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APRIL 9, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

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APRIL 9, 2015

APRIL 9, 2015

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APRIL 9, 2015

EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Randy Shulman

APRIL 9, 2015
Volume 21 / Issue 48

ART DIRECTOR
Todd Franson
NEWS & BUSINESS EDITOR
John Riley
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Rhuaridh Marr

NEWS

by John Riley

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Doug Rule

10

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim

12

FEATURES

14

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

18

RUSSELL T. DAVIES
interview by Randy Shulman
illustration by Christopher Cunetto

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Julian Vankim

22

SALES & MARKETING

OUT ON THE TOWN

26

28

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Dennis Havrilla

30

COVER ILLUSTRATION
Christopher Cunetto

ANTHONY WARLOW
by Doug Rule

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

Rivendell Media Co.
212-242-6863

PATRON SAINTS (AMERICAN)

Michael, Brian and Justin

PUSHING BOUNDARIES
by Rhuaridh Marr

PUBLISHER
Randy Shulman

PATRON SAINTS (BRITISH)

Vince, Stuart and Nathan

TODD BY A LANDSLIDE
by John Riley

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Christian Gerard, Troy Petenbrink,
Kate Wingfield

BRAND STRATEGY & MARKETING

Christopher Cunetto
Cunetto Creative

THE RED DIVIDE

by Justin Snow

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR
Scott G. Brooks

WEBMASTER
David Uy

POT, MEET KETTLE:

VIRGINIA, MEET INDIANA

PRUDENCE WRIGHT HOLMES

by Doug Rule

PRIESTS
by Doug Rule

STAGE

31

LIGHTS RAISE ON GRACE

by Kate Wingfield

EXHIBITS

33

SILENT WITNESS
by Doug Rule

TECH

35

MICROSOFT AT 40
by Rhuaridh Marr

NIGHTLIFE

37

JR.S EASTER BONNET CONTEST

photography by Ward Morrison

METRO WEEKLY
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APRIL 9, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

SCENE

44

FREDDIES EASTER BONNET BRUNCH

photography by Ward Morrison

46

LAST WORD

METROWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 9, 2015

15 Essential Albums of 2015 (so far)

Cock wins the big one at the Helen Hayes

Pot, Meet Kettle:

Virginia, Meet Indiana

KATE WELLINGTON

LGBT

News

Now online at MetroWeekly.com

McAuliffe

Activists puzzled by attempt to portray Virginia as somehow more progressive

on LGBT rights than Indiana
by John Riley

AYBE TERRY MCAULIFFE

thought he was being clever.
Maybe the governor of
the Old Dominion just saw
an opportunity to serve as cheerleader
and economic salesman for his state, a
role he has embraced since taking office
last year. Perhaps he even relished the
opportunity to take a jab at fellow gov8

APRIL 9, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

ernor Mike Pence (R-Ind.), a former U.S.

House member and conservative icon
popular among the far right, whose name
has previously been floated as a potential
future president or vice president.
Whatever the reason, amid the furor
directed at the state of Indiana following the approval of a law that would
allow private businesses to discriminate
against LGBT people McAuliffe (D)
crafted an open letter to Indiana businesses sour about the law, urging them

to cut ties with the Hoosier State and

relocate to Virginia.
The letter, which was published in
The Indianapolis Star, urged businesses
to consider the commonwealths business-friendly, low-tax environment, its
natural resources and, most puzzlingly,
the state of LGBT rights in Virginia.
McAuliffes pitch came amid a strong
backlash from the business community,
which has largely embraced LGBT rights
to better enhance their bottom lines,

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APRIL 9, 2015

LGBTNews
against Indianas Religious Freedom
Restoration Act (RFRA) law.
Although Hoosier lawmakers eventually passed a fix to the RFRA law
that has seemed to placate the majority of businesses and convince them that
the law will not allow discrimination or
the denial of services to LGBT people,
McAuliffes pitch still appeared to ring
hollow to many closer to home. As soon
as the governor made his statements, the
reality of the commonwealths laws came
into conflict with the governors rhetoric
touting Virginia as gay-friendly.
For one thing, while McAuliffes first
executive order prohibited LGBT discrimination in state employment, mirroring executive orders passed by previous
governors Mark Warner (D) and Tim
Kaine (D), that order only remains in
effect as long as McAuliffe stays in office.
Its nice to have a friendly person
in government, but theres a reason we
put things in statute, said Richard J.
Rosendall, president of the D.C.-based Gay
and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA)
when asked about McAuliffes comments.
[But] those protections go away when
McAuliffe does.... Public policy should not
just be based on a personality.
Moreover, there is no prohibition
from discriminating against someone
based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in other forms of public or
private employment, housing, credit or
public accommodations. Some legislative
allies have introduced bills dealing with
those issues, but only a handful have
ever passed the state senate and none
have managed to make it out of subcommittee in the House of Delegates, which
Republicans control by a 67-32-1 margin.
Sensing a weakness that McAuliffe
himself had exposed, Victoria Cobb, the
president of the Family Foundation of
Virginia, a socially conservative policy
and lobbying organization with significant clout in the General Assembly,
pounced. Using McAuliffes pitch to
technology and other companies uncomfortable with the Indiana law, Cobb
defended her organizations opposition
to bills that expand LGBT rights.
Its good to see that the Governor
has conceded that Virginia does not
need to elevate sexual behavior to a
protected class in order to be an inclusive state, but its unfortunate that he
has joined the parade of those who are
distorting the true effect of Religious
Freedom Restoration Acts, Cobb told
The Washington Post in an email.
10

APRIL 9, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

Requests seeking comment from the

governors office in response to Cobbs
assertions went unanswered.
Cobbs comments, published in the
Post without any significant pushback
from allies as to why nondiscrimination
protections are necessary, prompted
an exasperated response from Equality
Virginia, the states top LGBT rights
organization, which sought to respond to
the Family Foundation while also carefully trying not to alienate McAuliffe,
who has been a strong ally.
Equality Virginia appreciates the
enthusiasm and support that Governor
McAuliffe has shown the LGBT community, and in making the commonwealth
a more inclusive place to live, Equality
Virginia Executive Director James
Parrish said. We believe, and expect
that he would agree, as Executive Order
1 showed, that it is important to protect
LGBT people from discrimination in the
workplace and beyond.
But Delegate Marcus Simon (D-Falls
Church, Pimmit Hills, Merrifield) offered
the most assertive pushback against those
who would oppose LGBT protections. In
an interview with Metro Weekly, Simon,
who was the chief patron of several measures dealing with employment protections for LGBT people, fair housing and
amending the commonwealths laws to
reflect the on-the-ground reality of samesex marriages in the state, said it is time
to take a harder look at those issues.
Can we claim to be a state thats

welcoming with a straight face, without

backing it up in our laws? Simon questioned.
Virginia had its own run-in with
RFRA-style laws earlier in the year
when Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas,
Manassas Park, Sudley, Bull Run) introduced two measures that would allow
licensed businesses and state contractors to discriminate against LGBT people
under the guise of religious freedom.
The challenge is in our messaging,
Simon said of those who support the
LGBT community in the commonwealth.
It is a liberty issue, but not religious
liberty. Its about the freedom to be who
you are, and not be denied the liberty to
shop where you want, or be employed, or
access housing.
Simon also said that LGBT supporters need to stop talking like lawyers
and start highlighting real people and
real-life examples of how any form of
discrimination infringes on the liberty of
fellow Virginians. He also said that more
of his fellow lawmakers need to be less
concerned about their political branding or the idea that they might offend
people or be tagged as a left-wing radical just for opposing discrimination and
supporting LGBT protections.
The people who support these
RFRA laws really dont want religious
liberty, Simon said. They want the
right to be bigots. Its a smokescreen.
And the more we call them out on it, the
better off well be. l

The Red Divide

Religious freedom bills pit social conservatives
against corporate America

by Justin Snow

HE CONTROVERSY SURrounding religious freedom

measures in Indiana and
Arkansas ebbed last week with
the signing of bills limiting the scope
of the two laws, but not before pulling
Republicans into a cultural battle many
seemed reluctant to fight and outraging
social conservatives.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed a
fix on April 2 amending his states religious freedom law explicitly stating busi-

nesses cannot discriminate on the basis of

sexual orientation or gender identity in the
11 jurisdictions that have existing LGBT
nondiscrimination laws, according to The
Indianapolis Star. The fix does not extend
nondiscrimination protections to LGBT
Hoosiers in the rest of the state, as advocates had pushed for. In Arkansas, Gov.
Asa Hutchinson (R) signed an amended
religious freedom bill the same day that is
less broad and mirrors the federal Religious
Freedom Restoration Act signed into law
by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
The amended religious freedom measures in the two red states come after a

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APRIL 9, 2015

11

LGBTNews
week of national outcry, especially from
corporate America. Pressure from big
business dominated the headlines as
some of the nations most well-known
CEOs voiced concerns that the two states
were adopting discriminatory policies
that would be bad for business. Theres
something very dangerous happening in states across the country, out
Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote of religious
freedom bills in The Washington Post.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon called on
Hutchinson to veto the original Arkansas
bill, stating it threatened to undermine
the spirit of inclusion present throughout
the state of Arkansas. And more than
70 tech industry leaders signed a joint
statement calling on all legislatures to
add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes to their civil rights
laws and to explicitly forbid discrimination or denial of services to anyone.
While LGBT-rights advocates voiced
tepid praise of the two laws, they were
still critical, stating that they fall short of
the statewide LGBT nondiscrimination
protections both states need. Social conservatives, on the other hand, were livid.
Indianas elected leaders traded
religious freedom for the silver of Big
Business. In doing so, they endorse government discrimination against people
who simply follow their beliefs about
marriage, said Tony Perkins, president
of the Family Research Council, in a
statement. Unfortunately, Indiana leaders yielded to the cultural bullies and
the enticements of Big Business and the
result is they have sacrificed the essential rights of their citizens. According
to Perkins, religious freedom has been
held hostage by Big Business.
The outrage from social conservatives
sheds light on an emerging theme that
could take hold among what is expected
to be a crowded Republican field for president. Big business and corporate America,
once thought of as stalwart backers of the
GOP, see little benefit to discrimination
against LGBT people. Indeed, increasingly it is bad for businesses.
According to the Human Rights
Campaign Foundations 2015 Corporate
Equality Index, 89 percent of Fortune
500 companies prohibit discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation and 66
percent prohibit discrimination on the
basis of gender identity. In 2002, 61 percent of Fortune 500 companies had a sexual orientation nondiscrimination policy
and only 3 percent protected transgender
workers from discrimination.
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APRIL 9, 2015

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And this isnt the first time corporate

