Category Archives: Arlington

Calendar through May 2

Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Philadelphia Orchestra, music, gay news, Washington Blade

Openly gay conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin makes his Washington debut conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kennedy Center Wednesday night with performances of works by Korngold and Bruckner. (Photo courtesy Washington Performing Arts Society)

Friday, April 26

NoVA Gay and Lesbian Professionals host a spring social at the Kora Lounge (2250 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Va.) this evening at 6 p.m. Visit gogaydc.com for more information.

Special Agent Galactica returns with her happy hour show this evening at 6 p.m. at the Black Fox Lounge (1732 Connecticut Ave., NW). The show includes live jazz, blues, cabaret, standards and comedy all while Galactica is backed by a three-piece jazz combo. There is no cover charge. For more information, visit pinkhairedone.com.

Saturday, April 27

FLEX, a group of artists and curators who come together to produce temporary exhibitions, has a free event tonight from 7-10 p.m. at Flats at Atlas (1600 Maryland Ave., NE) that features several artists. Among the exhibits will be a “hard hat only” pop-up gallery, a live exhibition from D.C. Cheer and indoor/outdoor 3D and projected works. More details are at capitolflex.com.

Youth Pride Alliance hosts Youth Pride Day today at noon in Dupont Circle featuring free games and performances. The keynote speaker is Wade Davis, a former NFL player and assistant director of job readiness and academic enrichment at Hetrick-Martin Institute. LGBT families and allies are welcome. Visit youthpridealliance.org for more details.

Taste of 8th featuring 22 restaurants on Barracks Row near the Eastern Market Metro stop is today from 1-4 p.m. A ticket booth will be located at the corner of 8th and G streets, S.E. in front of Spring Mill Bakery or they can be purchased online at barracksrow.org. Tickets are available for $5 for one stop or $20 for five tickets in which guests can plan their own progressive dinner at the various participating restaurants.

Burgundy Crescent volunteers this morning at Food and Friends (219 Riggs Rd., NE) at 8 a.m. and again at 9:45 a.m. Volunteers will help with food preparation and packing groceries. The shifts are limited to 10 per shift. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.

The AFI Silver Silent Cinema Showcase (8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.) continues today at 1:30 p.m. and features silent film actors Mary Pickford, Harold Lloyd, Janet Gaynor, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy. Tonight’s particular showcase is “Street Angel,” with Gaynor starring as a girl who walks the streets of Naples to help support her family. When she is arrested for stealing medicine for her mother, she eludes the police and joins a circus. She falls in love with a painter, but her past threatens to destroy their young love. Tickets for this particular screening are $7-$11.50. For more screenings and their tickets, visit afi.com.

Sunday, April 28

Metropolitan Community Church (474 Ridge St., NW) holds its weekly 9 and 11 a.m. worship services. The church has one of the most diverse communities and communion is open to everyone. For more information, visit mccdc.com.

Monday, April 29

Kaki King comes to the Howard Theatre (620 T St., NW) on her Retrospective Tour tonight at 8 p.m. King, a lesbian, has performed with several iconic bands including the Foo Fighters and she contributed to soundtracks such as “Into the Wild.” Tickets are $17-$23. Visit thehowardtheatre.com for more information.

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., NW) holds coffee drop-in for the senior LGBT community today at 10 a.m.-noon. The Center will provide complimentary coffee and a community to chat with. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Bears do Yoga takes place this evening 6:30 p.m. as part of a series at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, NW). This is part of a basic yoga series that takes place every Monday and is open to people of varying body types and experience. There is no charge. For more information, visit thedccenter.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. Registration is required and attendees must call 202-797-3580 or email peersupport@whitman-walker.org. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.

Pop singer Rihanna performs at the Verizon Center (601 F St., NW) tonight. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35-$169. For more information, visit verizoncenter.com.

Tuesday, April 30

The Friendship Place presents a panel discussion on homeless LGBT youths at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church (4201 Albemarle St., NW) this evening at 6 p.m. Expert panelists from the LGBT community discuss their personal experiences. Attendees are asked to RSVP to moneill@cchfp.org. Visit cchfp.org for more details.

