By Randy Shulman
ROSEN’S TURN
Arena Stage’s Indecent marks acclaimed director Eric Rosen’s
return as an influential champion of LGBTQ theater.
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Rupaul’s Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular airs Friday, December 7 at 8 p.m. on VH1, and in multiple repeat airings thereafter.
CHRISTMAS REVELS
Featuring a cast of over 100, The
Washington Revels performs
their annual holiday tribute, this
year a “Welcome Yule” journey to
Renaissance England and the winter
world of Queen Elizabeth I and Will
Kemp, Shakespeare’s favorite Fool. A
show blending music and dance and
featuring children’s songs and games,
seasonal sing-alongs, even a few lines
from the Bard. Performances begin
Saturday, Dec. 8. Runs To Dec. 16.
GW Lisner, The George Washington
University, 730 21st St. NW. Tickets are
$12 to $60. Call 301-587-3835 or visit
revelsdc.org.
CRY IT OUT
Studio Theatre presents Molly Smith
Metzler’s candid comedy about the tin-
derbox of parenthood and class in today’s
culture. Emjoy Gavino plays a corpo-
rate lawyer who befriends her working
class neighbor while both are marooned
at home on maternity leave. A wealthy
couple from the neighborhood intrudes
on a naptime coffee date between the
new mothers, pushing Cry It Out toward
a dramatic climax. Directed by Joanie
Schultz. To Dec. 16. Milton Theatre, 14th
& P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit
studiotheatre.org.
RILEY KNOXX:
AN ILLUSION OF QUEEN BEY
With a team of dancers and wind machines,
plus her own work in mastering the moves,
mannerisms, and even makeup of today’s
biggest pop diva, this local illusionist gives
one the feeling they’re watching Beyonce
in concert. The transgender Knoxx, who in
recent years has made moves to become a
recording artist in her own right, has report-
edly even garnered praise from Queen Bey
herself. Sunday, Dec. 9. Doors at 6 p.m. City
Winery DC, 1350 Okie St. NE. Tickets are
$22 to $30. Call 202-250-2531 or visit city-
winery.com.
TRAINS, TREES
from “the world’s most famous
Christmas block” — aka Baltimore’s
Miracle on 34th Street. The eve-
ning kicks off with cocktails and live
AND TRIMMINGS
music from the Tongue and Cheek
Jazz Band at 7 p.m. Tuesday Dec. 11,
at 8 p.m. The Senator Theatre, 5904
York Rd. Baltimore. Tickets are $15
to $23. Call 800-838-3006 or visit
The U.S. Botanic Garden’s expansive model train exhibit stoopstorytelling.com.
is one of the area’s seasonal joys.
FILM
T
RAINS HAVE AN INTERESTING PLACE IN OUR HISTORY AND CULTURE,” A CHRISTMAS STORY
Bob Clark, who gave the world
says Devin Dotson. “While today, some people, especially in urban areas, think of the teen raunchfest Porky’s, also
trains in terms of light-rail or subways or Amtrak, in most of the country people improbably gave the world this
don’t interact with them as much. They have this whimsical, nostalgic view of trains.” beloved 1983 gem about a boy
who longs for a “Red Ryder air
That whimsy is on full display in Season’s Greetings: All Aboard!, the U.S. Botanic
rifle” for Christmas. With Darren
Garden’s annual celebration of all things railroad. Started two decades ago, the series McGavin and Melinda Dillon.
features various model trains winding their way through the garden’s flora and foliage. Part of the Capital Classics series
And for its 20th year, the exhibit’s trains will have special new routes, winding their way at Landmark’s West End Cinema.
Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 1:30, 4:30,
through miniature replicas of 31 iconic train stations across the United States, from New and 7:30 p.m., 2301 M St. NW.
York’s Grand Central Terminal to Mississippi’s Vicksburg Train Barge to Washington’s Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
own Union Station — all fashioned from parts of more than 100 different plants. Tickets are $10 to $12.50. Call 202-
534-1907 or visit landmarktheatres.
“Train stations, as they were built over time, were really tied in with agriculture,” says
com.
