metro weekly - 02-04-16 - doug shantz / nellies

8/20/2019 Metro Weekly - 02-04-16 - Doug Shantz / Nellies

1/48


2/48


3/48

3METROWEEKLY.COM FEBRUARY 4, 2016


4/48

4 FEBRUARY 4, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRandy Shulman

ART DIRECTORTodd Franson

MANAGING EDITORRhuaridh Marr

SENIOR EDITORJohn Riley

CONTRIBUTING EDITORDoug Rule

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERSWard Morrison, Julian Vankim

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORSScott G. Brooks, Christopher Cunetto

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSGordon Ashenhurst, Sean Bugg, Connor J. Hogan,

Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield

WEBMASTERDavid Uy

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTJulian Vankim

SALES & MARKETING

PUBLISHERRandy Shulman

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVERivendell Media Co.

212-242-6863

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Dennis Havrilla

PATRON SAINTEric Thomas

COVER PHOTOGRAPHYTodd Franson

METRO WEEKLY1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150Washington, DC 20006

202-638-6830

MetroWeekly.com

All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be

reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes noresponsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject

to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claimsmade by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or

their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles oradvertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of

such person or organization.

© 2016 Jansi LLC.

4

FEBRUARY 4, 2016Volume 22 / Issue 39

NEWS 6 GAY R EPUBLICANS R EACT TO IOWA

by John Riley

8 HELEN HAYES AWARD NOMINEES

by Doug Rule

10 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

FEATURES 14 DOUG SCHANTZ

Interview by John Riley

20 METROSTAGE: CREATING A LEGACY

by Doug Rule

OUT ON THE TOWN 22 BIZET’S C ARMEN IN HAVANA

by Doug Rule

24 The G LASS M ENAGERIE AT

FORD’S THEATRE

by Doug Rule

STAGE 31 THE FOLGER ’S

A M IDSUMMER N IGHT ’ S D REAM

by Kate Wingfield

GAMES 33 LEGO M ARVEL’ S AVENGERS

by Rhuaridh Marr

NIGHTLIFE 37 NYC INVADES DC AT COBALT

photography by Ward Morrison

SCENE 44 WIG NIGHT OUT AT JR.’S

photography by Ward Morrison

46 LAST WORD


5/48


6/48


Gay RepublicansReact to IOWA

Whether hoping for a Rubio surge or a Trumprebound, LGBT issues bear little weight on gay

Republicans’ choice of candidate

Angelo

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOMES,” Anthony LeCountesays cheerfully, as he watches the results from Monday’s Iowa GOP cau-

cuses. It’s clear the poll-ordained frontrunner for the nomination, DonaldTrump, has finished second, four percentage points and more than 6,000

votes behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.For LeCounte, a 26-year-old Republican from Prince William County, Va., who sup-

ports Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s loss is cause célèbre — it wounds the man whopotentially poses the biggest obstacle to a Rubio win in the upcoming New Hampshire pri-

C O U R T E S Y L O G C A B I N R E P U B L I C A N S

mary. Already, the pundit class is declaringthat the momentum is with Rubio, who

is receiving accolades for a strong thirdplace showing in the Hawkeye State. He

finished just 1 percent behind Trump, with23 percent of the vote.

“I kept saying repeatedly, ‘It ain’t overuntil all the votes are in, y’all need to

relax,’” LeCounte says in his trademark

Southern drawl. “Polls can say whateverthey want to, but we’ve had ample reason

in the past couple of years to be suspi-cious — especially in a situation like the

Iowa caucuses, which are notoriouslyhard to poll.”

LeCounte has multiple reasons to be

pleased: besides significantly outperform-ing his expected vote share, Rubio netted

a key endorsement from South CarolinaGOP senator Tim Scott. Scott, one of the

South Carolina’s most popular politicians,is someone who could help the Florida

senator herd voters to the polls in theGOP primary there on Feb. 20.

A strong showing in South Carolina

could help Rubio wrap up his party’snomination, much in the same way that

Arizona Sen. John McCain emerged asthe consensus choice after his South

Carolina victory during the 2008 prima-ries. From LeCounte’s perspective, that

would be a plus, as he believes Rubiois the Republican that Democrats fearthe most in a general election, and who

would provide the starkest contrast withpresumptive Democratic frontrunner

Hillary Clinton.Gregory T. Angelo, executive director

of the national Log Cabin Republicans,knows many members of his organiza-

tion are making their own decisions

to support their preferred candidates.However, Log Cabin will not be endors-

ing any candidate during the primary.Once a nominee is chosen, LCR’s board

will consider issuing a formal endorse-ment, but it’s still early. Board mem-

bers have only just started conversations

about potential criteria to consider whenmaking an endorsement.

“When you look at the field of GOPcandidates for president, it’s not as easy

to paint them as anti-gay as Democratswould have you believe,” Angelo says.

“Clearly, there’s a lot more advocacy thatneeds to be done for just about every can-

didate for president of the United States.

But it’s also important to point out things,

L G B TNews Now online at MetroWeekly.comRentboy.com owner indicted for prostitutionGrindr plays host to closeted Virginia lawmaker

by John Riley


7/48



8/48

LGBTNews

8

such as, Dr. Ben Carson sat on several boards of directors at atime when they passed LGBT nondiscrimination policies.

“It’s important to point out that Donald Trump is on recordas saying he supports amending the Civil Rights Act to include

sexual orientation nondiscrimination.... You have Gov. Kasich,

who has attended a same-sex marriage. All of those things show,at the very least, a sympathy for and an understanding of some

nuances with LGBT rights, even if candidates are not supportive

of, say, marriage equality.”But Angelo also notes that most LGBT conservatives arenot single-issue voters, swayed only by a candidate’s support

for pro-equality initiatives. It’s a common refrain among many

gays who identify with the GOP on bigger issues ranging fromnational security to taxes to health care.

Matthew Shuman, 27, of Washington, is a Rubio supporterwho says the senator’s outreach to millennial voters and his

reasonable stance on immigration, compared to other GOPcandidates, won him over. Rubio’s performance in Iowa met

his expectations, though he also adds that even a poor showingwould not have changed his candidate preference.

“Sen. Rubio could come last in Iowa, and I would still sup-

port him,” Shuman says. “After all, Santorum won the Iowacaucus, and, fortunately, he is not in the White House.”

When it comes to LGBT issues, Shuman notes Rubio believessexual preference is something you’re born with, even though

he also believes that the definition of marriage should bebetween one man and one woman. But Rubio’s stance is con-

sistent with Shuman’s own upbringing as a Christian conserva-

tive. Furthermore, he adds, Rubio believes that states should beable to define marriage for themselves, without intrusion from

federal courts.“Sen. Rubio gives respect to all, and when he met me, an

openly gay Republican, he had no issues with that,” Shumansays. “I think Marco Rubio is a very sincere and genuine man.

I don’t think he is going to undo any of the pro-LGBT policies

that have come out the past few years. He did come out andmake a statement that he doesn’t believe the courts should be

legislating, and I agree with that. I think many people in the gay

community also agree that courts should not be making laws if

they are actually involved in policy.”

Meanwhile, Adam Savit, 35, of Washington, is solidly in theTrump camp. He was “moderately disappointed, but not devas-

tated” with Trump’s showing in Iowa, but believes his candidatewill recover.

“Much of his campaign is based on the momentum itself,and on his personality, and therefore, the fact that he lost sort

of punctures that image,” says Savit. “However, when you lookat things realistically, he’s polling ahead in every other state,

including New Hampshire. So when the fickle media gets

around in eight days to calling New Hampshire for him, the nar-rative will change again.”

Savit believes Trump’s populist appeals on the stump andpositions on issues resonate with many voters and make him the

most viable candidate in a general election.“I just think — more important than any policy, because I

don’t think he is a doctrinaire conservative — [he’s displaying] a

style that has been lacking the last eight years, which I believehas been negative on the United States,” Savit says. “Shrinking

on the world scene, seeing American influence as a negative,whereas, in the net, it’s a positive. We should be stronger.”

As for LGBT issues, they really don’t factor into Savit’s deci-sion. Besides, he doesn’t think Trump is anti-gay in any impor-

tant sense.“I think the president, except for tone, has very little effect

on social issues,” he says. “I think we’ve seen that the Supreme

Court does have an effect on it, because of the way the caseswere brought, but generally speaking, it’s a matter of changing

people’s minds on a grassroots level, on a family-to-family level,a local level.

“My primary concern regarding LGBT issues is individualrights,” Savit continues. “So my concern is having an America

that’s confident and strong, and having it as an experimentation

ground for all sorts of social and economic issues, including

LGBT issues, leaving that to people, leaving that to state govern-ments. And I don’t think the president should or can be the mainmover on that.” l

FEBRUARY 4, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM

And the Nominees Are... Arena, Constellation, the Shakespeare and Signature are among the most

nominated for the 2016 Helen Hayes Awards

By Doug Rule

CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY’S GAY-

friendly puppet musical Avenue Q, a sold-out phe-nomenon over the summer, is now a Helen Hayes

Award-nominated phenomenon, too. The gay-friend-ly puppet musical snagged 14 nods, more than any other show

in the 2016 slate, announced Monday, Feb. 1, a week late due towinter storm Jonas.

