Dec. 27

Whitman-Walker Health offers HIV testing at Miriam’s Kitchen (2401 Virginia Ave, NW) today from 4-6 p.m. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W) is hosting its weekly Best Package Contest tonight at 9 p.m. There is a $3 cover and there are $2 vodka drinks. Participants in the contest can win $200 in cash prizes. The event is hosted by Lena Lett and music by DJ Chord, DJ Madscience, and DJ Sean Morris. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Ford’s tradition revisited

‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas’
Through Dec. 30
Ford’s Theatre
511 10th Street, NW
$22-$89
800-982-2787
fords.org

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, Anne Stone, Ford's Theatre, theater, gay news, Washington Blade, Edward Gero

Edward Gero as Scrooge and Anne Stone as the Ghost of Christmas Present in the Ford Theatre production of ‘A Christmas Carol.’ (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Ford’s Theatre)

Not yet in the holiday spirit? Then make a beeline to Ford’s Theatre for a jolt of yuletide cheer.

Ford’s has been presenting Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic since 1979, but for the last several years it’s been retelling the Scrooge story with an especially entertaining and timely adaptation by Michael Wilson titled “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas.”

Adeptly staged by gay director Michael Baron, this version is spookier than previous productions with its haunted house effects (spinning bed, talking portrait, booming thunderclaps and flashes of lighting); but it’s also merrier. The show begins with happy 19th century Londoners ambling through the historic theater, welcoming audience members. Baron has also added song and dance including familiar carols like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “O Christmas Tree” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” And the holiday bash at the Fezziwigs’ (a pleasant memory from Scrooge’s youth) is a lively dance number led by a terrific Rick Hammerly as the jolly host.

But the heart of this “A Christmas Carol” is Edward Gero’s marvelous portrayal of that formidable miser whose icy heart is melted after nocturnal visitors open his eyes to the joys of the season. His Scrooge’s gradual transformation from miserable misanthrope to generous, joyous uncle, feels wholly believable.

As the kindly and elegant Ghost of Christmas Past, Felcia Curry floats above the stage, the dazzling incarnation of a sparkly little marionette seen earlier in the London marketplace. Other ghosts include James Konicek as Scrooge’s long dead friend and business partner Jacob Marley, Jane Stone as the saucy and straight shooting Ghost of Christmas Present and a floating silent specter (Curry again) as the terrifying Ghost of Christmas future.

Set designer Lee Savage supplies a soaring Victorian iron structure inspired by London’s Convent Garden marketplace and dominated by an imposing clock that portentously marks the comings and goings of Scrooge’s ghostly visitors. Alejo Vietti expertly costumes the cast in period top hats, bonnets, hoop skirts and night shirts — all that we’ve come to associate with strolling carolers and late night Christmas tales.

Wilson’s script is relevantly witty, sometimes a little darkly so: When raising a glass, old Scrooge makes a toast to “a quick foreclosure.” Ouch. Wilson also includes some nice glimpses into the modest life of Scrooge’s clerk, Bob Cratchit, and his wife nicely played by John Lescault and Amy McWilliams respectively.

Other standouts in a fine cast comprised of many local actors include the fetching Helen Hedman who plays both gracious Mrs. Fezziwig and Scrooge’s wily housekeeper Mrs. Dilber; Tom Story as Scrooge’s good-humored nephew; and Gregory Maheu as the eager but slightly awkward young bachelor Topper. The cast’s children sing sweetly and give very natural performances. Holden Browne and Sam Ellis rotate the role of Tiny Tim.

Though Dickens’ Christmas story is old, its message and Ford’s production feel anything but.