Dotson, an exhibits specialist at the Botanic Garden. “So the 31 stations we have in the
train show tell the story of how those stations interacted with the agriculture and plants AFI HOLIDAY CLASSICS
in that section of the country.” Over the next several weeks, the
American Film Institute offers 16
On select Tuesdays and Thursdays, the conservatory will stay open until 8 p.m. for Christmas films, from the clas-
seasonal music performances as part of the Botanic Garden’s holiday concert series. sics — It’s A Wonderful Life, The
Upcoming performances include the Russian folk music group Samovar on Dec. 11, Dial Muppet Christmas Carol, and White
Christmas — to curiosities like Die
251 for Jazz on Dec. 13, smooth jazz artists Tony Craddock, Jr. and Cold Front on Dec. 18,
Hard and Trading Places. First up,
and The Capital Hearings a cappella group on Dec. 20. MGM’s 1938 version of A Christmas
“The variety of musical groups we invite to play here give people just another reason Carol, starring Reginald Owen as
to visit,” Dotson says. “There’s a lot going on and a lot to see, and as we’re open every day Scrooge and featuring a score by
the legendary Franz Waxman. AFI
of the year and free. So I think many local families have made it part of their Christmas Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville
traditions.” —John Riley Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $13.
Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/
Silver for schedule and details.
Season’s Greetings: All Aboard! runs through Jan. 1, 2019 at the Botanic Garden
Conservatory, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is free of charge. The conservatory is WHITE CHRISTMAS
open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on select Tuesdays and Thursdays The perfect film to put you in the
for its holiday concert series. For more information, call 202-225-8333 or visit usbg.gov. holiday spirit, Fathom Events pres-
STAGE
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.
GREG GORMAN
The Kennedy Center commissioned
this stage adaptation of author and
illustrator Oliver Jeffers’ beloved
children’s book about chasing one’s
dreams. Created and directed by
Jared Mezzocchi, this work of the-
ater for young audiences is a whim- RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
sical tale of discovery, friendship,
and delightful surprises, enriched
There’s a sizable cadre of young, queer artists singing openly and honestly about their
with music by Zak Engel, projec- experiences in today’s landscape, but it was a different story 20 years ago, and Rufus
tions by Olivia Sebesky, and cho- Wainwright stood out in that regard as he launched his career with his 1998 self-titled
reography by the Orange Grove debut and established himself with 2001’s Poses. The two albums felt rather ground-
Dance Company. Jonathan Hsu,
Dallas Tolentino, Raven Wilkes, breaking then, and they still hold up two decades later, which is why a concert finding
and Elan Zafir star. Performances Wainwright performing songs from both registers as more than just a toast to his day-one
are Saturday, Dec. 8 and 15, at 11 or longtime fans. It’s all the more enticing given that he’ll revive the material locally in
a.m., 1:30, and 5 p.m., and Sunday,
Dec. 9 and 16, at 1:30 and 4 p.m.
Strathmore’s large, acoustically rich concert hall. Saturday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. Music Center,
Family Theater. Tickets are $20. 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $39 to $89, or $299 to $399 for VIP
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kenne- levels including a premium seat, pre-show meet and greet and photo, tour print, a photo
dy-center.org. book, and more. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.
WHO’S HOLIDAY
Subtitled “The story Dr. Seuss
didn’t want you to see,” Matthew
Lombardo’s raucous, raunchy com-
edy is an unofficial sequel to the
childhood favorite How The Grinch
Stole Christmas. The story revolves
around a very grown-up Cindy Lou
Who recounting, from her cramped
GMCW
L
Triangle Players, The Robert B.
Moss Theatre, 1300 Altamont Ave.
AST YEAR, THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON RECHRISTENED ITS ANNUAL Richmond. Tickets are $30 to $35.
holiday show, which it has been doing for nearly 38 years, officially calling it “The Holiday Call 804-346-8113 or visit rtriangle.
Show.” “We always gave it a title like ‘Sparkle Jingle Joy’ or ‘Rewrapped’ or ‘Rockin’ the org.
Holidays,’” says Artistic Director Thea Kano. “But last year, I thought why don’t we just call it ‘The
Holiday Show’? This is our second year actually calling it that.” MUSIC
Kano hopes the rebranding will help further solidify the festive, frequently flamboyant and
BALTIMORE SYMPHONY:
outlandishly entertaining concert as a Washington Christmastime tradition. “People go see the HANDEL’S MESSIAH
Rockettes every year. Some folks always take time to go see The Nutcracker. We’re trying to get The area’s three biggest orches-
something going where people have a tradition of including GMCW’s ‘Holiday Show’ as an annual tras will each perform one of the
greatest choral masterpieces in the
outing.”