Avenue Q dominated in the “Helen” categories in this year’s

two-tiered slate of nominees, leaving it largely free of the

Washington theater scene’s heaviest hitters. As with last year,there are double the number of nominees. If a production

has fewer members of the Actor’s Equity union, it falls on the“Helen” side; if it contains a majority members of Actor’s Equity,

it is classified under “Hayes.” The system was designed to createa more equitable playing field.

This year, the Hayes side is dominated by The Shakespeare


9/48

Theatre, with 26 nominations, followed by Arena Stage with

24, Signature with 18, and Olney with 12. Most impressive isthat, just a few years after getting into the musical business, The

Shakespeare racked up half of its nominations for two musicals,both directed by Alan Paul. Man of La Mancha earned sevennods including one for outstanding director, and Kiss Me, Kate,earned six nominations. Signature’s popular and critically-praised West Side Story earned 10 nominations.

Arena’s new musical Dear Evan Hansen by Benj Pasek andJustin Paul scooped up an impressive nine nominations, includ-ing Outstanding Original New Play or Musical, OutstandingEnsemble and Outstanding Director — yet not, oddly, for Ben

Platt’s performance as lead actor. La Mancha/Kate director Alan Paul will also compete in the

Helen category for his work on Studio’s Silence of the Lambs-parody, Silence! The Musical. He’ll run against Avenue Q’s AllisonArkell Stockman, as well as Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory

Smith, the composing team (and real-life gay couple) who helmedthe world premiere of their musical The Turn of the Screw atCreative Cauldron. Screw snagged three Helen nods, includingoutstanding ensemble and outstanding supporting actor.

Perennial lead actor and actress nominees — and multi-

winners — Bobby Smith and Holly Twyford, both gay, are on theHayes boards again this year, Smith for his work in Signature’s

musical Simply Sondheim and Twyford for Olney’s Bad Dog . Themost-nominated show from last fall’s Women’s Voices Theater

Festival, Jennifer Hoppe-House’s Bad Dog earned a total of fivenominations, including Outstanding Play, Outstanding Director

(Jeremy B. Cohen), Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding

Supporting Actress (Naomi Jacobson). Douglas Sills earneda nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for Kiss Me,

Kate, but sadly, his co-star Christine Sherrill, stunning asthe show’s namesake, was overlooked. Robyn Hurder, who

played Lois Lane, earned a well-earned nod for OutstandingSupporting Actress.

Liam Forde from Studio Theatre’s Jumpers for Goalposts andCraig Wallace from Ford’s The Guard are among those competingas Outstanding Supporting Actor, in both cases for playing gay

characters. Also competing in the category is Michael Willis, theonly nod for Theater J’s great gay-themed play Sons of the Prophet.

Among other notable nominees: Rick Hammerly for out-standing lead actor for his work in Adventure Theatre MTC’s

“Helen” production of Oliver! (Arena’s production of Oliver!was completely shut out.) Hammerly will compete againsthis castmate Franco Cabanas as well as Matt Dewberry of

Avenue Q. And as Outstanding Actor in the Hayes category,Michell Hebert (Round House’s Uncle Vanya ) will competeagainst Michael Russotto (Rep Stage’s The Whale ), Edward

Gero (Arena’s The Originalist ), Adam Wesley Brown (Folger’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead ) and Ramzi Choukair(STC’s Salome ).

This year’s John Aniello Award for Outstanding EmergingTheatre Company will be a competitive one, rather than

announced in advance — a signal of D.C.’s ever-growing and

robust theater scene. Arts on the Horizon, Pallas TheatreCollective and the Welders, a playwriting collective, were all

nominated for the recognition. l

The 2016 Helen Hayes Awards will be held on Monday, May 23, ata venue to be announced. Visit theatrewashington.org for the fulllist of nominees and more details.



10/48


SATURDAY, FEB. 6ADVENTURING outdoors grouphikes 9 miles along the sometimes-challenging Potomac HeritageTrail from Rosslyn to Chain Bridge,returning via the C&O Canal andKey Bridge. Bring beverages, lunch,

winter-worthy boots and $2 trip fee.Meet at9:30 a.m. inside the RosslynMetro Station. Contact Jerry, 703-920-6871. adventuring.org.

BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer organization, volunteerstoday for Food & Friends and LostDog & Cat Rescue Foundation at FallsChurch PetSmart. To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.

CENTER GLOBAL, a group focusingon various issues and anti-gay lawsaffecting the LGBT community acrossthe globe, holds its monthly meetingat The DC Center. 12-2 p.m. 2000

14th St. NW, Suite 105. For moreinformation, visit thedccenter.org.

CENTER GLOBAL’S RESOURCEGUIDE GROUP holds a planningsession following Center Global’smonthly meeting. 2-4 p.m. 2000 14thSt. NW, Suite 105. For more informa-tion, visit thedccenter.org.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group visits the recently-renovated RenwickGallery near the White House. Free,non-members welcome. Lunch inarea follows. Meet at 11 a.m. insidethe main lobby at 17th & Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Craig, [email protected].

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). 202-291-4707 or andromeda-transculturalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded bymembers of the LGBT community,holds Saturday morning Shabbatservices, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddushluncheon. Services in DCJCCCommunity Room, 1529 16th St. NW.

betmish.org.

FRIDAY, FEB. 5GAY DISTRICT, a group for GBTQQImen between the ages of 18-35, meetson the first and third Fridays of eachmonth. 8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit gaydistrict.org.

LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP foradults in Montgomery County offersa safe space to explore coming outand issues of identity. 10-11:30 a.m.16220 S. Frederick Rd., Suite 512,Gaithersburg, Md. For more informa-tion, visit thedccenter.org.

The DC Center hosts a monthly meet-

ing of its TRANS SUPPORT GROUPfor transgender people and those whoidentify outside of the gender binary.7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.For more information, visit thedc-center.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practicesession at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr.SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. Appointmentneeded. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700.202-638-0750.

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 providesa social atmosphere for GLBT andquestioning youth, featuring danceparties, vogue nights, movies andgames. More info, [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, [email protected].

THURSDAY, FEB. 4GAY MARRIED MEN’SASSOCIATION (GAMMA) is aconfidential support group for menwho are gay, bisexual, questioningand who are married or involvedwith a woman. GAMMA meets in

Frederick, Md. on the first Thursdayof each month. GAMMA also offersadditional meeting times and placesin Northern Virginia and D.C. 6:30-8:3 p.m. Grace United Church ofChrist, 25 E. 2nd St., Frederick,Md. For more information, visitGAMMAinDC.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)practice session at Takoma AquaticCenter, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and les- bian square-dancing group featuresmainstream through advanced squaredancing at the National City ChristianChurch, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30p.m. Casual dress. 301-257-0517,dclambdasquares.org.

The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social group meets for happyhour at Sheraton in Reston, 11810Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestri-angles.com.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for

youth 21 and younger. 202-567-3155or [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.,3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The group isindependent of UHU. 202-446-1100.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIPINSTITUTE for young LBTQ women,13-21, interested in leadership devel-opment. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL YouthCenter, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3163,[email protected].

Metro Weekly’s Community Calendar highlights important events in the D.C.-area

LGBT community, from alternative social events to volunteer opportunities.

Event information should be sent by email to [email protected].

Deadline for inclusion is noon of the Friday before Thursday’s publication.

Questions about the calendar may be directed to the

Metro Weekly office at 202-638-6830 or

the calendar email address.

LGBTCommunityCalendarBRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, includingothers interested in Brazilian culture,meets. For location/time, email [email protected].

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practicesession at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walk-ing/social club welcomes all levels forexercise in a fun and supportive envi-ronment, socializing afterward. Meet9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for awalk; or 10 a.m. for fun run. dcfront-runners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball teammeets at Turkey Thicket RecreationCenter, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4p.m. For players of all levels, gay orstraight. teamdcbasketball.org.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass forLGBT community, family and friends.6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For more info, visit dig-nitynova.org.

GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discussescritical languages and foreign lan-guages. 7 p.m. Nellie’s, 900 U St. NW.RVSP preferred. [email protected].

IDENTITY offers free and confidentialHIV testing in Takoma Park, 7676New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For appointments otherhours, call 301-422-2398.

SUNDAY, FEB. 7ADVENTURING outdoors grouphikes an easy 3.5 miles along theGeorgetown Branch Trail betweenthe Bethesda and Silver Spring MetroStations. Refreshments in SilverSpring follow. Bring beverages, lunch,$2 trip fee. Meet at 11 a.m. at the topof the Bethesda Metro escalators, atthe intersection of Wisconsin Avenueand Old Georgetown Road. Craig, 202-462-0535. adventuring.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressiveand radically inclusive church holdsservices at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practicesession at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

FRIENDS MEETING OFWASHINGTON meets for worship,10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW,Quaker House Living Room (next toMeeting House on Decatur Place),2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbiansand gays. Handicapped accessiblefrom Phelps Place gate. Hearing assis-

tance. quakersdc.org.


