CONTENTS

DECEMBER 27, 2018 Volume 25 Issue 33

13 WRONGHEADED
In the uproarious The Play That Goes Wrong,
it’s the mistakes that count. Just ask Ned Noyes.

By Doug Rule

THE YEAR IN SCENE

More than one hundred photo highlights
from D.C.-area LGBTQ events and bars taken in 2018.

Photography by Ward Morrison

18
33 SPOTLIGHT: LITTLE BIRD p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10
A LIST IS BORN
Counting down the ten best films of 2018.

By André Hereford

WRONGHEADED: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG p.13

COMMUNITY: SOCIAL BUTTERFLIES p.15 THE YEAR IN SCENE p.18
A LIST IS BORN: THE YEAR’S BEST FILMS p.33
STAGE CRAFT: THE YEAR’S BEST THEATER p.35
HIGH NOTES: THE YEAR’S BEST ALBUMS p.37 NIGHTLIFE p.39
SCENE: TOWN DANCEBOUTIQUE p.39 LISTINGS p.40
NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.41 LAST KISS 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 Town Danceboutique

Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830
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© 2018 Jansi LLC.

4 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Spotlight
JAMES HURTT
Little Bird
I
T’S EXTREMELY LIKELY YOU’LL FALL HEADFIRST
for Little Bird, mere moments after hearing the band’s
2018 release, Familiar. The heady mix of ambient soul,
R&B, and trippy jazz puts them in the kindred spirit catego-
ry to everyone from D’Angelo and Erykah Badu to Australian
jam band Hiatus Kaiyote. And their unique sound is show-
cased by musicianship of the highest order.
Founded in Annapolis by vocalist/guitarist Jay Hurtt
and guitarist James Rubush, Little Bird gained three addi-
tional members when the two friends moved to South
Carolina to, as Hurtt puts it, “pursue higher education.”
The current lineup also includes Noah Jones on keyboards,
Ben Mossman on bass, and Oleg Terentiev on drums.
Occasionally Shelby McDaniel provides additional vocals,
though she’s not always on tour with the group.
In the coming year, Little Bird plans to market itself
Little Bird performs Saturday, Jan. 5, at The Soundry, 10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia. Novo opens the evening. Doors at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $10 to $15. Call 443-283-1200 or visit thesoundry.com. Following Little Bird on Instagram at @thisislittlebird.
through comedic means. “We’re always writing little com-
edy skits in the [touring] car,” says the 24-year-old Hurtt,
noting that 2019 will see a collection of SNL-inspired skits
uploaded to the band’s Instagram account. Meanwhile,
they’re hard at work on a sophomore album, set for a spring
release, with a single, “Ghost of the Yost,” dropping in
February.
On Saturday, January 5, the band will play an intimate
set at the 180-seat Soundry, which the Clyde’s Restaurant
Group recently opened in Columbia as a sibling to the local
chain’s crown jewel, Hamilton Live.
Hurtt is refreshingly frank about what he’d like the
audience to get out of the evening. “We’re working to get
everybody laid,” he laughs. “Everybody should come and
everybody should have a good time and everybody should
get laid at the end of the night.” —Randy Shulman
DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 7
 Spotlight
42ND STREET
Focused on Broadway and the American theater, the
1933 classic, number 13 on AFI’s list of best musicals,
brims with gay appeal. Interestingly, the novel the
movie was based on featured a same-sex relationship at
its center, but the storyline was changed and the film’s
romantic core became strictly heterosexual. Kicking off
the 2019 Capital Classics series at Landmark’s West End
Cinema, 42nd Street features songs by Harry Warren and
Al Dubin, choreography by the great Busby Berkeley,
and a cast that includes Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, and a
young Ginger Rogers. Screenings are Wednesday, Jan. 2,
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 $12.50. Call 202-534-1907
or visit landmarktheatres.com.

PATTI AUSTIN’S
BEBOP HIP HOP ELLA
In addition to a concert celebrating D.C.
featuring neo-soul/R&B native son Raheem
DeVaughn and go-go band Backyard Band,
the Kennedy Center will ring in 2019 with “A
Jazz New Year’s Eve” in which the Grammy-
and Oscar-winning Austin will scat a la Ella
Fitzgerald accompanied by acclaimed R&B
and hip-hop drummer Trevor Lawrence.
Monday, Dec. 31, at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets are
$79 to $89 and include access to the Grand
Foyer New Year’s Eve Party, featuring a mid-
night countdown, balloon drop, and dancing.
Terrace Theater. Tickets are $79 to $89. Call
202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

MAGICAL MUSICAL
HOLIDAY STEP SHOW
The local percussive dance company Step
Afrika! presents its annual holiday step show
intended for audiences aged four years and
up. The focus is on getting North Pole ani-
mals — polar bears, penguins — to step. And
all to music by “Frosty the Snowman,” putting
the needle on the record as special guest DJ.
In addition to the show featuring friendly,
furry characters, this holiday tradition at the
Atlas Performing Arts Center includes pre-
show instrument-making workshops, photo
ops, and a dance party. Runs through Dec. 30.
The Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets
are $25 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or visit
atlasarts.org.

8 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Out On The Town

THE APARTMENT
Set in a New York firm where the women are prey for the higher-ups, Billy Wilder’s 1960 comedy of manners won five
Oscars and would go on to inspire the musical Promises, Promises. Jack Lemmon stars as Bud Baxter, whose apartment his
bosses borrow for “nooners,” while Shirley MacLaine is the amiable elevator operator. Both are part of an extraordinary
ensemble that brings to life Wilder’s witty dialogue and caustic commentary. The National Gallery of Art premieres a new
digital restoration of the film historian Charles Silver said “touched a contemporary, and possibly raw, nerve.” Sunday, Dec.
30, at 4 p.m. East Building Auditorium, 3rd Street at Constitution Avenue NW. Free, with seating on a first-come, first-seat-
ed basis. Call 202-737-4215 or visit nga.gov.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM
COMING TO AMERICA
Eddie Murphy plays an African
prince who travels to the U.S. with
his aide/sidekick Arsenio Hall in
search of romance. In the end, John
Landis’ 1988 film was only moder-
ately funny, but it was a huge hit
at the box office, and a sequel has
been rumored to be in development
at Paramount Pictures for two years
now. The Smithsonian’s National
Museum of American History
offers a special screening of the
film as a toast to its 30th anniver-
sary. Saturday, Dec. 29, at 5:10 p.m.
The Warner Bros. Theater, 1300
Constitution Ave. NW. Tickets are
$6 to $10 plus fees. Call 202-633-
1000 or visit si.edu/imax.
GARRY WINOGRAND: ALL
THINGS ARE PHOTOGRAPHABLE
One of the foremost photographers
of the 20th century is the subject of
an intimate documentary by Sasha
Waters Freyer and constructed
using Winogrand’s own words and
images — including the more than
10,000 rolls of exposed film left
behind when he died suddenly at
age 56 in 1984. The National Gallery
of Art presents a screening of
Freyer’s documentary, billed as the
first focused on the life and work
of this celebrated photographer,
known from his captures of street
life in New York and goings-on in
postwar America. Sunday, Dec. 30.
Doors approximately 1:30 p.m. East
Building Auditorium, 3rd Street at
Constitution Avenue NW. Free, but
seating is on a first-come, first-seat-
ed basis. Call 202-737-4215 or visit
nga.gov.
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Tish is an African-American woman
determined to clear the name of her
husband Fonny, wrongfully accused
of rape, before she gives birth to
their child. The latest film from
Moonlight screenwriter and dir-
ector Barry Jenkins adapts James
Baldwin’s 1974 novel, its themes
of racism and injustice still con-
cerningly relevant today. If Beale
Street Could Talk stars Kiki Layne as
Tish and Stephan James as Fonny.
Critics are already heaping praise
on the film, so don’t be surprised to
see it reappear come awards season.
Now playing. Area theaters. Visit
fandango.com. (RM)
ON THE BASIS OF SEX
Notorious RBG makes her big
screen debut. Felicity Jones is a
young Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a bril-
liant lawyer fighting for equal rights
for women, including in arguments
before the Supreme Court that she
would eventually come to have a
seat on. Armie Hammer co-stars
as Ginsburg’s husband, Martin,
and Emmy-winning director Mimi
Leder is at the helm. This is about
as close as it gets to perfect Oscar-
fodder, but should also hopefully
make for compelling viewing —
Ginsburg’s incredible life achieve-
ments deserve it. Now playing. Area
theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)
VICE
Adam McKay successfully dis-
tilled the 2008 financial crisis into
a simultaneously humorous and
horrifying experience with 2015’s
Oscar-nominated The Big Short.
Expectations are high that he will
do similarly good work with a com-
edy-drama — initially titled Backseat
— about America’s most powerful
Vice President, Dick Cheney, who
was widely believed to be running
the show behind President George
W. Bush. Christian Bale stars as
Cheney, capturing his rise to V.P.,
Amy Adams plays his wife Lynne
Cheney, Steve Carell is Donald
Rumsfeld, and Sam Rockwell is
Bush, alongside a number of other
famous faces from the Bush admin-
istration. Now playing. Area the-
aters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)
STAGE
AN IRISH CAROL
Keegan Theatre presents Matthew
Keenan’s annual homage to Dickens,
with biting Irish humor and inci-
sive candor. Mark A. Rhea directs
a cast featuring Kevin Adams,
Josh Sticklin, Timothy Lynch,