Western canon this season, with
Kano has little to worry about. The GMCW’s Holiday Show already sits atop Washington’s trin- the National Symphony and the
ity of seasonal traditions, alongside Ford’s Christmas Carol and The Washington Ballet’s uniquely National Philharmonic both offering
D.C. take on The Nutcracker. the monumental Messiah the week-
end immediately before Christmas.
Kano says people can expect the usual razzle and dazzle in this year’s production, along with But the Baltimore Symphony beats
callout performances by the chorus’ many ensembles, including the Rock Creek Singers, GenOUT them to the punch with two perfor-
Youth Chorus, and assist from its own 17th Street Dance Troupe. Naturally, there will be an mances this weekend led by con-
ductor and harpsichordist Edward
appearance by Santa, a snowfall, and a host of fabulous costumes. And, of course, there will be a
Polochick along with the Concert
customary blend of traditional holiday choral music with popular standards. Artists of Baltimore Symphonic
“The holiday show is a nice warm opportunity to remind our audience of our mission, which is Chorale and soprano Jennifer
equality and justice for all,” says Kano. “But we always like to throw in fun things. So we will have O’Loughlin, mezzo-soprano Diana
Moore, tenor Benjamin Butterfield,
a drag queen number. And ‘Silver Bells’ will actually be ‘Silver Bears.’ We never lose sight of who and bass Sidney Outlaw. The con-
we are.” —Randy Shulman cert in part promotes a recent
recording on Naxos of Handel’s
masterwork as performed by the
GMCW’s The Holiday Show is Saturday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 15, at 3 and 8 p.m., and BSO under Polochick with the same
Sunday, Dec. 16, at 3 p.m. At the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $65. chorale and all but one of the four
Call 877-435-9849 or visit gmcw.org. soloists. Polochick will sign copies
of the new CD after each perfor-
mance. Saturday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m.,
Also: GMCW is collecting toys to benefit Community Family Life Services. If you’d like to help, please and Sunday, Dec. 9, at 3 p.m. Joseph
bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Lincoln Theatre on December 8, 15 or 16 to help a child in need. Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212
FREDDY COLE
Freddy Cole plays his own instru-
ments, just like his late brother Nat
King Cole, but his voice is rasp-
ier, smokier, even jazzier. The
New York Times has hailed him
as “the most maturely expressive
male jazz singer of his generation,
if not the best alive.” He drops by
BERVIN
LES NUBIANS
Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets own fans with its slightly unusual are $39.50. Call 703-549-7500 or Born to a French father and a
are $12.50 to $80. Call 410-783- blend of bluegrass and rock, offi- visit birchmere.com. Cameroonian mother, Paris-born
8000 or visit bsomusic.org. cially pegged as “ether-electrified sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart
porch music.” The band tours in CHOPTEETH helped shake up hip-hop at the
BETTYE LAVETTE celebration of its 25th anniversary The Washington Post has referred turn of the millennium with their
Very little has been straight, tradi- year. Friday, Dec. 7, at 8:30 p.m., to this 12-piece band as “a storm- debut album, Princesses Nubiennes.
tional, or predictable in the life of Saturday, Dec. 8, at 3 and 8:30 ing powerhouse of big-band African They’re now one of the most suc-
LaVette, who grew up in Motown- p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 9, at 1 p.m. funk...smart, tight and relentless- cessful French-language musical
era Detroit and became a recording Ram’s Head On Stage, 33 West St., ly driving.” The Afrobeat-driven groups in the states. Saturday, Dec.
artist at 16. She even had what she Annapolis. Tickets are $39.50. Call group has won 13 Washington Area 15. Doors at 6 p.m. The Howard
calls “dalliances” with other women 410-268-4545 or visit ramsheadon- Music Association Awards, includ- Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets are
when she was young — something stage.com. Also Thursday, Dec. 13, ing Artist of the Year in 2008 and $22.50 to $65, plus $10 minimum
that has given her “keen insight” at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 as best World Music Group the per person for all tables. Call 202-
into the LGBTQ experience, as well Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. last nine years in a row. Chopteeth 588-5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.
as several enduring LGBTQ friend- Tickets are $39.50. Call 703-549- performs regularly throughout the com.