America has flexed its muscles in the face
of anti-LGBT measures. A year ago when
lawmakers in Arizona approved antiLGBT legislation that would have effectively made it legal for businesses to turn
away customers due to their religious
beliefs, corporate American unleashed
an unprecedented wave of opposition.
American Airlines, AT&T, Apple, Delta
Airlines, Intel, Marriott, PetSmart,
Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Southwest
Airlines, Verizon and Yelp were just a
few who said the bill would be bad for
business. CEOs of the Arizona Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, the Greater
Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Greater
Phoenix Leadership and the Southern
Arizona Leadership Council also voiced
their opposition, and the NFL indicated
it could move the 2015 Super Bowl out of
the state if the bill were signed. Arizonas
Republican governor, Jan Brewer, ultimately vetoed the legislation.
But with the U.S. Supreme Court set
to rule on nationwide marriage equality later this year, social conservatives
seem to know theyve lost the battle on
marriage, making the concessions on the
Indiana and Arkansas measures particularly maddening to social conservatives.
The Fortune 500 is running shamelessly to endorse the radical gay marriage agenda over religious liberty, to say,
We will persecute a Christian pastor,
a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi. Any
person of faith is subject to persecution
if they dare disagree, if their religious

faith parts way from their political commitment to gay marriage, said Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz, the only Republican to
officially declare his candidacy for president so far. The Fortune 500 has cast
their lot in with that, but sadly, a whole
lot of Republican politicians are terrified
of this issue.
While Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder,
a Republican, said if a standalone religious freedom bill came to his desk he
would veto it and a proposed religious
freedom bill in Georgia died in the face of
national backlash, the debate is certainly
far from over. And Cruz is offering just
the kind of red meat disheartened social
conservatives are looking for. We have
watched a sad spectacle this week as one
Republican elected leader after another
retreated on the rights of people of faith
to have space to express their religious
beliefs and defend their conscience, said
Tim Head, executive director of Faith
& Freedom Coalition, in a statement.
When criticized on the simple issue
of the First Amendment right to exercise ones religion, they folded like a
cheap suit. It is time for Republicans to
grow a backbone when it comes to religious freedom and stand tall for religious
expression, one of the most cherished
rights under our Constitution.
Added Head, If the GOP cant show
more spine on defending religious folk,
then they should not count on a large
turnout of evangelicals in 2016. Given the
demographics of the electorate, that is a
recipe for certain defeat. l

Todd by
a Landslide

Bowser protegee wins backing of LGBT Democratic

group ahead of special election
by John Riley

ONDAY NIGHTS GERtrude Stein Democratic

Club endorsement forum
wasnt a competition. It
was a coronation.
Brandon Todd, a Democrat who

previously served as Mayor Muriel

Bowsers (D) constituent services director for her Ward 4 office and as finance
director for her mayoral campaign, won
the LGBT Democratic clubs endorsement for the April 28 special election
to replace Bowser on the D.C. Council.
Todd trounced his fellow competitors,
five of whom were allowed to participate

LGBTNews
in the forum. Five others declined to
return Steins questionnaire or attend
the forum, and another, Dwayne Toliver,
arrived late but was not allowed to participate, even though the club had not
yet nominated any of the candidates, as
it was supposed to, in accordance with
its bylaws. This was later resolved after
the forum when Christopher Dyer nominated all six en masse, which the club
members approved by voice vote.
Additionally, Todd and three others did not follow instructions regarding the return of Stein questionnaires,
which moderators resolved by giving
Edwin Powell and Acqunetta Anderson,
the two who had been in compliance, an
additional minute in their introductory
statements.
The forum covered several issues
raised at prior endorsement forums,
most recently at Steins forum for the
Ward 8 special election endorsement.
Candidates talked about economic
development, their outreach to and
familiarity with the needs of the citys
transgender community, bullying of
LGBT students in schools, and the need
for affordable housing.
While nearly all of the candidates

made good points during the course of

the forum, it was clear from the start
that the room was ridiculously slanted in favor of Todd, as nearly threequarters of the room had donned the
trademark green campaign stickers that
Todds field team has been distributing
at similar events. The audience was
filled with a veritable whos who of
government officials, including at least
six prominent LGBT employees of the
Bowser administration, all in an unofficial capacity, and Bowsers own brother,
Marvin, who is openly gay.
The overwhelming sentiment in favor
of Todd was so obvious that Powell,
a member of the D.C. Commission on
Human Rights, and one of two candidates, the other being Toliver, who outscored Todd on the Gay and Lesbian
Activists Alliance (GLAA) questionnaire,
even acknowledged the green elephant
in the room, even as he pleaded with
Stein members to pick the person best
qualified for the job.
In the end, Todd was victorious in
a landslide, earning 31 of 37 votes, or
83.8 percent, well above the 60 percent
threshold required to obtain an official
endorsement from Stein. Renee Bowser,

a labor lawyer and former opponent of

Muriel Bowser during her first two campaigns for the Ward 4 seat, earned 3
votes, or 8.1 percent, with Powell and
Leon Andrews each earning one vote.
The remaining ballot was considered
spoiled and was not added to any candidates tally.
Following his victory, Todd said he
was excited and enthusiastic about winning the endorsement, playing up his
campaign theme of being able to work
collaboratively with not only his fellow councilmembers, but the mayor, to
whom he has close ties. Still, he also
vowed that he would be an independent
voice for Ward 4.
Ive had an opportunity to work
for Mayor Bowser for seven-and-a-half
years, but Im always going to go down
to city hall and make the best decision
for the most people possible, Todd
said. The first people I will be responsible to will be the residents of Ward 4.
Theyre sending me down to city hall
to work on a very ambitious agenda:
education, economic growth, senior
citizens, good constituent services, and,
certainly, equality across our ward and
across the District. l

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APRIL 9, 2015

13

LGBTCommunityCalendar
Metro Weeklys Community Calendar highlights important events in
the D.C.-area LGBT community, from alternative social events to
volunteer opportunities. Event information should be sent by email to
calendar@MetroWeekly.com. Deadline for inclusion is noon
of the Friday before Thursdays publication. Questions about
the calendar may be directed to the Metro Weekly office at
202-638-6830 or the calendar email address.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-affirming social

group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road

NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, layc-dc.org.

SMYALS REC NIGHT provides a social atmosphere for GLBT and questioning youth, featuring
dance parties, vogue nights, movies and games.
More info, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6 p.m., by
appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger.
Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, testing@smyal.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11
THURSDAY, APRIL 9

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics Anonymous

Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.
The group is independent of UHU. 202-446-1100.

BROTHER, HELP THYSELF holds a town hall

meeting to receive feedback from the community
about their needs ahead of next years grant cycle.
Event is free and open to the public. 7-9 p.m. The
DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW. For more information, visit brotherhelpthyself.net.

WOMENS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE for young

LBTQ women, 13-21, interested in leadership development. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410 7th
St. SE. 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.

BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for Food & Friends. To
participate, burgundycrescent.org.
The LATINO GLBT HISTORY PROJECT presents
its annual Mujeres en el Movimiento awards ceremony, honoring female community leaders as part
of Womens History Month. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Jin, 2017
14th St. NW. To RSVP or for more information, visit
latinoglbthistory.org/women.

MCLEAN HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE COMPANY

stages a production of The Laramie Project, April

9-11 at 7 p.m. and April 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets $15.
Laramie Legacy Festival preceding the show, with
booths and displays on LGBTQ rights, HIV/AIDS
awareness and anti-bullying. Additional screening
on Saturday, April 11 of documentary Matt Shepard
is a Friend of Mine at 6pm. McLean High School,
1633 Davidson Rd., McLean, Va. For more information, contact Amy Poe, mcleandrama@gmail.com.

QUEER FICTION CLASS, a four-week workshop

for aspiring fiction writers led by Sinta Jiminez,

meets at The Writers Center. 6-8 p.m. 4508 Walsh
St., Bethesda, Md. For more information, visit
writer.org.

SPORTSFEST 2015, the annual sports recruitment

event for Team DC, returns, with representatives

from 35 clubs in attendance. Those interested in
playing organized sports should attend. Admission
is free. 6-8:30 p.m. Room & Board, 1840 14th St.
NW. For more information, visit teamdc.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-

dancing group features mainstream through

advanced square dancing at the National City
Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m.
Casual dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org.
The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston,
11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9
p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10
GAY MARRIED MENS ASSOCIATION (GAMMA)
is a confidential support group for men who are
gay, bisexual, questioning and who are married
or involved with a woman, that meets regularly in
Dupont Circle and monthly in Northern Virginia
and Hagerstown, Md. 7:30-9:30 p.m. For more
information, visit gammaindc.org.

NEW LGB GROUP IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY,

meets every Friday. This psychotherapy group

offers a safe place to connect and explore issues
of identity. 10-11:30 a.m. 6220 S. Frederick Rd.
Gaithersburg, Md. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.

WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES, a social activity

and discussion group for LBT women, meets at The

DC Center on the second and fourth Fridays of the
month. Social event to follow the meeting. 8-9:30
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

APRIL 9, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group tours the

National Building Museum downtown at 401 F

Street NW. Admission $8 for adults, $5 for seniors.
Lunch in Museum caf follows. Meet at noon by
the Admissions Desk. David, 202-436-4198. dmmaxfield10@gmail.com.

The DC Center offers confidential FREE HIV

TESTING. Know your status. Open to all. 4-7 p.m.

2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information,

visit thedccenter.org.
The DC Center holds a VOLUNTEER
ORIENTATION for all interested persons. 12-3 p.m.

2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information,

visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
BET MISHPACHAH, founded by members of the
LGBT community, holds Saturday morning Shabbat
services, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddush luncheon.
Services in DCJCC Community Room, 1529 16th St.
NW. betmish.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others interested in Brazilian culture, meets. For location/time,
email braziliangaygroup@yahoo.com.

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at

free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by

appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session

at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit

swimdcac.org.

GAY DISTRICT holds facilitated discussion for

GBTQ men, 18-35, first and third Fridays. 8:30 p.m.
The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. 202682-2245, gaydistrict.org.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. At the
Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301
MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV
testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW,
Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

14

ADVENTURING outdoors group saunters an easy

5.5 miles in Rockville, Md. around Croydon Creek
Nature Center. Bring beverages, a snack, appropriate footwear, and $2 trip fee. Meet at 1 p.m. by the
station managers kiosk inside the Rockville Metro
Station. David, 240-938-0375. adventuring.org.

Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit

swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walking/social

club welcomes all levels for exercise in a fun and

supportive environment, socializing afterward.
Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for a walk; or
10 a.m. for fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball team meets at Turkey

Thicket Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE,

2-4 p.m. For players of all levels, gay or straight.
teamdcbasketball.org.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for LGBT community,

family and friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel Churchon-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. All
welcome. For more info, visit dignitynova.org.

GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses critical languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellies, 900 U St.
NW. RVSP preferred. brendandarcy@gmail.com.

LGBTCommunityCalendar
SUNDAY, APRIL 12
BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for DC Central Kitchen. To
participate, burgundycrescent.org.

CAPS SOFTBALL holds a skills clinic and evalu-

ation event for new players to be rated and determine in which divisions they can play. New CAPS
players eligible for special registration rate of $50.
Event is free and open to the public. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
L.P. Cosca Regional PArk, 11000 Thrift Rd., Clinton,
Md. For more information, email capssoftball@
gmail.com.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group tours highlights

NEW HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT GROUP for

gay men living in the DC metro area. This group
will be meeting once a month. For information on
location and time, email to not.the.only.one.dc@
gmail.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 welcoming-and-affirming congregation,

offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow UU
Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.

MONDAY, APRIL 13
Join the HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN for a
reception honoring Jim Obergfell, recently named
a plaintiff in the marriage equality case pending
before the Supreme Court. 6-8 p.m. 1640 Rhode
Island Ave. NW. For more information or to RSVP,
email RSVPmarriage@hrc.org.
Registration for the CAPITAL TENNIS
ASSOCIATIONs summer leagues opens April 13.
Summer leagues run from May to August at several
different locations and times. Registration fills
quickly, so dont delay. For more information, visit
capital-tennis.org.

of Abraham Lincolns March-April 1865 visit to

City Point and Petersburg, Va., south of Richmond.
Non-members welcome. Bring beverages, a picnic
lunch, about $20 for fees, and money for dinner on
the way home. Meet at 8:30 a.m. by the station managers kiosk inside the King Street Metro Station in
Alexandria to form carpools. Craig, 202-462-0535.
craighowell1@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.

BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive and radically

inclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217
Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at
Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.

DIGNITYUSA offers Roman Catholic Mass for the

LGBT community. 6 p.m., St. Margarets Church,

1820 Connecticut Ave. NW. All welcome. Sign interpreted. For more info, visit dignitynova.org.

FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON meets for

worship, 10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW, Quaker
House Living Room (next to Meeting House on
Decatur Place), 2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbians and gays. Handicapped accessible from Phelps
Place gate. Hearing assistance. quakersdc.org.
INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT,
God-centered new age church & learning center.
Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 Sherier
Place NW. isd-dc.org.
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites all
to Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare is available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for 25
years. 212 East Capitol St. NE. reformationdc.org.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF
WASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL inter-

preted) and 11 a.m. Childrens Sunday School at 11

a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-638-7373, mccdc.com.

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15

The DC Center hosts a meeting of its TRANSGENDER ADVISORY

COMMITTEE. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.

The YOUTH WORKING GROUP of The DC Center holds its monthly meeting.
6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary,
1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.

GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. NW. getequal.wdc@gmail.com.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES, 3333 Duke St., Alexandria,
offers free rapid HIV testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 703-823-4401.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200,
Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467.

The DC Center hosts COFFEE DROP-IN FOR THE SENIOR LGBT

COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.

US HELPING US hosts a black gay mens evening affinity group. 3636 Georgia
Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.
WASHINGTON WETSKINS Water Polo Team practices 7-9 p.m. Takoma
Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome. Tom, 703-299-0504, secretary@wetskins.org,
wetskins.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14
The COMING OUT DISCUSSION GROUP meets at The DC Center. 7-8:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

DC BI WOMEN, a group of The DC Center, meets in the upstairs room of

Dupont Italian Kitchen. 7-9 p.m. 1637 17th St. NW. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.

DRINKING LIBERALLY, a national network of social get-togethers for progressives, is re-establishing its Washington, D.C. chapter with a kick-off at Irish
Whiskey. Future gatherings to occur the second Tuesday of each month. No
entry fee or dress code. 6:30-8:30 p.m. 1207 19th St. NW. To RSVP, visit facebook.com/DrinkingLiberallyDC.
GAY & LESBIAN ACTIVISTS ALLIANCE meets at 7 p.m. in private home in
Dupont Circle to discuss strategies to avert Congressional interference with D.C.s
recently-enacted pro-LGBT laws. All welcome. 202-667-5139. www.glaa.org.
The DC Centers LATINO LGBT TASK FORCE holds its montly meeting. 3-5
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly dinner in Dupont/Logan Circle area, 6:30 p.m.
afwash@aol.com, afwashington.net.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Takoma Aquatic Center, 300
Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walking/social club serving greater D.C.s

LGBT community and allies hosts an evening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org.

THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THE DC CENTER hosts Packing Party,

where volunteers assemble safe-sex kits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m., Green
Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW. thedccenter.org.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUSLGBT focused meeting every Tuesday, 7 p.m.

St. Georges Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from
Virginia Square Metro. For more info. call Dick, 703-521-1999. Handicapped
accessible. Newcomers welcome. liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.
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METROWEEKLY.COM

SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL, 410 7th
St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. Cathy Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a support group for black gay men 40 and older. 7-9
p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.
Whitman-Walker Healths GAY MENS HEALTH AND WELLNESS/STD
CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 1701 14th St. NW. Patients are seen on walk-in basis.
No-cost screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Hepatitis and
herpes testing available for fee. whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15
BOOKMEN DC, an informal mens gay-literature group, discusses selected
essays from Love, Christopher Street: Reflections of New York City, edited by
Thomas Keith. 7:30 p.m. The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. All are
welcome. bookmendc.blogspot.com.
CLAY, PRIDE & BOOZE, sponsored by Center Military and the 296 Project,
invites LGBT veterans, military servicemembers and their families a chance to
socialize and work with ceramics. Ages 21 and up. 7 p.m. 2100 Crystal Drive,
Arlington, Va. For more information, visit the296project.org. To register for the
event, contact Eric Perez, eric.perez@thedccenter.org or 202-682-2245.
OUTWRITE 2015 holds its monthly meeting as part of the run-up to this years
LGBT book festival from July 30-Aug. 1. 6-7 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL BRIDGE CLUB meets for Social Bridge. 7:30
p.m. Dignity Center, 721 8th St. SE, across from the Marine Barracks. No reservation and partner needed. 301-345-1571 for more information.
WOMAN TO WOMAN: A SUPPORT GROUP FOR HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN
WHO LOVE WOMEN, meets on the third Wednesday of the month. Light

refreshments will be served. 5:30-7 p.m. The Womens Collective, 1331 Rhode
Island Ave. NE. For more information, contact June Pollydore, 202-483-7003.

WEEKLY EVENTS
AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m., Steam, 17th and
R NW. All welcome. For more information, call Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m.,
and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary,

1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200,
Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467.

PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club for mature gay men, hosts weekly happy
hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m., Windows Bar above Dupont Italian Kitchen, 1637 17th
St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316. l

Oral
Fixation
you can listen
to any story at
MetroWeekly.com
just look for the
speak button
METROWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 9, 2015

17

Queer as Russell
With Cucumber and Banana, the man who gave us Queer as Folk and rebooted
Doctor Who explores the nature of love, loss, obsession and gay sex
Interview by Randy Shulman
Illustration by Christopher Cunetto

USSELL T. DAVIES HEARS US. HE GENUINELY LISTENS.

People open up to me and tell me their stories,

says the British television writer and producer.
Everyone is always walking around talking about
their stories, desperate to be heard. Most of the time we shut
them up. If I have a gift, its in not shutting people up.
Good thing, too. Without his gift, the shows he creates
particularly the stunning, revolutionary British series Queer as
Folk and his latest entry to the queer cultural canon, Cucumber
and its companion, Banana likely wouldnt exist. A shrewd,
clever storyteller, Davies knows precisely how to concoct an
alternate universe. And he knows that for those alternate universes to hold our attention, they have to straddle both fantasy
and reality, containing enough veracity to allow us to recognize
versions of ourselves sometimes uncomfortably in the characters he brings to life. And it all comes from years of listening to
gay men tell him their stories.
In Britain, Davies is a household name, and has had a long,
storied career (see Pushing Boundaries, page xx). Here, in
America, hes known mostly to Doctor Who fans. Despite his
legacy connection to Queer as Folk, hes about to get a lot better
known with the arrival of Cucumber and Banana, premiering
Monday, April 13, at 10 p.m. on Logo.
The dramas work in tandem with one another in a narratively bold manner. The hour-long Cucumber is the story of Henry
(Vincent Franklin) a middle-aged, mild-mannered gay man
whose life is upended when a disastrous attempt at a three-way
drives a relationship-ending wedge between him and his partner of nine years, Lance (Cyril Nri). Other issues quickly arise.
Henry becomes obsessed with Freddie (Freddie Fox) a sexually
charged, defiantly confident 24-year-old with whom he shares a
flat. And Henrys big, secret shame is that hes a gay man who is
still a virgin. Hes never had anal sex, from either position, and
has made avoiding even the prospect of penetration a veritable
art form. Its a vital thread that runs through the 8-part series,
propelling it forward.
Cucumber is compelling, magnificent television, yet it still
cleaves to narrative conventions (until episode 6, that is, when
Davies pulls out the stops in a stunning about-face of tone and
style). The half-hour Banana, however, is downright brilliant
and groundbreaking in the way it takes characters merely
glimpsed in the main series and wraps entire, stand-alone stories
around them stories that have density, complexity and cover
everything from being unceremoniously dumped by last nights
trick to being humiliated by a bitter ex on social media. Its like
watching eight short films that have an underlying connection
and yet stand entirely on their own. Taken as a whole, Cucumber
and Banana comprise some of the best queer television weve
seen since... well, the original Queer as Folk.
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METRO WEEKLY: Lets begin with your early years.