Whitman-Walker (1701 14th St., NW) holds its group Starting Over for Women tonight at 7. The group is for women whose long-term relationship with another woman. Registration is required and attendees must call 202-797-3580 or email peersupport@whitman-walker.org. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) hosts its Safer Sex Kit-packing program tonight from 7-10:30. The packing program is looking for more volunteers to help produce the kits because they say they are barely keeping up with demand. Admission is free and volunteers can just show up. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Wednesday, May 1

The Philadelphia Orchestra returns to the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., NW) under the guidance of conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin tonight at 8 p.m. Nezet-Seguin, who’s openly gay, has been the musical director of the orchestra since the start of the 2012/2013 season. The night includes a performance by two-time Grammy Award-winning violin soloist Hilary Hahn. Tickets are $35-$105. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

Busboys and Poets (2021 14th St., NW) launches its gender and sexuality series “Zami: A Circle of LGBTQ Cultural Performances & Discussions” with Jamaican-born writer Staceyann Chin. The series’ goal is to energize community discussion about the intersection of sexuality, gender, race and human rights. A $5 donation is suggested. Visit busboysandpoets.com for more details.

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. Registration is required and attendees must call 202-797-3580 or email peersupport@whitman-walker.org. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.

The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets tonight at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE) at 7:30 p.m. for social bridge. Newcomers are welcome and no reservations are needed. For more information or if you need a partner, visit lambdabridge.com.

Thursday, May 2

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. Registration is required and attendees must call 202-797-3580 or email peersupport@whitman-walker.org. For more information, visit whitman-walker.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.

Sports: Gearing up for action

Team DC Fashion Show, gay news, Washington Blade

Last year’s Team DC Fashion Show (Washington Blade file photo by Pete Exis)

Every spring, the LGBT athletes of the Washington sports community come together to host the Team D.C. Fashion Show and Model Search. This year, it’s on March 9 at Town.

This year’s show features donations of latest fashions from Skiviez, UnderBriefs, Body Aware, Fireboy, Underwear Station, Adam & Eve and Universal Gear. You can purchase the apparel right off the models during the auction.

The event is a fundraiser for the Team D.C. College Scholarship Fund which provides scholarships to local, openly gay student athletes. You can vote for the models before the show online at teamdc.org.

Stonewall Kickball will kick off its spring season on March 17 with games being contested every Sunday through May 19. Registration will close once they reach their max of 480 players. More information is at stonewallsports.org/kickball.

The District of Columbia Aquatics Club will compete in regional tune-up meets leading up to the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatic Championships in Seattle to be held Aug. 12-17.  The swimmers will be looking to take back their world title from Team New York Aquatics. They are online at swimdcac.org.

The Chesapeake & Potomac Softball League (CAPS) will be holding early registration events in March with the spring season beginning on May 5 at Watkins Regional Park. Later in the summer, the CAPS will be looking for volunteers as they host the Gay Softball World Series Aug. 26-31. You can find the CAPS at eteamz.com/caps.

The Federal Triangles Soccer Club will host the annual Women’s Winter Wrapup Indoor Cup on March 24 at the Rockville Sportsplex. Information is forthcoming as the Triangles will once again host the Summer of Freedom League. Details will be available at federaltriangles.org.

Season six of the D.C. Gay Flag Football League began Feb. 24 with play to continue through April 21 at the Carter Barron Fields. Players can still get on the waitlist by going to dcgffl.org.

Lambda Links will begin its weekend golf outings in April with the first golf tournament, the President’s Cup to be held in May. Tee times will be listed at lambdalinks.org.

Registration is now open for the spring season with the D.C. Strokes Rowing Club.  You can sign up for the Learn to Row, Club or Competitive Programs. There is a pre-season camp to be held from March 15-17. Information is at dcstrokes.org.

The spring season for the Washington Renegades Rugby Football Club began last month with practices at Cardozo High School. The Renegades will travel to New York City for the Four Leaf 15s Tournament on March 23. They are online at dcrugby.com.

The Ski Bums hosted a great day trip in February to Seven Springs and are not quite ready to let go of winter as they are currently in Niseko, Japan. This August, they will be traveling to Argentina to check out some South American powder. Trip details are at ski-bums.org.