ships. The good-humored soul 7500 or visit birchmere.com. region. Saturday, Dec. 8. Doors at 7
singer is in what she refers to as p.m. Pearl Street Warehous. Pearl MOTOWN: HITSVILLE
her “fifth career,” capped by Things CHERYL WHEELER Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. U.S.A. CABARET
Have Changed, her album of Bob & JOHN GORKA Tickets are $20. Call 202-380-9620 Jade Jones, Marc G. Meadows,
Dylan covers released in March by A Maryland native, Wheeler got her or visit pearlstreetwarehouse.com. and Ines Nassara perform songs
Verve Records. Thursday, Dec. 13. start performing at clubs in D.C. popularized by the Supremes,
Doors at 6 p.m. City Winery DC, and Baltimore, though she has long BOMBA ESTÉREO Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder,
1350 Okie St. NE. Tickets are $30 made her home in Massachusetts Literally translating as stereo bomb the Jackson 5 and many more in
to $45. Call 202-250-2531 or visit with her wife. She returns for an in English, this band’s name is said a cabaret show directed by Kelly
citywinery.com. annual show sharing the stage with to refer to a “badass party” in its Crandall d’Amboise. This “Motown:
John Gorka, whom Rolling Stone native Colombia. Just try to stand The Reprise” cabaret is a sequel
CARBON LEAF once dubbed the preeminent male still as the fun, festive group, found- to the original sold-out Signature
A five-piece from Richmond, singer-songwriter of the New Folk ed by bassist Simon Mejia and led Theatre production. Now to Dec.
Carbon Leaf has toured with the Movement. Sunday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 by singer/rapper Liliana Saumet, 23. The Ark, 4200 Campbell Ave.,
Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., and p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount performs its brand of modern-day, Arlington. Tickets are $38. Call 703-
Blues Traveler, while drawing its Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets Latin electro-pop. The aptly named 820-9771 or visit sigtheatre.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.
NEW TRADITIONS
ning/walking/social club
welcomes runners of all ability
levels for exercise in a fun and
supportive environment, with
socializing afterward. Route
GLOE creates safe and affirming spaces where LGBTQ Jewish people distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at
can be themselves without giving up their faith. 7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
For more information, visit
W
dcfrontrunners.org.
E WANT QUEER JEWS TO KNOW THEY HAVE A HOME IN THE DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s
broader Jewish community,” says Josef Palermo, director of the Kurlander gay and lesbian square-dancing
Program for GLBTQ Outreach and Engagement at the Edlavitch D.C. Jewish group, features mainstream
Community Center. As one of the leading LGBTQ Jewish groups in the D.C. area, GLOE through advanced square
dancing at the National City
often looks at religious issues through a modern-day queer lens. For instance, to mark Christian Church. Please dress
Yom HaShoah, the day of remembrance for the Holocaust, the group took a private tour casually. 7-9:30 p.m. 5 Thomas
of the Holocaust Museum — led by an openly gay survivor of the Holocaust. Circle NW. 202-930-1058,
dclambdasquares.org.
GLOE also holds a monthly “Torah & Sexuality” study series on the second Tuesday
of every month, with the next meeting, on Dec. 11, examining the Jewish tradition of DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
niddah, in which menstruating women are separated from the rest of the tribe, and how practice. The team is always
reclaiming the practice can help LGBTQ people rediscover intimacy in relationships. looking for new members.
All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry
“In addition to religious content, we do social events like happy hours and ‘Drag Thomas Recreation Center,
Yenta’ brunches,” says Palermo. “We’re really just trying to get the community togeth- 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more
er, for as many events, in whatever way possible.” information, visit scandalsrfc.
org or dcscandals@gmail.com.
To celebrate Hanukkah, the eight day festival of light that concludes on Dec. 10,
GLOE is co-hosting its annual “Gaydel, Gaydel, Gaydel” happy hour at Pitchers on Dec. THE DULLES TRIANGLES
6. Palermo says it’s a welcome chance to socialize that goes beyond his own typical hol- Northern Virginia social
iday celebration, which involves a quiet night at home lighting the menorah, cooking group meets for happy hour at
Sheraton in Reston. All wel-
latkes, and watching the Adam Goldberg comedy, The Hebrew Hammer. come. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise
GLOE also stresses the importance of social justice through initiatives like D25, Valley Drive, second-floor bar.
when Jewish people in the D.C. area are asked to perform volunteer service projects on For more information, visit
dullestriangles.com.
