CONTENTS

MAY 31, 2018 Volume 25 Issue 1

12 NOVEL IDEAS
André Aciman and Becky Albertalli didn’t set out to create
seminal works of gay fiction, but that’s exactly what
happened.

26
By Randy Shulman

ROMANCING THE STAGE

In The Remains, Maulik Pancholy portrays half of a gay
couple in crisis. His own marriage, however,
couldn’t be better.

Interview by André Hereford | Photography by Todd Franson

35 REIGNING MEN
Camelot is an intriguing, well-acted philosophical
drama inflamed by lust and betrayal.
Pity about those songs, though.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10
NOVEL IDEAS: ANDRÉ ACIMAN AND BECKY ALBERTALLI p.12
CLASSICAL PRIDE: THE WASHINGTON CHORUS p.16 THE FEED: WAGE WARS p.21
COMMUNITY: HIP TO SQUARE p.23 ROMANCING THE STAGE: MAULIK PANCHOLY p.26
FILM: ALEX STRANGELOVE / GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRÉ p.33
STAGE: CAMELOT p.35 NIGHTLIFE p.37 SCENE: BLACK PRIDE 2018 p.37 LISTINGS p.38
LAST WORD p.46
Real LGBTQ News and Entertainment since 1994
Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley
Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks
Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint Sanjay Patel Cover Photography Todd Franson

Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830
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4 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Spotlight
How to Talk to Girls at Parties
E
VERYONE’S AN ALIEN WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE,” SAYS
John Cameron Mitchell. The actor, writer, and director,
renowned for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, is discussing
How to Talk to Girls at Parties, his new film based on a short
story by sci-fi writer Neil Gaiman. Set in the London suburb of
Croydon in 1977, the enjoyably off-kilter movie follows the bud-
ding romance of Enn (Alex Sharp), a young punk with a puppy’s
vulnerability, and Zan (Elle Fanning), an alien visiting earth for
alarming ritualistic purpose.
“The Romeo and Juliet story of two people who are not
supposed to be together and breaking down barriers is what I
grew up with,” says Mitchell. “I was a queer kid and fighting for
my own identify in the middle of AIDS. Every connection was
charged. Every one night stand had weird poetry in it, of life and
death. These boys and girls caught at the nadir of their culture
in the late ’70s — that was supposed to be the end of the world
for Brits.
“One of the reactions was punk,” he continues. “Which is make
your own culture, do it yourself, pick up your own guitar. Question
authority. Smash the omens and say, ‘Our days are not numbered.’
How to Talk to Girls at Parties opens Friday, June 1, at area theaters.
The aliens, of course,...have a very set system of attrition.”
Mitchell recreates the punk aesthetic onscreen with a faith-
fulness that approaches obsessive. “I love how queer punk was,”
says the 55-year-old. “At the beginning, it was about creativity —
not so much about the laws of punk and what is punk and what
isn’t. I have Elle Fanning’s character continuously asking, ‘What
is punk?’ and no one can quite state it. It’s a slippery term which,
of course, makes it, I think, more resilient.”
Mitchell feels genuine creativity in today’s society has been
sidelined by dreams of instant success. “One of the best ways
to create something is just to do the best version of whatever
is in front of you and not worry too much about what’s gonna
happen after. Nowadays, kids feel that they need to be looking
forward to their IPO for their YouTube channel. But I think it
takes away some of the fun by thinking about how many eyes are
on it, how many bums are gonna get in the seats. It takes the joy
out of creating. So, whether it’s a cabaret gig or an album or your
workshop theater production or your short film, just make that
for what it is, and the rest will come. If you make it good, more
people will want to see it.” —Randy Shulman
MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 7
 Spotlight
TRAYF
Theater J presents a world premiere of Lindsay
Joelle’s play set in 1990’s New York, named for
the Yiddish word for “non-kosher” or “forbid-
den.” Trayf predominantly focuses on the dou-
ble life of 19-year-old Zalmy: a loyal foot soldier
for his rabbi and Orthodox Jewish community
by day, a freewheeling, roller-skating, secular
club kid at night. Derek Goldman directs Josh
Adams, Madeline Joey Rose, Tyler Herman,
and Drew Kopas. In previews. To June 24. The
Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater, Edlavitch
TERESA WOOD

DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $39 to

$69. Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.

THOM HALLER:
PILLOWS AND PRINTS
Miss Pixie’s offers an exhibition of
pillows and prints featuring quirky,
playful pop culture images, all digi-
tal art collages made by a D.C.-based
artist who is in the process of launch-
ing the site popnpillows.com. In all,
there are 47 artworks — 25 pillows
and 22 prints — and all priced under
$100. Opening Reception, with light
refreshments, is Friday, June 1, from
5 to 8 p.m. On display through June
30. 1626 14th St. NW. Call 202-232-
8171 or visit misspixies.com.

STEVEN BLIER
The pleasures of the senses, the glory of the human voice, and the beauty of
love are key themes of this year’s recital, “The Art of Pleasure.” Steven Blier of
the New York Festival of Song leads the program and will be joined by pianist
Joseph Li in accompanying soprano Laura Sanders, mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams,
tenor Piotr Buszewski, and baritone Johnathan McCullough singing songs by
Piazzolla, Léhar, Bernstein, Strauss, and Rachmaninoff. Thursday, May 31, at 2
p.m., and Friday, June 1, at 7:30 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road,
Vienna. Tickets are $48. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.

8 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Spotlight
EMPIRE OF THE SUN
Christian Bale plays a pampered English brat who
matures into an inspiring man of the world in Steven
Spielberg’s visually stunning heroic epic, based on
J.G. Ballard’s autobiographical novel and adapted
by Tom Stoppard. Set in Shanghai before and during
the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II,
Empire of the Sun also featured John Malkovich,
Miranda Richardson, and Leslie Phillips. Released 30
years ago this year. Part of the Capital Classics series
at Landmark’s West End Cinema. Wednesday, June
6, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m., 2301 M St. NW. Happy
hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $12.50.
Call 202-534-1907 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

DAVID SEDARIS:
CALYPSO
The prolific, gay, modern-day humor-
ist returns with his first book in five
years, a collection of 21 essays offering
mordant observations about his fami-
ly and various relations. Yet his focus
with Calypso is more inward and per-
sonal, touching on the inescapable
reality of middle age and advancing
mortality, as well as recounting his
bout with skin cancer and chroni-
cling family gatherings at his Carolina
beach house — all of it presented
with Sedaris’ signature wit and keen
sense of observation. Monday, June
4, at 7 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015
Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-364-
1919 or visit politics-prose.com.

BROADWAY AND THE

AMERICAN SONGBOOK
A showcase of songs from the Great White Way as
performed by local musical theater powerhouse
vocalists Nova Y. Payton, Kevin McAllister, and
Brian Quenton Thorne. Accompanying the soloists
will be the New York jazz ensemble Peter and Will
Anderson Trio and pianist Frank Conlon. Part of
the Roth Concert Series. Sunday, June 3, at 5 p.m.
Annunciation Catholic Church, 3810 Massachusetts
Ave. NW. Free, but donations accepted in support
of the hunger-fighting charity St. Maria’s Meals
and Catholic Charities. Call 202-441-7678 or visit
annunciationdc.org.

MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 9

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOOD & FRIENDS

Out On The Town

CHEF’S BEST DINNER & AUCTION

Forty chefs and mixologists from restaurants in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia come together to prepare dishes and cocktails for
attendees — in the process raising approximately $900,000 for Food & Friends. Ari Gejdenson of Mindful Restaurants Group
(Acqua al 2, Ghibellina) serves as this year’s Chef Chair, and has recruited as key participants Kevin Tien of Himitsu, Harper
McClure of Brothers and Sisters, Carlos Delgado of China Chilcano, Johanna Hellrigl of Doi Moi, and Malkhaz Maisashvili of
Supra. The organization’s executive director Craig Shniderman is this year’s Chef’s Best honoree, toasting his 23-year tenure
as it draws to a close. The night also offers the chance to bid on silent and live auction items from fantastic trips to one-of-a-
kind experiences and private dining opportunities. Monday, June 4. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with live auction bidding around
8:30 p.m. Marriott Marquis, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Tickets are $350. Visit foodandfriends.org/ChefsBest.

Compiled by Doug Rule
FILM
THE ROCKY HORROR
PICTURE SHOW
Landmark’s E Street Cinema offers
its monthly run of Richard O’Brien’s
camp classic, billed as the lon-
gest-running midnight movie in
history. Landmark’s showings come
with a live shadow cast from the
Sonic Transducers, meaning it’s even
more interactive than usual. Friday,
June 8, and Saturday, June 9, at mid-
night. Landmark’s E Street Cinema,
555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or
visit landmarktheatres.com.
UNION MARKET
DRIVE-IN: CLUELESS
A decade before Mean Girls, there
was this coming-of-age rom-com
written and directed by Amy
Heckerling as an updated version
of Jane Austen’s Emma. Alicia
Silverstone, Paul Rudd, and the late
Brittany Murphy starred in Clueless,
which is next up in the monthly
warm weather Drive-In Series at
Union Market. You don’t have to
have a car to take it all in — just grab
a viewing spot in the free picnic
area. Food and beer are available,
delivered to you or your car window
by the DC Rollergirls. Friday, June
1. Gates at 6 p.m., with the movie
starting after sunset at 8:45 p.m. In
the parking lot at 1305 5th St. NE.
Free for walk-ups or $10 per car.
Call 800-680-9095 or visit union-
marketdc.com.
STAGE
AN ILIAD
A few years ago, Denis O’Hare
(American Horror Story) and Lisa
Peterson created a contemporary
adaptation of Homer’s classic war
poem. Conor Bagley directs a local
production with Iason Togias per-
forming all the roles. To June 9.
Lab I in the Atlas Performing Arts
Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are
$15 to $25. Call 202-399-7993 or
visit aniliaddc.com.
BOTTICELLI IN THE FIRE
While painting “The Birth of
Venus,” the famed artist Sandro
Botticelli is put to the test by the
arrival of a conservative priest lead-
ing a populist revolution in Lorenzo
de’ Medici’s Florence. Heralded by
the Montreal Gazette as “the hottest
name in Canadian theater,” Jordan
Tannahill offers an ambitious, mod-
ern story that sounds custom-made
for Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Company. Marti Lyons directs a
production with company members
Cody Nickell, Jon Hudson Odom,
and Dawn Ursula. Now to June 24.
641 D St. NW. Call 202-393-3939 or
visit woollymammoth.net.
CHARLOTTE’S WEB
Virginia’s Creative Cauldron presents
Charles Strouse’s beguiling adaption
of E.B. White’s classic tale, with a book
by Joseph Robinette. Matt Conner
directs a cast led by Will Stevenson
as Wilbur and Abby Middleton as
Charlotte. To June 17. ArtSpace Falls
Church, 410 South Maple Ave. in Falls
Church. Call 703-436-9948 or visit
creativecauldron.org.
GIRLFRIEND
In 1993, Matthew Sweet toured as
an opening act for newly out lesbian
rocker Melissa Etheridge. Sweet’s
power-pop tunes — including 1991
alt-rock album Girlfriend — contin-
ue their LGBTQ appeal and connec-
tion, soundtracking a gay coming-
of-age theatrical tale set in ’90s-era
small-town Nebraska. Lukas James
Miller and Jimmy Mavrikes star
as a college-bound jock and his
first boyfriend. Directed by Matt
Gardiner. To June 17. The Ark,
4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call
703-820-9771 or visit sigtheatre.org.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS
WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) is J.
Pierrepont Finch and Betsy Wolfe
(Broadway’s Waitress) is his love
interest in the Kennedy Center’s
final Broadway Center Stage of
the season. The semi-staged con-
cert production of the musical
lampoon of mid-20th Century cor-
porate America is celebrated for
Frank Loesser’s buoyant score, and
a sharp book Abe Burrows, Willie

10 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Gilbert, and Jack Weinstock. With
Michael Urie and Nova Y. Payton.
Opens Wednesday, June 6. To June
10. Kennedy Center Eisenhower
Theater. Tickets are $59 to $175.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kenne-
dy-center.org.