11/48



12/48


HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORTGROUP for gay men living in the DCmetro area. This group will be meet-ing once a month. For information onlocation and time, visit H2gether.com.

Join LINCOLN CONGREGATIONALTEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OFCHRIST for an inclusive, loving andprogressive faith community everySunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW,near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood.lincolntemple.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led by Rev. OnettaBrooks. Children’s Sunday School, 11a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax.703-691-0930, mccnova.com.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIANCHURCH, inclusive church withGLBT 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 THEINCARNATION, an “interracial,multi-ethnic Christian Community”offers services in English, 8 a.m. and10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m.1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900,saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTCHURCH OF SILVER SPRING invites LGBTQ families and individu-als of all creeds and cultures to jointhe church. Services 9:15 and 11:15a.m. 10309 New Hampshire Ave.uucss.org.

MONDAY, FEB. 8

WEEKLY EVENTS

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 OhioDr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holdspractice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. GarrisonElementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-dals.wordpress.com.

GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at

Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. [email protected].

HIV Testing at WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH. At the ElizabethTaylor Medical Center, 1701 14thSt. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the MaxRobinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave.SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appoint-ment call 202-745-7000. Visit whit-man-walker.org.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY(K.I.) SERVICES, 3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free “rapid” HIVtesting and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

703-823-4401.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14thSt. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-

4467.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155 or test-

[email protected].

THE DC CENTER hosts Coffee Drop-In for the Senior LGBT Community.10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.

US HELPING US hosts a black gaymen’s evening affinity group. 3636

Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATERPOLO TEAM practices 7-9 p.m.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 VanBuren St. NW. Newcomers with atleast basic swimming ability alwayswelcome. Tom, 703-299-0504, [email protected], wetskins.org.

WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTHHIV/AIDS Support Group for newlydiagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m.Registration required. 202-939-7671,[email protected].

TUESDAY, FEB. 9The DC Center holds a meeting of its

COMING OUT DISCUSSION GROUPfor those navigating issues associatedwith coming out and personal identity.7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite105. For more information, visit thedc-center.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). 202-291-4707, andromeda-transculturalhealth.org.

ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly dinnerin Dupont/Logan Circle area, 6:30 [email protected], afwashington.net.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)practice session at Takoma AquaticCenter, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walk-ing/social club serving greater D.C.’sLGBT community and allies hosts anevening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org.

THE GAY MEN’S HEALTHCOLLABORATIVE offers free HIVtesting and STI screening and treat-ment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.


13/48


Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-214-9617. [email protected].

THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THEDC CENTER hosts “Packing Party,”where volunteers assemble safe-sexkits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m.,Green Lantern, 1335 Green CourtNW. thedccenter.org.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS—LGBT focused meeting everyTuesday, 7 p.m. St. George’sEpiscopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from VirginiaSquare Metro. For more info. callDick, 703-521-1999. Handicappedaccessible. Newcomers [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, [email protected].

SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL,410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. CathyChu, 202-567-3163, [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a supportgroup for black gay men 40 and older.7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

Whitman-Walker Health’s GAYMEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 170114th St. NW. Patients are seen onwalk-in basis. No-cost screening for

HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chla-mydia. Hepatitis and herpes testingavailable for fee. whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10RAINBOW RESPONSE, a coali-tion dedicated to combating LGBTQintimate partner violence, holds itsmonthly meeting at The DC Centeron the second Wednesday of everymonth. 6-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,

Suite 105. For more information, visitrainbowresponse.org.

THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meetsfor Duplicate Bridge. 7:30 p.m. DignityCenter, 721 8th St SE (across fromMarine Barracks). No reservationsneeded. All welcome. 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

WEEKLY EVENTS

AD LIB, a group for freestyle con- versation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m.,Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome.For more information, call FaustoFernandez, 703-732-5174.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holdspractice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. GarrisonElementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-dals.wordpress.com.

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.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414East Diamond Ave. Walk-ins 2-7 p.m.For appointments other hours, callGaithersburg at 301-300-9978.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-gram for job entrants and seekers,meets at The DC Center. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. 6-7:30 p.m. For more

info, www.centercareers.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th

St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467.

PRIME TIMERS OF DC, socialclub for mature gay men, hostsweekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,Windows Bar above Dupont ItalianKitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316.l


14/48


ELLIE’S OWNER DOUG SCHANTZ KEEPS THE ATMO-

sphere at his bar upbeat and lively. But even he was unpre-pared for the how rowdy his patrons became when Barack

Obama was elected president over John McCain in 2008.“We had only been open a year, and we were just hitting our

stride,” says Schantz. “And people knew we had thirty TVs.We were packed to the point that there were people standing

on the stairs. [Obama] won, and everyone ran out in the street,

not paying their tabs, taking all of my glassware, with beerbottles, running down the street, screaming.”

After the revelry subsided, Schantz was able to herd thetab-skippers back inside. He wasn’t so lucky when it came to

the glassware.“We found some five days later, down the street, like, ‘Hey,

there’s a Nellie’s cup,’” he laughs.In the nine years since Nellie’s first opened, Schantz has

emphasized its versatility. Besides beer and spirits, Nellie’s

touts its full-time kitchen staff and a menu that goes beyondfried finger food. Patrons can also take part in a variety of

nightly events, each bringing their own unique crowds. Mondaysbelong to poker players and drag bingo and karaoke have a foothold

on Tuesdays. Wednesdays draw the brainy and the quick-witted forweekly trivia night. Saturdays and Sundays offer the famous drag

brunches, sold out a month in advance.

“The thing about Nellie’s that I didn’t expect to be so successfulis that every night is busy, but with a completely different group

of people,” Schantz says. “We just did, with that snowstorm thathappened, a “What the Duck?” onesie party. It was packed here.

And the people who you haven’t seen for a while were here, liningup, just wearing onesies. And walking out in the snow in onesies.

Meanwhile, in the dining room, we’re watching this excitingplayoff game between the Patriots and the Broncos. Off the charts

In 2007, Doug Schantz shelved a career in advertising to open a gay sports bar.

Nine years later, Nellie’s is a thriving, U Street institution.

Interview by John Riley

Photography by Todd Franson


15/48


16/48


crazy-busy there. And on the next level, a different universe.”At the same time, Schantz has also stressed consistency and

reliability to appeal to the local residents in the U Street and

Shaw neighborhoods — and keep his regular customer base sat-isfied. Those customers want somewhere they know they can get

quality service, wall-to-wall coverage of sports, and a comfort-able atmosphere where they can unwind after work or socialize

on the weekends.“When I opened Nellie’s, I put people’s pictures up: local

friends, people jogging, races, guys hanging out in footballleague, whatever,” Schantz says. “I asked the leagues to bring

stuff in, and banners from some of the schools, so that, within

the first month, it felt like it had been there forever. That wholeconcept was based on the idea that this isn’t going to change.”

Schantz attributes part of his success to the hard work andloyalty of his staff, most of whom have been working at Nellie’s

for more than four years — something almost unheard of in anindustry frequently plagued by high turnover. He also abides by

several guidelines that he’s put in place that help promote the

bar as open and welcoming to all who enter.“When I opened Nellie’s, I told people: we’re never going to

charge at the door, because it’s a neighborhood, friendly, openatmosphere. We don’t have a VIP area, so we don’t rope off

something. You can always count on coming in to Nellie’s and itwill be open for you throughout the building. We don’t charge

for space,” Schantz says. “This is a neighborhood bar that youcan walk in and count on, just like the show Cheers.”

METRO WEEKLY: What was your childhood like?DOUG SCHANTZ: I was born in Phoenix, Arizona. But when I was

growing up, I spent summers in Emporia, Kansas, where Nellieis from. My family moved there in 1865, so we’re fourth- or fifth-

generation Kansans. I went on to college at the University ofColorado. And moved to D.C. from New York in 1995.

MW: When did you realize that you were gay?SCHANTZ: I grew up in very conservative states, in both Arizona

and Kansas. I probably knew when I was very young, but it wassuch a foreign concept that I didn’t really identify with it. It wasalso back in a time when no one was really out, and all that sort

of thing.So I came out very late in life, when I was 29. In college, my

experience was completely straight. The University of Coloradodidn’t have a large gay population that I knew of — or at least I

didn’t recognize it. I was in a fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon,

and had a fantastic college experience dating women. But I wasalso realizing at that time that this is probably not who I really

am.MW: What did you imagine your life would be at the time?SCHANTZ: When I thought about the future, I just didn’t know. Ibasically buried it, and didn’t really think about the future that

way until I moved to Chicago when I was 29. I was working in

advertising. And I started to meet a much more diverse group ofpeople. I had a gay friend at the time. He knew I was gay. And I

did, too, but I just didn’t want to take that step. He encouragedme to come out, and I did.MW: What was your family’s reaction?SCHANTZ: I hadn’t told anybody in Chicago when I came out. I

moved to New York. My mother came to visit me in New York.She actually went to Jackie Onassis’ funeral that week. She and

I were at a flea market, and we were having a bagel. And I told

her that I was gay. She just looked me right in the eye and said,“I love you, no matter who you are.” It was one of the most won-

derful days of my life.