Christmas Day. For its part, GLOE will be helping fix up Casa Ruby’s Georgia Avenue
center and serving meals to needy clients of the LGBTQ community center. HIV TESTING at Whitman-
“The basic idea is that, in addition to the traditions of Chinese food and movies on Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30
Christmas,” says Palermo. “We encourage people to get out in their community and p.m. and 2:30-5 p.m. at 1525
14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12
serve in whatever way they can.” —John Riley p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max
Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr.
GLOE’s “Gaydel, Gaydel, Gaydel” Happy Hour is on Thursday, Dec. 6 from 6-9 p.m. at Ave. SE. For an appointment,
call 202-745-7000 or visit whit-
Pitchers, 2317 18th St. NW. Its monthly Torah & Sexuality study, “Blood, Power, and man-walker.org.
Purity,” is on Tuesday, Dec. 11, from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth and I Synagogue, 600 I St. NW.
For more information, visit facebook.com/edcjcc.gloe. KARING WITH
Turn
acclaimed director Eric Rosen’s
return as an influential
champion of LGBTQ theater.
Interview by Doug Rule
Photography by Todd Franson
W
HEN THE KANSAS CITY REPERTORY THEATRE PUT OUT THE CALL
for a new artistic director, Eric Rosen didn’t think he stood a chance.
“They asked me if I’d think about applying for the job, and I thought, ‘No,
of course not,’” Rosen says. “I run an American gay theater. I would never
get hired to run this big regional theater that’s six times larger than my com-
pany.”
More to the point, he didn’t think KC Rep would want its next leader to be a self-described
“super queer theater artist,” one who had co-founded Chicago’s influential, LGBTQ-focused About
Face Theatre. But, twelve years ago, he threw his hat in the ring at the company’s behest. “And do as an artist for myself, not
then I saw that all the other people who were going for the job were fancy older people in their for a whole company.” Among
50s and 60s,” he says. other things, Rosen, with New
He ended up beating out every other candidate for the job — though he deliberated for a few York as his and Elder’s new
months before accepting. To say it was the right decision would be an understatement. Among home base, can now “reclaim
other things, he met Claybourne Elder toward the end of his first year on the job, when Moises my queer theater mantle.”
Kaufman cast the young actor in a KC Rep production of Into the Woods. By the end of the run, He succeeds in that goal
romance had blossomed between Elder and Rosen, who are now married and fathers to one-year- with Indecent, which shines
old Bo. “I love being a dad — it’s the best thing that ever happened,” says the 48-year-old. a light on a momentous —
Elder, currently a standby in the revival of Torch Song Trilogy, which ends its Broadway run on though largely forgotten —
Jan. 6, has been a regular visitor to D.C., most recently last summer when he starred in Passion at chapter in theater history. The
Signature Theatre. As it happens, Rosen was in D.C. with Elder for much of that summer sojourn, drama by Vogel, a lesbian and
as he was gearing up to helm a production of Paula Vogel’s Indecent that recently launched at native of D.C., relays a cen-
Arena Stage and will travel in 2019 with the same cast and crew to Kansas City Rep and Baltimore’s tury-old story of a time when
Center Stage. New York authorities shut
“Indecent really marks the beginning of the next part of my life,” says Rosen, who has complet- down a Broadway show and
ed a 10-year run at KC Rep. The tenure “wasn’t ever controversial, but I certainly pushed the enve- arrested 16 members of the
lope hard, not just in terms of LGBTQ issues, but in terms of diverse casting...and in the amount of cast and crew for indecency —
outreach we were doing in communities that traditionally weren’t involved in the company. And it chiefly due to a frank and rel-
changed the city, it changed the community. And that was all really exciting, to shake things up in atively flattering depiction of
a big way [to show] that, wow, theater matters. same-sex love and sexuality.