10 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

Caroline Dubberly, Josh Adams,
Mick Tinder, and Jon Townson.
After the Saturday, Dec. 22, even-
ing performance comes a “Keegan’s
Greetings” concert over cocktails
by the Harry Bells, a D.C.-based
horn-and-percussion tribute to the
music of Harry Belafonte. To Dec.
31. 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are
$36 to $46. Call 202-265-3767 or
visit keegantheatre.com.
BILLY ELLIOT
Matthew Gardiner helms Signature
Theatre’s take on the moving
musical from writer/lyricist Lee
Hall and composer Elton John
about an 11-year-old boy who just
wants to dance. The production
features two Billys and two young
ensembles performing in rotation,
along with an adult crew featuring
Nancy Anderson as Mrs. Wilkinson,
Chris Genebach as Billy’s father,
Crystal Mosser as his mother, Sean
Watkinson as brother Tony, and
Catherine Flye as Grandma. To Jan.
6. The Ark, 4200 Campbell Ave.,
Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit
sigtheatre.org.
CHRISTMAS
AT THE OLD BULL AND BUSH
Catherine Flye’s cheery holiday tale
centers on patrons at a pub tell-
ing corny jokes and singing British
music hall songs and Christmas car-
ols. Originally presented at the turn
of the millennium by Arena Stage,
some of the original cast members
return for another holiday run at
Alexandria’s MetroStage includ-
ing sing-alongs and an abbreviated
reenactment of Dickens’ Christmas
Carol, plus a few surprises along
the way. To Dec. 30. MetroStage,
1201 North Royal St., Alexandria.
Call 703-548-9044 or visit metro-
stage.org.
FANCY NANCY’S
SPLENDIFEROUS CHRISTMAS
Nancy has enough money to buy
a brand-new sparkly tree topper,
but when things don’t turn out as
she planned, will Christmas still be
splendiferous? Adventure Theatre
MTC presents a musical geared
toward younger audiences. Stevie
Zimmerman directs. To Jan. 6. 7300
MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo Park.
Call 301-634-2270 or visit adven-
turetheatre-mtc.org.
GEM OF THE OCEAN
The “American Century” dawns
in Aunt Ester’s kitchen, where
Citizen Barlow arrives to have his
soul cleansed by the venerable,
285-year-old soothsayer. Round
House Theatre presents the first
chapter in the late August Wilson’s
monumental decade-by-decade play
series set in Pittsburgh’s African-
American Hill District. Timothy
Douglas directs a cast featuring
Stephanie Berry as Ester, Justin
Weaks as Barlow, Alfred Wilson
as Solly Two Kings, and KenYatta
Rogers as the constable Caesar.
Extended to Dec. 30. Round House
Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway,
Bethesda. Call 240-644-1100 or visit
roundhousetheatre.org.
KINGS
A comedy about money, power, and
American democracy focused on a
newly elected congresswoman who
refuses to play by the rules of lob-
byists or her own party. If ever
there were a built-in audience for
a show in D.C., Alexandria-native
playwright Sarah Burgess’ Kings
is it. Marti Lyons directs a Studio
Theatre production featuring
Nehassaiu deGannes as Rep. Sydney
Millsap and Kelly McCrann as Kate,
a seasoned lobbyist who, it turns
out, isn’t as hardened and jaded as
even she thought. To Jan. 6. 14th &
P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or
visit studiotheatre.org.
OH, GOD
A psychotherapist gets a visit from
a new and desperate patient — God
— in a witty and touching work
by Anat Gov, billed as the “Wendy
Wasserstein of Israel.” Kimberly
Schraf is the therapist who must
talk the divine one (Mitchell
Hébert) off the ledge of despair over
the state of humanity in Mosaic
Theater’s winter holiday produc-
tion directed by Michael Bloom
that launches the 18th season of
DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
the annual Voices From a Changing
Middle East Festival. As part of the
festival, select performances will
be followed by free post-show dis-
cussions exploring resonant themes
in the work with experts in reli-
gion, psychotherapy, and comedy.
To Jan. 13. Atlas Performing Arts
Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are
$20 to $65. Call 202-399-7993 or
visit mosaictheater.org.
THE PANTIES, THE PARTNER
AND THE PROFIT
David Ives adapts and American-
izes the epic comic trilogy Scenes
from the Heroic Life of the Middle
Classes by Carl Sternheim, a
German Expressionist master
of satire from a century ago. The
play follows the Mask family over
the span of a half-century, start-
ing in Boston circa 1950, moving
to Wall Street in 1987, and ending
in Malibu “tomorrow morning.”
Michael Kahn directs Carson Elrod
and Kimberly Gilbert as husband
Joseph and wife Louise in the
Shakespeare Theatre Company
production of a social commentary
about our “near-apocalypse” society
also featuring Julia Coffey, Kevin
Isola, Turna Mete, and Tony Roach,
each portraying various roles. To
Jan. 6. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th
St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit
shakespearetheatre.org.
11

NEW YEAR’S EVE BURLESQUE EXTRAVAGANZA
The Bier Baron Tavern in Dupont Circle and the DC Burlesque Breakfast Club present
a night of variety and comedy led by former Ringling Bros./Barnum & Bailey clown
Jim Dandy and burlesquer Delilah Dentata. Additional performances from burlesque
showgirls Bebe “The Brick Dollhouse” Bardot and Gigi “D.C.’s Legitimate Love Child”
Holliday, plus Arab-American comic Maher Matta. Monday, Dec. 31, at 9:30 p.m. 1523
22nd St. NW. Tickets are $15, or $50 to $75 for All-You-Can-Drink options, and $200 for
preferred VIP seating, a bottle of wine, an appetizer, and a hotel room at the Baron Hotel.
Call 202-293-1887 or visit inlovewithbier.com.
MUSIC
A HANK WILLIAMS TRIBUTE
The Birchmere offers the 22nd
annual tribute to one of the most
heralded and influential coun-
try singers of all time, this year
including performances by The
Kennedys (Pete & Maura), Robin &
Linda Williams, Patrick McAvinue,
and Marshall Wilborn, in addi-
tion to the Grammy-winning les-
bian couple Cathy Fink and Marcy
Marxer. Sunday, Dec. 30, at 7:30
p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount
Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets
are $29.50. Call 703-549-7500 or
visit birchmere.com.
CYRUS CHESTNUT TRIO
“The best jazz pianist of his gen-
eration,” Time music critic Josh
Tyrangiel proclaimed in 2017 about
Baltimore’s versatile virtuoso Cyrus
Chestnut, who two decades ago por-
trayed a Count Basie-inspired pian-
ist in Robert Altman’s film Kansas
City. He returns to D.C.’s leading
jazz venue for another week-long
run of shows, culminating in New
Year’s Eve performances, both
offering a three-course meal — with
12 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
a midnight glass of champagne at
second seating — and featuring the
Cyrus Chestnut Trio along with
the vocalist-led Integriti Reeves
Band. Remaining performances
are Thursday, Dec. 27, through
Sunday, Dec. 30, at 8 and 10 p.m.,
and Monday, Dec. 31, at 6:30 and
10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin
Ave. NW. Tickets are $46 to $51, or
$116 to $166 for NYE dinner/show
packages, plus $12 minimum pur-
chase per person. Call 202-337-4141
or visit bluesalley.com.
PASSPORT TO THE WORLD 2019:
PATSY CLINE TRIBUTE, CECILY
Curated by Lynn Veronneau and
Ken Avis of Wammie-winning jazz
samba group Veronneau, this annual
festival presented by Virginia’s
Creative Cauldron celebrates the
music and dance of cultures around
the world, with performances by art-
ists representing a broad spectrum
of genres: folk to Latin, opera to
bluegrass. The 2019 series kicks off
the first weekend in January with
“Patsy Cline Tribute: Six Voices,”
a tribute, in song and story, to the
Virginia native female country
legend and featuring vocalists Jess
Eliot Myhre of the Bumper Jacksons,
Lauren Calve, Maureen Andary of
the Sweater Set, Karen Jonas, Brian
Farrow, Ahren Buchheister, and
Pat Puglisi, on Saturday, Jan. 5, at
7:30 p.m. That’s followed by “Cecily
Salutes D.C.,” a concert featuring
a homegrown talent and her band
exploring the contributions that her
forebears from the nation’s capital
have made to American soul music,
from Duke Ellington to Gil Scott-
Heron to Roberta Flack, on Sunday,
Jan. 6, at 6:30 p.m. The series con-
tinues to Feb. 2. ArtSpace Falls
Church, 410 South Maple Ave. in
Falls Church. Tickets are $18 to $22,
or $60 for tables of two with wine,
$120 for tables of four with wine.
Call 703-436-9948 or visit creative-
cauldron.org.
THE SELDOM SCENE
Formed over 40 years ago in
Bethesda, progressive bluegrass
band Seldom Scene remains espe-
cially popular in its hometown
region. They return for a New
Year’s Eve show at Alexandria’s
preeminent music hall and tavern,
accompanied by The High & Wides
and Ms. Adventure. Monday, Dec.
31, at 8 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701
Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.
Tickets are $39.50. Call 703-549-
7500 or visit birchmere.com.
THE STRAUSS SYMPHONY
OF AMERICA’S NEW YEAR’S
CONCERT
Christoph Campestrini conducts
the Strauss orchestra with solo-
ists soprano Iva Schell and tenor
Martin Piskorski, plus dancers from
Europaballett St. Pölten and the
International Champion Ballroom
Dancers in the annual “Salute to
Vienna,” inspired by the Austrian
capital’s famed Neujahrskonzert and
offering Strauss waltzes, polkas,
and operetta excerpts. Attila Glatz
Concerts presents the 18th annual
concert. Sunday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Remaining tickets are $49 to $125.
Call 301-581-5100 or visit strath-
more.org.
WHITE FORD BRONCO
“D.C.’s all ’90s party band,” cheek-
ily named after O.J. Simpson’s
notorious failed getaway car, is a
five-member ensemble consisting
of singer/guitarist Diego Valencia,
singer Gretchen Gustafson, guitar-
ists Ken Sigmund and McNasty, and
drummer Max Shapiro. White Ford
Bronco sings through that decade’s
songbook in all styles of popular
music, and will close out 2018 at the
9:30 Club. Tickets remain for the
show Sunday, Dec. 30. Doors at 7
p.m. 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $25.
Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.
WICKED JEZABEL
Pauline Anson-Dross’ popular les-
bian all-covers party-rock band has
been rocking — as well as raising
money for various good causes — all
over the region for over a decade
now. Next up is a concert to ring
in 2019. Monday, Dec. 31, at 9 p.m.
JV’s Restaurant, 6666 Arlington
Blvd. in Falls Church. Tickets are
$50 and include hors d’oeuvres,
party favors and midnight cham-
pagne toast. Call 703-241-9504 or
visit jvsrestaurant.com.
COMEDY
JOSH WOLF
The cute, gay-friendly straight
comic you may remember
from  Chelsea Lately — or from his
collaboration with Ross Mathews
on the “Josh and Ross” podcast, giv-
ing the straight spin on pop culture.
The Boston-born, L.A.-based comic
writer/performer returns for a full
weekend and New Year’s Eve run
of shows at Drafthouse Comedy.
Friday, Dec. 28, and Saturday, Dec.
29, at 7 and 9 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 30,
at 8 p.m., and Monday, Dec. 31, at 7
and 9 p.m. 1100 13th St. NW. Tickets
are $20. Call 202-750-6411 or visit
drafthousecomedy.com.
WASHINGTON IMPROV
THEATER: SEASONAL DISORDER
Artistic Director Mark Chalfant
describes WIT’s decade-old
Seasonal Disorder as “a huge smor-
gasbord of different comedy shows,
all of which have some sort-of angle
or theme related to the holidays.”
No two programs are alike, as each
pivots off of a suggestion or theme
from the audience. From there, the
WIT players concoct characters,
story, theme — whether to create
an original, off-the-cuff show via
the iMusical team, an improvised
rock concert from Heavy Rotation,
a Latino variety show a la Sabado
Picante, or “Huggy Smalls: The
Notorious H.U.G.” Weekends to
Dec. 30. Source, 1835 14th St. NW.
Tickets are $15 in advance, or $18 at
the door. Call 202-204-7770 or visit
witdc.org.