KLECKSOGRAPHY:
COLLECTIVE INK
Six new 10-minute stage works will
be produced in a limited-run pro-
duction via a collaboration among
six theater companies across the
city led by Rorschach Theatre
Company. Named after a childhood
game that later inspired Hermann
Rorschach’s famous Inkblot Test,
Klecksography embraces the met-

NOVEL IDEAS
aphor of that test by having all six
plays take inspiration from just two
prompts, allowing each company’s
aesthetic to influence the eventu-
al storytelling and performance.
André Aciman and Becky Albertalli didn’t set out to create seminal works Joining Rorschach in creating the
new works are teams from Hissing
of gay fiction, but that’s exactly what happened. Black Cat Theater, Pinky Swear

I
Productions, Pointless Theatre,
T SOMETIMES SURPRISES PEOPLE TO LEARN THAT THE AUTHOR OF CALL ME Theater Alliance, and Young
Playwrights Theater. Saturday,
By Your Name is straight. “I’m married and I have three sons,” laughs André Aciman, June 2, at 5, 7, and 9 p.m. Lab
whose popular 2007 novel was the basis for last year’s critically acclaimed gay romance. Theatre II at the Atlas, 1333 H St.
“Creativity is to be able to put yourself in someone else’s skin and body, and go with it. NE. Tickets are $15 to $20. Call 202-
“People ask me how come I know gay sex so well,” he adds. “Well, it doesn’t take anything 399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.
to figure it out, for God’s sakes.” MARTIN LUTHER ON TRIAL
Aciman attributes his book’s success to its universal themes. “It follows a trajectory that’s Touted as “a courtroom drama for
been established for most straight novels. There is no bullying. There is no murder. There is the ages,” Chris Cragin-Day and
Max McLean’s play examines one
no harassment. There is no AIDS. There is really nothing. There’s just the attraction of one of history’s most explosive person-
person to another person. In a summer environment that’s almost festive. All of the senses alities and the religious and politi-
are involved.” cal controversies he unleashed 500
Aciman will discuss Call Me at the Library of Congress on Wednesday, June 6, as part of years ago. Reportedly as funny as
it is far-fetched, the play is styled
the library’s June Pride events. The next night, Becky Albertalli will do similar honors for her as a fantastical afterlife courtroom
young adult novel, Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, the basis for the film Love, Simon. trial for the soul of Martin Luther,
“People want to know why I wrote about a gay teenage boy,” says Albertalli. “But there’s a at which his beloved widow Katie
Von Bora leads the defense and
component of this book that is a love letter to a lot of kids and adults I’ve known, profession- the Devil the top prosecutor, while
ally and personally, who are broadly members of the LGBTQ community.” a whole range of witnesses take
Both Call Me and Simon share similarities in that the parents of the 17-year-old protago- the stand: Adolf Hitler, Sigmund
nists are fully supportive of their romantic choices. The inspirational talk that Elio’s father Freud, Rabbi Josel, St. Paul, Martin
Luther King Jr., and Pope Francis
offers at the conclusion of Call Me, masterfully delivered by Michael Stuhlbarg, is arguably among them. Shakespeare Theatre
the movie’s most powerful moment. Company offers a weekend run of
“The father’s speech was transcribed almost word for word from the book,” says Aciman, Martin Luther on Trial from the
New York-based, Christian-focused
adding “There were a few scenes that were totally seminal. There’s a scene in the square theater company Fellowship for
where the two would-be lovers speak to each other in a very, very oblique way. There’s the Performing Arts as part of a multi-
father’s speech. And the peach scene.” city national tour. Performances are
Ah, yes, the peach scene. “I never have — I can say this very honestly — and I wouldn’t,” Thursday, May 31, and Friday, June
1, at 8 p.m., Saturday, June 2, at 2
he laughs. “I wish I could go to a shrink and say, ‘I came with up this scene, and I don’t know and 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 3, at
where it’s coming from.’ If a character takes a fruit in his bedroom, and you’re writing about 3 p.m. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th
sex all the time, it’s only natural that your mind might go there. But I didn’t just go there, I St. NW. Tickets are $49 to 89. Call
202-547-1122 or visit shakespearet-
stayed on it and had the whole thing.” heatre.org.
There were no such fruit-based encounters in Simon, but Albertalli does point out a
welcome addition to the film that was not in the novel — the mother’s inspirational talk SAINT JOAN
to her son. “Jennifer Garner wanted to add that scene,” she says. “She wanted to create it New York’s brilliant theater com-
pany Bedlam, responsible for last
as a template for other moms. She’s very badass. The real deal... I love that those speeches year’s Sense & Sensibility, returns
existed in both these films. They are the right words for every family.” —Randy Shulman for another stripped-down produc-
tion, this time of George Bernard
Shaw’s Joan of Arc tale. Four actors
André Aciman will discuss Call Me on Wednesday, June 6, at 7 p.m. Becky Albertalli will perform over 25 roles in the spe-
discuss Simon on Thursday, June 7, also at 7 p.m. Coolidge Auditorium, Thomas Jefferson cial engagement. To June 3. Folger
Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE.
Building, 10 First St. SE. Tickets are free, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.
Call 202-707-8000 or visit loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month. edu.

12 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY


QUEERING SOUND 2018
Founder JS Adams has described the annual experimental music event as “an explo-
ration of expression through audio, the digital arts, performance art and spoken word
[with] a non-exclusive curatorial focus towards gay, lesbian, and post gender-identified
participants.” This year’s event includes a related art exhibition running all of June (see
Museums & Galleries). But the focus this weekend is on a multi-act concert with Jassie
Rios, Stephen Spera, Novaparolo (featuring Bev Stanton and Winston Psmith), Analog
Tara, smallcloud (featuring Chris Videll and Beau Finley), and Adams’s own act BLK w/
Bear. Saturday, June 2, at 8 p.m. Rhizome DC, 6950 Maple St. NW. Tickets are $10. Visit
dc-soniccircuits.org.
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Joe Calarco directs Signature
Theatre’s take on Kander & Ebb’s
final musical collaboration, a
breathtaking critique of a true story
of racism and injustice from 1931.
Eight years after The Scottsboro
Boys debuted on Broadway, the D.C.
premiere features an ensemble cast
including Jonathan Adriel, Malik
Akil, Christopher Bloch, Chaz
Alexander Coffin, Felicia Curry,
C.K. Edwards, DeWitt Fleming
Jr., Andre Hinds, Darrell Wayne
Purcell, Aramie Payton, Lamont
Walker II, Joseph Monroe Webb,
and Stephen Scott Wormley, with
choreography by Jared Grimes.
To July 1. MAX Theatre, 4200
Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-
820-9771 or visit sigtheatre.org.
COMMUNITY
STAGE
LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE
Spotlighters presents a series of
monologues written by the late
Nora Ephron with her sister Delia
Ephron, based on a book by Ilene
Beckerman. A hit Off Broadway at
the turn of this decade, the stories
14 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
in the work largely revolve around
the theme of women and fashion.
And yet, as Nora once described
the book, “It is not about fashion;
it is about what clothes really are
to us, those moments when we are
constantly trying to find our iden-
tity through them.” Weekends to
June 10. Spotlighters Theatre, 817
St. Paul St., Baltimore. Tickets are
$18 to $22. Call 410-752-1225 or
visit spotlighters.org.
THE NANCE
The “nance” — as in Nancy boy,
or effeminate homosexual — was
a stock character in burlesque and
vaudeville shows in 1930s New
York, when it might have been pop-
ular to play gay on stage, for laughs,
but certainly not to be gay in reality.
The play The Nance shines a light
on that honest-to-goodness chapter
in history that even few gay peo-
ple know about. Alexandria’s Little
Theatre offers the first area produc-
tion of the entertaining and infor-
mative comedy, a three-time Tony
winner from Douglas Carter Beane
(Little Dog Laughed, Xanadu) that
starred Nathan Lane on Broadway
in 2013. Chuck Dluhy takes on the
title role at this community theater
in Old Town, directed by Frank
BLK w/Bear
D. Shutts II. Opens Saturday, June
2. Runs to June 23. 600 Wolfe St.,
Alexandria. Tickets are $19 to $23.
Call 703-683-0496 or visit thelittle-
theater.com.
MUSIC
ÁUREA
Áurea Isabel Ramos de Sousa
emerged as a Portuguese soul sing-
er in 2008, becoming a coach on
The Voice Portugal in 2015. Áurea
performs a concert at the Kennedy
Center presented in collaboration
with the Embassy of Portugal and as
part of the free, nightly Millennium
Stage programming. Sunday, June
3, at 6 p.m. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.
BALTIMORE SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA, KIRILL GERSTEIN
Kirill Gerstein performs Gershwin’s
jazzy Piano Concerto as part of a
program led by the BSO’s Marin
Alsop, also featuring Stravinsky’s
dazzling Suite from The Firebird
and Schumann’s incredibly per-
sonal Symphony No. 2, expressing
the conductor’s triumph over dark-
ness. Thursday, March 31, at 8 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Also Friday, June 1, and Saturday,
June 2, at 8 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff
Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St.,
Baltimore. Tickets are $30 to $99.
Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomu-
sic.org.
BARRY MANILOW
W/MICHAEL LINGTON
A year after finally, officially com-
ing out, Manilow will come to the
area over Capital Pride weekend to
perform two concerts at Wolf Trap,
supported by a Danish-American
jazz/soul saxophone-playing com-
poser. Friday, June 8, and Saturday,
June 9, at 8 p.m. The Filene Center,
1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are
$45 to $125. Call 877-WOLFTRAP
or visit wolftrap.org.
CHRISTOPHER HOULIHAN
Recently touted by the Los Angeles
Times as “the next big organ tal-
ent,” the newly appointed Chair of
Chapel Music at Trinity College
in Hartford, Connecticut, offers a
recital to dedicate the new Casavant
Frères Pipe Organ at Capitol Hill’s
Christ Church, Washington Parish.
Historic parishioners of this, the
first church built in Washington
over 200 years ago, include Thomas
Jefferson and John Philip Sousa.
Presented by Classical Music
Communications, Houlihan will
perform works for organ by JS Bach,
Robert Schumann, Louis Verne, and
Herbert Howells. Sunday, June 3, at
5 p.m. 620 G St. SE. Free, including
post-show reception. Call 202-547-
9300 or visit washingtonparish.org.
JAZZ IN THE GARDEN: US ARMY
BLUES SWAMP ROMP
A summertime staple, the National
Gallery of Art offers free outdoor
concerts immediately after work
every Friday through late August.
Bands offering a range of jazz styles,
from swing to Latin to ska, per-
form amidst the museum’s collec-
tion of large-scale sculptural works
while patrons enjoy food and drink,
including beer, wine, and sangria, as
sold by the Pavilion Cafe and out-
door grill. The 2018 series continues
with traditional New Orleans-style
jazz with the US Army Blues Swamp
Romp on June 1, followed by ska/
rock/reggae band the Slackers, on
June 8. Evenings from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Sculpture Garden, between 7th and
9th Streets NW. Call 202-289-3360
or visit nga.gov.
LEA MICHELE, DARREN CRISS
The Glee stars embark on their
first-ever co-headlining tour, per-
forming their own songs, as well
as others from Glee and Broadway.
Sunday, June 3, at 8 p.m. Kennedy
Center Concert Hall. Tickets are
$59 to $149, with multiple VIP Meet
& Greet Packages running $299 to
$499. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org.
 MOSAIC HARMONY
This LGBTQ-friendly progres-
sive religious organization per-
forms a program also featuring the
World Children’s Choir and the
Washington International Chorus,
all built around the theme “We’re
Going to Make it, Together (Songs
of Encouragement).” Sunday, June
3, at 5 p.m. Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Fairfax, 2709
Hunter Mill Rd., Oakton, Va.
Tickets are $18. Call 703-281-1767
or visit mosaicharmony.org.