RUSSELL T. DAVIES: I was born in Swansea, which is in South

Wales, many years ago despite looking 21, as I still do. I went
to Oxford University, and from there started working in television. I had my first job in television when I was 21 years old. And
Ive never looked back since.
MW: When did you first realize you were gay?
DAVIES: From about the age of 11. I always knew there was nothing else in my head. There was no other option available. There
was no doubt, no confusion. It was always about the fellows.
My family were absolutely fine with it I came out in my
20s, completely normally. No one shouted. No one cried. I was
very, very lucky in that sense. And there was no one crushing
thing that made me come out. There was no man, no crisis, no
discovery. Its just growing up and slowly, eventually realizing
that its time. And knowing also that it was quite safe to do so, as
well. I would urge anyone to come out, but youve still got test it
out and make sure youre going to be safe.
MW: The first I became aware of you was with the British version of
Queer as Folk, which they showed in full at Reel Affirmations, our
gay and lesbian film festival. I remember watching it in one sitting.
With regard to gay characters, Id never seen anything like it. It
was just ungodly good. Clearly it was pivotal for you.
DAVIES: It was, yes, very much. It was made for a channel here
called Channel 4, which is designed to broadcast things like that.
Its meant to be bold and radical and cutting edge. Up until that,
Id had a very successful career, but one of fitting into other peoples strictures, other peoples shows, other peoples patterns.
That was really the first time I was allowed out on my own. It
really was a chance for me to let rip. The channel wanted me to
write things like that, to be honest about life, to say the things Id
always wanted to say. So it was a great opportunity. Frankly, the
doors that opened for me with Queer as Folk have stayed open
ever since. So Im enormously grateful to it.
MW: We hadnt seen that gay interpersonal relationships on television up to that point, certainly not in that kind of detail or specificity. Were you pulling from personal experience?
DAVIES: Its partly pulling from personal experience and the
imagination. People think Ive lived through everything Ive ever
written, but theres a very fine saying that goes, A moments
imagination is worth a lifetimes experience.
But part of it came from anger at what we were having to
watch. In Britain, we have such a thing as evening soap opera.
I know you have soap operas in the states, but theyre very,

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APRIL 9, 2015

19

very different things to British soap operas. Ours go out in the

evening, in prime time, and theyre the highest-rated shows on
television, apart from Doctor Who, of course. Theyre not about
evil twins and kidnaps. British soaps are about working class,
birth, marriage, death, romance, heartbreak, sadness, happiness
everyday life in all its glory.
So the soaps had started a good 15 years before Queer as Folk
putting gay characters on screen. They were the outliers, they
were the forerunners. They made mistakes, and they also did
very brilliant things. But they were having to fit into the overall
television network shape of things. And so, it was quite shocking
and controversial. Just a male character standing up at a pub
saying Im gay caused headlines. They did that on a big BBC
soap opera and there were headlines the next day saying that the
BBC should be taken off the air. That was the mid-80s.
By 1999, I was like, Ive had 15 years of that. Enough!
Because while I do appreciate the early work that was done, I
didnt think we had gay men or women in any complexity. There
was no darkness to be found. There was no passion. There was
no sexuality. There was no side to these people. They didnt
generate any sort of interest. I was angered by the stuff that was
failing to be done. And that was a great fuel when I wrote Queer
as Folk. I wanted to correct a lot of the rubbish.
MW: Doctor Who is such a treasured show in your country. Was it
a weight on you to take it on for a reboot?
DAVIES: I suppose it was a big weight. If it had failed, I would
have destroyed one of the things I truly loved in my life and
Im literally a fan since childhood. I can remember episodes
from when I was three years old. Its one of my very earliest
memories. So I loved it. And although I was worried if I had got
it wrong, I would have damaged its chances of surviving in the
21st century, I kind of knew how to do it. I was the greatest focus
group in history because Id had 40 years of watching it. I knew
exactly what to do with it. And I knew exactly how to make it
work. Obviously it could have gone wrong, but I was actually
quite confident about how good it could be, because it was all
that good in my head, to be honest.
Its hard to describe Doctor Who to people outside Britain. Its
truly a cultural monolith. By the time we got the show working
properly, right about 2008, we were getting viewing figures that
you would find at the Super Bowl. You wont find an American
drama getting equivalent ratings of what we were getting for
Doctor Who. Its truly, truly monolithic in this culture. It has
vast impact. I dont think you can bump into anyone in the street
of any age, any background in Great Britain who does not know
what Doctor Who is. Its literally soaked into Britain.
And here we are. Its just celebrated last weekend with its
tenth anniversary ten years, still number one in the ratings.
And its a science fiction show with lasers and monsters and
spaceships and chases and jokes. For that to be number one
for so long is a miracle. So hooray. We live in a Doctor Who
world now.
MW: Do you have a favorite doctor?
DAVIES: [Laughs.] I cant answer that question, its not fair. Ive
worked with these men, I couldnt possibly single one of them
out. When I was young, it was Tom Baker who was Doctor Who
in the late 70s and early 80s. As a childhood favorite, theres that.
MW: With the spinoff, Torchwood, you brought gay content to the
fore. You represented us by including us. Which seems to be your
modus operandi find a way to include us in all stories.
DAVIES: People give me a lot of credit for doing that and they
thank me for doing that but to be honest, its kind of automatic.
No one would ever question a straight person putting straight
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APRIL 9, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

people into their shows. Im gay. If youre hiring me, thats what
youre gonna get. Its literally that automatic. I have yet to meet
an executive who would dare to ask me to remove a gay character from a script. And honestly, Im not even sure that executive
exists. If they do, theyre not working with me, they wouldnt
want to work with me, they wouldnt even approach my agent in
the first place, because thats what youre going to get with me.
I am very happy within my own world and feel I can push at the
edges a bit. Certainly, in Britain anyway, these mysterious homophobic executive producers tend not to exist. Of course they
dont. They work in television, for gods sake. Theyre not priests.
MW: So youve never had an encounter where an executive has said,
That may be too far, tone that down.
DAVIES: No. Absolutely never. And thats also because I work
very responsibly. I dont put things in scripts that are just there
to shock. I absolutely, genuinely work hard and diligently.
And everything is up for debate. Other people pay you, theyre
going to ask me why stuff is in there, and I will genuinely have
a defense. My response is never to say that a scene is there to
shock or to be provocative or just to be silly. Ive always, always,
always got 27 reasons for whatever Ive written. People like that.
Thats why they give me the money. Im a hard worker and diligent worker and an imaginative worker. I earned my place there,
I think. I sleep at night.
MW: Lets talk about the new series. My approach was to watch one
episode of Cucumber and then Banana. Is that how you intended
them to be viewed?
DAVIES: Its designed so you can watch them anyway you want
to. It would be a bit odd to watch Cucumber in the wrong order,
because thats one long story. But its designed not to be complicated because peoples lives are busy. Life is hectic. Theres no
reason why television should complicate it even further.
Its really simple. Cucumber is a strong, central mothership
of a show thats about the life of Henry. The Banana episodes
you can, if you want, watch them in any order you like. You
can just watch only a couple of Bananas if you want. I think
each Banana can be hived off into separate little indie films and
sent around the world to film festivals. You could just watch
them completely isolated. If you do watch them in tandem with
Cucumber, you get a slightly richer experience, but its very
important to say that you dont lose track of the plots and things
wont not make sense if you dont watch Banana in order. Its
been very carefully designed so you can just focus on one, you
can just focus on the other, you can focus on both, but youll
always follow whats going on.
MW: The first Banana enhanced the Cucumber storyline directly,
more so than the others, because it illuminated a principal characters story in a way that deepened our understanding of him. That
said, you didnt need to create a show beyond Cucumber. Why
bring Banana into it at all?
DAVIES: Well, the heart of the series, in terms of Cucumber
being the mothership, is the life of a middle-aged man. And I
was always very aware that for Cucumber to be written well,
Cucumber would have to be very focused. It could never involve
lesbian stories, or trans stories these characters could pass
through Henrys life, but the series isnt about them. That
was something people complained about with Queer as Folk.
Lesbians were quite marvelously vociferous about saying that
they werent represented on screen. My reaction to that is its not
about representation, its about a good drama.
Nonetheless, sixteen years later, I was very aware that here
I come again with another show that was going to be very, very
male-based and could only be male-based. The series would

weaken if I tried to widen its focus. So in this world of digital

platforms and multi-channel viewing experiences, I thought
there was room to do a spinoff that would get other voices
involved. And not in terms of characters, but also in terms of
writing staff.
I wrote all of Cucumber, but I only wrote three episodes of
Banana. Theres an entirely gay writing staff on Banana with
some very strong womens voices in there, writing stories about
young lesbians, about trans characters, about young gay men
who are not covered in Cucumber. The point is to get more of the
gay experience on screen, to get more than just the monolithic
male culture.
I do think that things are still weighted culturally within gay
fiction towards the men. And so Banana balances that out. Its a
chance for different voices, different lives, different experiences,
different ethnic representations, different sexual representations, different jokes, different dramas. Theres a lovely range of
stories across Banana. So put that spinning around Cucumber,
which is a very, very strong male experience and I think its quite
a nice snapshot of 2015.
MW: I found the second Banana to be especially touching.
DAVIES: That director had only ever directed two episodes of
broadcast television before. The last two episodes of Banana
were directed by a man who never had anything on television
before just a couple of short films online.
Im 51. At this time of life, you start looking backwards and
paying it back. Getting the next generation of writers working,
getting the next generation of directors working. I know Im
very lucky to sit in my position and to be paid very nice sums
of money to do these things with a lot of freedom, so you kind
of have to share that out. You have to look behind you and see
whos coming up next, and give them a helping hand, just as I
was given a helping hand by the people before me. Its a great
honor and privilege to do these things.
MW: Theres a third series, Tofu.
DAVIES: Youre not getting that in America and Im not quite sure
why. Theyve got it in Australia, but maybe theres just not room
on the local website or something. Tofu was a series of 10-minute documentaries that followed the transmission of Cucumber
and Banana. You get a 10-minute documentary talking about
sex, talking about the subjects that were raised in each weeks
episodes. It sounds rather boring, but it was a fun show. It had
songs, it had some comedy sketches. It also increased the range
of the sexualities covered.
The third episode of Tofu is my absolute favorite because it
spoke to people not having sex, it spoke to asexuals, it spoke to
celibates, and it talked to virgins. And it is a beautiful piece of
work because while Cucumber and Banana are literally focused
on sex and have a mission to explore sex in all its complexity
and detail, to have this spin-off documentary show you a world
in which sex wasnt important to any of these people was a glorious, glorious thing. Its probably available online, to be honest.
Go and have a look. Youll find it.
MW: Its like youre creating a thesis on gay sex with these three
shows.
DAVIES: Yeah, it was a triptych as we used to call it. I discovered this when I did Doctor Who. We spun off Doctor Who into
Torchwood. We spun off a childrens version of Doctor Who
called The Sarah Jane Adventures. We took an old companion
of Doctor Whos called Sarah Jane Smith and did a childrens
Goosebumps type series. Much better told than Goosebumps, I
must say. Plus there were website spin offs. At one point there
were seven different programs, including behind-the-scenes