“Honestly though,” he adds, “I just felt like I was starting to lose sight of the work I want to “I majored in Jewish and
gonna work hard and my life is just going to be about building my MW: That’s an interesting perspective.
career, and that’s perfectly fine.” And then 10 months later, I met ROSEN: I was an 18-year-old kid in North Carolina finding
Clay. And two years after that we were engaged. And then had a out that that’s where half of my family died. It becomes really
kid four years after we married. And here we are. So remember- personal when you think “My grandfather’s family, my grand-
ing that gives me courage in this moment as I’m looking forward. mother’s family, everyone who didn’t emigrate and come over
I don’t exactly know what’s going to happen, but I think it’s is dead.”
when you take that kind of unlikely step, amazing things happen I remember feeling outraged that I didn’t know this history
and your whole life changes. more. When I came out I was outraged that I didn’t know how
MW: You were in Chicago before Kansas City, but you didn’t grow much of this stuff there was in the world. And one of the reasons
up there, right? I wanted to start About Face was to create a place where young
ROSEN: No, I’m actually from Asheville, North Carolina. I went people, especially, could find themselves represented on stage.
to UNC Chapel Hill for undergrad. And I lived in North Carolina One of the things we did at About Face was start a program for
on and off until I was about 14. My parents divorced, and then high school students, the About Face Youth Theatre, in which
my dad’s family moved to a suburb in New York and I went to we created new plays with out kids long before anybody was
junior high and high school there. doing that kind of work. And they had those plays about their
MW: Did you aspire to a life in the theater growing up? own lives performed in our main stage season. So you’d have all
ROSEN: Pretty much. I was the lead in high school plays. And I these adults who had just gotten through the AIDS crisis coming
went to college thinking I was going to be an actor, but then I and hearing these stories of these out kids, and it was really pow-
started directing plays my sophomore year of college and I’ve erful — for the adults and for the young people. That program
never been in a play since. I have no idea if I was a good actor still exists. It’s been going on for 22 years and the first class of
or not but I didn’t love doing it. As soon as I directed a play I that program in ’99 are now pushing 40. Which is so weird. But
thought, “Oh this is what I’m supposed to do.” that was always so important to me that I could make a differ-
But I was also very curious about ideas and books and was ence in using theater to make visible what had been invisible and
kind of nerdy and academic. So getting a doctorate seemed like to make safe what had felt so threatening, and to do that in a way
the right path for me at the time. that you couldn’t undo.
MW: When did you come out? I think that by working with young people in theater, you’re
Staging a Scandal
through a variety of accents, and sings
Alexander Sovronsky’s original music
beautifully. She also pairs nicely with Max
Wolkowitz, as younger versions of Asch
Arena’s potent Indecent offers a canny reconstruction and his reassuring wife Madje, and with
of a century-old controversy. By André Hereford Susan Lynskey, portraying the girls in love
in Asch’s play.
W
As the rep company’s stage manager
hen it opened on Broadway in 1923, Sholem Asch’s drama The God of and leading player, Ben Cherry does much
Vengeance caused quite an uproar — and not just because of its lesbian to keep the pace of the decades-spanning
romance. The provocative three-act play, originally written and performed Indecent flowing. In his role as Lemml,
in Yiddish, also raised eyebrows with its dramatization of a Jewish brothel owner’s the company member who most believes
precarious spiritual journey. At the time, the play was branded obscene, and its cast and in Asch’s play, Cherry literally keeps the
producers were hauled off to jail. plot flowing with narration and expository
Asch’s intent as a storyteller might have been obscured by scandal, but history hasn’t dialogue. The character can seem cloying,
forgotten him. Over ninety years later, Asch and The God of Vengeance returned to with Cherry perhaps overplaying the actor’s
Broadway as the subjects of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel’s Indecent wide-eyed innocence, but Lemml’s faith in
(HHHHH). Asch is meant to be a propelling force.
Viewing these real-life events through a modern lens, Indecent synthesizes history, The story passes from the playwright’s
tragedy, music, and satire into a presentation that’s thematically rich and technically bedroom in 1906, to stages across Europe,
complex. In a solid new production at Arena Stage, director Eric Rosen and his compa- and up and down Manhattan in the ’20s,
ny handle those distinct challenges adroitly. with dark detours to jail, then the Lodz
A shrewd and compassionate play about a play, Indecent restates Sholem Asch’s ghetto and into a concentration camp.
case for warts-and-all authenticity by portraying elements of his life, and of the lives of Jack Magaw’s versatile scenery keeps pace
the players who performed his so-called obscene play. The production’s multitasking with the action, with heavy wood beams
actors, singers, and musicians embody the scrappy Jewish repertory company that first rising and falling to frame key moments.
performed Asch’s work, as well as several casts of actors who have played it since. The beams occasionally draw close to
Performing the Elder roles for the company, Victor Raider-Wexler and Susan show the walls crowding in around the
Rome anchor the team with dexterous timing and, at times, heartrending emotion. characters, or the world crashing down on
Indecent runs through December 30 at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St. SW.