COMEDY
GINA YASHERE
Born in London to Nigerian par-
ents, this lesbian comedian fol-
lowed in the footsteps of John
Oliver to become the current
British Correspondent for Comedy
Christopher Bell Central’s The Daily Show. A Top 10
finalist on Last Comic Standing, the
first Brit to appear on Def Comedy

CLASSICAL PRIDE
Jam, and a recurring guest on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(as “Madame Yashere: The Surly
Psychic”), among her other cred-
its, Yashere returns to her stand-up
The Washington Chorus toasts Leonard Bernstein with a program focused on roots in a run of shows marking
his friends and fellow LGBTQ composers. her headlining debut at the DC

A
improv. Chicago-based comedian/
storyteller Kellye Howard opens.
CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT WHERE LGBTQ PEOPLE AND THEMES ARE OPENLY Friday, June 8, at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.,
acknowledged isn’t an everyday thing, even in a year filled with centennial tributes to Saturday, June 9, at 7:30 and 9:30
Leonard Bernstein. p.m., and Sunday, June 10, at 7 p.m.
DC Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave.
“It’s an interesting conversation to have,” says Christopher Bell. “Whether Bernstein’s sexual-
NW. Tickets are $17 to $22, plus a
ity was conflictive, or whether he was basically a gay man who also married [a woman] and had a two-item minimum per ticket. Call
family. Or whether he was bisexual. Or whether he was polyamorous.” 202-296-7008 or visit dcimprov.
The Bernstein-focused program Bell has assembled for the Washington Chorus doesn’t have com.
that exact conversation. Instead, the focus is on the connections Bernstein had to others on the
LGBTQ spectrum as well as on strong choral compositions, performed unaccompanied. READINGS
“I started by looking at who his friends were, and then started to program around that — pieces
CARL ZIMMER W/ED YONG: SHE
that would go well together,” Bell says. “As I was doing it, I began to realize that actually, as well HAS HER MOTHER’S LAUGH
as the friendship thread, there was this sexuality aspect as well.” As it happens, four of the five A sweeping history of our under-
composers represented fall somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum: Aaron Copland, Louisa Talma, standing of heredity, from Charles
Darwin to the birth of genetics in
Michael Tippett, and Bernstein himself. (Randall Thompson is the straight man out, as it were.) the early 1900s, written by a New
“The music needs to speak for itself, and I believe it will,” says Bell, currently completing his York Times columnist and science
first season as artistic director of the world-renowned chorus. “But [with] this program, we’re writer. In addition to genes from
our ancestors, Zimmer says we
acknowledging the contributions of 20th century gay and lesbian composers [who are] intrinsically
inherit other things that matter as
linked to Bernstein — musically, personally, socially. They were his friends. We have photographs much or more to our lives, from
of them working together, we have photographs of them being on holiday together.” microbes to new technologies. She
All of them struggled, to varying degrees both personally and professionally, living in an era, Has Her Mother’s Laugh weaves
together historical and current sci-
“when LGBTQ support and understanding was not as strong,” says Bell. Yet even in our more entific research as well as experi-
queer-friendly era, there are still struggles and hurdles to face when focusing on this topic. Take ences and original reporting from
Bell, for instance, who was born in Northern Ireland and has spent most of his career juggling work the author, who will be in con-
versation with The Atlantic science
with orchestras and choral ensembles in Scotland and the United States.
writer Yong. Wednesday, June 6,
“A decade ago, I wouldn’t be wanting to have this conversation with you as a gay man,” he says. at 6:30 p.m. Kramerbooks, 1517
“I suppose I didn’t want to be identified as a gay musician. I wanted to be identified as a musician. Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-
This, to me, also marks a very interesting rite of passage, that I feel comfortable to knit this together 387-1400 or visit kramers.com.
in this particular way. I have performed a number of these pieces so many times throughout my LILLIAN FADERMAN: HARVEY
career, individually. They’re pieces I’ve known and loved for a long time. And to be able to knit MILK: HIS LIVES AND DEATH
them together in a single program, with the link of the friendship, with Bernstein and the LGBTQ A deeply researched biography that
chronicles the slain gay leader’s
artists link as well, that’s just extraordinary.” —Doug Rule
achievements as a progressive pol-
itician, from his work in the 1960s
Lenny & Friends is Saturday, June 2, and Saturday, June 9, at 8 p.m., at 10th and G, 945 G ST. NW. with the Society for Individual
Rights to his historic election to the
Tickets are $15 to $47.50. Call 202-342-6221 or visit thewashingtonchorus.org. San Francisco Board of Supervisors

16 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 QUEERING SOUND:
DUST JACKET
The annual experimental music
event takes place this Saturday, June
2 (see Music), and that’s followed
the next day by the launch of a
month-long related exhibition influ-
enced and inspired by Man Ray’s
photograph of Marcel Duchamp’s
The Great Glass covered in dust
motes, Élevage de Poussière. Works
reinterpreting or subverting lyrics,
sound, and musical ephemera from
an assortment of LGBTQ artists and
allies — including Metro Weekly’s
Todd Franson — will be on display,
with a percentage of sales benefiting
the host venue and a queer charity
TBA. Opening Reception with pam-
phlet-binding workshop is Sunday,
June 3, from 1 to 5 p.m. Exhibition
runs to June 30. Rhizome DC, 6950
Maple St. NW. Tickets are $10. Visit
PHOTO CREDIT

rhizomedc.org.

WANDERLUST
The latest thematic group show
from member artists of Virginia’s
Del Ray Artisans Gallery focuses on
GMCW: TRANSAMERICA adventure, travel, and new experi-
After performing the Durufle Requiem with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington back in ences, celebrating the diversity and
February, transgender opera singer Breanna Sinclairé returns to close out the organiza- beauty found in every corner of the
world. Opening Reception is Friday,
tion’s 37th season. Frank D. Shutts II directs a program celebrating all those who identify June 1, from 7 to 9 p.m. On display
as transgender, non-binary and genderqueer, and featuring Vanessa Ford, a board member to June 24. 2704 Mount Vernon
of the National Center for Transgender Equality who is also the mother of a seven-year- Ave. Alexandria. Call 703-731-8802
or visit thedelrayartisans.org.
old transgender daughter. Thea Kano will lead the full, 250-member-strong chorus, its
smaller ensembles, plus the GenOUT Chorus, in performances of songs including “What
A Wonderful World,” “Everyday People,” “Somewhere” from West Side Story, “Who Will FOOD AND DRINK
Love Me As I Am” from Side Show, and “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman. Dancers TAYLOR GOURMET 14TH
will add to the fun, aided by choreography from Craig Cipollini and James Ellzy. Saturday, STREET: LOUD + PROUD DRAG
June 1, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 2, at 3 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are BINGO NIGHT
Ba’Naka and Bombalicious Eklaver
$25 to $65. Call 202-888-0050 or visit gmcw.org. will host round after round of
45-minute bingo sessions at the
Taylor Gourmet shop near 14th and
U Streets NW. It’s all part of a free
in 1977. Faderman, a leading 1600 21 St. NW (opening at noon on KATIE PUMPHREY: FIVE MORE Pride-themed special event with
LGBTQ scholar, shows that Milk’s Sunday, June 3). Saturday, June 2, MINUTES, PART I AND II complimentary salads and cock-
political ideals owed as much to and Sunday, June 3, from 11 a.m. to Through large-scale paintings and tails — and benefiting Casa Ruby.
the Jewish liberalism of his Long 4 p.m. Visit dkmuseums.com. installations, the Baltimore artist Thursday, June 7, with sessions at
Island upbringing as they did to explores the tension between calm 6, 7, and 8 p.m. 1908 14th St. NW.
his later experiences as a gay man. JOANNE KAUFMAN: and chaos — specifically, the anx-
Thursday, June 7, at 7 p.m. Politics CONTAINMENTS iety, excitement, panic, and even
and Prose at the Wharf, 70 District The Washington Studio School monotony that comes from just five NIGHTLIFE
Square SW. Call 202-488-3867 or presents a series of 11 large-scale more minutes of doing something.
visit politics-prose.com. abstract works that explore what Through mid-July, Pumphrey’s DIET STARTS MONDAY: GIRLAAA:
painting does, and does not, manage works on the theme will be on POWERED BY WOMEN
to contain — formally, conceptual- display in both Georgetown and DJ Dominique Wells and the Rock
MUSEUMS ly, aesthetico-historically — within Alexandria as part of a two-part Creek Social Club kick off a new
the space of a canvas. Kaufman, exhibition at two galleries. Part I monthly party held up as one aim-
& GALLERIES a Washington-area painter and
WSS faculty member, took inspira-
opens with a reception on Saturday,
June 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. On display
ing “to create a safe social space
curated by and created for women.”
tion from Agnes Martin, Paul Klee, to July 21, ending with a closing (“Men are 100-percent welcome,”
DUPONT-KALORAMA MUSEUMS
and daily news for the paintings. reception. Susan Calloway Fine the flyer continues, as long as
CONSORTIUM WALK WEEKEND
Opening Reception is Friday, June Arts, 1643 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Call they’re “mindful of the women
The Phillips Collection and four
1, from 6 to 8 p.m. On display to July 202-965-4601 or visit callowayart. around you — don’t be an ass or grab
other historical museums offer
15. Main Gallery of the Washington com. Part II opens Thursday, June one.”) The host venue is the year-
free admission as part of this 35th
Studio School, 2129 S St. NW. Call 7. Opening Reception is Sunday, old Diet Starts Monday, the tiny
annual event. The participating
202-234-3030 or visit washington- June 10, from 4 to 6 p.m. Closing bar/restaurant/retail space at the
museums are: Anderson House,
studioschool.org. Reception is July 22, from 2 to 4 intersection of 14th and U Streets
2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW,
p.m. The Athenaeum, 201 Prince NW that formerly housed the BBQ
Woodrow Wilson House, 2340 S St.
St., Alexandria. Call 703-548-0035
NW, Dumbarton House, 2715 Q St.
or visit nvfaa.org. For additional
NW, and the National Museum of
events and details about the two-
American Jewish Military History,
part exhibition, visit katiepum-
1811 R St. NW (Sunday, June 3,
phrey.com/fivemoreminutes.
only) in addition to the Phillips,