programs. It was mad. But it really taught you a lot in this day
and age about building a factory, and sort of weaponizing these
shows to get out there and be seen and to be successful. Its all
about visibility now, because its a noisy, loud world. It was
interesting bringing some of that over into adult drama, looking
at Cucumber and saying actually, How can we maximize this?
So now, if I was to walk into a television studio with just
Cucumber, their first question would be, What else can we do?
What can our digital platforms do? What spinoffs are there?
What documentaries are there? What are the DVD extras, can
we do commentaries, can we do this, can we do behind the
scenes? Its kind of automatic. And those spinoff things are
usually quite rubbish because theyve been thought of second.
Theyre just added, theyre just extra, theyre just kind of flat
because they dont have much inspiration in them. I like Banana
and I like Tofu, because they are part of the original inspiration.
They bring a lot of energy with them because theyre genuine
spin-offs. Theyre integral to the whole thing. Theyre part of the
viewing experience.
MW: Lets talk a bit about the central character of Henry and his
fear of penetrative anal sex, which as a gay man I find - I dont
want to say its implausible but it just seemed kind of odd.
DAVIES: Really? I think youre completely wrong. Part of the
reason youre finding it implausible is because these men dont
speak up, or theyre not heard. They exist in the absolute thousands, if not millions, worldwide. But certainly within the West,
there are thousands and thousands and thousands of men like
this. Your reaction simply shows how silent they are.
MW: Well, its particularly interesting that Henry and his partner,
Lance, have been together nine years and this has not been resolved
between them in any kind of capacity. Obviously, you need that as
a plot catalyst, the conflict it creates propels the narrative. But you
say that there are thousands of men silent on this issue? How do
you know this?
DAVIES: I meet them. I keep meeting them time after time after
time. I wrote Queer as Folk after 15 years of going out clubbing
and meeting that classic couple of two best friends, one who is
secretly in love with the other that Stuart and Vince relationship, which was the entire core of Queer as Folk. I met those men
time and time and time again until I thought, I have to write
about these two.
With Henry and Lance, I keep meeting the couples time and
time again who only when drunk or depressed or lonely or when
pushed will confess that they dont have penetrative sex. If you
dont want to have penetration, thats completely fine, but why is
it a secret? Why are you keeping quiet about it? The fact that its
kept quiet indicates that theres something wrong not something wrong with you, but something wrong with the world.
Im a huge consumer of gay culture, gay artifacts, I read the
magazines, go through websites and think This isnt being
spoken about. If you look online, if you look in the magazines,
if you go on Grindr, were all tops or bottoms or vers its all
we are. When actually there are a thousand more categories
all the kissing or the blow jobs or the intimacy or the mutual
masturbation or whatever you want to indulge yourself in,
theres a million different forms that simply are fitting. And
with the advent of technology now, where you have to define
yourself in three words online, the definition, rather than
becoming broader, is becoming more strict. It is top, bottom,
vers. Top, bottom, vers.
MW: How do you define sex then?
DAVIES: Well, I dont. Thats the point. Were defining ourselves
by who we fuck and how we fuck. Kissings fine, the blow jobs
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21

fine, whatever. Im certainly not going to sit here and give a definition because, I think as a writer, Im here to watch the parade,
not lead the parade. Its a fascinating area.
MW: Do you think apps like Scruff and Grindr, which factor into
both shows, are harmful to our sexual socialization?
DAVIES: I dont know if theyre harmful. I think its easy to look
for the harm, but you can also look for the joy in them. I met
someone yesterday who is actually in a six-month relationship
having met on Grindr. So I cant look him in the eye and say its
a bad thing.

I think were living through a very odd period of history,

where we all type with each other. Were really not designed to
type with each other. The written word is a very different thing
to speech and contact and human body language. And one day
theyll make period dramas about the year 2015 and audiences
will all roll with laughter as we all type to each other. So whether
thats good or bad, I just cant tell at the moment. I think its
very strange, but well pass through it. This will look like a very
strange little hiccup in history.
MW: Where do you see gay and lesbian stories going in 15 years?

Pushing Boundaries
Russell T. Davies hasnt shied from tackling a wide variety of issues,
but its his LGBT content hell be most remembered for
By Rhuaridh Marr

USSELL T. DAVIES HAS NEVER

shied from pushing boundaries.
In a career spanning thirty
years, Davies has brought LGBT
issues to the forefront of his various works,
adding to the national dialogue in his native
Britain. Indeed, during the 90s and early
00s, as British gays toiled under Section
28 a law preventing local government
from teaching students that being gay
was perfectly normal Davies fought to
confront bigotry and stigma in his various
works, to present LGBT characters as regular humans, with the dramas and emotions
that entails.
Take a show from 1993, as an example.
Davies freelanced on Childrens Ward, a
medical drama for children, offering scripts
which included a teenage boy who had
been infected with HIV via a blood transfusion, at a time when the notion that only
gay people contracted the disease was still
prevalent. You must be a poof if youve
got AIDS, one bully posited. Im not
gay, and I havent got AIDS, the character responded. Im HIV positive. For
childrens television, this was groundbreaking, and Davies would later win a BAFTA
(the British equivalent of an Emmy) for an
episode dedicated to the online threat of
pedophiles in chatrooms.
Davies applies the same frank,
unabashed storytelling to his adult works.
He continued to challenge societys expectations of content with the series he wrote
for. In soap opera Revelations, Davies
inspired by the ordination of the first
female vicars in the Church of England
introduced a lesbian vicar, who came out
in a dramatic two-hander episode. With
The Grand, set in a Manchester hotel in
the 1920s, Davies explored homosexuality
and societal attitudes at the time with a
closeted barman. That was part of a series
that also dealt with abortion, murder, army
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APRIL 9, 2015

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desertion and the death penalty.

It was Davies own sexuality, and his
experience with a drug overdose and
subsequent existential crisis, that led to
perhaps his most popular LGBT work:
Queer as Folk. Revolutionary at the time,
it depicted sexuality in a way no show had
before. It was a sexy, honest, open portrayal of the gay scene in Manchester, the
sort of hedonistic life Davies was trying to
leave behind. Its pilot episode premiered
as the British parliament was discussing a
bill that would reduce the age of consent
for homosexual couples to 16, matching their heterosexual counterparts. The
series generated praise from many, with
a record numbers of viewers, but also a
large amount of controversy. British regulators received complaints for its content, a
renowned conservative activist decried it,
while the parents of Charlie Hunnam, who
played 15-year-old Nathan Maloney, were
opposed to their sons character having sex
with an older man.
The British version ran for just one
full season, plus a two-episode second season that wrapped up the story.
Showtime partnered with Canadian network Showcase for an American remake,
which ran for five seasons and tackled
issues such as HIV and same-sex marriage, becoming immensely popular in its
own right, but Davies wasnt involved.
Instead, he was doing what he does best:
stirring up more debate.
Bob and Rose sounds like any other
romantic drama. Boy meets girl, boy falls
in love with girl except here, the boy
is gay. It created a storm of controversy
among some gay viewers, who viewed
it as conforming to the ideals of religious
activists who maintain that homosexuality
is a choice, but for Davies it was based on
fact. A friend, who was openly gay, met
a woman and decided to marry her and

have children. Bob wasnt bisexual, which

further confounded people, but Davies had
him sum his sexuality up thusly: I fancy
men. And her.
Simultaneously, Davies was again
challenging societies attitudes towards
homosexuality. A subplot involving Bobs
mother and the fictional Parents Against
Homophobia saw the group campaigning for the repeal of Section 28, including
protesting a coach company that donated
money to keep the law in place a very
real parallel to a renowned British coach
company that donated to efforts to maintain the homophobic law. Section 28 would
be repealed in 2003, two years after Bob
and Roses one series had ended its critically successful, but commercially disastrous, run.
It was in 2005, however, that Davies
would find himself at the forefront of
British drama. A Doctor Who fan since
childhood, Davies lobbied the BBC for
years to revive the sci-fi show until they
eventually awarded him the chance to do
so. His changes to the original format were
sweeping doubling the episode length,

DAVIES: I see them as just getting better and richer and wider. I

can see that happening already with Empire in the states, where
youre getting a different base of ethnic characters being out
and diverse. Were starting to see it in genre programs like The
Walking Dead. I hold high hopes that Marvel will lead the way
and do something with a gay character in a superhero film one
day. Fingers crossed. I hold no hope whatsoever of DC doing
that because their films are made by idiots. But I think in 15
years time, we will be broadcasting stuff written by the next
generation of gay men and women, so if it is good, then it will

leave me completely mystified. I will be sitting there puzzled,

and eager to learn, and confounded by gay characters and an
exploration of sexuality that Ive never seen before, that I would
never dream of exploring simply because Im 50 years older
and these 21-year-olds are discovering completely new worlds.
So that would be by far the best legacy to leave me lost and
confounded.
Cucumber and Banana premiere Monday, April 13 at 10 p.m. on
Logo. Check your local cable listings. Visit Logotv.com. l

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOGO

Banana (L) and Cucumber

recording on film, maximizing every penny
of the special effects budget, and cutting
any superfluous story elements that had
accumulated over the shows forty-year
existence to that point. It was an immediate success. The show found its footing in
its second season, cementing Davies and
his core team of writers as masters of family-friendly, primetime drama, underscored
with action, humor and pathos. If Davies
had any worries about how his version of
Doctor Who would be received, they were
banished once the incredible viewing figures became apparent.
Still, it was in Doctor Who offshoot
Torchwood where Davies would once again
flex his provocative muscle. Centered on
a covert organization that prevents extraterrestrial life from reaching the public
eye, it was darker, sexier, and a hell of a
lot gayer. Time-travelling lead character
Jack Harkness Doctor Whos first ever
LGBT character was pansexual, with one
character commenting that hed have sex
with anybody as long as theyre gorgeous
enough! Harkness embarks on a relationship with Ianto Jones, which spans the

shows run, but the series as a whole was

rife with sexy, funny, and gut wrenchingly
emotional moments for the character.
In the episode Captain Jack Harkness,
Harkness is pulled through time to a dance
hall in the 40s, meeting the man whose
identity he stole, Captain Jack Harkness.
The pair realize their attraction for one
another, but given the social standards
of the time, are unable to express it. The
episode ends with the men dancing and
kissing, to the shock of the other partygoers, before Torchwoods Harkness is
pulled back to present day. It was a beautifully tragic moment and not just because
both characters were men. Its no wonder
it was nominated for a Hugo Award for
Best Dramatic Presentation.
In thirty years, Davies hasnt shied from
tackling a wide variety of issues, but
apart from reviving Doctor Who into the
fantastic series it is today its his LGBT
content that hell likely be most remembered for. Where others would introduce
gay characters in glimpse-and-youll-miss-it
fashion, or as broad caricatures, or indeed
not show them at all, Davies has pushed

them to the fore and into living rooms

around the world, helping shape conversation and generate debate.
It seems almost bizarre to consider his
new shows, Cucumber and Banana, as
spiritual successors to Queer as Folk, as
the societies each takes place in are worlds
apart. Davies latest series exist in a world
where Britain has marriage equality, nondiscrimination laws, and LGBT people are
free to live and love as they choose. Davies
doesnt need to push boundaries to the
same extent these people arent fighting to be recognized, to have their stories
heard, in the same way as his characters
from ten or twenty years ago.
Still, that their stories are being told at
all, and with the wit and drama Davies has
become known for, is something to celebrate. Especially in America, where there
are still so many LGBT battles left to fight,
two shows about LGBT people living their
lives however dramatized and sex-filled
is exactly what we need. For Davies?
Well, lets hope he wont have to keep
pushing those boundaries but it makes
for damn good television when he does. l
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APRIL 9 - 16, 2015

Compiled by Doug Rule

Possible
Dream
Anthony Warlow portrays the

King Lear of music theater in

Man of La Mancha

SPOTLIGHT
CANDICE BERGEN

Murphy Brown actress shares the big events in her

life, including learning to live and love again
after the death of her late husband, French director
Louis Malle. Bergen discusses her latest memoir
A Fine Romance in a conversation with Madhulika
Sikka, executive editor for NPR News. Monday,
April 13, at 7 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600
I St. NW. Tickets are $20, or $32 with one book, $45
for two tickets and one book. Call 202-408-3100 or
visit sixthandi.org.