The Rainbow Spinnakers Sailing Club will ramp up their weekend sails in the Chesapeake Bay in the coming months. Meet up with the sailing enthusiasts for some skipper training or just go along for a relaxing ride. You can join their mailing list at rainbowspinnakers.com.

Charm City Volleyball hosts its social play on Wednesday nights and competitive play on Sunday afternoons. On April 27-28 they will be hosting Charm City Invitational XXVIII.  Information is at volleybaltimore.org.

The Washington Wetskins water polo team is also gearing up for the IGLA Championships in Seattle this August. You can meet up with the players at the Wetskins Mixer at Nellie’s on March 14. They are on Facebook under Washington Weskins.

For all you hockey fans, there will be a Night OUT at the Capitals viewing party on April 6.

The D.C. Icebreakers will host the event and offer a bonus skate from 6-7 p.m. at the Capitals Practice Rink at the Kettler Iceplex in Arlington. Following the skate, the group will head to Baliey’s Pub to watch the Capitals take on the Florida Panthers at 7:30 p.m. The skaters are at dcicebreakers.com.

The Adventuring Outdoors Group has a great list of hikes planned for the spring season. It’s a great time of year to tag along with the hikers to enjoy the flora and fauna of the Washington area. They will also launch their “If It’s Warm Enough” bike ride series this weekend. The trip list is at adventuring.org.

Registration spring tennis is now open for singles and doubles with the Capital Tennis Association. The outdoor leagues will run from March 16 to May 5 and will be held at the Rock Creek Tennis Center. You can register at capital-tennis.org.

George Washington University, a longtime supporter of the LGBT sports community, has invited all volleyball players to their open courts at the Smith Center. This is open to all levels of players for $5. The next dates are March 5 and March 19 from 7-9 p.m.

You can find more information about spring sports outings such as basketball running, ultimate frisbee, rock climbing, racquetball, horseback riding, scuba diving and dancesport at teamdc.org.

Lights out, fun begins

Rex Daugherty, Jefferson Farber, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's R&J, Signature Theatre, theater, gay news, Washington Blade

Two students (Rex Daugherty, left, and Jefferson Farber) get caught up in their reading of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in ‘Shakespeare’s R&J,’ now playing at Virginia’s Signature Theatre through March 3. (Photo by Teresa Wood, courtesy Signature)

‘Shakespeare’s R&J’
Through March 3
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington
$40-$89
703-573-SEAT
signature-theatre.org

It’s not a bong or porn. The contraband hidden beneath the dorm floorboards in this Catholic boys’ prep school is a nicely bound copy of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” In a repressed world where every movement is dictated by a bell’s toll and days are filled with rote recitations of Latin verb conjugations and catechism, it seems escaping into the play is the thing. So, each night after lights out, four teenage boys whip out their flashlights and energetically act out the bard’s torrid tale of star-crossed young lovers.

“Shakespeare’s R&J” now playing at Signature Theatre, is a play within a play — both a male adolescent coming of age story and an edited version of the classic. Like the horny teenagers in the original text, the heat between R&J’s Romeo, the poetically ardent Student 1 (Alex Mills) and his determined Juliet, Student 2 (Jefferson Farber) is real. The lovers’ recognition of attraction — definitely the play’s most powerful moment — is followed by plenty of kisses and contact. Effectively divvying up the remainder of the parts are Student 3 (Joel David Santner) and Student 4 (Rex Daugherty) who is particularly uncomfortable with his schoolmates’ raging same-sex romance and does what he can to stop it.

Staged by “R&J’s” author Joe Calarco (who is gay), the production (Signature’s first-ever in the round) is beautiful to watch. Impeccably rehearsed, the appealingly boyish cast moves nonstop with manic energy and teenage boy horseplay, while never missing a cue or bit of business. James Kronzer’s impressively spare-yet-rich wood set is gorgeously lit by Chris Lee who slyly creates Verona’s romantic lattices, shadows and misty rain showers without a drop of water.

As the four students become increasingly involved in the play, they shed their jackets, ties, sweater vests and inhibitions, taking their bodies and emotions far away from their stultifyingly structured days. And when they reach the end of the of Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy, will they return lockstep to a buttoned-down life of bells and indoctrination? Or will each choose his own way?