18 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

Joint. The party’s wide-ranging
musical mix of R&B, hip-hop, EDM,
go-go, and dance styles from the
Caribbean will come from the DJ
collective Mxdhouse as well as from
DJs/hosts Ayes Cold, Manesqueeze,
Domo, Shiva, Tashaze, Kleo, and
the Mixstresses. And a portion of
proceeds will be donated to helping
women dealing with domestic vio-
lence. First Thursdays of the month
beginning June 7, at 9 p.m. 2005
14th St. Tickets are $15 online, or
$30 at the door (if available). Visit
girlaaa.eventbrite.com.
ABOVE
AND BEYOND
CHARLES ROSS: ONE-MAN
STARS WARS TRILOGY
Over the years this nerdy comedian
has patented a brand of irreverent,
succinct parodies of popular science
fiction/fantasy franchises, every-
thing from One Man Lord of the
Rings to the more recent One Man
Dark Knight. These CliffsNotes-
esque theatrical shows include
plenty of pop culture references and
side-jokes to broaden the appeal
beyond their core fan bases. Ross
returns to the Birchmere with one
of his originals, whittling down the
first three movies in the Star Wars
franchise, including The Empire
Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Saturday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. 3701
Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.
Tickets are $35. Call 703-549-7500
or visit birchmere.com.
CHARM CITY KITTY CLUB:
THE REAL HOUSEDYKES OF
BALTIMORE!
Baltimore’s premiere queer caba-
ret collective offers a hodgepodge
of delights in the weeks leading
up to Pride. Performers include
rebellious local burlesque troupe
Bunns of Steele, D.C.-based “nerd-
core rap band” Wreck The System,
singer-songwriter Zoë Ravenwood,
comedian and Laughfinder podcast-
er Violet Gray, and playwright Kate
Bishop, presenting a new original
one-act SLUR. All that plus “sur-
prises from your favorite kitties
too.” Friday, June 1, and Saturday,
June 2, starting with cocktails at 7
p.m. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45
West Preston St. Baltimore. Tickets
are $10 to $15. Call 410-752-8558 or
visit theatreproject.org.
INVOKE YOUR PRIDE: A NIGHT
AT THE AFRICAN ART MUSEUM
Smithsonian at 8, a younger, hip-
per event series organized by
Smithsonian Associates, offers a
notable Pride-pegged after-hours
event at the National Museum of
African Art. The focus is on the
museum’s recent acquisition of
two deeply personal and mesmer-
izing videos by Kenyan artist and
singer-songwriter Jim Chuchu.
Through Invocation: The Severance
of Ties and Invocation: Release,
Chuchu commemorates his jour-
ney of coming out as a gay African
man — and also envisions a more
inclusive African future — through
evocative imagery and pulsing
house beats composed by the artist
himself. The videos will be on dis-
play at the museum throughout the
month of Pride, but only on the first
Friday in June can you view them
as part of the Pride-focused eve-
ning affair offering access to other
exhibitions and installations as
well as curators’ talks, cocktails by
Tortoise and Hare, a photo booth by
OM Digital, and music and dancing
with DJ Alkimist — plus a playlist
created for the party by Chuchu.
Friday, June 1, from 8 to 11 p.m. 950
Independence Ave. SW. Tickets are
$30 to $35, or $50 to $60 for VIP
access with open bar and appetizers
from 7 to 8 p.m. Call 202-633-3030
or visit smithsonianat8.org.
ROAD SHOW: INTERPLAY
The Washington Improv Theater
presents a mix of vignettes featuring
different ensembles, with each plot
developed on-the-fly, spurred by a
single audience suggestion. With
Interplay, WIT’s own improvisers
create mash-up performances with
special guests from the worlds of
music, puppetry, poetry, dance, and
more — a new artistic collaboration
creating interdisciplinary hybrids
every week. Each night offers a
different mix of WIT ensembles,
including Hellcat, Martinez, Nox!,
and Bear Trap. Performances this
weekend include collaborations
with additional improvisers from
the live art competition known as
Super Art Fight. Artists with the
kids-oriented PuppetCo. are fea-
tured in shows over Memorial Day.
Weekends to June 17. District of
Columbia Arts Center (DCAC),
2438 18th St. NW. Tickets are $15
in advance, or $20 at the door. Call
202-462-7833 or visit witdc.org.
THE ASK RAYCEEN SHOW
Rayceen Pendarvis hosts the
monthly LGBTQ variety show, with
the June edition featuring a come-
dy showcase with Anthony Oakes,
Curt Mariah, and the Improv Imps,
with live music by singer Cecily,
and burlesque act GiGi Holliday.
DJ Suspence will kick off the eve-
ning spinning tunes while attend-
ees enjoy drinks from a cash bar,
eat free catered food, and inter-
act with exhibitors and vendors.
Wednesday, June 6, at 6 p.m. HRC
Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island
Ave. NW. Call 800-777-4723 or visit
AskRayceen.com. l
MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 19
 theFeed
WAGE WARS
A ballot measure to eliminate the tipped wage may lead to higher prices
and layoffs at local watering holes. By John Riley
B
LAIR ARD’S FUTURE IN D.C. COULD DEPEND
on the outcome of a vote next month. An openly gay
23-year-old bartender and server at Ruta del Vino in
Petworth, Ard is among those workers who will be directly
impacted by a new ballot measure, Initiative 77. If approved
by voters on June 19, it would eliminate the wage system
where servers are paid a lower hourly wage while supple-
menting their earnings through tips.
Servers and bartenders are currently paid a minimum
wage of $3.33 an hour, but make most of their income
through tips. Employers
are currently required by
law to compensate the
workers if they don’t earn
enough tips to reach the
standard minimum wage
of $12.50.
Initiative 77 would
eliminate the so-called
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK LEE
“tip credit,” elevating
servers to the mini-
mum wage of $12.50 an
hour, equivalent to what
workers in other indus-
tries earn. The hourly
rate would rise to $15 an
hour by 2020, with future
increases tied to inflation. Supporters of the measure argue
that eliminating the tip credit would ensure that servers and
bartenders receive steadier incomes, benefit from better
job security, and be less vulnerable to sexual harassment
because their income is not reliant on tips from potential
harassers.
But many service industry workers say that, with tips,
they make more per hour than they would receiving min-
imum wage. They fear reduced take-home pay will force
them to make significant cutbacks or to seek employment
outside the restaurant industry.
“When I first heard about Initiative 77, I thought, ‘Oh,
cool,’” Ard says. “But after I started reading up on it, I was
like, ‘This is going to be the death of my life in D.C.’ If it
passes, I wouldn’t be able to afford where I live, and I might
even have to find a new place to work.”
Elliott Soufiane, 29, a bartender and server at Duplex
Diner in Adams Morgan, estimates that if the tip credit is
eliminated, patrons will tip less — or not at all. Fewer tips
means he could lose anything from $9,000 to $20,000 a year.
“The way everyone’s presenting this [initiative] sounds
great. It’s ‘These poor people are getting paid $3.33 per hour.
Give them more money. They work hard for it,’” he says.
“What they’re not being told or factoring in is that those of
us who work hard and are good at our jobs already make $15
an hour or more. That’s why we haven’t complained.”
Soufiane, who’s been working in the service industry
since age 16, says that he, like Ard, could soon be looking for
housing elsewhere if he’s limited to earning $15 an hour with
very few tips.
“I don’t know that I’d have to move out of the city,”
says Soufiane, who lives in the U Street corridor. “But I
don’t know whether I’d be able to afford my apartment. So
I’d have to move to another quadrant, and then I’d be fac-
toring in transportation
costs, which wouldn’t be
easy, given the late hours
and not being able to take
Metro or a bus back. I’d
have to Uber, or Lyft, or
what have you. That very
quickly adds up.”
Others say they
wouldn’t even bother to
continue working if the
tip credit is eliminat-
ed, including Vadim, a
39-year-old employee at
a Logan Circle gay bar
who asked that his real
name not be used. He
says that if tipping is eventually phased out, he could lose
between 60 and 70 percent of what he grosses on a typical
weekend.
“If the tip credit is stopped, I’d probably need a minimum
wage of $30 an hour,” he says. “I wouldn’t even work for just
$15 an hour and no tips.... I would look elsewhere.”
In response to Initiative 77, a coalition of tipped employ-
ees, managers, and owners of bars and restaurants has
formed NO2DC77, a political action committee that is trying
to encourage voters to reject the measure. No2DC77 has
successfully convinced District politicians, including Mayor
Muriel Bowser, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and six
other councilmembers, to oppose Initiative 77.
John Guggenmos, the chair of NO2DC77 and co-owner of
Town Danceboutique, Number Nine and Trade, takes issue
with the way the initiative is worded — including its reitera-
tion of provisions that are already law — in order to hide its
intended purpose.
“If this passes, it’s going to change all the gay bars in
D.C.,” he says. “We’re going to see prices go up. There’s no
other way around it. We’re going to see a service charge....
[The money] has to come from somewhere.”
“Paul”, a bartender and manager of another gay bar who
asked that his identity not be disclosed, doesn’t believe rais-
MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 21
 theFeed
ing the hourly wage would immediately eliminate tipping, to have to cut down the number of servers. And if we keep
but predicts the practice will gradually wane over time. the higher number of servers at a higher hourly rate, for
As to whether patrons will be hit with higher prices, he smaller businesses that’s going to be really tough.”
says it may depend on what other cuts or savings businesses Andrew Ennis, 29, a bartender at JR.’s Bar & Grill is
can achieve. For instance, a bar that has a cleaning service “baffled” that people are pushing for Initiative 77. “The rea-
might choose to cut back on expenses by having the employ- son I got into bartending was because you can pretty much
ees come in on their time off and clean the establishment make your own income,” he says. “If you want to make good
themselves. money, be good, be polite, be attentive to your customers. If
The chief organization pushing Initiative 77 is the New not, so be it.”
York-based Restaurant Opportunities Center United, an Ennis would have to find a new career if Initiative 77
organization advocating for better working conditions passes, because even at a $15 hourly rate, he’d only earn
and a “fair wage” for servers. $600 weekly before taxes. Under
Christopher Cormier Maggiano, the current system, he’s managed

“If this
a board member of Restaurant to earn $600 in a single night.
Opportunities Center Action, the Based on conversations he’s
group’s political action arm, says had with customers, Ennis says

passes,
he is supporting Initiative 77 based patrons would tip less — and many
on his own experience as a waiter would even frequent the bar less
during high school and college. He often — if prices go up or bars

it’s going
expresses concern for employees begin tacking on a service charge.
who are forced to accept sexual He adds that some bars might even
harassment at the hands of cus- institute a cover charge to help

to change
tomers or employers. He also has finance the higher payroll costs.
concerns about enforcing laws like Benjamin Gander, 36, a gen-
the requirement that employers eral manager at Number Nine,

all the gay

reimburse employees who make thinks some voters are unaware
less than the minimum wage on that managers are already required
slow nights. to make up the difference if a

bars in D.C.
“That requires a level of worker makes less than the min-
enforcement that can be difficult,” imum wage per hour. He warns
he says. “It puts the onus on the that moving from a tip credit to a

We’re going
employer to track that.” guaranteed wage may reduce the
He also rejects the argument quality of service, as workers will
that having a universal minimum no longer be incentivized by the

to see prices
wage will lead to decreased tips for prospect of higher tips.
service industry workers. Gander, who has been bartend-
“That logic doesn’t make sense ing since college, has been able

go up.”
to me, because the ballot measure to use his tips to increasing his
doesn’t eliminate tipping,” he says. savings and has paid off all of his
“When you look at other cities student loans. “Two-and-a-half
like San Francisco and Seattle, years ago, I bought my first condo,
that have both raised the mini- —John Guggenmos, which I’m very proud of. If the
mum wage, and not had a separate co-owner of Town. tip credit goes away, I don’t know
tipped minimum wage, they both how I pay my mortgage. Minimum
have similar, strong restaurant wage will not cover a mortgage in
industries.” D.C.”
He also says that some studies Gander says that even if patrons
have shown waiters and bartenders in states that have elim- don’t care about how the initiative’s effects will impact him
inated the tipped wage earn about 20% more in wages. By personally, they should care about the impact it will likely
increasing the hourly wage, employees are protected from have on their wallets.
severe fluctuations in their income, even on slow nights. “Number Nine is known for our 2-for-1 special, that’s
But Kelly Laczko, general manager of 18th & U Duplex what we’re built on, that’s who we are,” he says. “Can we
Diner and the nearby Red, White and Basil, disagrees with keep it? I don’t know. We’re going to try to hold on to our
ROC Action’s arguments for eliminating the tip credit. identity, but at some point, that 2-for-1 is going to have to
“Just because something worked in San Francisco go. That rail drink you ordered that’s $6 might go up to as
doesn’t mean it’s going to work in D.C. Each city is unique,” much as $10.
she says, expressing her concern that Initiative 77 will lead “Essentially the cost is going to be put back on the cus-
to price hikes and widespread layoffs as businesses try to tomer,” he says. “Who can afford to drop $200 every time
cut costs. “In D.C., in particular, where we’re looking at a you go out? And D.C. is such a ‘happy hour’ place, where
number of smaller, independent restaurants that are not people go to the bar after work. But if there are no specials,
corporately-owned or parts of chains, we’re definitely going then it’s not very happy anymore.” l