I said, “I can fly back to Emporia and tell Dad if you want.”And she said, “No, let me do it.” And when she told him, he was

fine with it. So I’m very, very lucky. I have a very loving, close

family. So many people don’t, and that’s sad. Not lately, not asmany, but I’ve heard some really sad things. And I know friends

who have bad situations.I also have one brother that I’m incredibly close to, Tim. And

I had told him earlier. My partner and I lived in a fantastic housethat had two bedrooms, and one bedroom was made up like it

was my room, and it actually was not. And my brother came intothe house, walked right to the back room, because there’s a big

master bedroom where we clearly slept, and the back bedroom

had a little bed that was almost a cot. He sat down and said, “So,this is your room” — and fell through. And he looked at me and

said, “Yeah, you sleep here.” And that’s basically how I told mybrother.MW: Tell me about your first experience in a gay bar.SCHANTZ: That was very uneasy, because I wasn’t out. It was in

Chicago, called Sidetrack. And Roscoe’s — I actually went to

both that night. It was frightening, but it was also enlightening.It was just refreshing to see that there were people who were gay

and having a good time.MW: How long was your first relationship?

SCHANTZ: I was working on advertising for Ace Hardware. AndI met a guy who was my first boyfriend — Tim — about a month

into it. We just started to hang out together, and became acouple. We moved after about a year to New York together, as a

couple. And so, throughout the time I lived in New York, for six

years, I was coupled with this person.In New York, we had a great life. We went to all of the differ-

ent clubs there, it was an exciting time to live in New York — theRoxy and all these places were just opening up. It was a very

club-oriented, edgy time. We’d go out to the Hamptons, we’d goout to Fire Island, and I had a great experience, right off the bat.

But I had never really experienced the single life, as a new

gay. We are still very close, but we just decided to part. He ended

up staying in New York, and I moved here to D.C. in 1995.MW: What was your first impression of Washington?SCHANTZ: I loved it. When we broke up, I wanted to move back to

a city like Chicago, but that wasn’t so cold. I wanted rowhousesand such. So I came here. Tim actually came first, and thought he

might move here and work on a political campaign. Then I cameand fell in love with the city. I got a job at Earle Palmer Brown,

and then I got a job at RTC Direct, which is in Georgetown. And

loved it, and loved the gay scene.When I decided to move here, I lived at 17th and Q. I could

literally see Trumpets from my window. And JR.’s was rightaround the corner. Cobalt had just opened up. It was really fun,

we went all the time. I probably went to JR.’s five days a week, just to hang out there. I had lots of friends. I’d throw parties all

the time. I was famous for Sunday brunches where people would

come, but we’d never have any food. It was just a huge vat ofBloody Mary mix. That was breakfast.

The way I met some of my best friends, who are still myfriends 21 years later, is I walked through JR.’s the second week I

lived here, and handed out my card, and said, “I’m going to havea brunch. Please come.”

MW: When did you first decide you wanted to go into the nightlifebusiness?SCHANTZ: Well, back in the day when I was in my fraternity, even

when I was in high school, I was very social. I was the SocialChairman for my fraternity for two-and-a-half years, and you’re

only supposed to be it for one semester. But I was good at it.


17/48


So I worked at these different ad agencies, and in the back

of my mind, was always thinking that I’d like to start my ownbusiness. I was seeing all these ads — a bar called Splash was justopening in New York, and the guy that did all the graphics was

working at Ogilvy & Mather, and there were several people likethat, who had opened different businesses, and I thought, “This

is so exciting, and I would love to do something like that.”

There was this place called Champs in New York, that wasthis big sports bar idea, but not like Nellie’s — it didn’t have food.

And I thought, I should do something like that, but make it moreof a neighborhood bar, like I experienced in Chicago. Chicago

has hundreds of bars. Every other corner has a corner bar. Andpeople would hang out there. That’s all you do, because there’s

eight feet of snow. So they would hang out there, and they all

knew each other. I thought all of these different things couldconnect the dots for what I wanted to do.

So when I came here, I worked for another five or six years,but from the moment I moved here, with my newfound friends, I

started to talk about opening a sports bar. And it was just becauseI had the concept down of what I wanted to do.

MW: Why a sports bar?SCHANTZ: Because it was a new idea. When I was going to the gay

bars, they were either clubs or corner bars, but they all played

the Madonna and Cher videos, and all that sort of thing. I hadfriends who were playing softball in Chicago, and then in New

York, there were some football teams, and they really didn’thave a place to hang out. I thought, “This is an untapped mar-

ket.” They were also so loyal. If you get a sports group together,

and they like your bar, you win. So one of the strategies behindNellie’s was to open a sports bar that would have a captive audi-

ence.

When I started to really look at the sports bars in D.C., therewere none. Back when I opened Nellie’s in 2007 — though I

started in 2005 — there was ESPN Zone and all the big onesdowntown, and there were several in Virginia, but none of them

had the personality that I wanted to portray.MW: What were you aiming for?SCHANTZ: More of a neighborhood bar, with good food. Youknow, fresh salads, and creative items and wraps, and no one

had that. We also have 25 to 50 people call in for carry-out. I

guarantee you other sports bars, besides for big events, don’thave that as a regular restaurant-type thing. That was my sports

bar idea, overlapping the neighborhood idea, capitalizing on theChicago things I saw, and so this is a perfect opportunity to have

this corner bar, here in D.C., where the neighborhood literallygrew up around it.

MW: Where did the name Nellie’s originate from?SCHANTZ: Nellie is actually my great-grandmother. She’s mygrandfather’s mother. I did not know her. She came from anoth-

er time. Her mother’s name was actually Nellie, and they werea high Victorian family. Nellie was a total character in terms of

social [situations], and just had a lot of fun in life. Aunt Bertha,

her younger sister, would tell me stories about that.Also, the name “Nellie,” you know, if you’re nelly, you’re notgood at sports, and I thought, “This is fabulous. I can name it

after a real person, and it can also have a secondary meaningthat’s fun.” Now, I will say, when I first opened Nellie’s, there

were a couple of people who emailed me or wrote me that Iwas taking gay sports back a step. Because insinuating that gay

sports people are nelly. And I wrote back: “I’m proud of my

great-grandmother’s name, and hope to see you at Nellie’s.” Youcan’t argue with them. Ironically, one of those people [who com-

plained] is now one of our better customers.MW: Some sports bars make money, others don’t. What is it thatsets Nellie’s apart that allows this business model to flourish,beyond what you’ve already mentioned?SCHANTZ: Basically, Nellie’s is a gay neighborhood sports bar. So

we have captured all three of those audiences, and given that mybackground is marketing, in the gay aspect, I’m gay, I have gay

friends, and its name speaks for itself. The neighborhood aspect,we’re in this neighborhood and it’s become a place for people

to have dinner, watch TV, socialize with their friends. So that’sanother group of people who may not be gay, but also fill seats.

And the sports bar aspect, I didn’t hang my hat on just that. Sothe first two help to balance the entire business model.

I tell my staff “We’re not ever advertising for the Super Bowl,

we’re not advertising on New Year’s Eve, we’re not advertisingon playoffs.” We don’t need to put ads in a magazine saying,

“Come to Nellie’s for the Super Bowl.” Because we don’t need

“I was famous for Sunday bruncheswhere people would come, but

we’d never have any food.

It was just a huge vat of BloodyMary mix. That was breakfast.”


18/48


to, that’s low-hanging fruit. But, like you said, Saturday morningsin the middle of June are pretty dead, there’s not a lot of sports

going on. So you have to fill that with other things, which are the

neighborhood aspect, or whatever we have going on.MW: What do you attribute to your success? Do you feel you haveto compete for customers with other gay bars?SCHANTZ: The key to success of a marketer is not to convince

people who aren’t your target to become your target. It’s to iden-tify your target, and get their friends or like-minded persons to

come. So that’s what we do. As far as competition goes, I focuson what Nellie’s purpose is. Of course I’m aware of what’s going

on outside of my business, but I don’t consider any of the gay bar

or any of the neighborhood bars or any of the sports bars specific competition.

Look at the neighborhood. This was a field, now it’s luxurycondos over here. We’ve got a movie theater, there’s a Whole

Foods going in. So we definitely aren’t the lone cruise ship outhere, we’ve got to adapt to what the clientele is, and what the

neighborhood is. You want to make sure you’re keeping up with

the times, and what you’re offering. If we’re just a sports bar, we

probably wouldn’t have drag bingo, because that’s really not asport. But you have to adapt and listen to your customer base and

see what their needs are.MW: On the topic of adaptation, what do you say to people who

comment that Nellie’s is attracting an increasingly straight crowd?SCHANTZ: Well, Marketing 101 is first you want to make sureyou have a solid customer base. Everybody who works here

has worked here a long time. So what we do with Nellie’s is wedeliver great service, a friendly atmosphere, great food, all that.