Though entirely unsubtle, “R&J’s” ending is undeniably affirming.

‘Black Comedy’
Through March 2
No Rules Theatre Company
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington
$30
703-820-9771
norulestheatre.org

If you’re into farce, there’s a humdinger titled “Black Comedy” running concurrently next door in Signature’s more intimate ARK Theatre. Mounted by No Rules Theatre Company, the spirited production marks the beginning of an enviable three-year residency at Signature for the young company.

Penned by British playwright Peter Shaffer, the 1966 romp takes place mostly in the dark. Up-and-coming artist Brindsley (Jerzy Gwiazdowski) and his facile but connected girlfriend Carol (Kathryn Saffell) are planning a special gathering in which Brindsley will both meet Carol’s very conservative father Colonel Melkett (Matthew R. Wilson) and show his sculptures to a rich German art collector. But all goes wrong when the building’s main fuse blows leaving the hosts and their guests in total darkness. In the playwright’s brilliantly reversed conceit, the stage is illuminated when the lights are out, and is darkened when the lights are meant to be on, allowing us to see the awkwardness and hilarity of an evening spent without light.

All the usual farce stock players are on hand: In addition to the wily young man, dim debutante and her stuffy colonel father, there’s the spinster Miss Furnival (Lisa Hodsoll) who more than loosens up after accidentally downing a few drinks in the dark; Harold Gorringe (Brian Sutow), the campy gay neighbor with a penchant for old China and younger men; and a sensitive repairman with an eye for art. Also there’s Brindsley’s clever, ex-lover Clea (Dorea Schmidt), a part written by Shaffer especially for his pal Maggie Smith most presently of TV’s “Downton Abbey” fame.

The very able cast is game indeed, ready and willing to fall over chairs and bump into walls in the dark. There’s an especially wonderful mid-play sequence in which Gwiazdowski’s agility and physical comedy talents along with director Matt Cowart’s amusingly inventive staging are shown to best advantage. While guests exchange middle class mundanities, Gwiazdowski’s Brindsley moves a roomful of secretly borrowed furniture in the dark from his bohemian digs (compliments of John Bowhers) back to Gorringe’s piss elegant flat down the hall.

A review of “Black Comedy” demands a nod to Travis McHale for his marvelously upside down lighting: When candles are lit, stage lights dim. A shining flashlight makes things even darker.

The playwright Shaffer, who is gay, went on to write “Equus,” that disturbing drama about a boy and his obsession with horses, and the delightful comic-tragedy “Amadeus,” before being knighted in 2001. Though the LGBT experience isn’t central to his work, gay characters frequently appear in his plays.

NLGJA’s Michael Triplett dies at 48

Michael Triplett, National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, gay news, Washington Blade, obituary

The late NLGJA President Michael Triplett (Photo courtesy of NLGJA)

The president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association died Thursday at 48 after a two-year battle with oral cancer.

Missouri native and Washington, D.C.-based journalist Michael Triplett was elected president in August, and led the organization through its first inclusion in the Unity: Journalists for Diversity conference, a quadrennial gathering of journalists along with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the Native American Journalists Association. According to NLGJA, Triplett was the group’s first representative to the Unity board, working to incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity into the Unity group’s mission.

Once a lawyer, in 2000, Triplett began reporting on tax and labor policy for legal news publisher Bureau of National Affairs, now known as Bloomberg-BNA, where Triplett served as assistant managing editor. Triplett lived in Arlington, Va., where the organization is headquartered, with his partner, Jack Squier. According to Triplett’s Facebook page, until 2011, he’d also served as an adjunct instructor at the American University Washington College of Law, where Triplett received his Juris Doctorate in 1998.

Triplett became involved in the D.C. chapter of NLGJA in 2006, according to communications consultant Matthew Berger, who served with Triplett on the D.C. chapter board, and then later on the national board.

“Michael was incredibly smart and passionate and had a quiet determination that really got things done,” Berger told the Blade. “That is something that is often needed in a non-profit group of volunteers. Instead of people who say ‘this needs to be done,’ you need people like Michael who will roll up their sleeves and do it. that’s why he rose so fast in the organization: he was willing to take on so many different tasks. Really understood the role of the organization.”