22 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY


THURSDAY, May 31
Join LGBTQ people from all
over the D.C. area for a PRE-
PRIDE SOCIAL HAPPY HOUR
at the Embassy Row Hotel’s
Station Kitchen & Cocktails
Lounge. No cover. 7-9 p.m.
2015 Massachusetts Ave. NW.
Dupont Circle Metro is two
blocks away. Visit gogaydc.org.
Weekly Events
ANDROMEDA
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing and HIV
services (by appointment). 9
a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center,
1400 Decatur St. NW. To
arrange an appointment, call
202-291-4707, or visit androm-
edatransculturalhealth.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB practice
session at Takoma Aquatic
Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van
Buren St. NW. For more infor-
mation, visit swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS run-
ning/walking/social club
welcomes runners of all ability
levels for exercise in a fun and
supportive environment, with
socializing afterward. Route
distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at
7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
For more information, visit
dcfrontrunners.org.
DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s
gay and lesbian square-dancing
group, features mainstream
through advanced square
dancing at the National City
Christian Church. Please dress
casually. 7-9:30 p.m. 5 Thomas
Circle NW. 202-930-1058,
dclambdasquares.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
practice. The team is always
looking for new members.
All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry
Thomas Recreation Center,
1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more
information, visit scandalsrfc.
org or dcscandals@gmail.com.
THE DULLES TRIANGLES
Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at
Sheraton in Reston. All wel-
come. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise
Valley Drive, second-floor bar.
For more information, visit
dullestriangles.com.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-
Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30
p.m. and from 2-5 p.m. at 1525
14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12
p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max
Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr.
Ave. SE. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000 or visit whit-
man-walker.org.
Community
3-5 p.m., by appointment and
walk-in, for youth 21 and
younger. Youth Center, 410 7th
PHOTO COURTESY OF DC LAMBDA SQUARES
St. SE. 202-567-3155 or test-
ing@smyal.org.
STI TESTING at Whitman-
Walker Health. 10 a.m.-12:30
p.m. and 2-3 p.m. at both 1525
14th St. NW and the Max
Robinson Center, 2301 Martin
Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE.
Testing is intended for those
without symptoms. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000
or visit whitman-walker.org.
HIP TO SQUARE
US HELPING US hosts a
Narcotics Anonymous Meeting.
The group is independent of
UHU. 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636
The Lambda Squares are offering a series Georgia Ave. NW. For more
of beginner’s classes for those hankering information, call 202-446-1100.
for a little do-si-do. WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP
W
INSTITUTE for young LBTQ
HEN A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK ABOUT women, 13-21, interested in
square dancing, they recount being taught it in leadership development. 5-6:30
childhood or in school, where it was something p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410
7th St. SE. For more informa-
they were forced to do,” says Joseph Branch, president of tion, call 202-567-3163, or email
DC Lambda Squares. “But there’s a fun element to it, where catherine.chu@smyal.org.
it’s kind of like a puzzle.
“You have a caller and eight dancers in a square, and the FRIDAY, June 1
caller mixes everybody up, and then the original square has
GAY DISTRICT, a group for
to be restored. So it’s the job of the dancers to know where GBTQQI men between the ages
they’re going to put that puzzle back together.” of 18-35, meets on the first and
While the DC Lambda Squares’ weekly club dances, held third Fridays of each month.
8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.
Thursday nights, are not designed for novices, the club is NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
offering “Introduction to Today’s Square Dance” classes on mation, visit gaydistrict.org.
June 14, Aug. 16, and Sept. 27 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and a
weekend intensive immersion class for beginners in the fall Join LGBTQ people from all over
the D.C. area for PRIDE KICK
on the weekend of Oct. 12-14. OFF HAPPY HOUR SOCIAL at
Lambda Squares will have a booth at the Capital Pride Pinzimini Lounge in the Westin
Festival and hopes to round up enough members to pro- Arlington Gateway. Everyone
welcome. No cover. 6:30-8:30
vide some live demonstrations, to further drive interest in p.m. 801 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington,
the club. “At a time when people are looking for activities Va. Ballston Metro is two blocks
where they aren’t as sedentary, square dancing is becoming away. Visit gogaydc.org.
increasingly relevant,” says Branch. “It’s basically a form of
The DC Center’s TRANS
walking. Sometimes we walk faster — it just depends on the SUPPORT GROUP provides
music and the caller.” —John Riley a space to talk for transgender
people and those who identify
outside of the gender binary.
DC Lambda Squares’ weekly club dances are Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at National City Christian Church, Suite 105. For more informa-
5 Thomas Circle NW. Admission is $10 per person for tion, visit thedccenter.org.
non-members. For more information,
visit dclambdasquares.org. SATURDAY, June 2
ADVENTURING outdoors
group hikes 10 moderately
strenuous miles with 1000
IDENTITY offers free and 301-300-9978, or Takoma Park, feet of elevation gain to see
confidential HIV testing at 301-422-2398. mountain laurels in full bloom
two separate locations. Walk- in Gambrill State Park over-
ins accepted from 2-6 p.m., METROHEALTH CENTER looking Frederick, Md. Bring
by appointment for all other offers free, rapid HIV testing. plenty of beverages, lunch,
hours. 414 East Diamond Ave., Appointment needed. 1012 14th bug spray, sunscreen, sturdy
Gaithersburg, Md. or 7676 St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange boots, and about $10 for fees.
New Hampshire Ave., Suite an appointment, call 202-638- Refreshments in private home
411, Takoma Park, Md. To set 0750. follow. Carpool at 9 a.m. from
up an appointment or for more Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro
information, call Gaithersburg, SMYAL offers free HIV Testing,
MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 23
 Station Kiss & Ride lot. Contact Ed,
(301) 606-3086, or visit adventur-
ing.org.
Center Faith, a program of The
DC Center, hosts an INTERFAITH
INTERSECTIONAL COMMUNITY
FORUM. The forum will fea-
ture two workshops focusing
on interfaith work with LGBTQ
and same-gender-loving com-
munities and their allies, and an
exhibit on the history of LGBTQ-
affirming churches in D.C. 1-4 p.m.
Metropolitan Community Church
of DC, 474 Ridge St. NW. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
CENTER GLOBAL, a group focus-
ing on the status of LGBTQ com-
munities abroad that works with
LGBTQ refugess and asylees, hosts
its monthly meeting at The DC
Center. 12-1:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more informa-
tion, visit thedccenter.org.
Center Latinx hosts PEDAL.
PULSE.PRIDE, a multi-city bike
ride for Queer, Trans, Intersex,
Black and Indigenous People of
Color. Ride kicks off from Malcolm
X Park, and will commemorate
both the Pulse shooting victims
and the first LGBTQ movement
organizers like Marsha P. Johnson
and Sylvia Rivera. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Intersection of 16th Street and W
Street NW. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org.
Whitman-Walker Health hosts the
2018 PRIDE WOMXN’S KICKOFF
CELEBRATION, an event honoring
lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans, and
intersex women of the Washington,
D.C. area. $10 Cover. 7-11 p.m. Big
Chief, 2002 Fenwick St. NE. Visit
whitman-walker.org
SUNDAY, June 3
Smithsonian GLOBE, the
Smithsonian’s LGBTQ employee
group, holds an AMERICAN ART
MUSEUM LGBTQ ART TOUR for
the general public. The curator-led,
hour-long tour of the museum
will highlight the works of various
LGBTQ artists, including David
Hockney, Paul Cadmus, Edmonia
Lewis, Mickalene Thomas, Mark
Bradford, and Ellsworth Kelly,
among others. 2:45-4 p.m. F Street
and 8th Street NW. Tour begins at
3 p.m. from the G Street lobby. For
more info, or to RSVP, visit face-
book.com/groups/SIGLOBE.
Weekly Events
LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS
MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH
celebrates Low Mass at 8:30
a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300
Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244,
allsoulsdc.org.
24 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a
practice session at Wilson Aquatic
Center. 9:30-11 a.m. 4551 Fort Dr.
NW. For more information, visit
swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes run-
ners of all ability levels for exercise
in a fun and supportive environ-
ment, with socializing afterward.
Route will be a distance run of 8, 10
or 12 miles. Meet at 9 a.m. at 23rd
& P Streets NW. For more informa-
tion, visit dcfrontrunners.org.
DIGNITYUSA offers Roman
Catholic Mass for the LGBT
community. All welcome. Sign
interpreted. 6 p.m. St. Margaret’s
Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave.
NW. For more info, visit dignity-
washington.org.
FAIRLINGTON UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH is an open,
inclusive church. All welcome,
including the LGBTQ commu-
nity. Member of the Reconciling
Ministries Network. Services at
9:30 and 11:00 a.m. 3900 King
Street, Alexandria, Va. 703-671-
8557. For more info, visit fairling-
tonumc.org.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service,
945 G St. NW. firstuccdc.org or
202-628-4317.
FRIENDS MEETING OF
WASHINGTON meets for worship,
10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW,
Quaker House Living Room (next
to Meeting House on Decatur
Place), 2nd floor. Special welcome
to lesbians and gays. Handicapped
accessible from Phelps Place gate.
Hearing assistance. quakersdc.org.
HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF
CHRIST welcomes GLBT commu-
nity for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130
Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.
hopeucc.org.
HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT
GROUP for gay men living in the
DC metro area. This group will be
meeting once a month. For infor-
mation on location and time, visit
H2gether.com.
INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL
DEVELOPMENT, God-centered
new age church & learning center.
Sunday Services and Workshops
event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. isd-
dc.org.
Join LINCOLN
CONGREGATIONAL TEMPLE –
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for
an inclusive, loving and progressive
faith community every Sunday. 11
a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in
Shaw/Logan neighborhood. lincol-
ntemple.org.
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF
REFORMATION invites all to
Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m.
Childcare is available at both ser-
vices. Welcoming LGBT people for
25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE.
reformationdc.org.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF NORTHERN
VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led
by Rev. Emma Chattin. Children’s
Sunday School, 11 a.m. 10383
Democracy Lane, Fairfax. 703-691-
0930, mccnova.com.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.
services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpret-
ed) and 11 a.m. Children’s Sunday
School at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW.
202-638-7373, mccdc.com.
NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN
CHURCH, inclusive church with
GLBT fellowship, offers gospel
worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional
worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle
NW. 202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.
org.
RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,
a Christ-centered, interracial,
welcoming-and-affirming church,
offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St.
SW. 202-554-4330, riversidedc.org.
ST. STEPHEN AND THE
INCARNATION, an “interra-
cial, multi-ethnic Christian
Community” offers services in
English, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and
in Spanish at 5:15 p.m. 1525 Newton
St. NW. 202-232-0900, saintste-
phensdc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF
ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcom-
ing-and-affirming congregation,
offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia
Rainbow UU Ministry. 4444
Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING
invites LGBTQ families and indi-
viduals of all creeds and cultures to
join the church. Services 9:15 and
11:15 a.m. 10309 New Hampshire
Ave. uucss.org.
UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL
MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-
ing and inclusive church. GLBT
Interweave social/service group
meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m.,
Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th
St. NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.
org.
MONDAY, June 4
Food and Friends, the local D.C.
nonprofit that provides meals to
those with HIV/AIDS, cancer,
or other serious illnesses, holds
it annual CHEF’S BEST DINNER
AND AUCTION, a fundraiser fea-
turing more than 40 of the D.C.
area’s best chefs or mixologists pre-
paring some of their signature dish-
es. The event will feature a silent
auction, and will honor the 23-year
tenure of Craig Shniderman, the
organization’s executive director,
who is now in his last year leading
Food and Friends. Tickets are
$350 per person. Business attire
required. 6:30-11 p.m. Marriott
Marquis Washington, DC, 901
Massachusetts Ave. NW. For more
information, visit foodandfriends.
org/events/chefs-best.
The DC Center hosts a
VOLUNTEER NIGHT for commu-
nity members to lend a hand with
various duties, including cleaning,
keeping safe-sex kit inventory, and
sorting through book donations.
Pizza provided. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org.
TUESDAY, June 5
THE HIV WORKING GROUP of
The DC Center hosts a “Packing
Party,” where volunteers assemble
safe-sex kits of condoms and lube.
7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
WEDNESDAY, June 6
BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s
gay literature group, discusses
Martin Duberman’s 2014 dual biog-
raphy, Hold Tight Gently: Michael
Callin, Essex Hemphill, and the
Battlefield of AIDS. All welcome.
7:30 p.m. Tenleytown Library,
4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Visit
bookmendc.blogspot.com.
Jose Gutierrez, Mr. International
Leatherboy 2002, moderates
AMOR PROHIBIDO, a bilingual
panel discussion with Latinx
Leather LGBTQ leaders discussing
their experience in the leather
community, including issues
of identity, sex, kink, and art.
Panelists include Master Taino,
the author of Mi Propio Yo/My
Own Self, Girl Amelia, Mid-Atlantic
Community Bootblack 2013,
writer Salvador Torres-Martinez,
Ignacio G Rivera, Papi Coxx,
and Leatherman Pup Juaniorex.
Admission is free. Appetizers and
refreshments provided. 7-9 p.m.
The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org.
The LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meets
at the Dignity Center, across from
the Marine Barracks, for Duplicate
Bridge. No reservations needed.
Newcomers welcome. 7:30 p.m. 721
8th St. SE. Call 202-841-0279 if you
need a partner. l
MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 25
 Romancing
the Stage
In The Remains, Maulik Pancholy portrays half of a gay couple in crisis.
His own marriage, however, couldn’t be better.
Interview by André Hereford • Photography by Todd Franson
I
N JUNE 2015, AS MARRIAGE EQUALITY DAWNED
over the entire United States, Ken Urban’s marriage was
coming to an end. The playwright filed for divorce from
the man who had been his partner for 18 years, just as
the nation celebrated the Supreme Court’s milestone
Obergefell v. Hodges decision recognizing every gay American’s
legal right to marry.
Ever the artist, Urban tied together the strains of triumph and
loss to write a play reflecting his experience as a gay man in a
troubled marriage. The result, The Remains, a drama that crack-
les with barbed humor and raw emotion, is now in the midst of a
world-premiere run at the Studio Theatre.
In it, Maulik Pancholy and Glenn Fitzgerald capture part-
ners — Kevin and Theo — who love each other, but who also
are devastatingly close to the end. The actors both bare intense
vulnerability, while still garnering laughs.
With an ensemble completed by Naomi Jacobson and Greg
Mullavey as Theo’s parents, and Danielle Skraastad as Kevin’s
adopted sister, the entire extended family confront the cou-
ple’s marital troubles head-on in a real-time dinner party.
The banter entertains, as the play also reflects how personal
adversity and cultural progress converge in the story of this
gay marriage.
Early in the development of The Remains, Urban shared the
script with Pancholy, whom he had always envisioned playing
Kevin. Nationally known for his TV roles on 30 Rock and Weeds,
Pancholy, who has been married to Ryan Corveia since 2014,
was immediately struck by the play and brought it to Studio
Theatre’s artistic director David Muse.
“I reconnected with David when I was down here doing
Taming of the Shrew [at the Shakespeare Theatre Company],”
says Pancholy. “Dave and I went to grad school together at Yale
Drama. We did so many shows together, but we had not worked
26 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
together professionally in the fifteen years since we graduated.
Our lives went in different directions. I was like, ‘I thought this
would be a great play for you and for Studio.’ I sent it to him,
and we chatted about it, and I think he fell in love with it and
was like, let’s do it — which is pretty incredible, when you think
about theater seasons and the way they’re programmed. The fact
that he jumped on it so quickly was such a gift.”
Muse agrees that the timing worked out well for mounting
The Remains, acknowledging that the conversation about mar-
riage equality has evolved greatly in the few years since the
Supreme Court decision.
“The play is really interesting to us because it’s like a ‘next
gen’ gay play,” Muse says. “This is not a play that one could have
really staged five years ago, because then it was time to either
advocate for an advance in civil rights or celebrate that advance.
So the idea that you could do a play that was investigating this, it
feels very much like a play for now, like now we are far enough
post-overhaul that we can investigate these issues and open
them up and look at some contradictions that we weren’t talking