That’s going to appeal to, hopefully, everybody.We have a thing called “Join Our Team,” where people fill

out their name, their address, their birthday. And it’s a very

successful program. We send out about 1,500 birthday cardsa month, and we get about 35 to 40 percent of them back. My

mother and I and our friends who were helping me during thosefirst few days were saying, when people were coming in to fill

them out, we’re opening a “straight-friendly gay bar.” So if I’mgoing to open something that’s a neighborhood bar, it’s going to

include all types of people. And the customer base here mirrors

the staff: there’s women, there’s men, every minority. Every walkof life is represented in both the staff and our customer base.MW: What’s your relationship like with Team DC?SCHANTZ: It’s very good. Brent Minor and I are friends. He’s

someone who, at the beginning, when I opened, the first thingwe did was Nats Night OUT, and we were packed, and we didn’t

know what we were doing. It was a disaster. [ Laughs. ] It wasn’t adisaster — it was just fun, pure fun. We’ve done Nats Night OUT

for nine years in a row. I invested in t-shirts so that everybody’s

wearing Nellie’s — one, to get the Nellie’s name and brand outthere, and two, to let people proudly walk around at the Nats

game to be identified as a group that came here. And it was

wildly successful. And Team DC has grown with us. And that’sa very good example of a group that benefitted from Nellie’s

being open, and us benefitting from all the leagues they come in

contact with.MW: What do you see in the future? Is there any project you have

your eye on, or something that you think is a good idea on thehorizon?SCHANTZ: Yes, I think that I’m a very conservative person interms of opening — a lot of people are saying you should open

a second or third Nellie’s, or in a different city, or what haveyou — and I look back over the nine years, and we have this solid

business model. In the nine years, I’ve purchased the building,

I’ve paid back all the investors. I’m set, probably, to do some-thing else, and I have a few ideas. There are things in the works.MW: Is that still on the table, the idea of opening in another city?SCHANTZ: It could be. It could be. I have different options. It’s

nice to have options.MW: What’s the best party you’ve ever thrown?SCHANTZ: The best party would be — there’s a lot that were

unique — but I guess Nats Night OUT is a goodone. That basically brought all these people

here, who were coming from a game, and leav-ing together, and having a great time. In the

summertime, we did Guil-Tea, the tea dance,that was a really good one. And that was with

Shea Van Horn, who’s incredibly talented anda good friend, and we hit it out of the part with

Guil-Tea. It was just a timely party.MW: And the worst?SCHANTZ: We were giving away a free piece of

pie Thanksgiving week, with a promotion of“Just come in, and you’ll get a free piece of pie.” And so I bought

300 pies. [ Laughs. ] And I thought for sure it would work. I gaveaway like three slices.

So every time a friend would come over, or the kitchen crew

was leaving, or the servers, I’d say, “Take a pie with you.” And

they were everywhere, all over the walk-in, they were back inthe food cabinets. We had pies left over for about two weeks. Itwas a nightmare. And so my friend, Eric Thomas, who passed

away, was one of my dear best friends. He was just very to thepoint. He turned and said, “They can’t all be winners.” [ Laughs. ]MW: Everyone was on their diet.SCHANTZ: Now, if they come up with a vodka pie, I’m going to go

back to that promotion, and do a free slice of vodka pie. And it’ll

be fantastic.MW: What are your plans for Super Bowl Sunday?SCHANTZ: We’re going to be open. We have $15 buckets all day.There’s not a lot to say. We’re out there. People know we’re here

as a sports bar. I just hope it’s an exciting game. Like the firstplayoff game versus the second playoff game, it’s fun when it’s

really exciting.

There’s certain parts of Nellie’s that are just magical, and oneof them is when people are gathered together in the dining room,

and there’s an exciting game, like the World Cup or something,and everyone’s chanting and screaming — it’s just amazing. I

meet people on the street who know that I own Nellie’s, andthey’ll say, “I just go there, and I’m happy.” It’s a happy, fun

place. l

Nellie’s Sports Bar is located at 900 U St. NW, and will be openon Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. For moreinformation and daily hours, call 202-332-6355 or visit nelliess-

portsbar.com.

“There’s certain parts of Nellie’s that are just

magical. When people are gathered togetherin the dining room, and there’s an exciting game, and everyone’s chanting and

screaming — it’s just amazing.”


19/48


20/48


FRESH OUT OF COLLEGE, THOMAS W. JONESII thought about becoming a comedian. “I really

got into performance that was really engaging anaudience,” he says. “You know, where it was just

the performer and the audience.”

Jones quickly realized stand-up wasn’t theperformance art for him.

“I tried that once and said, ‘I’m going to leave that to the pro-

fessionals. I’m going to go into the theater where people aren’tdrunk and heckling at two in the morning.’”

So into the theater Jones went, as an occasional performer

but mostly as a writer, director and choreographer, with music-steeped shows generally with some larger thematic import. As

a child of the Black Arts Movement (mentored by one of the

movement’s pioneers, Sonia Sanchez), the New York native says,“I always saw a kind of kinetic connection between social and

political issues and the role of the theater in advancing that.”Jones has long been a familiar presence in Washington the-

ater, having won six Helen Hayes Awards with one of his veryfirst shows, 1995’s Bessie’s Blues, written with composer KeithRawls, and presented by the Studio Theatre. Over the past 15

years, Jones has become closely associated with Alexandria’sMetroStage, which revived Bessie’s Blues last year. As the 32-year-old company’s most frequent collaborator, Jones helms at leastone show a season, usually focused on retelling and relating the

life and times of an influential African-American artist, everyone

from Bessie Smith to Langston Hughes to Sammy Davis Jr.Jones never lost his comedic sensibility, which shows up in

the way he describes his work. “I developed this thing of want-

ing to do doggie-bag theater,” he says. “You want to take some ofthis home with you.”

Certainly Carolyn Griffin has taken his work home, as well as

to heart. “I think Tom is one of the finest lyricists out there, barnone,” says Griffin, producing artistic director of MetroStage.

“What he writes as a lyricist is pure poetry.... There’s a rhythm

and a lyricism to his writing, even a lot of his dialogue, that Ireally respond to.”

Jones and Griffin began working together just beforeMetroStage — founded in 1984 as the American Showcase

Theatre Company — opened in its current 130-seat location in2001, in a retrofitted lumber warehouse near the Alexandria

waterfront. What started as a couple of readings of his musical

CREATING A LEGACYAt MetroStage, Thomas W. Jones II develops profound, engaging works that embrace the African American experienceBy Doug Rule // Photography by Chris Banks

Roz White, Rayshun LaMarr, Anthony Manough, Lori Williams


21/48


no doubt recognize at least a

couple of these songs — which

may sound like jazz, blues orR&B standards, but in fact are

all original compositions.Shake Loose doesn’t explic-

itly touch on LGBT themes,though it does include a

couple of songs from Two

Queens, One Castle, a 2006musical Jones co-wrote with

Jevetta Steele exploring thephenomenon of “down low”

— outwardly straight African-American men who are mar-

ried to women but secretlyhaving sex with men on the

side.

Jones, who is straight, con-tinues to explore LGBT top-

ics and is currently developinga play about Sir Lady Java,

a Los Angeles cabaret artistand early transgender activ-

ist. “Java was allegedly a mis-

tress of Redd Foxx and SammyDavis Jr.,” says Jones. She

succeeded in challenging, allthe way to the state Supreme

Court, a local ordinance thatmade it illegal to dress against

one’s gender.At the heart of all of Jones’s

work is the principle of “liv-

ing your life authentically....I think the idea of trying to

live your life unapologeticallyis what underscores all of it.”

All signs point to moreJones-helmed productions at

MetroStage. Says Griffin, “I like

the way he writes, I like the sto-ries he tells, and certainly I like

what comes out of his collabo-rations with William Knowles

and William Hubbard.”For Jones’s part, he says

MetroStage is a space where“we’re able to do the kind of

work that not only is whereour strengths are, but alsostretches us. Carolyn lets us

play. And that’s always a goodthing.” l

Shake Loose: A Musical

Evening of Blues Moods

& Icons runs to March 6 at MetroStage, 1201 North RoyalSt., Alexandria. Tickets are $55to $60. Call 800-494-8497 orvisit metrostage.org.

works has blossomed into “a home, and a place where I get to work with friends, amazing artistswho don’t always get a chance to be out there,” says Jones. This “family of artists” includes com-

posers William Hubbard and William Knowles, as well as tap legend Maurice Hines and actressRoz White. “We all kind of migrated here,” he says. “We kind of nested here creatively.”

This nesting of talent has resulted in what Griffin refers to as “many shows about groundbreak-

ing African-American musical icons,” from Cool Papa’s Party to Three Sistahs, from Pearl Bailey...by request to Ladies Swing the Blues, the shows.