Tickets are $40 to $105. Call (202) 488-3300, or visit arenastage.org.
Foreign Relations
ic Beckman plying an amusingly broad
Aussie twang for Sonya’s loving impres-
sion of Kate, who might as well be from
another planet, given how entirely foreign
some of the Aussie’s ways seem to her
A two-person cast works tirelessly but the story feels slight in partner.
How to Keep an Alien. By André Hereford Many of the other comic details are
equally broad, though not always for the
I
better. Heralding an arrival Down Under
F SONYA KELLY’S HOW TO KEEP AN ALIEN (HHHHH), NOW AT SOLAS NUA, with the most obvious Men at Work music
a multimedia company devoted exclusively to contemporary Irish arts, isn’t quite cue gets a laugh but doesn’t say anything
diverting enough, it isn’t exactly the fault of Tonya Beckman and Nick Fruit, the specific about these two people. How to
two performers onstage. Beckman carries the bulk of the piece portraying a version of Keep an Alien seeks to magnify the small-
Kelly in this autobiographical comedy based on the Irish playwright’s romance with scale story of one couple’s ordeal into a
her foreign-born partner, Kate. tale containing multitudes, but its reach
When the two meet, Kate’s resident alien status as an Australian living in Ireland is doesn’t extend that wide. l
How to Keep an Alien runs through December 16 at Dance Loft on 14th, 4618 14th St. SW. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 765-276-8201
or visit solasnua.org.
dunit as a whydunit.
That said — and this is partly the result
W
The gain is a cavernously atmospheric
ith Ian MacNeil’s stunning, surreal set evoking a sinister doll’s house, direc- sense of place, the loss is that it’s all writ
tor Stephen Daldry’s revival of J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls (HHHHH) too large for much nuance — either in
is certainly visually arresting. Add Stephen Warbeck’s striking music — expression or voice — though the ensem-
reminiscent of Benjamin Britten’s sense of spiritual panic — and the play moves from ble does much with their body language to
drawing room drama into more existential territory. The plot may become increasingly make up for it.
predictable, but it’s a production that invites us to look for more, be it metaphor, ghost The inspector, aptly named Goole, is
story, or social and political commentary. a pivotal role and Liam Brennan largely
However one responds to the wider interpretations, there is nothing obtuse in the delivers the goods, playing him with a kind
story: a police inspector arrives at a dinner party to announce that a young woman has of impenetrable determination that does
committed suicide. As the evening unfolds, the inspector questions each family mem- much to drive the drama with the neces-
ber in turn, and in doing so much is revealed of their values and their relationship to sary momentum. He does a fair amount
the woman in question. It’s quickly established that she is working class and that the of mysterious this and that — connecting
family members view themselves as, if not aristocrats, then upper-middle class (in the silently with a small boy on the perimeter
English sense). Thus, it is truly an “inspection” of the way in which each has relied on of the action, taking off his jacket and
the stratification of society to justify their actions, attitudes and, ultimately, callous rolling up his sleeves — and it all suggests
disregard for another human being. a bit of portent and adds to the absurdist
And Priestley has no interest in hiding his message — to the point of having the lean here. In counterpoint to the calm
inspector deliver a speech beseeching us all to treat others with compassion. Written and collected Goole is Jeff Harmer’s Mr.
in 1945, he may have been exploring any number of realities in Britain at the time: the Birling, the family patriarch. Interestingly,
enduring injustices of a deeply-rooted class system; the vestiges of stifling and often Birling’s accent is Northern, suggesting
ruthless Victorian values; the soul-shaking horrors of a war that had only just ended. (intentionally or otherwise), that he is
Seeing the story in these terms makes its unfolding more meaningful, even if it can self-made versus born to it, and, if you are
never quite overcome its slightly methodical feel. Ultimately, it is not so much a who- inclined to see the play in such terms, it
An Inspector Calls runs through Dec. 23 at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW.
Tickets are $44 to $118. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.