about years ago.”
Muse adds that one of the main reasons he opted to helm The
Remains is due to his past experiences working with Pancholy.
“When we were at school, he acted in more of the plays I
directed than anybody else,” Muse says. “He’s a big part of the
reason why I’m doing this.”
Pancholy relished the opportunity to collaborate again with
Muse. Yet the actor, who once served on President Obama’s
hand-picked Advisory Commission on Asian-Americans and
Pacific Islanders, also reveals he’s excited to bring a lead Indian-
American character to the stage, pointing out that inclusive
casting hasn’t always been the norm.
“I remember my first year [at Yale] they did a play at the Yale
Rep that had a lead Indian-American character,” he says. “They
MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 27
cast a non-Indian actor from New York to play it. I’m like, ‘I’m
here,’ and they were like, ‘There’s a rule that in your first six
months of school, you’re not allowed to be in a performance.’
For me to have to sit there and watch that happening felt really
uncomfortable.”
But Pancholy feels the patterns shifting.
“I feel like there’s two potential ideal worlds. There’s the
ideal world where we always cast the right people to play the
right parts, and then there’s a world where because we’re so
open and diverse and we’re telling enough stories, that it doesn’t
necessarily matter. People could play different parts.
“But we don’t have that kind of representation right now.
That’s what I like about Indian-American actors onstage. It’s
like, if the part is written Indian-American, I feel like an Indian-
American actor should get that opportunity. We have stories
that we need to tell.”
28 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
METRO WEEKLY: How did you first encounter The Remains?
MAULIK PANCHOLY: I’ve known the playwright Ken Urban for a
long time now. I did a play of his in 2009 called The Happy Sad,
which was at the Summer Play Festival at the Public Theater. It
was super fun. The cast was crazy. Ari Graynor was in it, Eddie
Kaye Thomas was in it, Trip Cullman directed it. He’s directed
Lobby Hero on Broadway. That was the first time I met Ken, and
we just became pretty good friends.
Then a couple years ago, he wrote this play based on his own
experience of the divorce that he went through with his ex-hus-
band. He wrote it based on that, but he also wrote it with me in
mind to play the character that I’m playing now, even though
obviously I didn’t factor into their divorce in any way. I went to
his agent’s office and we did a reading of it just for him to hear it.
That was my first introduction to the play. Then Ken got invited
to workshop it at The Playwright Center in Minneapolis. He was
like, “Will you come out for a week and do this workshop?” At
the end of that workshop, we did two live readings. We had an
audience of 40 or 50 people each night. That was when I really
started to understand the play, and the audience, pretty much
like what’s happening in D.C., was laughing so hard throughout
the first half of the play and then weeping on the way out. I was
like, “This is a great play.”
MW: Was the couple always written as interracial?
PANCHOLY: Yes. The character being Indian was always in the
play. I think Ken had it in the back of his mind that he wanted me
to play this part. That’s what he’s told me anyway.
MW: Is it important for you to portray that aspect of the relation-
ship?
PANCHOLY: I think so. It’s nice to have a real-looking couple
onstage, that we are interracial, that my character’s supposed
to be in his late 30s and Theo’s in his early 40s. They’re human
beings, they’re real people. I think it’s important that we reflect
“Even though we have federal gay marriage, we’re still fighting
for the right to be treated equally. Now the issue is that we can
get married, but do they have to make us a wedding cake?
We’re always fighting that fight on some level.”
diversity onstage. I also think it’s important to the story, because
I think one of the things Ken is playing with, or at least the way
I see it, is discussing these ideas of tragedy.
Kierkegaard, who my character is in love with, talks about
this notion of ancient tragedy, like the Greeks, and that there
was this idea that you can’t escape things about your family, that
you inherit things from your family or from the gods, and that
creates tragedy. One of the things I find interesting about this
play is that Theo has a very different family life than Kevin — and
Kevin, being adopted and being a person of color in Somerville,
Massachusetts, in a Caucasian family, has created a lot of his
trust issues. The fact that he doesn’t get tenure at Harvard
because, from his perspective anyway, he’s a gay man of color, I
think is important in terms of the fact that his job pulls him out
of Boston. The idea of tragedy not just being that these two men
who actually love each other can no longer be together, but also
their life circumstances have influenced that, I think is import-
ant, too. I think Kevin being a person of color, it does seem like
it’s important to the story of the play.
MW: The show gets really intense. Has your husband seen it?
PANCHOLY: He has, yeah. He said he wept at the end. As an
actor, I’m so grateful I was able to move him. I also feel like he
knows me so well, so for him to be transported in that way felt
really nice.
We’ve been together for 14 years, and I think we’re very
happy. We’re nowhere in the state that this couple is in, but I
think that even if you are in a happy relationship, it brings up
these questions around like, are you handling the things in your
relationship that you should be handling in the proper way? Are
you talking about things? Do you have the same perspective on
things? If you don’t, are you shoving them under the rug or are
you actually talking about them?
MW: The play seems to imply that straight married couples and gay
married couples might treat infidelity differently.
PANCHOLY: I don’t know if the play is implying that because
I actually feel like no one’s immune from the infidelity in the
play. Theo’s parents have also had their own infidelities and
have chosen to stay together. There are so many gay plays that
are so important, and they’re having revival moments now on
Broadway, like Boys in the Band and Torch Song Trilogy. There
are so many plays about the struggle to be equal citizens, or to
be treated equally, or to have the right to love. This play is about
gay men going through the same problems that any other human
being would be going through in terms of relationships, and
falling in love, and the tragedy of still being in love and feeling
like your life is falling apart. Although it’s universal in that way,
I also think it is unique. It’s specific in that their relationship is
influenced by things that I think are prevalent in gay culture,
like Grindr and this idea that maybe monogamy hasn’t been
prescribed on gay couples in the way that it was prescribed on
straight couples from an early age. It is specific in that way, and
yet it’s also not treating us differently about the struggle to be
human beings. In some ways, I feel like it’s saying that we go
through the same trials as straight couples, and then on some
level, it’s allowing for the unique perspective of being a gay
couple.
MW: The Grindr influence.
PANCHOLY: Not even just the Grindr thing, but this idea that
part of their decision to get married was that they did truly love
each other, but they also went at midnight when gay marriage
got legalized for the first time [nationwide]. They were one of
the first gay couples to get married. There’s a certain sweep in
that it’s different than a straight couple deciding to get married.
I think it’s all of that.
Part of what’s cool about this play is that on some level, every-
one in this room has pinned expectations and hopes on this cou-
ple, because they had to fight harder for the right to be together.
It’s a tough thing to saddle a relationship with. And even though
we have federal gay marriage, we’re still fighting for the right to
be treated equally.
Now the issue is that we can get married, but do they have
to make us a wedding cake? We’re always fighting that fight on
some level. I feel like we have this perception that we have to put
ourselves out there as these perfect forms of love. In fact, love is
complicated, and love falls apart, and we shouldn’t have to carry
that burden [just] to be treated as equal citizens. We should be
allowed to have faults and let our marriages fall apart as well.
MW: It gets messy for Kevin and Theo. Is it cathartic, or is it scary
acting that?
PANCHOLY: I’m lucky because our ensemble is amazing. Glenn
Fitzgerald is, I think, phenomenal in the show and so easy to play
[opposite]. I think we allow ourselves to be vulnerable with each
other, and to go to some pretty dark places, but it can feel safe.
When you’re playing a character, you’re holding all these things.
I feel like Kevin’s a character who has created a world where
MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 29
he doesn’t let a lot of people in because he has been let down
so many times. He was abandoned by his real parents, and then
adopted into a family of alcoholic parents. I think the catharsis,
in a way, is being able to say all these things that I’ve been hold-
ing inside, I now get to say and put them out. Sometimes you
leave the stage and you’re like, “Oh my god, what just happened
up there?” You can feel pretty naked sometimes, pretty vulnera-
ble, but I feel really safe on stage too because all the other actors.
We’re really like a family unit, which is great.
MW: With regards your activist work, do you keep track of what the
White House Initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders
is doing?
PANCHOLY: I do. I was actually on a group [within the Initiative]
called the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian-Americans
and Pacific Islanders, which I’m now very careful to call
President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian-Americans
and Pacific Islanders so that there’s no wrong association.
MW: You and nine other members left the commission. What are
they doing now, and why did you and the other members leave?
PANCHOLY: I’m not one hundred percent sure what they’re
doing now. I think there are a couple commissioners that stayed
“Part of what this play does is put up something that everyone who’s been
in a relationship will recognize, and they’ll get to go through something that
they might not otherwise get to express in their lives.”
on with the idea that they would be able to do some work from
within that would be harder to do without. For me, I found that
the work I wanted to do, I couldn’t really do while on the com-
mission. As a commissioner, you are sort of tasked with being a
part of the White House.
The big thing that I did during my time there was help
to launch an anti-bullying campaign for Asian-American and
Pacific Islander kids called “Act to Change,” which I’m promot-
ing now at acttochange.org. I found that the rhetoric coming
out of the White House — that was, in a way, actually bullying
— seemed to go against what we were trying to do. There was so
much anti-Muslim stuff and anti-immigrant stuff. It was hard
to say we’re a White House campaign that’s trying to help kids
deal with being bullied for being Muslim or being immigrants.
We actually moved that campaign outside of the White House,
and it still exists right now. I’ve kept that work alive, and we’re
actively building an advisory board, and fundraising, and doing
all that kind of stuff to keep it active.
We’re trying to build a youth activation program where we
bring together young people from different schools across the
country and ask them about their experiences about bullying,
and then have them come up with solutions that they could
then take back to their schools and give them the materials and
training that they might need to do that. This idea that instead
of being a voice from the outside, kids from inside schools deal
with bullying and create their own cultural sensitivity programs.
We’re still building it right now and fundraising for it. For me,
I didn’t feel like I could do that from within the White House.
I also felt like the things I had signed on for as a commissioner
under the Obama administration were going to be really differ-
ent under the Trump administration, and it wasn’t stuff I was
30 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
interested in doing.
MW: The Initiative falls under the Department of Education. Do
you believe that Trump and Secretary DeVos are sincerely inter-
ested in seeing it succeed?
PANCHOLY: I don’t know because I’m not really on the inside of
it anymore, but I can say when we had discussions around what
that might look like as we saw the end of the Obama administra-
tion happening, there was this idea that a lot of the things that
we were fighting for were things like the Affordable Care Act,
and DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, things like
that. I think one of the things we thought would probably hap-
pen is that the focus would probably shift to business and grow-
ing business interests and stuff like that in the Asian-American
community. I don’t know if that’s what they’re doing or not, but
that it would just be a shift in values.
MW: That’s a valid direction.
PANCHOLY: Yeah, [but] that’s not really why I joined. I think
there was this idea that when we were there, we were a mouth-
piece for the community and organizations on the ground to
reach out to the White House and say, “We’re having trouble
with immigration stuff. What are our legal [options]?” We didn’t
think we’d be able to provide those kinds of resources anymore,
and that didn’t feel like something that I and many of the com-
missioners felt comfortable not being able to do.
MW: Did you stand up and walk out of a conference room, or did
you resign by letter?
PANCHOLY: We tendered a letter of resignation.
MW: It wasn’t as dramatic as a walkout.
PANCHOLY: No. To be honest, that was part of it too. We had
asked for meetings with people that we thought we should have
meetings with to figure out what we could be doing, and they
weren’t being responded to. I think it was February 2017 that we
did it, but the immigration ban had just gone through. Trump
had just announced that, I think. I can’t speak for everybody else,
but I just felt like I can’t do the work I’m doing that I want to do
and be a part of this anymore.
MW: What are your plans after The Remains closes?
PANCHOLY: I just closed a play in New York, Good For Otto, liter-
ally the day before I came down to D.C. to start rehearsals. It was
a new David Rabe play with an insane cast. It was Ed Harris, F.
Murray Abraham, Rhea Perlman, and Mark Linn-Baker. It was
an exhausting three-hour play. There were very funny parts to
it, but it was a three-hour play about mental health in America.
I played a guy who was bipolar and I think had been abused by
a violent teacher as a kid. It was a really demanding play and
really emotionally demanding. We literally closed on a Sunday at
6 p.m. and then I got a 9 a.m. train the next morning, and came
down here to start rehearsals for this. So I need a little bit of
downtime, I think, when we finish up here.
I’m in the process of writing a novel for young readers about a
little brown boy growing up in the Midwest who’s just discover-
ing that he might be gay, and is trying to navigate middle school,
and decides that the only way to get people
to love him is if he’s the best at something.
So he sets out on these missions to prove
that he’s the best at something. I just sold
it to an amazing editor, who I love. It’s an
imprint at HarperCollins called Balzer and
Bray. They edited the book that became
the movie Love, Simon. They also edited
The Hate U Give, which is being made into
a movie. I love them and I’m working with
them, but they’re also wanting more and
more of the book. I feel like it needs to be
really funny and really sweet, but it’s also
something that’s important to me in terms
of the type of work that I’m putting out
into the world.
MW: Do you have a title for your novel?
PANCHOLY: The working title is The Best
At It. It’s very fictionalized, but it’s also
loosely based on my own perspective as
a kid in middle school and the stuff that
I went through. I went to middle school
in a couple different places. We moved
around a lot. I was living in Indiana from
two to seven. Then I was in Texas for a
year, in Houston, Texas. Then we moved
to Tampa, Florida. I have these different
perspectives. The book takes place in the
Midwest just because I feel like those early
years were formative for me, and it feels
like a nice place to set the book.
MW: This seems to be a moment now of teen
gay romance stories. How do you think this
book would fit into that?
PANCHOLY: When I was shopping it
around, I met with a bunch of different
publishers. I think consistently across the
board, people were saying that there has
been more of an LGBT presence in the
young adult space, which is a little bit
older, like the Love, Simon age, I guess,
or The Hate U Give kind of age. It’s sort
of new, but there isn’t as much of it in the
middle grade space. I don’t know if it’s
brand new, and certainly the voices of peo-
ple of color that might be also experienc-
ing sexuality stuff. I think a lot of people were interested in it for
that reason. I read some article in the New York Times about this that a young person will read it and be like, I recognize that, or
— there’s actually not a lot of kids of color and girls that are lead maybe I’m doing the same thing this kid is and I don’t have to.
characters in young people’s books. It’s still a pretty straight, Not that there’s a message or this is what you should change
white-dominated world for some reason. I think it’s important. in your life, but that it’s more just a recognition in a way. I see
I certainly know that when I was in middle school, if I had read myself in that, and seeing myself makes me feel a little less
a book about a gay brown middle schooler, I would’ve been like, alone in the world.
that makes sense. I don’t have to be so scared or so alone. MW: Alec Baldwin has his great Trump, and Tina Fey has her
I think as an artist, that’s kind of what I feel like I’m always Sarah Palin. Who would be your signature political character?
trying to do — even with The Remains. I feel like people in real PANCHOLY: There’s some people, like the Bobby Jindals of the
life, we don’t get to experience our emotions in the way that world, that I feel could be parodied.
we probably should give them the space to be felt. I think peo- MW: Jindal would be good. I don’t know if Ajit Pai is too obvious.
ple come to the theater to feel things. I think that part of what PANCHOLY: I’d take obvious. I think that’s kind of the point. l
this play does is put up something that everyone who’s been
in a relationship will recognize, and they’ll get to go through The Remains runs until June 24 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th
something that they might not otherwise get to express in their Street, NW. Tickets are $20 to $85. Call (202) 232-7267, or visit
lives. That’s important, and I’m hoping with a book like this, studiotheatre.org.

MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 31

 Movies

Zolghadri) suggests, just have a man-crush

on a gay guy.

Gospel Truths
Alex Strangelove is a teen sex comedy with a gay twist,
while a new documentary peeks under the skirts
of André Leon Talley. By André Hereford
Johnson’s script cleverly acknowledg-
es that, while adults these days face their
own challenges making sense of identity,
sexuality, and proper terminology, it must
be a whole other struggle for young people
to grasp the breadth of identity contained
in every letter of the LGBTQIA spectrum.
Dell and Alex debate in one scene whether

T
maybe life was easier before 17-year old
HE NETFLIX ORIGINAL TEEN COMEDY ALEX STRANGELOVE ( ) boys had to consider if they’re polyam-
introduces its protagonist quipping animal kingdom analogies about his high orous or omnisexual.
school. But anyone who knows the classic high school comedy Mean Girls will Strangelove gets a lot of comic mileage
recognize his web-series Savage Kingdom High as a patented Cady Heron move, merely out of Zolghadri’s constantly exasperated
updated for the Youtube generation. Dell, who also delivers a good pep talk.
Written and directed by Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins), the film appears at first Dell is involved in a horrendous moment
prepared to lean past homage into just lifting from the best coming-of-age comedies. of gross-out comedy that you might see
But it quickly course-corrects, veering towards its own quirky brand of R-rated horny coming, but it still gets the dirty job done.
teen pastiche. Combining elements from everybody-must-get-laid film franchises like Too bad guffawing crowds don’t come
Porky’s and American Pie, with the suburban melodrama of John Hughes romances, with a Netflix subscription.
Alex Strangelove finds novel and occasionally hilarious ways to spin the familiar into For the most part, relative newcomer
something fresh. Doheny isn’t as funny, but he’s a com-
First, junior class president Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) isn’t a hormone-addled pelling romantic lead. Marziale’s Elliott
outsider. He’s a seemingly well-liked kid, who early on is happily paired up with cool, might be a bit too gay-movie teen dream,
movie-quoting girlfriend Claire (Madeline Weinstein), co-host of Savage Kingdom. dancing around to early B-52s in a tight
Alex and Claire are deeply invested in their relationship and in losing their virginity to Keith Haring t-shirt. Luckily, the two
each other, before the film throws a major complication into the mix: Alex finds himself spark together, and their chemistry over-
hotly attracted to out gay Elliott (Altered Carbon’s Antonio Marziale). comes their equally distracting, though for
Alex and Elliott meet-cute at a raging high school house party, and soon are hanging different reasons, mops of chestnut hair.
out and taking trips into the city to see bands in Brooklyn. The movie dangles the possi- Doheny also shares a bubbly, true-feel-
bility that Alex might be bisexual. Or, he might, as his straight-talking bud Dell (Daniel ing rapport with Weinstein (whose IMDB

MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 33

page notes point-blank that she is not related to Harvey). Alex
Strangelove gains dimension by depicting the title character’s
coming out as a journey that involves Claire too. Often these cin-
ematic coming-out journeys leave that last girlfriend stranded in
the margins, tearfully pining for her Elio or Simon.
Here, the story and Weinstein’s performance make Claire
someone who has as much innocence to lose, and as much to
learn about libido, as Alex does. Their shared coda emphasizes
that his story and her story are being lived out in some fashion
by teens everywhere.
AMAZING LIFE STORIES LIKE THAT of André Leon Talley
aren’t told every day. He certainly isn’t the first art, fashion and
literature-obsessed young black male to skip away from the
American South and live a gay, high life in New York, London or
Paris. And, as surely as a new documentary about the legendary
Vogue fashion editor will light a fire for some impressionable
design-obsessed teen, Talley won’t be the last picked-on gay kid
to find the means to create himself out of what he loves.
The Gospel According to André ( ) smoothly mixes
full-access footage of Talley’s celeb-filled social and professional
spheres with interviews and narration over photos and stock
footage to yield a solid biography.
As a child, André was left by his parents in the care of his
strict grandmother, who raised him in the church in Durham,
North Carolina. It was a world of Sunday best suits, dresses, and
The Gospel According to André is rated PG-13, and opens at the Landmark West End Cinema on Friday, June 1.
Visit landmarktheatres.com.
Alex Strangelove is not rated, and is available on Netflix starting Friday, June 8. Visit Netflix.com.
34 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
hats for every season — real black American fashion. The book-
ish youth was inspired as much by his life as by the stories and
photos in Vogue magazine, an escape he had to trek across town
to flip through every month.
In Talley’s esteemed opinion, fashion uplifts the spirit, and
the film, directed by Kate Novack, conveys what he means — and
what he’s meant to fashion — by showing him in his element:
spreading his wings as a student at Brown University, on the
red carpet at the Met Gala, or strolling through the Condé Nast
fashion archives.
Talley understands what clothes mean to self-expression,
and the filmmakers seem to understand both him and his mes-
sage. And the fashion plates who pop up throughout the film,
from Gisele to Marc Jacobs to Rihanna and Anna Wintour, all
seem to get the larger-than-life Talley and his purpose, in a por-
trait that generally celebrates the garment industry.
On the flip side, the film also mirrors its subject in its brash
willingness to plow ahead into subjects he knows you’re won-
dering about, but might be afraid to bring up, like his weight,
which is substantial, and his love life, which he claims is non-
existent, or the discrimination he’s faced in the fashion world.
It hasn’t all been shiny brocade capes for Talley, and yet he’s
maintained a brightness that cannot be cloaked. “I live for beauty
and style,” he declares. The Gospel According to André speaks his
language, and takes on the delightful personality of its volumi-
nous star — but almost nothing could match his style. l
SCOTT SUCHMAN
Stage