“[These shows] have great entertainment value and very significant meaning in the historical,

sociocultural, political, racial life of the 20th century,” says Griffin. “There was no greater planthat created this. It just evolved because I, as the artistic director, get to choose what we do. Andthese are the stories I’m interested in, and the music I’m interested in, and the artists I’m inter-

ested in showcasing.”To celebrate her association with Jones, Griffin asked him to develop a new show that synthe-

sized his work for MetroStage. The resulting production, Shake Loose: An Evening of Moods, Blues& Icons, is more than a musical revue.

“It’s not a jukebox musical,” she says. “These are songs and scenes that take you from start to

finish through the 20th Century. It covers everything — all the stories, all the eras, all the decades, allthe events that were iconic events in our lives in the 20th Century — through the prism of African-

American artists.” Four singers — longtime Jones collaborator White, Lori Williams, AnthonyManough and Rayshun Lamarr — perform the evening’s 37 songs with accompaniment by a five-

piece band led by Knowles. Anybody who has been to a MetroStage musical over the years will

Knowles, Hubbard and Jones


22/48

FEBRUARY 4 - 11, 2016

SPOTLIGHT

CARMEN:AN AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ MUSICALSome of Broadway’s best — writer/ director Moises Kaufman ( The Laramie Project ) and choreographer SergioTrujillo ( Jersey Boys ) among them —are behind this world-premiere adap-tation of Bizet’s opera as a musicalset in 1958 revolutionary Cuba. OlneyTheatre presents a co-production withKaufman’s Tectonic Theater Projectfeaturing lyrics by Kaufman and a bookco-written by Kaufman and Eduardo

Machado, with music composed andadapted by Arturo O’Farrill. The18-person cast stars Brandon Andrusas Jose, Caesar Samayoa as Camilo andChristina Sajous as the tragic titulardiva. Opens in previews Wednesday,Feb. 10, at 8 p.m. Runs to March 16.Mainstage at Olney Theatre Center,2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney,Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olney-theatre.org.

GMCW’S ROCK CREEK SINGERS,POTOMAC FEVERThe Atlas presents a special concertshowcasing the Gay Men’s Chorusof Washington’s two select vocal

ensembles, the 14-voice close-harmo-ny a cappella group Potomac Feverand the 34-singer eclectic chamberensemble Rock Creek Singers. “TheWay We Were” program offers a sen-timental trip down memory lane andrevisits some of the ensembles’ bestsongs. Friday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m., andSaturday, Feb. 13, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.Lang Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are$20 to $39. Call 202-399-7993 or visitatlasarts.org.

JOE GOODEPERFORMANCE GROUPThe Resilience Project aims to explore

how humans deal with trauma, usingstorytelling and performance as a wayof finding universality and strength inthe face of adversity. The companyinterviews returning veterans fromIraq/Afghanistan about their recov-ery or ongoing process of adjustment,with the resulting staged work con-sisting almost verbatim of their sto-ries and accounts. Friday, Feb. 5, andSaturday, Feb. 6, at 8 p.m. AmericanDance Institute, 1501 East JeffersonSt. Rockville. Tickets are $30. Call 301-984-3003 or visit americandance.org.

MAESTROThe Arlington Philharmonic presents

an exclusive area screening of this

22

Compiled by Doug Rule


L P I M A G E R Y

InSeries 2010 collaboration with TWB, WAM! (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

Bizet in HavanaThe Washington Ballet stages a Cuban-based, cross-genre collaboration with The InSeries

CUBA IS A COMMON THREAD RUNNING THROUGHOUT THE LIFE AND WORK OF SEPTIME

Webre. The first work he developed as artistic director of the Washington Ballet traced his Cuban

roots, and Webre, who grew up in Texas, also led the company on a tour of the communist country

in 2000 — making it the first American ballet to perform there in 40 years.

So when the idea came up to stage Bizet’s Carmen in a cross-genre collaboration with the music-orientedInSeries, Webre decided to give it a Cuban twist.

“Carmen has been told in so many different ways and this seemed to be an interesting in to illuminate anew facet of Carmen, by invoking Havana in the 1920s,” he says. “You know, Carmen in a tobacco factory,and including music from the island — kind of blending Spanish and Cuban culture.”

Webre has co-staged the production with the ballet’s associate artistic director David Palmer, creat-

ing original choreography set to balleros popularized by the film Buena Vista Social Club. Webre has alsoreworked choreography from his 2000 ballet Juanita y Alicia. Yet the bulk of the movement comes from hisdance adaptation of Carmen in 2001, set to the Spanish-inflected score by French composer Georges Bizet.Music director and pianist Carlos C. Rodriguez — whom Webre calls “a really fine musician” — will render

the music live, accompanied by percussionists Ivan Navas and Gary Sosias.

Carmen in Havana is the sixth collaboration in ten years between the ballet and presenting organizationthe In Series. Previous productions explored topics ranging from Mozart’s childhood to the art songs and

chansons of mid-century France. “It’s essentially a blending of genres, opera and dance,” Webre says. “It is

both a classical music experience and a dance experience, with singers and dancers integrated fully.”

Six singers perform Bizet’s classic tragedy, including the great Anamer Castrello in the role of Carmen —

and they’re complemented by nearly 20 dancers from the Washington Ballet’s Studio Company, an ensemble

of aspiring dancers aged 18 to 22. “Really powerful dancers, great technique, very international — from

Brazil, China, South Africa, France, the United States, Canada, really all over the world,” Webre says. “They

bring a kind of fresh energy to the project.”

“By looking at Carmen, this important work of theater and opera, in a new way,” he continues, “we hopeto illuminate some aspects of the production that haven’t been seen before.” — Doug Rule

Bizet’s Carmen in Havana will be performed Friday, Feb. 5, and Saturday, Feb. 6, at 8 p.m., andSunday, Feb. 7, at 4 p.m. Lang Theatre at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE.

Tickets are $46. Call 202-204-7763 or visit inseries.org.


23/48



24/48

24

new documentary by director andproducer David Donnelly, who willappear for a Q&A. To be released inthe U.S. later this year, Maestro focus-es on renowned conductor Paavo Jarviand the contemporary world of classi-cal music and features, among others,Lang Lang, Joshua Bell and HilaryHahn. The screening comes as partof the philharmonic’s 10th anniver-sary season. Thursday, Feb. 11, startingwith a social hour, light fare and live

music at 6 p.m., with film screeningat 7 p.m. Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre,1611 N. Kent St. Arlington. Tickets are$30 in advance or $40 at the door. Call703-910-5161 or visit arlingtonphilhar-monic.org.

SENORITA Y MADAMEGALA Theatre presents this show,subtitled The Secret War of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, a com-edy exploring the clash between twoicons of beauty and marketing thathelped revolutionize the fashionindustry and change societal viewsabout beauty. Consuelo Trum directsGustavo Ott’s play, presented in

Spanish with English surtitles. OpensThursday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. Runsto Feb. 28. GALA Theatre at TivoliSquare, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are$38 to $42. Call 202-234-7174 or visitgalatheatre.org.

STORY DISTRICTLocal storytelling organization for-merly known as SpeakEasyDCoffers its eighth “Sucker for Love,”a Valentine’s Day-themed event with“true tales about loves found, lost andimagined.” Unlike other storytellingorganizations, Story District is focusedon congenial camaraderie not compe-tition — no judged “Story Slams” here.

Those presenting this year are AmandaSapir, Annie Lipsitz, Cait Reilly, KeithMellnick, Laura Feiveson, MichaelCotter, Morgan Givens, Nupur Mehtaand Sarah Weber. Mike Baireutherhosts this show that he co-directedwith Stephanie Garibaldi. Saturday,Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215U St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-328-6000 or visit thelincolndc.com.

THE CITY OF CONVERSATIONDoug Hughes directs an in-the-roundproduction at Arena Stage of AnthonyGiardina’s play, offering an insidelook at the theater of politics as seenfrom the vantage point of a fictional

Georgetown hostess and her Ferrisfamily clan. Margaret Colin starsin this show also featuring MichaelSimpson playing her sons. Now toMarch 6. The Fichlander in the MeadCenter for American Theater, 1101 6thSt. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit are-nastage.org.

THE SWEATER SETListen Local First presents a freeconcert by the local folk duo of SaraCurtin and Maureen Andary, whomake original music using an impres-sive variety of instruments, from theaccordion to the flute, ukulele to theglockenspiel. The Sweater Set per-

forms a Valentine’s Day-themed cel-

S C O T T S U C H

M A N


Reflective MenagerieFord’s Theatre stages a resonant Tennessee Williams classic

T

HOMAS KEEGAN STANDS TALLER THAN EVERYONE ELSE — LITERALLY

and figuratively — in the production of The Glass Menagerie now at Ford’s Theatre.

Keegan is playing Jim O’Connor, Laura’s “Gentleman Caller,” in TennesseeWilliams’s classic play, and against all odds, we pin our hopes on Jim as the savior of LauraWingfield, a slightly disabled, horribly shy young woman, who is also pretty, pure and sweet.