“While Michael only served as president for a few short months, he has been a member of our leadership team for several years, first as a Washington, D.C. chapter board member and president and then as a national board member and vice president for print,” read a statement released by NLGJA on Thursday. “His quiet demeanor masked a steely resolve and an uncanny ability to push our organization forward. Michael quickly became someone who could be relied on both to provide sage advice as well as the time and energy to help us accomplish our goals.

Triplett also served as principle contributor to the organization’s blog RE:ACT, which addresses issues of fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues in the media, and guided the blog’s contributors.

“That’s why he was such a great person, he was able to really connect with the organization’s mission and disseminate it to such a large group through the [react] blog. He was a joy to be around, he was fun, and he had a great spirit,” Berger said.

According to friends of Triplett, he died at his family’s home in Alabama. Triplett’s colleagues at NLGJA expect to announce plans soon to honor the long-time member in Washington, D.C.

“Even the last few years, when things were difficult he had an incredible optimism and was a sweet sweet person,” Berger told the Blade.

 

Gem from another era

‘The Show-Off’
Through Feb. 2
American Century Theater
Gunston Performing Arts Center, Theatre II
2700 South Lang Street, Arlington
$35-$40
703-998-4555
americancenturytheatre.org

theater, The Show-Off, Joe Cronin, Jenna Berk, Lee Mikeska Gardner, American Century Theater, gay news, Washington Blade

From left, Joe Cronin, Jenna Berk and Lee Mikeska Gardner in ‘The Show-Off.’ (Photo by Johannes Markus; courtesy of the American Century Theater)

Everyone’s met an Aubrey Piper, the obnoxious title character in George Kelly’s 1924 comedy “The Show-Off.” Loud, boastful, desperate for attention, Aubrey is a nightmare in an obvious toupee and a liar to boot. But lucky for most of us, unlike the Fishers, the good folks featured in Kelly’s play, we don’t have an Aubrey marrying into the family.

At 90, Kelly’s play is windy but fundamentally funny precisely because it deals in familiar, time-resistant types. “The Show-off” got its start as a big Broadway hit and subsequently enjoyed revivals and was adapted to the screen more than once. Currently, it’s in production at Arlington’s American Century Theater, a company committed to promoting 20th century plays as a vital part of today’s cultural dialogue.

The show opens with Mrs. Fisher (Lee Mikeska Gardner) dishing the dirt with her sensible, well-married daughter Clara (Jenna Berk). It seems Aubrey (David Gram) has been coming to call on the Fishers’ younger daughter Amy (Erin E. McGuff) every Wednesday and Sunday evening without fail. Not content to woo his giggly girlfriend privately in the offstage parlor, Aubrey brings his corny jokes, tall tales and off key singing center stage to the living room where Amy’s parents and her inventor brother Joe (Evan Crump) are trying to pass a quiet evening at home. A solid working class family with a comfortable house in northern Philadelphia, the Fishers can’t understand what their daughter sees in the phony low paid freight clerk posing as a Pennsylvania Railroad big shot.

By act two the Fishers’ worst fears are realized: Aubrey and Amy are married. By act three, it gets even worse, and finally a little better. At the end, Clara begins to soften. Locked in a lonely marriage, she is charmed by Aubrey’s sincere love for her sister. And though he doesn’t pull a big salary, Aubrey does go to work every day. In the end, despite — or more likely because of — his borderline con artist ways, Aubrey brings a boon to the family. Will he again in the future? That’s unclear.

Set in the playwright George Kelly’s native Philadelphia, the comedy is filled with references to streets and neighborhoods including the downtown area where Clara’s detached husband Frank (Nello DeBlasio) first spotted Aubrey (he’s hard to miss with jaunty fedora, walking stick and red carnation), and the busy intersection where Aubrey runs down a cop.

George Kelly was enormously popular in the ‘20s and early ‘30s. Today, aside from being movie star Grace Kelly’s uncle, he is best known for “The Show-Off” and his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Craig’s Wife,” a morality tale about a controlling woman who values a pristine home above family and friendship. (The latter was adapted for the screen in ‘50s as “Harriett Craig,” a juicy mid-career vehicle for none other than real life clean freak Joan Crawford). Kelly was also gay, and not surprising for the time, carefully closeted. He maintained a 55-year relationship with partner William Weagley.