ART & EXHIBITS

EXHIBITION OF FINE ARTS
IN MINIATURE

JEREMY DANIEL.
Strathmore hosts the 85th annual
show featuring more than 700
“mini-masterpieces”: intricately
detailed works of art from around
the world, painstakingly produced
in miniature. The prodigious exhib- The cast of The Play That Goes Wrong with Ned Noyes (tripping) in the foreground
ition, presented by the Miniature

WRONGHEADED
Painters, Sculptors & Gravers
Society of Washington, D.C., draws
viewers into a concentrated uni-
verse — tracing its roots to the 7th
century — featuring portraits, still
lifes, and landscapes all no bigger In the uproarious The Play That Goes Wrong, it’s the mistakes
than a postage stamp. Through Jan. that count. Just ask Ned Noyes.
6. The Mansion, 10701 Rockville
Pike, North Bethesda. Call 301-581-

5100 or visit strathmore.org.
FACES
Virginia’s Del Ray Artisans Gallery
offers a group show of portraits,
depicting faces and bodies as the
artists portray them, whether real-
istic, impressionistic, surreal, or
abstract. Curated by Rita Schooley
and Kathy Turner, the exhibit fea-
tures works celebrating faces span-
ning the ages, from a toddler, to a
new mother, to an octogenarian.
Opening Reception is Friday, Jan.
4, from 7 to 9 p.m. On display to
Jan. 27. 2704 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria. Call 703-731-8802 or
visit thedelrayartisans.org.
PICTURES OF THE YEAR: 75
YEARS OF THE WORLD’S BEST
PHOTOGRAPHY
The Newseum celebrates one of the
world’s oldest and most prestigious
photojournalism competitions with
a show featuring just a sampling of
the more than 40,000 award-win-
ning images in the archives of
Pictures of the Year International.
Tracing the evolution of photojour-
nalism from World War II to today,
the images on display depict the
people and events that have defined
the times, capturing war and peace,
disaster and triumph, and the social
I
F YOU WERE TO CROSS MONTY PYTHON WITH THE FARCICAL
door-slammer Noises Off, and add a dash of The Mousetrap, you would
undoubtedly end up with The Play That Goes Wrong. Developed by London’s
Mischief Theatre, the zany slapstick comedy has earned Olivier and Tony
Awards while enjoying extended runs in both London and New York.
“The Cornley University Drama Society has somehow improbably booked
the Kennedy Center for their opening night of an Agatha Christie-style mur-
der mystery,” explains Ned Noyes, who plays Max, one of the hapless actors
involved. “And they’re basically having the worst night of their lives. The show
is just about their attempts to try to finish the evening with their limbs intact and
maybe a shred of dignity.”
Noyes, who was part of the Broadway ensemble, was eager to sign on for the
national tour. “Max falls in love with the audience very early on and then he can’t
help but check in with them as the evening progresses. He’s sort of like the third
grader in the school play whose eyes wander.”
Noyes, who is openly gay, points out that occasionally things actually do go
wrong onstage. “It happens quite a bit. There’s a joke pretty much every six or
seven seconds in this play, and not all of them appear every night. Put it that way.
“Most of the times the audience doesn’t notice,” he continues. “Because if
something goes wrong for us in the world of The Play That Goes Wrong, it’s
essentially as if the play went right for a few minutes until the next [intended]
thing goes wrong.” —Doug Rule
The Play That Goes Wrong runs through Jan. 6 at the Kennedy Center
Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $49 to $149. Call 202-467-4600
or visit kennedy-center.org.

DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 13

and cultural shifts that have shaped
the past 75 years. Founded in 1944
at the University of Missouri, POYi
recognizes excellence in photo-
journalism as well as multimedia
and visual editing. To Jan. 20.
Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. Tickets are $22.95 for general
admission. Call 888-NEWSEUM or
visit newseum.org.
REDISCOVERING BALTIMORE’S
FORGOTTEN MOVIE THEATERS
A survey of Baltimore’s movie-go-
ing past from 1896 to the present,
this Flickering Treasures exhibition
at the National Building Museum
features oral histories, architectural
fragments, theater ephemera, and of
course photography — particular-
ly vivid, contemporary shots from
Baltimore Sun staff photographer
Amy Davis. All of it illuminates
themes of memory, loss, and pres-
ervation, as well as the importance
of movies and movie houses in 20th
century American life. While only a
handful of more than 240 theaters
built in Charm City still function
today, many survive in some form,
as documented in this exhibition.
On display to Oct. 2019. 401 F St.
NW. Call 202-272-2448 or visit
nbm.org.
UNSEEN: O
OUR PAST IN A NEW LIGHT
Works by Ken Gonzales-Day and
Titus Kaphar are featured in the
first contemporary exhibition
of the National Portrait Gallery’s
50th anniversary season — and a
provocative one at that. Nearly 60
works highlight how people of color
— from Native Americans to African
Americans, Asian Americans to
Latino Americans — are missing in
historical portraiture. Still worse,
their contributions to the nation’s
past were rendered equally invis-
ible. Kaphar sets out to right those
slights by recreating well-known
paintings and including those trad-
itionally left out, through his series
of 17 paintings plus one sculpture.
Gonzales-Day, meanwhile, explores
how ideas of racial difference,
otherness, and national identity
have taken shape historically and
visually through nearly 40 photo-
graphs, including works from his
“Erased Lynchings” series focused
on the American West as well as
his “Profiled” series. The bilingual
English/Spanish exhibition is on
display through Jan. 6. 8th and F
Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300 or
visit npg.si.edu.
FOOD & DRINK
DYLLAN’S RAW BAR GRILL:
WINTER COCKTAILS
Mixologist Allison Boyd presents
seven libations celebrating the
“spirits” of the season, showcasing
herbs and spices and housemade
reductions and syrups at this new
fine dining and drinking establish-
14 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
ment nestled along the historic C&O
Canal in Georgetown. In a space
ABOVE & BEYOND show that takes place daily in the
Gaylord’s Garden Atrium. Through
that formerly housed Sea Catch, Jan. 1. 201 Waterfront St. Oxon Hill,
GEORGETOWN GLOW 2018
Dyllan’s is an upscale fresh fish-fo- Md. Tickets to Ice! are $27 to $38.
Now in its fifth year, this light
cused restaurant from a former dir- Call 301-965-4000 or visit christ-
art exhibition presented by the
ector for Stephen Starr Restaurants. masonthepotomac.com.
Georgetown Business Improvement
The Winter Cocktails program
District features 10 displays by
includes concoctions of the chilled LIGHTS ON THE BAY
multidisciplinary artists. Billed
as well as the heated variety. The Approximately 70 animated and
as a way to “reimagine the sea-
chilled lineup includes: Fizz The stationary displays depicting
son of light,” the commissioned
Season, a mix of sloe gin, cranberry regional and holiday themes factor
works, curated by Deirdre Ehlen
reduction, Cappelletti wine-based into this annual holiday show, fea-
MacWilliams, offer a high-tech
aperitif, Campari, and fresh pom- turing a two-mile scenic drive along
modern contrast with the surround-
egranate seeds; the Georgetown the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
ings of D.C.’s oldest neighborhood
Tea Party featuring Irish whiskey, A North Pole Village & Enchanted
— which has been further illumin-
unsweetened ice tea, rosemary sim- Fairy Tales is a recent edition of
ated by the stringing of white lights
ple syrup, green chartreuse, and this benefit for the SPCA of Anne
on street-facing buildings. The five-
lemon bitters; and To Be Peary, Arundel County, now in its 24th
week event includes a Christmas
with honey vodka, pear puree, fresh year. On display every evening from
Tree Farm every weekend at the
mint, grapefruit bitters, and a splash 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 1. Sandy
Ritz-Carlton Georgetown’s Yard
of ginger beer. Heated cocktails Point State Park, 1100 E. College
and regular GLOW-inspired walk-
include: Somebody Sage Chocolate, Parkway, Annapolis. Admission is
ing and food tours led by several
a blend of wine, fresh sage, warm $15 per car, or $30 to $50 for larger
local tour companies. GLOW runs
bittersweet chocolate, honey, a dash vans and buses. Visit lightsontheb-
every night from 5 to 10 p.m. through
of cinnamon, and brandied cherry ay.org.
Jan. 6. Visit GeorgetownGlowDC.
juice; C&O Cider, with apple cider,
com for more information.
bourbon, cranberry reduction, LIGHT YARDS
and a dash of cinnamon and cit- Two traveling light installations
GLITTER BALL
rus; the Yes, Jerez Hot Chocolate, add a little seasonal, illuminating
WITH BETTY O’HELLNO
a cold-weather favorite spiked with whimsy as part of this year’s fourth
Baltimore’s Creative Alliance
brandy and topped with whipped annual holiday celebration in the
offers one more LGBTQ-themed
cream; and the Butter Conundrum Navy Yard area of Southeast D.C.
burlesque and variety show before
featuring rum, warm spices, vanilla — also increasingly known as the
closing the books on 2018. Young
bean, and maple syrup. The drinks, Capitol Riverfront. The Pool by New
drag darlings Betty O’Hellno and
priced from $11 to $15 each, can York’s Jen Lewin Studio, developed
Jacqueline Boxx host this end-of-
be enjoyed throughout Dyllan’s, six years ago but making its D.C.
year celebration featuring perform-
whether in front of the fireplaces in debut here, features 106 interactive
ances from New York’s Perle Noire,
the cozy Canal View Bar or the large circular pads of light that react as
dubbed “The Mahogany Queen of
main dining room, or in the heated visitors move on and around them,
Burlesque,” and Poison Ivy of the
courtyard patio garden. 1054 31st creating a giant canvas of shift-
Burlesque Hall of Fame, as well as
St. NW. Call 202-470-6606 or visit ing and fading colors. Meanwhile,
other local music, stage, and circus
dyllansrawbargrill.com. Angels of Freedom by Israel’s OGE
artists. The evening also includes
Group is a social sculptural instal-
a DJ dance and costume party,
EL TECHO: SELVA lation where visitors pose with
complete with a Sparkle Market
Since the summer of 2017, the space five giant, neon-colored wings and
to ensure everything and everyone
above the taco truck-cum-fast cas- white halos, intended as a way to
will be as glittery — and gay —
ual joint Rita Loco has been the signify that we’re all angels and that
as possible. Saturday, Dec. 29, at 8
hippest joint you likely didn’t know “everybody counts and deserves
p.m. The Patterson, 3134 Eastern
about: a South of the Border vaca- love.” On display from 6 to 10 p.m.
Ave., Baltimore. Tickets are $28 in
tion-themed respite from the urban every night until Jan. 4. The Yards
advance, or $31 at the door. Call
environs outside. A nature-inspired, Park Boardwalk, 355 Water St. SE.
410-276-1651 or visit creativealli-
colorfully decorated oasis, El Techo Call 202-465-7093 or visit theyards-
ance.org.
churns out creative cocktails, Latin dc.com.
American-inspired small plates, and
ICE!
often hosts parties featuring some ZOOLIGHTS
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
of the city’s best DJs — including More than 500,000 colorful
Snoopy, Lucy, and other classic car-
Keenan Orr — spinning tropical and Christmas lights illuminate life-
toon characters created by Charles
soul-warming grooves. That’s all sized animal silhouettes, dancing
M. Schulz will be holding court
getting magnified this winter, as trees, buildings, and walkways,
at National Harbor in colorful,
El Techo adds a social conscious- plus a light show set to music,
larger-than-life sculptures carved
and charity-raising dimension. during this annual holiday event
from two million pounds of ice.
Specifically, the venue has adopted at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
The Peanuts gang’s storied holiday
the Spanish word for jungle and New at ZooLights this year is a
antics are the focus of this year’s
added weatherproof siding and Gingerbread Village, a magical land
Ice! Display, accented by four, two-
other decorations to add to the of frosted cookies and lollipops,
story tall ice slides and a Nativity
jungle vibe — plus a line of hot giant gingerbread-people cutouts,
scene. And that’s just the main
cocktails. In addition, Selva is occa- and an Instagram-ready ginger-
draw at the annual series organized
sionally offering yoga classes and bread throne, set in the Elephant
by the Gaylord National Resort. A
serving cold-pressed juices by day, Outpost among food and holiday
Christmas Carousel, an ice skat-
conjuring Mexico’s wellness mecca vendors, plus a performance stage
ing rink, a short Potomac Express
Tulum. Meanwhile, proceeds from for local school groups. The second
holiday train ride, a Build-A-Bear
sales in February will go toward weekend in December ushers in the
Workshop, 30-minute Christmas
conservation efforts in the Amazon second annual Grump holiday mar-
storytelling events led by Mrs. Claus,
jungle. 606 Florida Ave. NW. Call ket, a European-style outdoor fair
and a Gingerbread Decorating
202-836-4270 or visit facebook. featuring local artisans set up at
Center are among more than a
com/ElTechoDC. the Zoo’s entrance. ZooLights runs
dozen other kid-friendly activ-
nightly except Dec. 31 until Jan.
ities on tap. There’s also Seasons
1. National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut
Dreamings, a free, 25-minute aer-
Ave. NW. Free. Call 202-633-4800
ial Cirque Dreams Unwrapped
or visit nationalzoo.si.edu. l
 Community
THURSDAY, DEC. 27
The DC Center holds a monthly
meeting of its COMING OUT
DISCUSSION GROUP on the
fourth Thursday of each month
for those navigating issues
associated with coming out and
personal identity. 7-8:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events