COUNTDOWN TO YURIS NIGHT

SCOTT SUCHMAN

Intended as a holiday for space, this annual event

celebrates the worlds first manned space flight by
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in the most nonscientific of ways: A zany night of visual art, performance and music. Presented by a group of offbeat
artists and entertainers known as Astro Pop Events
(A.P.E.), the event returns to Artisphere this year.
Saturday, April 11, starting at 9 p.m. Artisphere, 1101
Wilson Blvd. Arlington. Tickets are $25 in advance,
or $30 day of show. Call 703-875-1100 or visit artisphere.com.

HIS IS MY FIRST TIME COMING TO WASHINGTON, D.C., AND

Ive fallen in love with it, Anthony Warlow says. The plethora of
theater in this city is extraordinary, and the quality of the productions
is just unmatched.... Theres something about the true art that is formed here.
And I love that side of it.
Director Alan Paul selected Warlow, one of Australias leading actors, to
star in the Shakespeare Theatre Companys production of Man of La Mancha
after seeing him as Daddy Warbucks in the 2012 Broadway revival of Annie.
Ive always said hes like the King Lear of music theater, Warlow says of Don
Quixote. Its one of the toughest roles to convey, but the payoff is extraordinary.
Its actually the second time Warlow has portrayed the musical Quixote.
This is a far more superior telling of the story than the one he starred in 15
years ago Down Under. I think sometimes one can try to gild the lily with productions that have been done many, many times. I think what Alan has done
very cleverly is take the clich out of this production, and make it something
that really stands up for todays audience.
This production is darker it has more gravitas, as Warlow puts it than
other versions of the classic by writers Dale Wasserman and Joe Darion and
composer Mitch Leigh. Precisely because it doesnt shy away from intimations
of a gang rape, among other injustices, the production is also more uplifting.
Warlow compares it to his own bout with cancer when he was 30. My whole
philosophy...was think positively. There will be light at the end of the tunnel,
he says.
The show has a redemption quality about it, he says. The fact that its so
beautifully staged, I think that story becomes very real to people. Doug Rule
Man of La Mancha runs to April 26 at Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Call
202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

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HRC SPEAKER SERIES:

LGBT INCLUSION AND THE WORLD BANK

Phil Crehan and Jake Fagans new 12-minute short

film Sexual Minorities & Development is the jumpingoff point for a discussion hosted by the Human
Rights Campaign about discrimination against sexual minorities in the developing world. Tuesday,
April 14, at 7 p.m. HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode
Island Ave. NW. Tickets are free with RSVP. Call
800-777-4723 or visit hrc.org/equalitytalks.

SIMPLY SONDHEIM

HHHHH
Signature Theatres Simply Sondheim is billed as
a completely new revue running for a couple of
weeks, after which it will never be seen again. Of
course, revues of Stephen Sondheims oeuvre pop up
here and there every couple years, and full Sondheim
musicals are produced even more frequently. In fact,
this revue offers a tantalizing preview of one lesserknown Sondheim work Signature will produce next
winter, Road Show, with the song The Best Thing
That Ever Has Happened. Nevertheless, any musical theater fan will find delight in this revue itself,
co-developed by David Loud and Eric Schaeffer and
directed and choreographed by Matthew Gardiner.
Jon Kalbfleisch leads a 16-piece orchestra from the
stage every bit like a pops night at the symphony.
Sondheim standards are cleverly intertwined and
performed by six Signature vets, most notably the
superb Donna Migliaccio, lovable gay everyman
Bobby Smith, pristine-piped Stephanie Waters and
the swoon-worthy Kellee Knighten Hough. Runs to
Sunday, April 19. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell
Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $95. Call 703-8209771 or visit signature-theatre.org. (Doug Rule)

MIXTAPE

Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer have thrown their popular dance party Mixtape
all over town for more than six years, from Town to the 9:30 Club. This Saturday,
the duo returns to the Howard Theatre though itll be Van Horns drag alter
ego Summer Camp that will be spinning tunes alongside Bailer. Saturday, April 11.
Doors at 11 p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets are $10 in advance
or $12.50 day-of show. Call 202-588-5595 or visit mixtapedc.com.

THE TING TINGS

The kind of silly, kind of fun British disco/punk duo of Katie White that is her
name and Jules De Martino tour in support of last years neo-disco set Super
Critical. Saturday, April 11. Doors at 6 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets
are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

THE WASHINGTON BALLET

The company offers a production of Swan Lake, considered by many as the greatest classical ballet of all time. The Evermay Chamber Orchestra accompanies the
company as it takes on this mysterious, lyrical and dramatic ballet with famous
music by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.
Friday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 11, at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and
Sunday, April 12, at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater.
Tickets are $45 to $225. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

FILM
SUNSET BOULEVARD

To wrap up its two-month series Leading Ladies of Hollywoods Golden Age,

the American Film Institutes Silver Theatre turns to actress Gloria Swanson
and Billy Wilders 1950 B&W classic, billed as the best film ever made about
Hollywood. Swanson stars as the bitter has-been Norma Desmond while William
Holden is a struggling screenwriter and Desmonds kept man. Sunday, April
12, at 1 p.m., Monday, April 13, through Thursday, April 15, at 4:45 p.m. Also
Wednesday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m., and Thursday, April 16, at 9 p.m. AFI Silver
Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $9 to $12. Call 301-4956720 or visit afi.com/Silver.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Landmarks E Street Cinema screens the biggest cult classic of them all once a
month as part of its regular midnight screenings of classics. The screening comes
with a live cast, meaning its even more interactive than usual. Friday, April 10,
and Saturday, April 11, at midnight. Landmarks E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW.
Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

TIGER ORANGE

Reel Affirmations presents this film about the conflict between two brothers,
both gay, played by Mark Strano and Frankie Valenti, better known as former
porn actor Johnny Hazzard. After their fathers death, the estranged brothers
return to their small central California hometown where one is more willing to
be openly gay, and both struggle to like, or even act brotherly toward, each other.
Friday, April 17, at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island
Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 or $25 for VIP including one cocktail, one popcorn and
designated seating. Call 202-682-2245 or visit reelaffirmations.org.

STAGE
ARDEN OF FAVERSHAM

Brave Spirits Theatre presents this riff on Elizabethan plays, incorporating actual
Shakespearean passages, as a housewife plots with her lover and two incompetent hit-men to murder her husband. Dan Crane directs the production from the
four-year-old Brave Spirits, which focuses on staging dark, visceral, intimate
productions. Opens Friday, April 3, at 8 p.m. To April 18. Atlas Performing Arts
Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

DONT DIE IN THE DARK

City Artistic Partnerships presents this one-act play shedding light on the personal and patriotic motivations behind one of Americas most shocking acts of
terror, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Matty Griffiths produces this theater piece starring playwright/performer Joe Brack as John Wilkes Booth and
Bradley Foster Smith as Guitar, providing music and conscience to the piece.
Out of respect for Mr. Lincoln, the producers note, we are not performing this
play in a theater. Opens Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m. To April 26. Studio 1469,
1469 Harvard St. NW. Call 202-213-2474.

SWING TIME! THE MUSICAL

Mike Thornton, an actor who has worked with the satire group the Capitol
Steps, and his wife, Cecelia Fex, have teamed up as co-producers for this big
band-era musical revue about a group of performers putting together a wartime

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radio broadcast. Featuring film clips plus a live jazz

band, the show features tunes made popular by Duke
Ellington, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy
Dorsey and Cab Calloway. Next performances are
Thursday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April
15, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 19, at 2 p.m.
Select dates to June 27. U.S. Navy Memorials Burke
Theater, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $19
or $49. Call 202-393-4266 or visit swingtimethemusical.com.

THE ORIGINALIST

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ALDEN

Molly Smith directs an Arena Stage world premiere

of John Strands play about one of the biggest enemies to the LGBT cause and civil rights in general:
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Its hard to
get excited about this one, although no doubt fourtime Helen Hayes Award winner Edward Gero will
do Scalia justice. The play is performed in the Mead
Centers Kogod Cradle in a new three-quarter thrust
configuration. Extended to May 31, with a two-week
break at the start of May. Mead Center for American
Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit
arenastage.org.

THE SORROW MESSAGE

Willas Way

Prudence Wright Holmes pays tribute to LGBT icon Willa Cather

VER HEAR OF WILLA CATHER?

I feel like if young gay people heard her story, it would touch
their hearts and really inspire them and know that theyre not alone,
Prudence Wright Holmes says. The second woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for
literature nearly a century ago, Cather may not have ever called herself lesbian
or transgender but she did ask people to call her William.
Cather should be an LGBT icon because she was so out there and unapologetic at a time when it was really not done. And that took a lot of courage, says
Holmes, who has developed the one-person show, Call Me William: The Life
and Loves of Willa Cather. While growing up and going to college in Lincoln,
Nebraska, Holmes explains, Cather cut her hair off and said, Call me William.
And her neighbors were absolutely horrified as was the family, but they kind of
had to deal with it because she was so brilliant and so accomplished. Kind of like
the star of her little town.
Cather is inspiring in other ways as well, including the fact that she left the
Great Plains to achieve her literary dreams in New York. She didnt know anybody [and yet] she worked her way into the most famous literary circles in New
York of the day. She was hanging out with Mark Twain and Theodore Dreiser.
But she spent most of her time with other women, including the Pittsburgh
socialite Isabelle McClung, who basically bankrolled Willa Cather in the beginning of her career.... They were together for 10 years, then Isabelle ended up
marrying a man, which was the big tragedy of Cathers life.
Holmes plays all the significant people in Cathers life in her show, which
she will perform next weekend at McLeans Alden Theatre. While Holmes is
working on another one-person show about British crime novelist Agatha
Christie shes best known for appearing in larger productions on Broadway
and in Hollywood. In fact, shes still reaping some earthly rewards from her role
as a nun in the first two Sister Act films. I actually just got a residual check of
almost $500 and that movie was over 20 years ago. Doug Rule

Baltimores adventurous company Daydreams +

Nightmares Aerial (DNA) Theatre presents this dark
and fantastical play by Annelise Montone about a
boy who runs to the ocean after witnessing his parents fighting. A thoroughly homegrown production,
The Sorrow Message incorporates aerial acrobatics
and high technology in addition to more standard
theater fare. Opens Thursday, April 9, at 8 p.m. To
April 19. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West Preston
St. Baltimore. Tickets are $24. Call 410-752-8558 or
visit theatreproject.org.