Uniformed in her apron and rolled down hose, Mikeska Gardner’s Mrs. Fisher is a feisty but warmhearted and uncomplicated homemaker. Sometimes she plays her a bit simple but never a fool. Similarly, Gram’s Aubrey even at his most over-the-top, third rate vaudevillian weirdness, is no fool either. It’s a good thing too. The play wouldn’t work otherwise.

Ably directed by Stephen Jarrett, the talented nine-person cast is especially cohesive. Set designer Leigh-Ann Friedel’s living room is handsome and realistic, well suited to Kelly’s durable play. (Kelly had no time for the modernism and more experimental theater forms en vogue in his heyday). Showing great attention to detail, Erin Nugent successfully clothes the cast through numerous costume changes on a presumably not huge budget.

Once again, The American Century Theater has fulfilled its mission by plucking and mounting a charming seldom-produced show from the American repertoire. See it while you can.

Gem from another era

‘The Show-Off’
Through Feb. 2
American Century Theater
Gunston Performing Arts Center, Theatre II
2700 South Lang Street, Arlington
$35-$40
703-998-4555
americancenturytheatre.org

theater, The Show-Off, Joe Cronin, Jenna Berk, Lee Mikeska Gardner, American Century Theater, gay news, Washington Blade

From left, Joe Cronin, Jenna Berk and Lee Mikeska Gardner in ‘The Show-Off.’ (Photo by Johannes Markus; courtesy of the American Century Theater)

Everyone’s met an Aubrey Piper, the obnoxious title character in George Kelly’s 1924 comedy “The Show-Off.” Loud, boastful, desperate for attention, Aubrey is a nightmare in an obvious toupee and a liar to boot. But lucky for most of us, unlike the Fishers, the good folks featured in Kelly’s play, we don’t have an Aubrey marrying into the family.

At 90, Kelly’s play is windy but fundamentally funny precisely because it deals in familiar, time-resistant types. “The Show-off” got its start as a big Broadway hit and subsequently enjoyed revivals and was adapted to the screen more than once. Currently, it’s in production at Arlington’s American Century Theater, a company committed to promoting 20th century plays as a vital part of today’s cultural dialogue.

The show opens with Mrs. Fisher (Lee Mikeska Gardner) dishing the dirt with her sensible, well-married daughter Clara (Jenna Berk). It seems Aubrey (David Gram) has been coming to call on the Fishers’ younger daughter Amy (Erin E. McGuff) every Wednesday and Sunday evening without fail. Not content to woo his giggly girlfriend privately in the offstage parlor, Aubrey brings his corny jokes, tall tales and off key singing center stage to the living room where Amy’s parents and her inventor brother Joe (Evan Crump) are trying to pass a quiet evening at home. A solid working class family with a comfortable house in northern Philadelphia, the Fishers can’t understand what their daughter sees in the phony low paid freight clerk posing as a Pennsylvania Railroad big shot.

By act two the Fishers’ worst fears are realized: Aubrey and Amy are married. By act three, it gets even worse, and finally a little better. At the end, Clara begins to soften. Locked in a lonely marriage, she is charmed by Aubrey’s sincere love for her sister. And though he doesn’t pull a big salary, Aubrey does go to work every day. In the end, despite — or more likely because of — his borderline con artist ways, Aubrey brings a boon to the family. Will he again in the future? That’s unclear.

Set in the playwright George Kelly’s native Philadelphia, the comedy is filled with references to streets and neighborhoods including the downtown area where Clara’s detached husband Frank (Nello DeBlasio) first spotted Aubrey (he’s hard to miss with jaunty fedora, walking stick and red carnation), and the busy intersection where Aubrey runs down a cop.

George Kelly was enormously popular in the ‘20s and early ‘30s. Today, aside from being movie star Grace Kelly’s uncle, he is best known for “The Show-Off” and his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Craig’s Wife,” a morality tale about a controlling woman who values a pristine home above family and friendship. (The latter was adapted for the screen in ‘50s as “Harriett Craig,” a juicy mid-career vehicle for none other than real life clean freak Joan Crawford). Kelly was also gay, and not surprising for the time, carefully closeted. He maintained a 55-year relationship with partner William Weagley.