AIDS HEALTHCARE
FOUNDATION offers free walk-
in HIV testing by appointment
from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m.
at its Blair Underwood Wellness
Center, 2141 K St. NW, and
its AHF Healthcare Center,
4302 St. Barnabas Rd., Suite B,
Temple Hills, Md., and from 9
GO GAY DC

a.m.-5 p.m. at its Benning Road

location, 1647 Benning Rd. NE,
Suite 300. For more informa-
Flavell (L) tion, visit hivcare.org.

ANDROMEDA

SOCIAL BUTTERFLIES
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing and HIV
services (by appointment). 9
a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center,
1400 Decatur St. NW. To
TJ Flavell’s GoGayDC Meetup group serves as a social hub arrange an appointment, call
for LGBTQ people from across the D.C. Metro area. 202-291-4707, or visit androm-
edatransculturalhealth.org.

I
DC AQUATICS CLUB practice
ESTABLISHED GOGAYDC ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO,” SAYS TJ FLAVELL. “IT session at Takoma Aquatic
serves as a gathering hub that’s essentially a way to bring the LGBTQ commu- Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van
nity together and make connections.” A twice-former president of AGLA and Buren St. NW. For more infor-
mation, visit swimdcac.org.
former head of Metro D.C.’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Flavell posts various
local events on the GoGayDC Meetup page, ranging from charitable events that DC FRONT RUNNERS run-
benefit local community organizations to weekly running and hiking meetups, to ning/walking/social club
drag shows and brunches at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington. welcomes runners of all ability
levels for exercise in a fun and
“I like to mix it up, and have events not only in D.C. but across the river,” he says. supportive environment, with
“There was a void of information about what was going on, especially for LGBTQ socializing afterward. Route
people in Virginia and Maryland. There were definitely some geographic regions distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at
7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
that just weren’t being served.”
For more information, visit
There are currently about 50 people who Flavell has designated as “content edi- dcfrontrunners.org.
tors.” They are able to update the website with events planned by their respective
groups. Utilizing GoGayDC’s social media strings, as well as Meetup’s far-reaching DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s
gay and lesbian square-dancing
popularity, events listed on GoGayDC can reach up to 10,000 people. group, features mainstream
Flavell is especially proud of coordinating two monthly happy hours that have through advanced square
been very successful, one in D.C. at the Embassy Row hotel and a reoccurring “First dancing at the National City
Christian Church. Please dress
Friday” social in Arlington at the Westin Arlington Gateway, which will next be
casually. 7-9:30 p.m. 5 Thomas
held on Jan. 4. Circle NW. 202-930-1058,
Flavell is always on the lookout for additional content editors who can contribute dclambdasquares.org.
to GoGayDC’s social calendar. He would like to help organize events where locals
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
can socialize with out-of-town visitors who attend the myriad conferences held in practice. The team is always
Washington, ranging from Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend to CPAC. looking for new members.
“I welcome collaboration across the community and am open to any ideas,” he All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry
Thomas Recreation Center,
says. “They can simply contact me if they have anything else to add.” —John Riley
1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more
information, visit scandalsrfc.
org or dcscandals@gmail.com.
GoGayDC’s First Friday Happy Hour Social is Friday, Jan. 4 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at
Pinzimini Lounge, in the Westin Arlington Gateway, 801 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, Va. THE DULLES TRIANGLES
There is no cover. For more listings of events, visit meetup.com/GoGayDC. Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at

DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 15

 Sheraton in Reston. All welcome.
7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive,
second-floor bar. For more infor-
mation, visit dullestriangles.com.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-
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.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY
(K.I.) SERVICES, 20 S. Quaker
Lane, Suite 210, Alexandria, Va.,
offers $30 “rapid” HIV testing and
counseling by appointment only. 10
a.m.-2 p.m. Must schedule special
appointment if seeking testing after
2 p.m. Call 703-823-4401.
METROHEALTH CENTER
offers free, rapid HIV testing.
Appointment needed. 1012 14th
St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an
appointment, call 202-849-8029.
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 with-
out symptoms. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000 or visit whit-
man-walker.org.
US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics
Anonymous Meeting. The group
is independent of UHU. 6:30-7:30
p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. For
more information, call 202-446-
1100.
FRIDAY, DEC. 28
GAMMA is a confidential, volun-
tary, peer-support group for men
who are gay, bisexual, questioning
and who are now or who have been
in a relationship with a woman.
7:30-9:30 p.m. Luther Place
Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont
Ave NW. GAMMA meetings are
also held in Vienna, Va., and in
Frederick, Md. For more informa-
tion, visit gammaindc.org.
The DC Center holds its CENTER
AGING MONTHLY LUNCH social
for members of D.C.’s senior com-
munity. Lunch is potluck — bring
your own dish to share. 12-2 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org or call 202-682-2245.
WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES
(AND THIRTIES), a social discus-
sion and activity group for queer
women, meets at The DC Center
on the second and fourth Friday of
each month. Group social activity
to follow the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org.
16 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
SATURDAY, DEC. 29
ADVENTURING outdoors group
sponsors annual Great Cookie
Hike along the Capital Crescent
Trail between Bethesda and
Georgetown. Easy one-way hike
is about 7 miles long, all downhill.
Bring beverages, lunch, comfort-
able walking shoes, the $2 trip
fee and cookie or other holiday
treats to pass around. Optional
refreshments in Georgetown follow.
Meet at 11 a.m. at the top of the
escalators of the Bethesda Metro
Station, at Wisconsin Avenue and
Old Georgetown Road. Return to
Bethesda by bus or Metro. For more
information, contact Craig, 202-
462-0535 or visit adventuring.org.
Weekly Events
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes run-
ners of all ability levels for exercise
in a fun and supportive environ-
ment, with socializing afterward.
Route distance will be 3-6 miles.
Walkers meet at 9:30 a.m. and run-
ners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets
NW. For more information, visit
dcfrontrunners.org.
DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for
LGBT community, family and
friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel
Episcopal Church on the Hill, 3606
Seminary Road, Alexandria. All
welcome. For more information,
visit dignitynova.org.
SUNDAY, DEC. 30
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group
visits the U.S. Holocaust Museum
to see its exhibition Americans &
The Holocaust. Free admission.
Lunch in museum cafe follows.
Meet at noon past security inside
the 14th Street SW entrance, south
of Independence Avenue. For more
information, contact Craig, 202-
462-0535, or via email at craighow-
ell1@verizon.net.
Weekly Events
LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS
MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH
celebrates Low Mass at 8:30
a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300
Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244,
allsoulsdc.org.
DC 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.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service,
945 G St. NW. firstuccdc.org or
202-628-4317.
HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF
CHRIST welcomes GLBT commu-
nity for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130
Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.
hopeucc.org.
Join LINCOLN
CONGREGATIONAL TEMPLE –
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for
an inclusive, loving and progressive
faith community every Sunday. 11
a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in
Shaw/Logan neighborhood. lincol-
ntemple.org.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF 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.
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.
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.
MONDAY, DEC. 31
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!
TEN PIN PRIDE, a social bowling
league of 4-person teams, will
start a 16-week season on Monday
evenings, starting on Jan. 7. Singles
and teams welcome. 8-10 p.m.
Bowl America Falls Church, 140 S.
Maple Ave., Falls Church, Va. Pre-
registration is required. Email tpp.
secretary@gmail.com.
TUESDAY, January 1
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S DAY!
ADVENTURING outdoors group
hosts its annual New Year’s Day
hike between Riverbend Park and
Great Falls, Va. Easy loop hike will
be about 5 miles long with some
hilly, muddy, and/or rocky sec-
tions. Bring beverages, lunch, hol-
iday treats to share, sturdy boots,
and a few bucks for fees. Carpools
form at 11 a.m. on Connecticut
Avenue, south of Q Street, near
the Dupont Circle Metro elevator.
Contact Craig, 202-462-0535 or
visit adventuring.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club embarks on
a 3-6 mile run or a 4-mile walk.
Walkers meet at 9:30 a.m. and run-
ners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets
NW or Union Station. For more
information, email info@dcfront-
runners.org.
Weekly Events
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
holds an LGBT-focused meet-
ing every Tuesday, 7 p.m. at
St. George’s Episcopal Church,
915 Oakland Ave., Arlington,
just steps from Virginia Square
Metro. Handicapped accessible.
Newcomers welcome. For more
info, call Dick, 703-521-1999 or
email liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.
WEDNESDAY, January 2
BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s
gay-literature group, discusses
Andrew Sean Greer’s comic novel
Less at the Cleveland Park Library.
All are welcome. 7:30 p.m. 3310
Connecticut Ave. NW. Visit book-
mendc.blogspot.com.
The TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL
BRIDGE CLUB meets for Social
Bridge at the Dignity Center, across
from the Marine Barracks. No
partner needed. 7:30 p.m. 721 8th
St. SE. Call 301-345-1571 for more
information.
Weekly Events
AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-
versation, meets about 6-6:30 p.m.,
Steam, 17th and R NW. All wel-
come. For more information, call
Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.
FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a
group for LGBT people looking
to quit cigarettes and tobacco use,
holds a weekly support meeting at
The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
mation, visit thedccenter.org.
JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-
gram for job entrants and seekers,
meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more info, centercareers.org.
WASHINGTON WETSKINS
WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9
p.m. Newcomers with at least basic
swimming ability always welcome.
Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van
Buren St. NW. For more informa-
tion, contact Tom, 703-299-0504
or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit
wetskins.org.l
DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 17
18 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
The Year in Scene
Highlights from A League of Her Own, Awesome Con, Baltimore Eagle, Baltimore Pride, Black
Pride, Capital Pride, Chef’s Best, Cherry Synergy, Cobalt, DC Eagle, DIK Bar, Dirty Goose,
DistrktC, Duplex Diner, Echostage, Federico’s Grand Opening, Freddie’s Beach Bar, Furball,
GAG Ball, GMCW’s Ropeburn, Green Lantern, Hillwood’s LGBTQ Family Day, Hispanic LGBTQ
Heritage Awards, HRC National Dinner, Helen Hayes Awards at The Anthem, House of Garcon’s
Love Sex Play Ball, Impulse, JR.’s Bar, Larry’s Lounge, Lights Out Swimsuit Party, Lure/Bare,
MAL Weekend, NOVA Pride, Nellie’s Sports Bar, Number Nine, Peach Pit, Pitchers, Scarlet’s Bake
Sale, Shaw’s Tavern, Sleaze, SMYAL’s Fall Brunch, Task Force’s Creating Change, Team DC’s
Night Out at the Capitals, Trade, Trans Pride, Town Danceboutique, Uproar, VIDA Fitness Athlete
Ally Fundraiser, Whitman-Walker Health’s 40th Anniversary, and Ziegfeld’s/Secrets.

Photography by Ward Morrison

Additional Photography by Tom Donohue, Todd Franson, Joseph Ressler, and Randy Shulman

View our full photo archive at metroweekly.com/scene. Most photos are available for purchase as
digital prints or on commemorative mugs. Follow us on Instagram at @metroweekly for even more
Scene, including our regular blasts from the past!

DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 19

20 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
 The Year in Scene: 2018

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The Year in Scene: 2018

30 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

20TH CENTURY FOX
Movies

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

A List is Born
movies and interviews, McQueen allows
McQueen to speak for himself, while also
employing impressionistic visuals and
Counting down the ten best films of 2018. By André Hereford the evocative music of McQueen favorite
Michael Nyman (The Piano) to reflect the

A
designer’s unique sensibilities. The film
STAR IS BORN MIGHT BE THE CURRENT FRONT-RUNNER IN THE unfurls his fashion, from workroom to run-
Oscar race, but Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s musical hit didn’t chart on way, providing insight into his inspirations
this list of the year’s ten best films. The haunting, postmodern comedy Sorry and industry. Somehow, McQueen tells
to Bother You and savage western The Sisters Brothers just missed the cut, along with its audience all they need to know about
ribald royal drama The Favourite — but a superhero royal did still crash the party (and the man, yet preserves the mystery so gor-
break box office records). The king of Wakanda is in good company among a year’s geously summed up in his clothes.
worth of memorable heroes and villains.
7. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and BLACK
10. THE CAKEMAKER — A well-tuned tragic love triangle, The Cakemaker has the feel PANTHER — This year marked the passing
of fine ’40s melodrama — if, say, Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman had ever starred in of profoundly influential storytellers from
the story of a married businessman engaged in a secret gay affair with a pastry baker. Neil Simon and Aretha Franklin to Stephen
In this German-Israeli coproduction, when the straight businessman (Roy Miller) goes Hawking, all voices of a generation to
missing, his baker lover in Berlin (Tim Kalkhof) ventures all the way to Jerusalem to their respective audiences. Stan Lee, the
find out what happened to him. There, the cakemaker eventually inserts himself into voice of a few generations of comic fans,
the life and café of the businessman’s wife (Sarah Adler), and writer-director Ofir Raul also passed this year, having witnessed in
Graizer’s subtle film insinuates powerful messages about family, faith, and faithfulness. 2018 the awe-inspiring culmination of his
decades of building worlds in fiction. With
9. BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE — Drew Goddard’s long-awaited follow-up to Cabin in the box office-toppling one-two punch
the Woods spins a kaleidoscopic compendium of America’s worst nightmares of the ’60s of Marvel’s Black Panther and Avengers:
into a darkly comedic thriller featuring a tuned-in, turned-on all-star cast. Bad Times Infinity War, nearly every major character
delivers a very good time amid startling twists and surprises, and a flawless classic Lee had a hand in creating blazed across
soul jukebox. Jeff Bridges dresses up the Dude as a deceitful priest, Chris Hemsworth the silver screen in a fantastic display of
undresses his abs as a murderous cult leader, and Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo sings her the persistent power of mythology. People
heart out in a star-making onscreen turn, which was later reinforced by her standout still look up to find the best of themselves,
work as part of another all-star ensemble in Steve McQueen’s fabulous Widows. even in the darkest times.

8. MCQUEEN — Speaking of McQueens, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui etch a fascinat- 6. THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS — No
ing portrait of late iconoclastic fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen in their reveal- more riveting or chilling mystery hit
ing, elegiac documentary. Well-stocked with the presence of the troubled artist in home screens this year than Tim Wardle’s doc-

DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 33

MARVEL
umentary account of the incredible true story of three brothers,
separated at birth, who found each other after two decades.
Adopted as infants into three different homes, the reunited
siblings also stumbled onto the shattering truth behind their
separation, and the film reconstructs their investigation with
gripping suspense. Tracing an insidious web of lies to their
source, Three Identical Strangers even gives the perpetrators
of the grave injustice that changed the brothers’ lives a chance
to speak on camera. The astounding lack of remorse shown by
one interviewee might leave viewers shouting at the screen in
righteous anger.
5. VICE — As audacious in form and feeling as any mainstream
movie this year, Adam McKay’s Dick Cheney biopic is biased,
cranky, and cantankerous (just like its subject), and that’s all
for the better. The fast-paced comedy of Cheney’s rise, fall,
and rise to his world-altering vice presidency lands a satirical
counterpunch to the walloping blow Cheney’s policies dealt to
the globe. Christian Bale remarkably disappears into a version
of tricky Dick that’s at first lovably mean, then just amusingly
awful, always anchored by his indomitable wife Lynne, played by
the amazing Amy Adams as the red-headed shot of gunpowder
that keeps Dick firing even when he’s down.
4. WILDLIFE — In this impressive directorial debut, actor Paul Dano
created one of the most truly heartbreaking films to come along
this year. Wildlife quietly, and with poignant attention to detail,
tells the engrossing story — adapted by Dano and partner Zoë
Kazan from the novel by Richard Ford — of a family tested by fire
when alcoholic dad Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) leaves for a job fight-
ing a wild forest blaze. Carey Mulligan’s slow-blaze performance
as the unhappy wife he leaves behind, reaches moving depths of
despair and desire as she attempts to recreate her life in Jerry’s
absence. The couple’s prideful, destructive dance is seen through
the hopeful eyes of their only son (Ed Oxenbould), who gains a
taste of worldly wisdom as he watches his parents’ marriage burn.
3. ROMA — Alfonso Cuarón continues one of cinema’s all-time
greatest hot streaks, following up his global hit Gravity, for
Read André Hereford’s film reviews at MetroWeekly.com.
34 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
Black Panther
which he earned an Academy Award for Best Director, with
this piece of raw, expertly crafted autobiographical moviemak-
ing. The low-key, ’70s-set story of a middle-class Mexico City
family and their resourceful maid Cleo isn’t just a penetrating
look at the filmmaker’s own beloved family and hometown, but
an astounding feat of intimate personal expression on a vast
scale. Cuarón directed, wrote, produced, shot, and co-edited the
warmly human, black-and-white epic, and guided to the screen
an indelible performance by Yalitza Aparicio that makes the
whole symphony sing.
2. IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK — A truly great director sees the
world differently, and with technique can convey that way of
seeing. They organize a story meaningfully, and, through shots
and character, convey that story’s meaning. Barry Jenkins is
such a director, with a lushly beautiful way of seeing a whole
world in characters’ lives and faces, especially in the black
American lives and faces he so thoughtfully exposed to the world
in his Oscar-winning gay coming-of-age drama Moonlight, and
now in this passionate adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel,
If Beale Street Could Talk. Abetted by the textured cinematog-
raphy and score by James Laxton and Nicholas Britell, respec-
tively, Jenkins conveys the rush of hope and romance that could
sweep these characters’ lives forward, if only injustice didn’t so
cruelly intrude on their existence.
1. CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? — A blistering and sad tale of win-
ners and losers, this oddball strange-but-true story was laugh-
out-loud funny as much as it was painfully real in its portrayal
of human loneliness. Director Marielle Heller’s jazzy dramedy,
working from Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty’s snappy script,
plays the fun trick of capturing the voice of its curmudgeonly
central character Lee Israel, a writer who arguably created her
best work writing in the voices of other writers. Israel didn’t so
much echo the voices of more famous authors, as she just forged
their letters and sold them, a deed of criminal daring and sheer
stupidity that’s wonderfully captured in the performances of
Melissa McCarthy as Israel, and Richard E. Grant as Jack Hock,
her messy, mischievous partner-in-crime. l
SCOTT SUCHMAN
Stage

Urie (center) as Hamlet

Stage Craft
of giggles, beautifully-drawn pathos, and
charming music. Offering the lion’s share
of emotional goods was a fabulously con-
vincing Katie deBuys as Hermione, while
the ever-charismatic Eric Hissom carried
From dazzling musicals to gripping dramas, the night with his wry, ironic Storyteller
here are the best D.C.-area productions of 2018, as chosen who was at once inviting and reassuring
by our critics. By André Hereford and Kate Wingfield while suggesting a tiny bit of challenge
with a twinkle in his eye.

Kate Wingfield’s 5 Best Productions: 2. TWO TRAINS RUNNING, ARENA STAGE

— August Wilson’s Two Trains Running
5. SLEEPY HOLLOW, SYNETIC THEATRE — Though they don’t utter a word, Synetic’s delivered a glimpse of working-class black
dance-theater interpretation of Sleepy Hollow, that age-old legend of the headless America via the social scene of a 1960s
horseman was nothing short of phenomenal. Through sheer imagination, director diner. Arena’s ensemble was extraordi-
Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographer Irina Tsikurishvili told a fabulous tale through nary, creating Wilson’s small but deeply
exciting, evocative dance. The ensemble gave 110 percent, delivering a village of vibrant layered world with the precision and com-
personalities complete with tumultuous romance, humor, and an all-too-convincing plexity of an orchestra. By turns vibrant,
backstory to their mysterious curse. But truly stellar here was the beautifully cho- angry, sad and funny, the characters nav-
reographed and danced Horseman and his fantastic beast — one born of physical and igated the small choices of everyday life
creative ingenuity. This was real theater. amid a backdrop of bigger, harder ques-
tions. The joy was in director Juliette
4. JOHN, SIGNATURE THEATRE — Enduringly memorable thanks to the confident hand Carrillo’s quietly potent vision and the
of director Joe Calarco, Annie Baker’s funny and clever tale of intersecting generations cast’s phenomenal delivery of the play-
featured a perfect blend of humor and haunting potency. From the stunningly clever, wright’s patter, comfortable routines, and
melancholy set capturing a cluttered mid-Atlantic B&B, to Nancy Robinette’s priceless secret souls. A powerful reset on what
performance as a pensive proprietress trying to fathom her tragic-comic Millennial it means to be black in America, it was
guests, this was high entertainment grappling with home truths. It was the kind of sto- a reminder that the journey is far more
rytelling with everything to give and nothing to prove, and it captivated fully. complex than a hashtag.

3. THE WINTER’S TALE, FOLGER THEATRE — Continuing its tradition of staging 1. HAMLET, THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE
Shakespeare with a traveling-troupe kind of magic, The Folger’s weird and wonderful COMPANY — A deeply elegant and whol-
yarn of a jealous king who gets his comeuppance was another chance to see the Bard ly original vision, director Michael Kahn
delivered with irresistible ingenuity and energy. Guided by director Aaron Posner gave us a Danish court in calm, corpo-
with his trademark warmth, wit, and contemporary flair, the evening was chock full rate-chic with a tightly-wound Hamlet

DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 35

 at its core, pulsing like a star ready to implode. His was
a complex, keenly-conceived psychology and it was deliv-
ered perfectly in Michael Urie’s gorgeously agitated, deep-
ly appealing young prince. In this adorably flappable, clever
but ever-vulnerable neurotic, there was not only much that
engaged and entertained, there was also authentic answer to
some of the play’s most enduring questions about the icon-
ic character. Finally, we understood how intelligence could
breed impulsivity, an obsession with death live aside the awe
of existence, and why pretending to be crazy might seem the
best disguise in a grief-ridden quest for truth. Extraordinary.
JOAN MARCUS
André Hereford’s 5 Best Productions:
5. GIRLFRIEND, SIGNATURE THEATRE — Todd Almond’s gay teen-
age romance, inspired by a seminal alternative-rock album of
the ’90s and set in that same decade, felt as achingly new as first
love always feels. Matthew Gardiner’s balanced staging of high
school kids Will and Mike finding themselves and each other,
from the comfort of their bedrooms, brought a timeless, univer-
sal love story down to the intimate scale of two anxious hearts.
Although, these two hearts came with their own kickass backup
band of babes to bang out Matthew Sweet songs expressing all
their angst and longing. The picture of young love as Will and
Mike, Jimmy Mavrikes and Lukas James Miller created the most
memorable romantic coupling of the season.
4. VIETGONE, STUDIO THEATRE — The clever, time-shifting nar-
rative of Qui Nguyen’s layered synthesis of history, politics, lan-
guage, and rock ’n’ roll brought affecting clarity to a murky patch
of the past. The semi-autobiographical tale of how Nguyen’s
Vietnamese parents met in the U.S. after the war, Vietgone
flowed like a road movie, gaining momentum and meaning over
time, thanks to the frank and funny script, deft staging by Natsu
Onoda Power, and a wonderfully versatile ensemble backed by
André Hereford and Kate Wingfield are Metro Weekly’s theater critics. Read their reviews at metroweekly.com.
36 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
the show’s house band, the Vietgoners. Both a loving tribute, and
a powerful history lesson, it was a colorful cross-country trip
worth taking and remembering.
3. ANYTHING GOES, ARENA STAGE — Beauty and elegance danced
from every corner and brilliant talent filled the stage in Arena’s
ship-shape production of the Cole Porter classic. Not only did
the whole cast look swell in costume designer Alejo Vietti’s
wow-worthy wardrobe, they sounded great swinging and skip-
ping around Ken McDonald’s shifting sets, dancing up the storm
that was Parker Esse’s electrifying choreography. Director Molly
Smith teased out just the
right gleam of style and atti-
tude to add a modern gloss
to the old-fashioned farce
and the familiar, tuneful
delights of Porter’s score.
Those legendary songs
came pouring out of Soara
Joye-Ross’ sweet Reno
Sweeney, and were a per-
fect platform for the effer-
vescent and effortless turn
of leading man Corbin Bleu.
2. THE WOLVES, STUDIO
THEATRE — Talk wasn’t
cheap, it was everything
in Sarah DeLappe’s bit-
ingly witty whirlwind of
team-building and teenage
round-table discussion.
The suburban teens of the
all-girls soccer team the
Wolves lived out seemingly
a lifetime’s worth of highs,
Hamilton
lows, and woes between
them, in this illuminating glimpse into their inner lives and
all-encompassing fears. The girls’ often hilarious talk spilled out
naturally and super-fast, all while they stood, sat, or jumped in
a circle drilling soccer skills and training. Director Marti Lyons
and the uniformly solid cast kept the comedy bouncing, the
intensity striking, and never dropped the ball.
1. HAMILTON, KENNEDY CENTER — A Broadway musical that’s
rewritten history yielded a stellar touring production that
exceeded expectations in its glowing summertime run at the
Kennedy Center. While Lin-Manuel Miranda’s canny book
and score turn Revolutionary-era American history — and the
biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow — into pulsat-
ing, pop and hip-hop-laced drama, the production’s energized
cast turned the Pulitzer-winning piece into sublime comedy,
romance, triumph, and tragedy. Their diverse voices and faces
reflected the show’s pointed depiction of a young nation’s aspi-
rations towards freedom and equality. Led by Austin Scott’s
stately Hamilton, Nicholas Christopher’s sly Aaron Burr, and
Julia K. Harriman’s beautifully sung Eliza Schuyler, the show
itself fit warmly into the embrace of the Opera House, bringing
Hamilton, Jefferson, Washington and their comrades to vivid
life in a city that’s steeped in their legacy. l
BAO-NGO3
Music

High Notes
Mitski

In a year defined by artistic transformations,
we round up 2018’s best music. By Sean Maunier
avant-garde, algorithmically-generated,
semi-interactive film created as an hom-
age to an obscure conceptual artist. On
her quirky and absorbing accompaniment
to the high-concept One Day of a Lonely
Person, the Moscow-based electronic