Dolly World
enough to listen to. “Girl in the Movies”
is a plaintive “I want” ballad sung from
the perspective of someone on the outside
looking in, a recurring theme revisited on
the slightly more uplifting “Red Shoes.”
Dolly Parton takes a Netflix film as an opportunity to revisit old hits, By their nature, Parton’s well-known hits
craft new material, and work with longtime idols. By Sean Maunier are mostly catchy, upbeat, and celebratory,
and so it makes sense that the original
N
work created to fill out the soundtrack
ETFLIX HAS GIVEN US SO MANY STRANGE THINGS OVER THE YEARS would tend to be more maudlin out of
that it’s hard to be surprised anymore, but an album of twelve new songs from necessity to fit the film’s more somber
Dolly Parton is a new one. Still, her authenticity and relentless positivity made moments. The exception is “If We Don’t,”
her a natural choice to score their feel-good musical comedy, Dumplin’. which has more of the classic, plucky
In approaching her to craft their entire soundtrack, the producers of Dumplin’ country sound of 1970s Parton and stands
were gambling on an approach that has produced at least as many flops as success- out as the best of the original material.
es. Approaching an artist to write an original number or two is reasonably common The highlight of the soundtrack, how-
practice, but having them turn out an album’s worth of material is not only ambitious, ever, are the updated versions of Parton’s
it’s rare for a reason. They could have played it safe and sought permission to use older hits. As much as Parton shines here,
existing recordings of Parton’s hits, which probably would have resulted in a perfectly the success of the songs owes much to the
enjoyable, if unremarkable score. And that might well have happened had Parton not other artists accompanying her. Before
immediately clicked with songwriter Linda Perry and decided to expand their collab- the new version of “Here I Am” dropped
oration beyond the theme song she had originally agreed to create. Rather than put in September, it would have been hard
out a whole record of new material, Parton and Perry opted to split the difference, and to imagine Sia topping the country music
the soundtrack features six re-recorded songs and six created exclusively for the film. charts. Their duet rendition of the 1971
Luckily for Dumplin’, Dolly Parton pulled it off, probably in no small part because hit works remarkably well, with Sia and
of her own enthusiasm for the project. How well it holds up as a soundtrack will be Parton playing off one another perfectly,
seen when the movie arrives on Netflix on December 7, but on its own merits Parton’s each lending the track the emotive power
Dumplin’ (HHHHH) works just as well as a standalone album. While it does lean heav- it deserves.
ily on the film’s themes of longing for a better life and budding self-love, it does not Even more impressive is the rework of
immediately sound like it was created around a film. “Two Doors Down” featuring DOROTHY
The original songs written for Dumplin’ are not Parton’s best work, to be sure, but and the legendary Macy Gray. Not all of the
The Dumplin’ soundtrack is available now on CD for $9.98 at Amazon.com and on most streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple
Music. The movie, starring Jennifer Aniston, will be available on Netflix Friday, Dec. 7.
December 9 Drag Brunch, hosted $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller Doors open 2pm • Huge long • Singing with the SHAW’S TAVERN
by Chanel Devereaux, Lites, 2-9pm • Video Happy Hour: Any drink Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 10:30am-12:30pm and Games • Foosball • Live normally served in a cock- Night with the Sisters Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
Open 2pm-12am • $4 1-3pm • Tickets on sale televised sports • Full din- tail glass served in a huge of Perpetual Indulgence, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Smirnoff and Domestic at nelliessportsbar.com ing menu till 9pm • Visit glass for the same price, 9:30pm-close Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
Cans • Video Games • • House Rail Drinks, Zing pitchersbardc.com 2-10pm • Beer and wine and Select Appetizers •
Live televised sports Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie only $4 Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with
Beer and Mimosas, $4, Jeremy, 7:30pm
11am-1am • Buckets of
Beer, $15 • Guest DJs
“Senate and congressional candidates who think they can get votes hurting and discriminating against us —
well, we can get votes too.”
— RYAN MURPHY, in a speech accepting the Trevor Project’s Hero Award, announcing his plans to create an organization that
specifically targets anti-LGBTQ politicians running for office. “In 2020, I’m going to create and fund, with corporate sponsorship,
a multi-million dollar organization that targets anti-LGBTQ candidates running for office,” he said. “You can’t keep killing our
vulnerable young people by promoting and nationalizing your rural, close-minded anti-constitutional viewpoints.”