Uniformed in her apron and rolled down hose, Mikeska Gardner’s Mrs. Fisher is a feisty but warmhearted and uncomplicated homemaker. Sometimes she plays her a bit simple but never a fool. Similarly, Gram’s Aubrey even at his most over-the-top, third rate vaudevillian weirdness, is no fool either. It’s a good thing too. The play wouldn’t work otherwise.

Ably directed by Stephen Jarrett, the talented nine-person cast is especially cohesive. Set designer Leigh-Ann Friedel’s living room is handsome and realistic, well suited to Kelly’s durable play. (Kelly had no time for the modernism and more experimental theater forms en vogue in his heyday). Showing great attention to detail, Erin Nugent successfully clothes the cast through numerous costume changes on a presumably not huge budget.

Once again, The American Century Theater has fulfilled its mission by plucking and mounting a charming seldom-produced show from the American repertoire. See it while you can.

Queery: Jason Perry

Jason Perry, gay news, Washington Blade, Queery

Jason Perry (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Jason Perry enlisted in the Marine Corps just out of high school at age 18. After 11 years and nine months of service that found him stationed at Camp LeJeune, N.C., and Quantico, Va., in addition to brief deployments to Okinawa, Japan and Iraq, he was medically discharged and has settled into a new life in Sterling, Va., after two years of treatment in Bethesda.

On Jan. 5 as his drag alter ego Charity B., he was crowned Miss Gaye America D.C.

“I was actually in shock,” he says. “I didn’t know what was going on.” Once it sunk in, Perry says he was “excited and elated.”

“I was glad I was able to carry on for the family members who’d won previously,” he says.

Drag mother Destiny B. Childs got him started in drag about six years ago.

“We were just having a good time drinking one night and they said I might do well with my high cheekbones and stuff like that, so we tried it,” he says. “I enjoy it for the entertainment portion. It’s not a job for me.”

Perry has been seeing someone for about four months but they don’t live together. He likes Sterling because it’s out of the “hustle and bustle” of D.C.

“I like having a yard where I can play with the dog,” he says.

The 31-year-old McLoud, Okla., native is a full-time student and hopes to finish an information technologies degree in the next few years.

He enjoys sculling, landscaping and drag in his free time. And “spending time with my amazing boyfriend and my dog.”

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

I came out in 2004 after my mother passed. The hardest was to my best friend and fiancée at the time.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

I don’t have any one individual whom I consider my hero. Everyone who puts forth the effort and strives for our community is a hero to me.

What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present? 

To answer the question one might have to ask which night you are referring to.

Describe your dream wedding.

This one is a toughie, but easily answered with “Whichever the other groom actually shows up to.”

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

Wounded Warriors program for the service members who have given some or all in service of our nation. This goes for spouses as well.

What historical outcome would you change?

I wouldn’t change any in all honesty. I know it sounds cold considering what has happened in the past, but the past is what has made us what and who we are today.

What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

I know it sounds harsh, maybe cold, but there would be two: the Oklahoma bombing and 9-11. Both were while I was sitting in a class in Oklahoma.

On what do you insist?

I insist mainly on stopping the backstabbing and hypocrisy that live within our community.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

Mentioning that I enjoyed a wonderful Wednesday evening of Beach Blanket Bingo at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Grille, in Arlington, hosted by Regina Jozet Adams and Ophelia Bottoms. It starts promptly at 8 p.m. Did that sound a little like an advertisement?

If your life were a book, what would the title be?

“The Neverending Rollercoaster of Life”

If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

I would stay just the way I am.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world? 

Reincarnation

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

Listen and learn, use advice given to make things happen for the community.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

I would walk across hot coals for the one I love; this only follows second to my real mother.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

The idea that drag queens are these purse carrying, lisp spoken, feminine individuals.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

“Latter Days”

What’s the most overrated social custom?

I would say constantly going out. Sometimes staying in for a nice night with my boyfriend is the best custom there can be.

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Currently the Miss Gaye America D.C. crown. I have joined the sisterhood of so many before me to include my drag sister, Alexandra B. Childs, and drag mother, Destiny B Childs.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

Nothing more than I did at that time. I have enjoyed learning the things I have over these past 14 years.