T
artist weaves together the rhythms and
HE PAST YEAR IN MUSIC SAW MANY WELL-KNOWN MUSICIANS minutiae of life in her home city into a
try their hand at an artistic transformation, sometimes with mixed results. But rich, complex, even whimsical soundscape
some of the best work to come out in 2018 played with that fraught concept of of the more intimate side of the Russian
identity, and the year’s most memorable albums are living proof of the creativity and capital.
artistry that can burst forth when someone decides to grab the mike and tell their own
story, on their own terms. 7. JAKE SHEARS, JAKE SHEARS
Between the huge personality and unmis-
10. BEACH HOUSE, 7 takable vocals that Jake Shears brought
Dreamy soundscapes on the surface with obsessive precision lurking just beneath, 7 is to his former band, any solo project was
in many ways the perfect Beach House record. It captures everything that has made inevitably going to sound to some extent
the duo so endlessly listenable. More so than on their previous work, Victoria Legrand like a Scissor Sisters redux. His first outing
and Alex Scally ground themselves in the material world, engaging with darker themes on his own does just that, but in the best
and heavy existential questions, changes which come across more as an evolution or possible way, bringing together the best of
expansion rather than a departure from form. Night Work and Magic Hour and injecting
it with a healthy dose of introspective
9. ROBYN, HONEY blues and Americana.
Although still recognizably Robyn, Honey updates the strong, stony sensibility of 2010’s
Body Talk for a new generation of pop. It seems designed for the club, with dance beats 6. SOPHIE, OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S
that can’t help getting under your skin. As the album thumps along from one track to UN-INSIDES
another, never dropping its energy, the only complaint might be that it all seems to be Highly experimental and woven through
over too fast. with personal narratives, Oil of Every
Pearl’s Un-Insides is the kind of artsy elec-
8. KATE NV, ДЛЯ FOR tropop that can quickly become unbear-
It’s hard to imagine a better artist than Kate NV to supply the soundtrack to an able if done carelessly, and at times Oil

DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 37

hovers just on the edge of being entirely too
much to handle. But Sophie is a master of
her craft, and the album demands attention
and holds it until the very end, then leaves its
listener to wonder what on earth it was they
just experienced.
5. CARDI B, INVASION OF PRIVACY
Love her, hate her, or roll your eyes at her,
there’s no denying that this has been Cardi
B’s year. Between her baby, marriage, break-
up, and some unflattering headlines, the Vine
and Instagram star-turned-rapper’s debut
album might have been an afterthought if it
weren’t so infectious. Invasion of Privacy is
both defiantly unapologetic and full of the humor and charisma
that propelled Cardi to fame in the first place.
4. KACEY MUSGRAVES, GOLDEN HOUR
For Kacey Musgraves, taking a thoughtful, reflective turn does
not mean you have to stop being playful. Despite the occasionally
heavy themes of Golden Hour, Musgraves continues to toy with
and subvert the expectations and tropes of country music. This
album is as much a joy to listen to as her previous work, although
far more likely to deliver an emotional gut punch.
3. JEREMY DUTCHER, WOLASTOQIYIK LINTUWAKONAWA
The 27-year-old winner of this year’s Polaris Prize paid tribute
Read Sean Maunier’s music reviews at MetroWeekly.com.
38 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
to the Wolastoq language traditionally spo-
ken in the Tobique First Nation he calls
home. Combining the finesse of a classically
trained musician and the inquisitive mind
of an anthropologist, the album is a prod-
uct of Dutcher’s research into century-old
recordings of traditional Wolastoq songs
made by anthropologists on wax cylinders,
some of which are sampled on the album,
bringing both the songs and their singers
to life.
2. JANELLE MONÁE, DIRTY COMPUTER
Identity politics need not be a dirty word.
Monáe
Monáe, who came out as pansexual this
year, proves that when racism, homophobia, and misogyny are
named and called out, and their energy redirected back at its
source, magic can happen. Both personal and political to an
extreme, Dirty Computer is the artist at her best.
1. MITSKI, BE THE COWBOY
It’s not for nothing that Mitski has already taken top spots on
more than a few year’s best lists. Her previous work has already
marked her as a master lyricist, and Be the Cowboy takes it to
new heights. It is a beautiful, orderly chaos — Mitski’s characters
come and go as the stories and ideas blossom and evolve, tum-
bling into each other seamlessly into a glorious album that can be
listened to again and again. l
NightLife Photography by
Ward Morrison

DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 39

Scene Town Danceboutique - Events from January to June of 2018. Photographs by Ward Morrison and Randy Shulman.
On the Cover (clockwise from left): Town co-owners Ed Bailey, Jim “Chachi” Boyle, and John Guggenmos.

DrinksDragDJsEtc... TRADE GREEN LANTERN • Foosball • Live televised and 1:45am • DJ Don T. in
Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 sports • Full dining menu Ziegfeld’s • Cover 21+
Happy Hour: Any drink Rail and Domestic • $5 till 9pm • Special Late
normally served in a cock- Svedka, all flavors all night Night menu till 2am • Visit
Thursday, of Beer all night • Sports
Leagues Night
tail glass served in a huge long • The Soul of the pitchersbardc.com
December 27 glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
Streets: Retro R&B Party,
10pm-close • Featuring DJ SHAW’S TAVERN
Saturday,
NUMBER NINE
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
only $4 Jerrbear • No Cover Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 December 29
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
Open 5pm-2am • Happy drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR $5 House Wines, $5 Rail A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Hour: $2 off everything
All male, nude dancers • Open 3pm • Beat the Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas Open 2pm-3am • Video
until 9pm • Video Games PITCHERS
Open Dancers Audition • Clock Happy Hour — $2 and Select Appetizers • Games • Live televised
• Live televised sports Open 5pm-2am • Happy
Urban House Music by DJ (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 Comedy Show, Second sports
Hour: $2 off everything
Tim-e • 9pm • Cover 21+ (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, Floor, 7:30pm
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR until 9pm • Video Games
$15 • Weekend Kickoff FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • • Foosball • Live televised
Dance Party, with Nellie’s TRADE Saturday Breakfast Buffet,
Karaoke, 9pm sports • Full dining menu
DJs spinning bubbly pop Doors open 5pm • Huge 10am-3pm • $14.99 with
till 9pm • Special Late
GREEN LANTERN Night menu till 11pm • Friday, music all night Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
one glass of champagne
or coffee, soda or juice •
Happy Hour, 4-9pm Visit pitchersbardc.com
• Shirtless Thursday, December 28 NUMBER NINE tail glass served in a huge Additional champagne $2
Open 5pm • Happy Hour: glass for the same price, per glass • World Tavern
10-11pm • Men in SHAW’S TAVERN
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm 5-10pm • Beer and wine Poker Tournament, 1-3pm
Underwear Drink Free, Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Open 5pm-3am • Happy • No Cover • Friday Night only $4 • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
12-12:30am • DJs Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
Hour: $2 off everything Piano with Chris, 7:30pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag
BacK2bACk $5 House Wines, $5 Rail
until 9pm • Video Games Rotating DJs, 9:30pm ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Show, hosted by Miss
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
• Live televised sports Men of Secrets, 9pm • Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR and Select Appetizers • All
PITCHERS Guest dancers • Rotating • Karaoke, 10pm-close
Beat the Clock Happy Hour You Can Eat Ribs, 5-10pm,
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Open 5pm-3am • Happy DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $24.95 • $4 Corona and
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Hour: $2 off everything Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors GREEN LANTERN
$4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets Heineken all night • Paint
Karaoke, 9pm until 9pm • Video Games at 9pm, Shows at 11:30pm Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5
Nite, Second Floor, 7pm