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

Arena Stage offers the first production of this comedy since it won the Tony Award for Best Play last
year. Aaron Posner, most recently known for his
Chekhov-inspired plays Stupid Fucking Bird and Life
Sucks (or the Present Ridiculous), directs Christopher
Durangs sendup of Chekhov full of wit and savage
humor with a cast including Signature star Sherri
L. Edelen as well as Jefferson Farber. Opens in previews Friday, April 3. To May 3. Arena Stage Mead
Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call
202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

MUSIC
ALICE SMITH

Soul-pop singer-songwriter Alice Smith is as understated and sophisticated as Christina Aguilera can
be exaggerated and overdone, and shes every bit as
vocally talented. Her music, including her astonishing sophomore set She, is better than Aguileras, too.
Released in 2013, She charts the ups and downs and
ins and outs of love, even just friendship, with musical twists and lyrical turns as sharp and surprising
as they come. Next Friday, April 17, the Brooklynbased Smith returns once again to her hometown of
D.C. You want to do good at home, she told Metro
Weekly in 2012. Whenever I go, and theres people
there, somehow its always a little surprising, but
its also always really exciting. Friday, April 17, at
8 p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets
are $25 to $60. Call 202-588-5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.com.

BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Prudence Wright Holmes appears Sunday, April 19, at 2 p.m.,

at the Alden Theatre, 1234 Ingleside Ave, Mclean, Va. Tickets are $20.
Call 703-790-0123 or visit aldentheatre.org.

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Marin Alsop conducts flutist Adam Walker in the

East Coast premiere of Kevin Putss Flute Concerto
as part of a program headlined by the second masterpiece in Tchaikovskys great final symphonic trilogy, the passionate Symphony No. 5. Thursday, April
9, at 8 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall,

1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Also Sunday, April 12, at 3 p.m. Music Center at
Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $32 to $100. Call
410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

DANCE

BOHEMIAN CAVERNS JAZZ ORCHESTRA

D.C.s premier contemporary dance company, per the Washington Post, teams
up with country/punk pioneers Jason and the Scorchers for the world premiere
of Victory Road, a journey of hope, tragedy and triumph. The band performs on
stage with the company for an electrifying performance about a boy who leaves
his hometown dreaming of becoming a music star in the 1980s. Friday, April 10,
and Saturday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are
$40 to $45. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

Every Monday night the 17-piece jazz orchestra performs a variety of music
from the big band repertoire including pieces by Duke Ellington, Count Basie,
Billy Strayhorn and Maria Schneider, plus originals from band members, at its
namesake venue. Founded by baritone saxophonist Brad Linde and club owner
Omrao Brown, featuring some of D.C.s best jazz musicians, including Linde and
trumpeter Joe Herrera, who co-direct. Performances at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. every
Monday night. Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th St. NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202299-0800 or visit bohemiancaverns.com.

FOLGER CONSORT

In conjunction with the Folger Librarys current exhibition, the resident early
music ensemble offers a scientific and satirical exploration of Baroque masterpieces with Ships, Clocks and Stars: Music of Telemann and Other Baroque
Masters. Telemanns amusing suite based upon Gullivers Travels is one of the
standouts, as is Clerambaults fiery, graceful cantata Orphe, a vivid retelling of
the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Soprano Yulia Van Doren is also featured.
Friday, April 10, at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 11, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday,
April 12, at 2 p.m. Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $37. Call
202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

JANE MONHEIT

One of the most touted female talents in contemporary jazz, Jane Monheit has a
sound that blends natural elegance with potent yet impressively controlled presentation, says All Music Guide. Perhaps best known for her duet with Michael
Bubl on the Jerome Kern classic I Wont Dance, the New Yorker performs a
concert billed as blending the spirit of jazz with the swagger of cabaret. Thursday,
April 9, at 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $30
to $35. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org. Also Friday, April 10, at 8 p.m.
Rams Head On Stage, 33 West St., Annapolis. Tickets are $39.50. Call 410-2684545 or visit ramsheadonstage.com.

LOUDOUN LYRIC OPERA

Scene and Aria or Mozarts Impresario Re-imagined is the title of the latest
run of performances by the Loudoun Opera, which focuses on Byron Joness
new English adaptation of Mozarts short comic parody of the unchecked egos
of operatic divas, with a libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie. Friday, April 10, at 8
p.m. Oatlands Carriage House, 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg.
Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m., Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 605 W. Market St.,
Leesburg. Saturday, April 18, at 8 p.m. North Gate Vineyard, 16031 Hillsboro Rd.,
Purcellville. Tickets are $18 online, or $20 at the door. Call 703-771-0996 or visit
loudounlyricopera.com.

ROSANNE CASH

The eldest daughter of country music legend Johnny Cash has carved her own
path to fame. Rosanne Cash, with her deep, velvet-lined voice, is one of those artists who is infinitely and repeatedly listenable. Her latest album, The River and the
Thread, combines roots-oriented music with her trademarked lushness. Cash told
Metro Weekly last year that the new set, produced by her husband and frequent
collaborator John Leventhal, is meant to convey the theme of Southern place and
time. Somebody said that this record was the sound of a true marriage. And that
really touched me deeply. John and I worked a long time to get to a place where
the sum is greater than the parts. Friday, April 17, at 8 p.m. Music Center at
Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $27 to $68. Call
301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

BOWEN MCCAULEY DANCE

GALLIM DANCE

Washington Performing Arts and CityDance co-present the D.C. debut of this
Brooklyn-based, Israeli contemporary dance-inspired troupe led by rising star
choreographer Andrea Miller. Thursday, April 16, and Friday, April 17, at 8 p.m.
Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 202-785-9727 or visit
washingtonperformingarts.org.

HELANIUS J. WILKINS & ERIC REBOLLAR/REBOLLAR DANCE

Award-winning choreographers join forces for an evening of dynamic contemporary dance that pushes boundaries and includes two D.C. premieres: Wilkins
Everything for the First Time, performed by 25 dancers from the Pennsylvaniabased Slippery Rock University Dance Department, and Rebollars Cyborg Suites.
The Joy of Motion Youth Dance Ensemble joins to perform a work-in-progress
of Wilkins Turning Tables. Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m. The Sprenger Theatre at
Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $25. Call 202-399-7993
or visit atlasarts.org.

NEW YORK CITY BALLET

Founded in 1948 by George Balanchine to be a distinctly American ballet company, the New York City Ballet honors its legacy in its return to the Kennedy Center
through two different programs accompanied by the ballets orchestra. The first,
20th Century Classics, features three of Balanchines most iconic ballets
including the first he choreographed in the U.S., Serenade, set to Tchaikovsky.
Meanwhile, 21st Century Choreographers features works by Peck, Ratmansky,
Martins and Wheeldon. Performed in a weeklong repertory to this Sunday, April
12. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $109. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.

PILOBOLUS

Connecticut-based dance troupe returns to D.C. to yet again show off its daring,
athletic moves, this time in the intimate space of McLeans Alden Theatre. The
company is known, as its gay co-dance captain Nile Russell told Metro Weekly a
few years ago, [for the] idea of weight-sharing.... Not so much lifting people, but
pouring your weight into them to leave the ground.
Friday, April 17, at 8 p.m. Alden Theatre at the McLean Community Center, 1234
Ingleside Ave., Mclean, Va. Tickets are $45 to $50. Call 703-790-0123 or visit
www.mcleancenter.org/alden-theatre.

READINGS
ANDREA GIBSON, AMBER TAMBLYN

A leader in the spoken word movement and the first winner of the Womens
World Poetry Slam, Andrea Gibson focuses her writings on gender norms,
politics, social reforms and the struggles LGBT people face in todays society. The
Colorado-based Gibson tours in support of a new spoken-word album Flower
Boy and will read from her book The Madness Vase. Television actress Amber

THE LAST BISON

Less than three months after opening for fellow bluegrass/rock hybrid act
Greensky Bluegrass, the 9:30 Club brings back this seven-piece ensemble from
Chesapeake, Va., for a show at U Street Music Hall co-presented by Jammin
Javas Brindley Bros. The Last Bison performs what it describes as mountaintop chamber music, a contemporary folk-rock blend with echoes of Bon Iver,
Mumford & Sons and Fleet Foxes. Saturday, April 11. Doors at 7 p.m. U Street
Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $18. Call 202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

VIJAY IYER TRIO

This celebrity jazz pianist returns with his longtime collaborators, bassist
Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore, who as the Grammy-nominated
Vijay Iyer Trio are known for covers of everything from Bernstein to M.I.A. The
ensembles latest album Break Stuff includes originals plus renditions of jazz standards including Billy Strayhorns Bloodcount, Thelonious Monks Work and John
Coltranes Countdown. Sunday, April 19, at 7 p.m., at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue,
600 I St. NW. Tickets are $25 in advance or $28 day-of show. Call 202-408-3100
or visit sixthandi.org.

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MATTHEW PANDOLFE

Punk
Priestess
Katie Alice Greers Priests is revitalizing

D.C.-style punk rock

.C.S RECENT URBAN REVITALIZATION HAS BEEN A

boon but it hasnt come without costs.
I wonder sometimes if a lot of those histories are just
being erased from our city, Katie Alice Greer says. Most specifically, you see these historic places where jazz musicians played a lot
of their first shows on U Street just being bulldozed over for new
condos. Its disconcerting to say the least.
Next week Greers band Priests will play its first show at U
Street Music Hall, in a concert presented by the 9:30 Club and promoter Sasha Lord. Not quite three years old, the band has generated
national buzz for its style revitalizing, however indirectly, another
aspect of D.C. culture punk rock, specifically the 90s-originating
Tamblyn (House M.D., Two and a Half Men) also
appears and will read from her 2014 collection of
poems Dark Sparkler. Thursday, April 16, at 8 p.m.
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets
are $20, or $25 day-of show. Call 202-408-3100 or
visit sixthandi.org.