Why Washington?

The Marine Corps brought me to Northern Virginia in 2004. After I was deployed in 2007 and then medically returned in 2008 from Iraq, I spent some time in Maryland. Since I didn’t have any main family left in my home state I decided to settle my roots out here. I have gained many friends and some of those friends I call my family. Being out here just feels right.

Gay employee sues airline association for discrimination

A gay auditor at the D.C.-based Air Transport Association of America filed a lawsuit in September charging the group with paying him a “substantially” lower salary than others with similar job duties because of his sexual orientation.

Arlington, Va., resident Stephen Farina, who has worked for the association since 1992, charges in the lawsuit that the association, also known as Airlines for America or A4A, retaliated against him after he filed a sexual orientation discrimination complaint against the group over the salary issue before the D.C. Office of Human Rights in May.

“During plaintiff’s employment, plaintiff’s supervisor made derogatory comments about plaintiff’s sexual orientation when he stated on several occasions that he opposed gay rights and gay marriage [and] referred to plaintiff as a ‘fag’ and a ‘bonafide bone sucker’ to plaintiff’s subordinate,” the lawsuit charges.

It says the same supervisor, who is not identified in the lawsuit, “made disparaging comments towards another gay employee under his supervision.”

Victoria Day, a spokesperson for the association, responded to a request by the Washington Blade for a comment on the lawsuit with a one sentence statement: “A4A does not tolerate discrimination in any form and intends to vigorously dispute these allegations.”

D.C. Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein, who is presiding over the case, issued a ruling on Dec. 13 denying a motion by A4A calling for the dismissal of the case based on procedural grounds.

Epstein ordered the two parties to participate in a court required mediation process while setting a timetable for pre-trial information gathering and pre-trial motions if the mediation is unsuccessful.

Farina told the Blade he spent nearly four years attempting without success to address with A4A’s upper management what he calls A4A’s discriminatory employment practices toward him regarding his salary.

His lawsuit says he began work with the A4A in 1992 as a staff auditor at a salary of $28,000. It says A4A officials “had knowledge that plaintiff is gay” throughout most of his tenure with the organization.

According to the lawsuit, in August 2001, Farina was promoted to manager of audits with an annual salary of $61,000. Around February 2008 his title changed to director of industry audits, which brought a raise to $68,000.

Farina told the Blade that authoritative studies of the industry show that people holding similar jobs with other employers and others with similar job duties at A4A make between $100,000 and $160,000.

“Plaintiff’s principal role is to provide guidance and oversight for vendors hired to operate 60 of the largest jet fuel storage and distribution systems in the United States and Canada,” the lawsuit says. “On information and belief, other similarly situated non-gay directors are paid substantially more than plaintiff.”

The lawsuit calls for $1 million or more in damages to be determined at trial to compensate for “lost pay, front pay, lost benefits, pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, interest [and] reasonable attorney’s fees,” among other things.

Farina said he dropped his Human Rights Office complaint and filed the lawsuit at the advice of his attorney after determining a lawsuit would be a more effective means of addressing his discrimination complaint.

Farina’s lawsuit was filed three months before the Human Rights Campaign released its 2012 Corporate Equality Index ratings of U.S. corporations on personnel policies pertaining to LGBT employees.

Most of the major U.S. airline companies received ratings of between 90 and 100, the highest score given to companies that ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. According to the HRC Corporate Equality Index, companies receiving high ratings, like the airline companies, provide domestic partner benefits and adopt other supportive policies toward LGBT employees.

Gary Kelly, chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines, which received an HRC Equality Index rating of 90, serves as A4A’s chairman of the board, and the board is composed mostly of airline industry executives, according to industry observers.

It couldn’t immediately be determined by press time whether the airline officials who play a key role in the A4A’s operations were aware of the allegations against the association made in Farina’s lawsuit.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Laura Cordero on Dec. 26 dismissed a discrimination lawsuit filed by another gay A4A employee, David Duchow, on procedural grounds. Court records show that Duchow, who charged A4A with employment discrimination based on his sexual orientation, represented himself in the case without a lawyer.