Williams’s sideways tribute to a real-life sister, The Glass Menagerie ( HHHHH ) is thetype of play you warm up to. It’s the type of play we see shades of ourselves in and other

people in our lives. The play doesn’t truly come to life until the tete-a-tete with Jim andLaura at the conclusion.

Director Mark Ramont has assembled a solid cast, led by Madeleine Potter as the domi-

neering, dispirited matriarch Amanda. Jenna Sokolowski effectively portrays Laura as thefragile unicorn eager to shed her horn, thinking naively that will make her feel like the rest

of the equines in her glass collection. Tom Story adds shades of creepy and aloofness toTom, Laura’s realistic, if not exactly sympathetic, brother. The Glass Menagerie is every bitas much of a thinking play, at least when staged in the kind of reflective and resonant man-

ner as Ramont has done here.There’s little about Timothy R. Mackabee’s set — from the austere backdrop of a net-

work of metal fire escapes to the small, old-fashioned living room — that provides a senseof warmth or comfort. And yet, it certainly has the look of home, or at least a home you’ve

known. Equally familiar yet unsettling are Clint Allen’s projections of black and white fam-ily photographs — chiefly of the always-there, always-smiling father, who long ago left the

family high and dry.There’s a sense about the whole affair of history repeating itself and of anxieties becom-

ing self-fulfilling. And yet we hold out hope for Laura until the bitter end. It’s the true

marker of a powerful, compelling production. — Doug Rule

The Glass Menagerie runs to Feb. 21 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $17 to$64. Call 800-982-2787 or visit fordstheatre.org.


25/48



26/48

2020 Shannon Place SE. Tickets are$35 to $50. Call 202-714-0646 or visitrestorationstageinc.com.

EQUUSPeter Shaffer’s Tony-winning taleabout a troubled teenager’s danger-ous obsession with horses is the latestshow to get the Constellation TheatreCompany treatment. Amber McGinnisJackson directs the production witha cast including Michael Kramer,

Kathleen Akerley, Michael Tolaydo,Laureen E. Smith and Ryan Tumulty.To Feb. 14. Source Theatre, 1835 14thSt. NW. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call202-204-7741 or visit constellation-theatre.org.

FATHER COMES HOME FROM THEWARSRound House Theatre offers a pro-duction of this explosively powerfulCivil War-era drama from Suzan-Lori Parks ( Topdog/Underdog ),which follows a slave from Texas tothe Confederate battlefield. TimothyDouglas directs this Greek tragedy-inspired trilogy with a cast includ-

ing Ian Anthony Coleman, KenYattaRogers, Craig Wallace, JaBen Earlyand A. Stori Ayers. To Feb. 21. RoundHouse Theatre, 4545 East-WestHighway, Bethesda. Tickets are $50 to$60. Call 240-644-1100 or visit round-housetheatre.org.

FIRST CITIZENBilled as a “contemporary response toShakespeare’s Coriolanus,”the female-focused, Shakespeare-stirring company Taffety Punk pres-ents a workshop reading of new workthrough its Punk Generator project. Anna Lathrop and Katherine Clairhave put together a show that sub-

verts Shakespeare’s work, by forego-ing the powerful and looking at thesame whirlwind of political eventsthat shook the foundation of Romethrough the eyes of commonfolk.Kelsey Mesa directs this new take onthe old story of the powerful militaryleader. Saturday, Feb. 6, at 8 p.m.Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7thSt. SE. Call 202-355-9441 or visit taf-fetypunk.com.

GEORGIE: THE LIFE AND DEATHOF GEORGE ROSEHelen Hayes Award-winning actorEd Dixon (Signature Theatre’s Sunset Boulevard ) wrote and stars in this

tribute to his friend and mentor, aTony Award-winning character actor( My Fair Lady ) who was a bon vivantwith a flair for the dramatic and theeccentric. Eric Schaeffer directs theSignature Theatre production ofthis human tale about art, personalconnections and the struggles of lifeand death. Closes this Sunday, Feb.7. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $25 to$45. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signa-ture-theatre.org.

Megan Behm and J. Shawn Durhamportray government agents and DillonGreenberg and Grant Cloyd gamerswatching the watchmen in this showdirected by the Rogues’ Ryan S. Taylorand examining weighty topics includ-ing security and surveillance, cyber- bullying and identity in our electronicage. Now to Feb. 14. Mead TheatreLab at Flashpoint, 916 G St. NW.Tickets are $20. Call 202-315-1310 or visit washingtonrogues.org.

AS YOU LIKE ITIn a new staging of the Bard’s cross-dressing, escapist romantic comedy,Wendy Goldberg decided to pres-ent an all-female ensemble. “This400-year-old play is the most gen-der-bending play in Shakespeare’scanon,” she tells Metro Weekly. “Itis an invitation to explore gender andidentity, and the fluidity of gender.”Her all-female approach to the pro-duction by Center Stage is the inverseof that from Shakespeare’s day, whenall characters, male and female, wereplayed by men and boys. Even today,it’s far more common to see an all-

male production of Shakespeare. ToFeb. 14. Towson University’s Centerfor the Arts, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Towson,Md. Tickets are $10 to $59. Call 410-986-4000 or visit centerstage.org.

BACK TO METHUSELAHWashington Stage Guild concludes amulti-year cycle of George BernardShaw’s visionary classic with part3, subtitled As Far As Thought Can Reach. Bill Largess directs the show,one of the first works of science fic-tion ever put on stage. To Feb. 21.Undercroft Theatre of Mount VernonUnited Methodist Church, 900Massachusetts Ave. NW. Tickets are

$40 to $50. Call 240-582-0050 or visitstageguild.org.

BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY Yet another boisterous and unflinch-ingly dark comedy from Stephen AdlyGuirgis, whose play The Motherfuckerwith the Hat received much criticalpraise at Studio Theatre a few yearsago. Between Riversid e and Crazy was the winner of the 2015 PulitzerPrize for Drama and is focused on anex-cop who is facing eviction, bat-tling City Hall and struggling overthe recent death of his wife. To Feb.28. Studio Theatre, 14th & P StreetsNW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit stu-

diotheatre.org.

CHOCOLATE COVERED ANTSThe Anacostia Playhouse partnerswith Maryland’s Restoration Stagefor the world premiere of Steven A. Butler, Jr.’s intense drama about being black and male in modern-day America. Courtney Baker-Oliverdirects the production featuringSuli Myrie, David Lamont Wilson,Clermon Acklin, Tillmon Figgs, WilmaLynn Horton, Kandace Foreman,Christopher Ezell, Marquis Fair andCharles W. Harris Jr. Closes thisSunday, Feb. 7. Anacostia Playhouse,

ebration of vintage love songs alsofeaturing the duo of Jess Eliot Myhreof the Bumper Jacksons and Letitia VanSant. Thursday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m.Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.Tickets are $69 to $265. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

FILM

HAIL, CAESAR!The Coen Brothers ( Fargo ), Joel andEthan, offer up a comedy follow-ing a single day in the life a studiofixer. The all-star cast includes Coenstaples George Clooney and FrancesMcDormand, plus Tilda Swinton,Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, ScarlettJohansson and Channing Tatum.Opens Friday, Feb. 5. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTFILMS 2015: ANIMATED,LIVE ACTIONOnce again Landmark Theatres, inpartnership with ShortsHD, offers

two feature-length programs of theshort films nominated at the upcoming Academy Awards: a program with theanimated shorts, featuring films fromChile, Russia, the U.K. and two fromthe U.S., including Pixar Animation’s Sanjay’s Super Team; and a program oflive action shorts, including films fromGermany, Ireland and the U.S., plustwo set in the West Bank and Kosovo.Now playing. Landmark’s E StreetCinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672. Also Bethesda Row Cinema, 7235Woodmont Ave. Call 301-652-7273. Visit landmarktheatres.com.

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT

FILMS 2015: DOCSIn addition to the animated and actionprograms, Landmark Theatres this year also presents a feature-lengthprogram of documentary shorts. All five Oscar-nominated films willscreen, including the Liberian BodyTeam 12 set in the height of the Ebolaoutbreak, Chau, Beyond the Linesabout an Agent Orange-disabled childand aspiring artist in Vietnam andThe Price of Forgiveness, focused ona rare survivor of “honor killings” inPakistan. Among two American doc-umentaries is Last Day of Freedom,about a war veteran who faces crimi-nal charges, racism and ultimately the

death penalty. Opens Friday, Feb. 5.Landmark’s West End Cinema, 2301M St. NW. Call 202-534-1907 or visitlandmarktheatres.com.

STAGE

AGENTS OF AZEROTHDaring theater company theWashington Rogues offers a pro-duction, courtesy of CulturalDC, ofJennifer Lane’s provocative play thatpivots from the data point, revealed byEdward Snowden, that the NSA andCIA have spent vast time and resourc-es investigating World of Warcraft.


I SHALL NOT HATEGassan Abbas, one of Israel’s leadingPalestinian actors, performs this mem-oir-based story adapted by the Israelidirector Shay Pitovsky. Performed inHebrew and Arabic with English sur-titles, this is the second of five produc-tions part of the four-month Voicesfrom a Changing Middle East Festival,the provocative series that eventually became too hot for original presenterTheater J and has now been revived

by ousted Theater J director Ari Rothat his new company. To Feb. 14. AtlasPerforming Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE.Tickets are $20 to $40. Call 202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org.