Arthur holds court on scenic designer

Reigning Men
Walt Spangler’s austerely-appointed set
of burnished wood and majestic scale. A
towering wall serves as a backdrop for
battlefields and an enchanted forest that’s
Camelot is an intriguing, well-acted philosophical drama inflamed by dominated by the twisting, silvery branch-
lust and betrayal. Pity about those songs, though. By André Hereford es of an ancient tree. Beneath that tree, a
fading Merlyn teaches his young protégé,

F
and in the tree’s branches, Arthur hides to
ORMIDABLE CRAFT AND INTENT HAVE BEEN APPLIED IN SHAKESPEARE steal a peek at his bride-to-be. It’s a strik-
Theatre’s production of Camelot ( ) to present a version of Lerner and ing and useful centerpiece.
Loewe’s classic musical that connects with modern audiences. For director Alan The other centerpiece, the show’s
Paul and his spellbinding cast, the effort pays off with an intriguing, convincingly acted score, is less impressive. Clark and Silber,
philosophical drama inflamed by lust and betrayal. both wonderful in expressing story and
The production squarely locates the weight of its thrust behind King Arthur’s quix- characterization through action and dia-
otic pursuit of a peaceful, united kingdom ruled not by the sword but by civil law. As logue, do not take memorable command of
the idealistic Arthur, Ken Clark firmly captures the king’s labor to become a worthy the songs. He sings with heart, and offers
monarch. His Arthur strives to be a principled leader — imagine that — but he’s no saint. a warm “How to Handle a Woman,” but
Clark’s layered portrayal reveals the learning involved for Arthur, both from his sound is rarely as lush as his wardrobe.
mentors like the wizard Merlyn (Ted Van Griethuysen) and from his own mistakes. Costume designer Ana Kuzmanic’s
However, according to Merlyn, whatever Arthur learns, he’s fated to make the mistake sumptuous costumes do convey the story’s
of trusting his queen Guinevere (Alexandra Silber) and his most loyal knight Lancelot every mood, but capes can’t carry a tune.
(Nick Fitzer). Silber sounds like she’s pushing to make
Before Arthur and Guinevere are wed, the mere sight of her and pleasure of her the bigger notes count, but better conveys
company stir in him the desire to be a wiser and more just king. Upon being bested in her character through physical gestures.
battle by the knight Lancelot, he’s motivated to earn the right to lead such a champion. Among the three leads, Fitzer’s Lance
Guenevere inspires Arthur to be a better king, Lance inspires him to be a better man. is fuller of voice, and amusingly full of
That the two should betray him together must feel like a devastating blow to the man himself. He delivers a playful “C’est Moi”
and to the ideals of his kingdom — and it does. Paul’s perceptive staging of Jay Lerner’s and an enticing “If Ever I Would Leave
deftly plotted book, based on the novel The Once and Future King by T.H. White, brings You,” and generally integrates his musical
the rise and fall of Camelot into sharp relief. performance seamlessly with every other

MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 35

 aspect of his characterization.
In a brief Act One scene, the nymph
Nimue (Melissa Wimbush) contributes per-
haps the most transporting musical perfor-
mance of the evening in her siren call to
Merlyn, “Follow Me.” Cherish the moment,
as it’s the last to be heard of Nimue, or seen
of Griethuysen’s sprightly wizard, until the
final curtain.
The second act brings at least one other
musical treat in the arrival of Patrick Vaill’s
dastardly, and delightful, Mordred. His rous-
ing “Fie with Goodness” preaches villainy
with verve. Mordred adds a perfectly hissable
spark that enlivens the production’s second
half, as the sexual and emotional tension
of the romantic triangle gives way to the
suspense hanging over Camelot’s inevitable
implosion.
Both the character and Vaill’s performance
serve the production well. Mordred embodies
a crafty political foil for Arthur, and drives
home the tragedy that befalls this dreamer
of a king determined to drag his nation out
of the Dark Ages and into the light of reason
SCOTT SUCHMAN

and civility. Arthur chooses compassion over

anger, unity over jealousy, and believes in the
audacity of hope. He doesn’t succeed, but the
dream survives. l
Camelot runs to July 1 at Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW. Tickets are $44 to $118.
Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

36 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

NightLife
Photography by
Ward Morrison

MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 37


DrinksDragDJsEtc...
Thursday,
May 31
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
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38 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
Scene
DC Black Pride with Shangela at Ziegfeld’s - Friday, May 24
Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene
12-12:30am • DJs 5-10pm • Beer and wine Cover • Elyx Vodka and SHAW’S TAVERN
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Men of Secrets, 9pm •
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Doors open at noon
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MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 39
GREEN LANTERN
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40 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
SHAW’S TAVERN
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MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 41
 2-10pm • Beer and wine
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42 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
Singles Night • Half-Priced
Pasta Dishes • Poker Night
— 7pm and 9pm games •
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm •
$3 rail cocktails and
domestic beers all night
long • Singing with the
Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke
Night with the Sisters
of Perpetual Indulgence,
9:30pm-close
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
Beer $15 • PokerFace
Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards
• Paint Nite, 7pm • Two
Ping-Pong Tables
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with
Jeremy, 7:30pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Tuesday,
June 5
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports • Expanded
craft beer selection •
No Cover
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 3-9pm, all
liquors, beers and wines
up to 50% off • Fibbage
Tuesdays, 8pm — How
good are you at fibbing?
• Free to play with your
smartphone • $6 Any
Flavor Martinis and $7
Manhattans (call liquors) •
thebaltimoreeagle.com
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco
Tuesday • Poker Night —
7pm and 9pm games •
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm
• $3 rail cocktails and
domestic beers all night
long
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
Beer $15 • Drag Bingo
with Sasha Adams and
Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm •
Karaoke, 9pm-close
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Half-Priced Burgers and
Pizzas all night with $5
House Wines and $5 Sam
Adams
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Wednesday,
June 6
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports • Expanded
craft beer selection •
No Cover
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 3-9pm, all
liquors, beers and wines
up to 50% off • Domestic
Bottles are $3 all day •
Team Trivia, 8-10pm •
thebaltimoreeagle.com
 FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6
Burgers • Beach Blanket
Drag Bingo Night, hosted
by Ms. Regina Jozet
Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes
• Karaoke, 10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm •
Bear Yoga with Greg Leo,
6:30-7:30pm • $10 per
class • Upstairs opens
9pm • Lantern GoGo
Dancers, 10pm-2am • $3
rail cocktails and domestic
beers all night long
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night,
8-10pm • Prizes include
bar tabs and tickets to
shows at the 9:30 Club •
$15 Buckets of Beer for
SmartAss Teams only •
Snatched Drag Show, host-
ed by Brooklyn Heights,
9pm • Special guest India
44 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
Ferrah from RuPaul’s Drag
Race • Tickets available at
nelliessportsbar.com
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Thursday,
June 7
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports • Expanded
craft beer selection •
Music videos featuring
DJ Wess
BALTIMORE EAGLE
Happy Hour, 3-9pm, all
liquors, beers and wines up
to 50% off • $5 Pitchers
of Miller Lite all night long
• $3 Well Drinks in Nest
until 11pm, $3 in Tavern
all day • RuPaul’s Drag
Race Viewing, hosted
by Washington Heights,
Whimsy Thrift and Anita
Minute, 7-10pm, in the
Nest • Underwear Night,
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
9pm-2am • For men in • Shirtless Thursday,
underwear, all well drinks 10-11pm • Men in
$2, 9pm-12am • Best Underwear Drink Free,
Underwear Contest at 12-12:30am • DJs
Midnight • Code enforced BacK2bACk
in Code Bar after 9pm •
College Night Thursdays, NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
9pm-2am • EDM Dance Beat the Clock Happy Hour
Party, 10pm-2am • Free — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
admission to the Tavern • $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
Admission to the Nest is Beer $15 • All Leagues
free until 10:30pm • After Night
10:30pm, $5 Cover for
21 and up, $10 Cover for NUMBER NINE
18-20 • thebaltimoreea- Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
gle.com drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR SHAW’S TAVERN
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Karaoke, 9pm Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers
• All-You-Can-Eat Ribs,
$24.95, 5-10pm • $4
Heineken and Corona
all night
TOWN
La Fiesta: 12th Annual DC
Latinx Pride Official Dance
Party “Belleza Latinx,”
9pm-2am • Featuring DJ
Joe El Especialista from El
Zol • $10 Cover • Tickets
available via eventbrite.
com
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4 • RuPaul’s Drag
Race Viewing Party
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers •
DJ • 9pm • Cover 21+ l
 LastWord.
People say the queerest things

“ We were just walking, and

I guess he didn’t like what he saw.”
— CHRIS HUIZAR, 19, to NBC affiliate KUSA after he and his partner Gabriel Roman, 23, were stabbed outside a Denver, CO,
nightclub by Dylan Payne. Payne, 24, shouted homophobic slurs, then approached the men and stabbed Huizar in the neck
and back. Roman was stabbed in the hand while trying to defend Huizar. Payne is currently being held for first-degree assault.

“ Well,
nobody looks to Hollywood for social commentary,
do they?
”
— SIR IAN MCKELLEN, in an interview with Time Out responding to news that Dumbledore would not be portrayed as openly gay in
the upcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel. “They only recently discovered that there were black people in the world,”
McKellen continued. “Hollywood has mistreated women in every possible way throughout its history.
Gay men don’t exist — Gods and Monsters, I think, was the beginning of Hollywood admitting that there were gay people
knocking around, even though half of Hollywood is gay.”

“There are lots of ways to be a man, and

there are lots of ways to be a gay man.
”
And we are all valid and worthy of respect and love.

— NIELS JANSEN, newly crowned Mr. Gay Denmark and the competition’s first ever transgender winner, in a statement. “The
process [of self-acceptance] has been long and draining for me,” Jansen said during the competition. “I have chosen to make
myself vulnerable and have received nothing but support from my fellow contestants and from the organizers.”

“ We’ve known these are issues for a long time, but this is the first time we’ve had Oregon data that
highlights just how bad conditions
can be in our schools.”
— JULIE HEFFERNAN, graduate director at University of Oregon’s College of Education and co-chair of the Oregon Safe Schools
and Communities Coalition, in a statement after a survey revealed bullying and violence against LGBTQ students is rising
in the state. Among the data, LGBTQ students are three times as likely to miss school out of safety fears,
and one in five transgender students has been threatened with a weapon.

“Instead of speaking out,

FIFA is at best turning a blind eye to such
homophobia
”
and, at worst, rewarding it.

— MINKY WORDEN, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, in an op-ed for the New York Times,
arguing that FIFA needs to do more to make this summer’s World Cup — which is taking place in Russia — safer for LGBTQ
people. Warden continued, “FIFA needs to say publicly to Russia that it expects a welcoming atmosphere
for LGBT people at all World Cup events.”

46 MAY 31, 2018 • METROWEEKLY