40 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY


Bacardi, all flavors, all
night long • The Imperial
Court of Washington
presents An Underwear
Dance Party, 10pm-close •
$5 Cover
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Drag Brunch, hosted
by Chanel Devereaux,
10:30am-12:30pm and
1-3pm • Tickets on sale
at nelliessportsbar.com
• House Rail Drinks, Zing
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
11am-3am • Buckets of
Beer, $15 • Guest DJs
NUMBER NINE
Doors open 2pm • Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5
Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close
• Rotating DJs, 9:30pm
PITCHERS
Open Noon-3am • Video
Games • Foosball • Live
televised sports • Full
NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS
New Year’s Eve Edition
Compiled by Doug Rule
FREDDIE’S
After a year that saw a ton of Cher — from Mamma Mia 2 to the Kennedy
Center Honors — Freddie’s is ringing in 2019 in appropriate fashion by
hosting the world’s best Cher impersonator. Steven Andrade performs
on New Year’s Eve at 10 p.m. as part of a raucous show hosted by Mona
Lotts. The evening will also feature karaoke, dancing, party favors, and
a champagne toast. If you’re hungry, the regular dinner menu will be on
offer, with service starting at 4 p.m. Freddie’s is at 555 South 23rd St. in
Arlington. Remaining tickets are $20. Your ticket stub grants $5 off New
Year’s Day Brunch. Call 703-685-0555 or visit freddiesbeachbar.com.
GREEN LANTERN
The long-standing alley bar a few blocks from Logan Circle will ring in
2019 in a way you might expect from a bear-popular venue: by serving
donuts. The fried pastries will be served at 1 a.m., by which time those
who started drinking at the 4 p.m. Happy Hour will be good and fried
dining menu till 9pm •
Special Late Night menu themselves. DJ Popperz will spin all night, before and after the midnight
till 2am • Visit pitchers- champagne toast and hubbub from party favors and noisemakers. The
bardc.com
venue’s “hot beartenders” will serve “cocktails that won’t empty your
SHAW’S TAVERN wallet” throughout the evening. Green Lantern is at 1335 Green Ct. NW.
Brunch with $15 Cover is $5. Call 202-347-4533 or visit facebook.com/GreenLanternDC.
Bottomless Mimosas,
10am-3pm • Happy Hour,
5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, NELLIE’S SPORT’S BAR
$4 Blue Moon, $5 House
Wines, $5 Rail Drinks •
“It’s almost midnight... Who will you kiss?” If that headline on the flyer
Half-Priced Pizzas and promoting the New Year’s Eve festivities at this U Street anchor provokes
Select Appetizers any sense of angst over a midnight kiss, well, there’s an easy cop-out:
TRADE You could just plan to lock lips with the evening’s unofficial mascot, Mr.
Doors open 2pm • Huge Rubber Ducky. Just don’t kiss in haste — or without consent. Nellie’s will
Happy Hour: Any drink open at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, although the party doesn’t start until
normally served in a
cocktail glass served in a 10 p.m., when DJ Vodkatrina “brings the heat.” Midnight brings a compli-
huge glass for the same mentary champagne toast. Nellie’s is at 900 U St. NW. Call 202-332-NELL
price, 2-10pm • Beer and
wine only $4 • CTRL DC: A
or visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Queer Dance Party, 9pm
PITCHERS/A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm-4am The year 2018 ushered in a dramatic change in gay D.C. nightlife, led by
• Guest dancers • Ladies the July closing of Town Danceboutique. Yet the loss of the city’s largest,
of Illusion Drag Show
with host Ella Fitzgerald
most popular, most diverse, and most centrally located LGBTQ nightclub
was tempered by the opening of these two new, interconnected LGBTQ
venues. The large, multi-story venue is a great place to ring in the new
year. The Pitchers/ALOHO complex opens Monday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m.
Dancing and music by DJ Electrox starts at 10 p.m. Located at 2317-2319
18th St. NW. No cover. Call 202-733-2568 or visit pitchersdc.com.
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
You know it’s a extra special occasion when Ella Fitzgerald, D.C.’s
doyenne of drag, is on board not only to host a special show with the
Ziegfeld’s Ladies of Illusion, but also to lead a midnight toast and count-
down — all on a Monday night. DJ Steve Henderson will be on hand at
the complex’s upstairs room, featuring the best nude male dancers in
town. Bring plenty of dollar bills for both upstairs and downstairs. The fun
starts at 9 p.m. Ziegfeld’s/Secrets is at 1824 Half St. SW. Cover is $20
including a split of champagne and party favors. Call 202-863-0607 or visit
ziegfelds.com.
DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 41
 • Doors at 9pm, Shows GREEN LANTERN PITCHERS glass for the same price, Free Pol Roger Brut Toast DUPLEX DINER
at 11:30pm and 1:45am Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Open Noon-2am • $4 2-10pm • Beer and wine at midnight • 21+ New Year’s Eve Party,
• DJ Don T. in Ziegfeld’s Karaoke with Kevin down- Smirnoff, includes flavored, only $4 6pm-close • Free Tater
• DJ Steve Henderson in stairs, 9:30pm-close $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller DC EAGLE Tots, 6-8pm and 11pm-1am
Secrets • Cover 21+ Lites, 2-9pm • Video Leather & Lace Ball, • Stoli Happy Hour,
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Games • Foosball • Live 9pm-close • Attire: 6-8pm • Late Night Stoli
Drag Brunch, hosted
by Chanel Devereaux,
televised sports • Full din-
ing menu till 9pm • Visit
Monday, Leather, Lace, Rubber,
or Casual Sexy Chic •
Happy Hour: $5 Stoli and
Stoli Flavors, $8 Stoli
Sunday, 10:30am-12:30pm and pitchersbardc.com December 31 Light hors d’oeuvres Martinis and Stoli Cosmos,
1-3pm • Tickets on sale all night • Music by 10pm-1am • 5 TVs with
December 30 at nelliessportsbar.com SHAW’S TAVERN NEW YEAR’S EVE! DJ Ryan Doubleyou • Ball Drop at midnight • $6
• House Rail Drinks, Zing Brunch with Bottomless Pop-up performances Special NYE Squeeze all
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Mimosas, 10am-3pm • A LEAGUE OF HER OWN by Bebe Zahara Benet night long
Open 2pm-12am • $4 Beer and Mimosas, $4, Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Open 2pm-3am • $4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race,
Smirnoff and Domestic 11am-1am • Buckets of Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, Smirnoff and Domestic Ba’Naka, Sandra O’Nassis FIREPLACE
Cans • Video Games • Beer, $15 • Guest DJs $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Cans • Video Games • Lopez, Brie DeVine, Evon Open 1pm-close •
Live televised sports Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas Live televised sports Michelle, Bambi Nicole Complimentary Champagne
NUMBER NINE and Select Appetizers Ferrah, Crystal Edge • Live Toast at midnight
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any • Dinner-n-Drag, with COBALT performance by Billy Winn
Ella’s Sunday Drag Brunch, drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm Naughty New Year’s • GoGo Boys Eddie Danger FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
10am-3pm • $24.99 with and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, • For reservations, email Party, 10pm-close • DJ and Reno Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
four glasses of champagne 9pm-close • Multiple TVs shawsdinnerdragshow@ Keenan Orr in the Lounge Steven Andrade performs
or mimosas, 1 Bloody showing movies, shows, gmail.com • Special guest DJ Chi-Chi DIRTY GOOSE as Cher, plus annual New
Mary, or coffee, soda or sports • Expanded craft LaRue • Chi-Chi’s Dancers New Year’s Eve Party, Year’s Eve Drag Show,
juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm beer selection • Pop TRADE upstairs all night • $25 8pm-3am • DJ Alex 7pm • Karaoke, 10pm-2am
• Gayborhood Piano Goes the World with Wes Doors open 2pm • Huge general admission — Free Love spins all night • $5 • Midnight Countdown
Night, 5-8pm • Karaoke, Della Volla at 9:30pm • Happy Hour: Any drink Champagne Toast at LaMarca Prosecco all night with Party Favors and
9pm-close No Cover normally served in a cock- midnight • Free Deep Eddy after Champagne Toast •
tail glass served in a huge • $75 Open Bar Call — midnight until 12:30am Tickets $20-40 • Ticket

42 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 43
purchase will earn you $5
off New Year’s Brunch
GRAND CENTRAL
1001 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, Md.
New Year’s Eve Party,
9pm-close • $15 Cover
before 10pm, $20 after
10pm • Champagne Toast
at midnight
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3
rail cocktails and domestic
beers all night long •
New Year’s Eve Party,
9pm-2am • $5 Cover
after 10pm • Party Favors
and Champagne Toast at
midnight • Donuts at 1am
• Featuring music by DJ
Popperz all night
JR.’S
Open 4pm-close
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
New Year’s Eve Party,
8pm-close • No Cover •
Champagne Toast at mid-
night • Vendor Giveaways
and Promos • Music by DJ
Vodkatrina
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm • Top 10
Videos of the Year • DJ
Chord Bezerra • Midnight
Countdown
ORCHID BAR
520 8th St. SE
The First Annual Gatsby
Party, hosted by Lillian
Laurent, 9pm-3am • 1920s
Costume Contest • Raffle
Prizes • Complimentary
44 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
Champagne Toast at
midnight
PITCHERS
Open 2pm-3am • Video
Games • Foosball • Live
televised sports • Full
dining menu till 9pm •
Special Late Night menu
till 2am • New Year’s Eve
Party all night • No Cover
• DJ Electrolux • Party
Favors at midnight
SHAW’S TAVERN
Bottomless Mimosa
Brunch, 11am-3pm •
Happy Hour Specials,
4-7pm • New Year’s Eve
Bash, 9pm-2am • Open
Bar for $75, including
passed appetizers and a
midnight breakfast buffet
• Champagne toast at
midnight
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 • New Queer’s Eve
with special performances
and a countdown to
midnight
U STREET MUSIC HALL
Performances by Will
Eastman, Ken Lazee,
Rawle Night Long, Ozker,
Kundalini • Visuals by
Kylos • 21+ • No Advance
Tickets — All Tickets at
Door, 4 Ticket limit per
customer • $12 Cover
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
Open 9pm-4am • New
Year’s Party Special Show
and Midnight Countdown
by Ella Fitzgerald and
the Ladies of Illusion •
Champagne Toast at mid-
night and party favors •
DJ Steve Henderson spins
all night • $20 Cover
Tuesday,
January 1
NEW YEAR’S DAY
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Open Noon-12am • $4
Smirnoff and Domestic
Cans • Video Games •
Live televised sports
DC EAGLE
Doors open 5pm • 2-for-1
Tuesdays: Buy one, get
one free all night • $2 off
all regular-priced drinks
from 5-8pm
DUPLEX DINER
New Year’s Brunch • Full
Menu with $3 Champagne
Cocktails (Mimosa,
Champagne Madras,
Bellini) all day long and
Rosé All Day for $26 a per-
son, 11am-5pm • Brunch
Happy Hour, 2-5pm: Half
off all Brunch Cocktails
(including Strawberry
Squeeze, Grapefruit
Squeeze, Aperol Spritz, and
French 75)
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
New Year’s Buffet Brunch,
$24.99 per person,
10am-3pm • Crazy Hour,
4-8pm • Taco Tuesday •
Poker Night — 7pm and
9pm games • Karaoke,
9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3
rail cocktails and domestic
beers all night long
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
New Year’s Day Drag
Brunch, hosted by
Chanel Devereaux,
10:30am-12:30pm and
1-3pm • Tickets on sale
at nelliessportsbar.com •
New Year’s Day Games on
TVs • House Rail Drinks,
Zing Zang Bloody Marys,
Nellie Beer and Mimosas,
$4, 11am-1am • Buckets
of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs
NUMBER NINE
Open at 5pm • Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm • No Cover
PITCHERS
Open Noon-2am • $4
Smirnoff, includes flavored,
$4 Coors Light or $4 Miller
Lites, 2-9pm • Video
Games • Foosball • Live
televised sports • Full din-
ing menu till 9pm • Visit
pitchersbardc.com
SHAW’S TAVERN
New Year’s Day Drag
Brunch: Two Seatings,
11am and 2pm • Hosted
by Miss Kristina Kelly •
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$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 2pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a
cocktail glass served in a
huge glass for the same
price, 2-10pm • Beer and
wine only $4 • New Year’s
Day Eye Opener Party •
Proceeds go to support
Capital Pride
Wednesday,
January 2
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Open 5pm-12am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Live televised sports
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 • $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 •
Absolutely Snatched Drag
Show, hosted by Brooklyn
Heights, 9pm • Tickets
available at nelliessports-
bar.com
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
PITCHERS
Open 5pm-12am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Foosball • Live televised
sports • Full dining menu
till 9pm • Special Late
Night menu till 11pm •
Visit pitchersbardc.com
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4 l
DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 45
 LastKiss

46 DECEMBER 27, 2018 • METROWEEKLY