JACK AND PHIL,SLAYERS OF GIANTSJanet Stanford directs ImaginationStage’s tongue-in-cheek adaptationof the classic fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk in this Theater for Young Audiences production by Charles Way.The focus is on Jack, a sporty, popularkid whose mother is facing foreclosureon their house and enlists his smart yetnerdy neighbor Phil to accompany him

to the pawnshop to trade in his grand-father’s gold watch — for some magic beans. Now to March 13. ImaginationStage, 4908 Auburn Ave. Bethesda.Tickets are $10 to $25. Call 301-280-1660 or visit imaginationstage.org.

MONSTERS OF THE VILLA DIODATI Virginia’s emerging theater companyCreative Cauldron presents the worldpremiere of yet another musical bywriter Stephen Gregory Smith andcomposer Matt Conner, the local the-ater actor husbands who collaboratedon the lyrics. Monsters of the Villa Diodati delves into a Lake Geneva writ-ers’ retreat from two centuries ago,

hosted by Lord Byron (Sam Ludwig),which inspired Mary Shelley (CaitlinShea) and John Polidori (DavidLandstrom) to write the Gothic clas-sics Frankenstein and The Vampyre,respectively. This is the second install-ment in Creative Cauldron’s five-yearcommissioning project “Bold NewWorks for Intimate Stages,” after last year’s The Turn of the Screw, also writ-ten by Smith and Conner. Now runningto Feb. 21. Premiere Gala is Saturday,Feb. 6, at 8 p.m. ArtSpace Falls Church,410 South Maple Ave. Falls Church.Tickets are $26. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.

PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILENow that Bright Star has wrapped itspre-Broadway Kennedy Center run,Keegan Theatre offers a production ofanother work by comedian/composerSteve Martin which previously ran OffBroadway. Picasso at the Lapin Agileis a slightly absurd look at the famousSpanish painter’s life — and that of Albert Einstein’s too — before theychanged the world through their work.Chris Stezin directs a cast includ-ing Matthew Keenan, Bradley FosterSmith, Allison Leigh Corke, Kevin Adams, Michael Innocenti, Sherri S.Herren and Jessica Power. To Feb. 13.Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW.

Tickets are $40. Call 703-892-0202 or visit keegantheatre.com.


27/48



28/48


BSO to perform Mozart’s wittyand poignant Piano Concerto No. 9“Jeunehomme.” Mario Venzago con-ducts the BSO in a program that alsoincludes Schumann’s sunlit Symphony No. 4 and selections from Gluck’s Armide. Thursday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m.Music Center at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Also Friday, Feb. 5, and Saturday,Feb. 6, at 8 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff

Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St.,Baltimore. Tickets are $10 to $99. Call410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

BROOKLYN RIDER,GABRIEL KAHANEWashington Performing Arts presentsthe annual concert at Sixth and I bythis classical string quartet, whosemusic works to expand the boundariesof the genre by incorporating elementsfrom world music and folk. “Joining Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble reallyopened up our ears and eyes to theworld,” violinist and lead composerColin Jacobsen explained to MetroWeekly last year. This year Brooklyn

Rider performs with another bound-ary-pushing artist, fellow Brooklyniteand classical/indie folk composer andperformer Gabriel Kahane. Saturday,Feb. 6, at 8 p.m. Sixth & I HistoricSynagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are$35. Call 202-408-3100 or visit wash-ingtonperformingarts.org.

HEY MARSEILLESOn song after song, this slightly tweeindie/chamber-rock Seattle quintetsounds remarkably like a more dra-matic, classically minded version offellow Washington state outfit DeathCab for Cutie — first and foremoston account of singer Matt Bishop’s

Ben Gibbard-channeling vocals. The band, which includes a cellist and a violist, tours in support of their self-titled third set. Friday, Feb. 12. Doorsat 7 p.m. The 9:30 Club presents thisconcert. U Street Music Hall, 1115A USt. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

KID CUDIThe rock-oriented rapper who hasdabbled in acting as well as servingas a television bandleader — on IFC’sComedy Bang! Bang! — tours in sup-port of last year’s Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven. I.M.P. Productions presentsthis concert, rescheduled from a can-

he founded 40 years ago with a ros-ter including principal players fromthe National Symphony Orchestraas well as prominent chamber musi-cians from the region and elsewhere.Saturday, Feb. 6, at 5 p.m. — precededat 4 p.m. with a pre-concert discussion.Smithsonian American Art Museum’sMcEvoy Auditorium, Lower Level, 8thand F Streets NW. Tickets are free, beginning at 3:30 p.m. the day-of. Call

202-633-3030 or visit americanart.si.edu.

ANDREW BAYER AND THEANJUNABEATS TOURFans of London-based DJ/productionoutfit Above and Beyond, or tranceand deep and melodic EDM in general,are in luck at Echostage this Saturday,Feb. 6. That’s when Club Glow-DCpresents a night featuring behindthe club’s decks the brightest talentsfrom the popular label Anjunabeats,most notably Andrew Bayer, the D.C.native co-producer of recent Aboveand Beyond albums and the group’sGrammy-nominated single “We’re All

We Need.” Ilan Bluestone and JasonRoss are two other newer stars of Anjunabeats on the tour, with spe-cial guest Seven Lions. Saturday, Feb.6. Doors at 9 p.m. Echostage, 2135Queens Chapel Rd. NE. Tickets are$40. Call 202-503-2330 or visit echos-tage.com.

ALAN CUMMINGBroadway’s Cabaret and TV’s GoodWife star offers a Valentine’s Daytreat for lovers and especially loversof “the sappy silly love songs every-one secretly adores.” Among songs by Annie Lennox, Billy Joel and BertoltBrecht, you can can expect an Adele/

Lady Gaga/Katy Perry mashup theScottish entertainer calls “Someone onthe Edge of Firework.” He’ll be sup-ported by music director Lance Horne,cellist Eleanor Norton and drummerMichael Croiter. Sunday, Feb. 14, at 8p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.Tickets are $35 to $85. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

ANDRE WATTS WITH BALTIMORESYMPHONY ORCHESTRAOne of the most celebrated living pia-nists and a graduate of Baltimore’sPeabody Institute, Andre Wattsreturns as a guest soloist with the

Russotto, James Whalen and CarolineWolfson round out the cast. To Feb.21. The Aaron and Cecile GoldmanTheater, Washington, D.C.’s JewishCommunity Center, 1529 16th St. NW.Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.

COMMUNITY STAGE

THE LARAMIE PROJECTMaryland’s Kensington Arts Theatreoffers a production of Moises Kaufman’sexamination with the Tectonic TheaterProject of the small Wyoming town for-ever changed by the hate-crime murderof Matthew Shepard nearly 18 yearsago. John Nunemaker directs the pro-duction. Opens on Friday, Feb. 5, at8 :15 p.m. Performances weekends toFeb. 20. Kensington Town Hall, 3710Mitchell St., Kensington, Md. Ticketsare $20. Call 240-621-6528 or visitkatonline.org.

OUR TOWNBaltimore’s Vagabond Theatre, a com-

munity theater, offers a productionof Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about small-townfamily life that features three pairs ofreal-life family members, including thecasting of son and father Will and ChipMeister, and daughter and father Ryanand Brian Gunning. And then there’sthe two people running the show: EricC. Stein as director and his wife AngelaStein as stage manager. Closes thisSunday, Feb. 7. Vagabond Theatre, 806S. Broadway, Baltimore. Tickets are$12. Call 410-563-9135 or visit vaga- bondplayers.org.

MUSIC21ST CENTURY CONSORTThe Smithsonian American ArtMuseum’s contemporary musicensemble-in-residence presents“Crosscurrents,” a program drawingon the transatlantic modernist influ-ences evident in the museum’s exhibi-tion of the same name. The programincludes Bela Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion , John Adams’ Hallelujah Junction, Eugene O’Brien’sClose Harmony and Luciano Berio’sCircles featuring soprano Lucy Shelton. Artistic director Christopher Kendallleads the 21st Century Consort, which

STONE TAPE PARTYD.C.-based, female-driven theatercompany Nu Sass Productions offersDanny Rovin’s play, which won BestComedy and Best Show Overall atCapital Fringe 2014. Angela Kay Pirkodirects an all-female cast in a quick-witted tribute to the post-collegestruggles — from hedonism to misan-thropy — of the Millennial Generation.Briana Manente leads a cast also

including Ariana Almajan, Jill Tigheand Casey Leffue. Closes this Sunday,Feb. 7. Atlas Performing Arts Center,1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $30.Call 202-399-7993 or visit nusass.com.

SWEAT Arena Stage offers a world-premiereproduction, co-commissioned with theOregon Shakespeare Festival, of a newgripping tale about loss

metro weekly - 02-04-16 - doug shantz / nellies

Documents