SHAKESPEARES BIRTHDAY LECTURE:

LYNNE MAGNUSSON

Shakespeare and the Language of Possibility is

the title of a free lecture at the Folger Shakespeare
Library from this University of Toronto professor
discussing how the Bard used common auxiliary
verbs may, shall, ought to play key roles in dramatic dialogue. The lecture is the kickoff event in a
Shakespeares Language symposium. Thursday,
April 16, at 7:30 p.m. Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol
St. SE. Tickets are free. Call 202-544-7077 or visit
folger.edu.

GALLERIES
CONFLUENCE: CONSIDERING THE ANACOSTIA

Photographs of the Anacostia River are presented in

an exhibit at the Anacostia Arts Center and featuring the work of National Geographic freelance photographer Becky Harlan, local gallery artist David

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APRIL 9, 2015

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Riot Grrrl variant.

Naturally, it wasnt a given that it would turn out
this way. The 26-year-old Greer moved to D.C. from
her native Michigan last decade to study politics at
American University, but an internship on Capitol Hill
made her realize the political life wasnt for her. Once
she met drummer Daniele Daniele, guitarist G.I. Jaguar
and bassist Taylor M, Greer quickly turned her attention back to music she had grown up performing in
musical theater and singing in church as the daughter
of a United Methodist minister. The first time he heard
us, Greer says about her dads reaction to Priests, he
said, Oh, the music sounds lovely but maybe if you
didnt scream so much, it might go over better.
But Greers powerful lungs are part of the appeal of
this mixed-gender, hard-charging band with a cheekily religious name and a membership that is 75 percent
not straight. Its always been deeply important to us
to be ourselves and to encourage other people to feel
like they can be themselves, says Greer, who dates
both men and women and lives in Mount Pleasant,
making ends meet as a waiter at a downtown restaurant. The band is in the early stages of creating its
debut full-length album, following the critical praise
from indie-rock arbiters including Pitchfork to last
years 20-minute EP Bodies and Control and Money
and Power. With a title like that, its obvious Priests is
keyed into the main pursuit in its hometown. But can
it remain a D.C. band?
We all feel pretty deeply rooted in the city, Greer
says. I hope I can stay here its expensive.
Doug Rule
Priests performs Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m. U Street
Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

Allen Harris, wildlife and conservation photographer

Krista Schlyer, and documentary-style photographer
Bruce McNeil. The exhibit coincides with the firstever Anacostia River Festival, which will serve as the
closing event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival
and take place in the nearby Anacostia Park on April
12. Through May 1. Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good
Hope Road SE. Call 202-631-6291 or visit anacostiaartscenter.com.

SPLENDOR & SURPRISE:

ELEGANT CONTAINERS, ANTIQUE TO MODERN

The Hillwood Museum presents a special exhibition

featuring more than 80 remarkable boxes, coffers,
chests and other containers that reveal the ways in
which cultures have contained their most treasured
items and everyday objects over the past four centuries. Through June 7. Hillwood Estate, 4155 Linnean
Ave. NW. Suggested donation is $12. Call 202-6865807 or visit HillwoodMuseum.org.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

CAPITAL CITY SHOWCASE
WITH THE 9 SONGWRITER SERIES

Producers of the local variety show Capital City

Showcase are combining forces with Justin Trawicks
9 Songwriter Series to offer a night of live perfor-

mances in Georgetown featuring some of the areas

best comedians and musicians nine total. Besides
Trawick the musicians on tap are Lauren Cave,
Elena Lacayo and Billy T. Wilde. Matty Litwack, Wes
Martens, Jheisson Nunez and Haywood Turnipseed,
Jr., will handle the standup. Sunday, April 12, at 7
p.m. Malmaison, 3401 K St. NW. Tickets $10. Call
202-431-4704 or visit capitalcity9.eventbrite.com.

TAYLOR MAC

Taylor Macs show The 20th Century Concert:

Abridged is not cabaret. Its not strictly speaking
even a revue of the past centurys most popular
songs. The New York-based artist, who performs in
gender-ambiguous conceptual drag, recently told
Metro Weekly that the piece is a performance art
concert [presenting] my subjective history of popular music.... Sometimes theyre songs that nobodys
heard of, or that werent that popular from their
decade but were popular in a small community. For
example, Mac picked Laura Branigans Gloria to
represent the 1980s, a rather chipper song for a notso-chipper decade. And its that kind of contrast that
Mac is going for. We bring in this very cheese-ball
song and we make it a little more complex by talking about serious issues from the era. Saturday, April
11, and Sunday, April 12, at 8 p.m., at the Clarices
Kogod Theatre at the University of Maryland in
College Park. Tickets are $25. Call 301-405-ARTS or
visit theclarice.umd.edu. l

stage

Grace under Fire

Dueling protagonists nearly cancel
each other out in Woollys
latest production

STAN BAROUH

by KATE WINGFIELD

F A PLAY IS LIKE A BABY AN ORGANIC BEING INCUbated (written/workshopped) as it grows and only birthed
(staged) when it is capable and ready to breathe on its own
then Lights Rise on Grace is a play born just a bit too soon.
Its heart may beat with ideas rich with intelligence and insight,
but it would be a far stronger entity had it been given further
time for growth and development.
Case in point are playwright Chad Beckims dueling protago-

nists, each so central they almost cancel the other out. There is
the titular Grace, the young, urban Chinese-American who
leaves her oppressive family for love only to find herself in the
grim existence of the terminally underpaid singleton. And then
there is Large, the young, African-American man from the projects whose broken family life leaves him prey to violence - his
own and others - and a need for love that he is incapable of
accepting or sustaining.
Both are compellingly drawn, offering provocative and engaging issues, and each is entangled with the other, but despite the
tribute paid to Graces final epiphany, neither character surfaces
convincingly as a true protagonist. Without this choice, there is
a weakness in the plays overall impact. The stories of Grace and
Large feel separate but equal and ones engagement is similarly
divided. Granted, to emphasize one of the stories would have
forced Beckim to take a single perspective and clearly he is
loyal to both characters but choosing one perspective would
have given the audience far more to grasp.
Thus, although the progress of Grace and Large through their
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31

turbulent lives is fascinating and the subject matter rich and

original, the piece ultimately plays out more in vignettes than in
an arc leading to significant catharsis.
The piece is crafted in an interestingly reductive, essential
style in which the characters move between self-narration and
enactment. It is a simplicity that necessitates emotional honesty
and Beckim delivers much, even if one wishes he would allow
his characters, especially Large, to tell us even more of his inner
life. There are some choices regarding what to simulate and
what to show that beg a few questions. But although such styles
and methods always risk the toe-curling pitfalls of experimental
theater (as have been sent up in such gems as the League of
Gentlemens Legz Akimbo theater troupe), here, thanks to the
tight rein of director Michael John Garces, they dance effectively and powerfully on the right side of the line.
Rolling with the systemic challenges, the ensemble is a wellcast and cohesive trio -= the third character being the somewhat
enigmatic Riece, whom Large meets in prison. As Grace, Jeena
Yi offers an expressive, memorable woman with a convincing
inner strength, even if her younger, shyer incarnation is a tad
over-played. An intriguingly evoked character, she leaves you
wanting to know far more of her inner life in order to make
sense of her reactions to her situation. One example of this is her
choice to enter a period of promiscuity which seems too much a
clich without knowing more. Another, more pointed example,
are the words with which she opens the play: He broke me.
Surely we should learn why she says this and yet as the play
unfolds, no true meaning is made of this statement. It is left a
rather flagrant attention-grabber and little more.
As the lost soul Large, Delance Minefee is an extraordinary
presence, suggesting a vulnerability that hangs on him like a

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METROWEEKLY.COM

ghost. Though director Garces allows him to over-egg the batter

at times, scaled back, this is a powerful, honest expressiveness.
What works less well is Larges transformation into his later
hard-man persona. Again, it is a question for the playwright.
What gets him there? He is cloaking himself, but in whom?
His father? His brother? There is much focus on what imposes
on Large from the outside, and his reactions. There are fewer
moments in which we see the world from within his perspective.
His is a painful, complex story that cries out for far more than
can be given in a spotlight shared with Grace.
Serving as the game-changer in Larges life is Riece, played
with subtlety and understatement by Ryan Barry. Though it
was difficult to understand the rather obtuse progression in the
prison bonding between Large and Riece, with its vacillation
between the near-existential and the almost comically graphic
(among other things, do inmates really stand that close to each
other for a chat?), Minefee and Barry prevail with a powerful
and convincing chemistry.
All three players clearly and convincingly show the progression of emotion and connectedness between and among these
characters - its a commitment to the vision that is strong
enough to overcome two brief but obtrusive interludes that
might otherwise have caused a collective eye-roll or guffaw.
Its also an integrity that makes this piece far larger than its
less-developed parts. We may not know all that much about the
inner workings of Grace and Large by the end, but at the very
least, they have shared an interesting and relevant story.
Lights Rise on Grace (HHHHH) runs to April 26 at Woolly
Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $68. Call 202-3933939 or visit woollymammoth.net. l

exhibits

Contents of Lincolns Pockets

Historic Gathering

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

Fords Theatre offers an

unprecedented exhibit detailing
Lincolns Assassination
by DOUG RULE

EXT WEEK WILL BE A DOOZY FOR LINCOLN

aficionados. And the Fords Theatre campus in
downtown Washington is the main place to be,
as the site where John Wilkes Booth assassinated
President Abraham Lincoln on the night of April 14, 1865. The
16th president died the next morning.
But while Fords has organized specific events for next week,
one of the institutions key highlights is a special exhibition that
runs throughout most of May.
Our goal was to try to bring back most of the key artifacts

that were here that evening, and reunite them for the first
time in 150 years, Tracey Avant says. As curator of exhibitions
at Fords, Avant spent three years gathering items for Silent
Witness: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination, working with
such lenders as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and
Museum, the Chicago History Museum and the Pike County
Historical Society. Fords had to take special measures to get
some of the items because they are important and key artifacts
for most of the institutions that lent to us.
Naturally, not every artifact could be returned for display in
Washington including the very chair from Fords Presidential
Box in which Lincoln was shot. The Henry Ford Museum wasnt
able to loan that to us, Avant says. The chair is just in extremely
fragile shape. (Youll have to travel to Dearborn, Mich., if you
want to see that.) Also unavailable: The bullet that killed the
President. That factors into a special exhibition at the National
Museum of Health and Medicine, His Wound Is Mortal: The
Final Hours of President Abraham Lincoln. Fortunately, the
Department of Defense-run museum is nearby, in Silver Spring.
Fords exhibit does include the smoking gun Booths
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33

single-shot, 44-caliber Derringer pistol. Among other items on

display are Lincolns silk top hat, Mary Todd Lincolns cloak,
and the contents of Lincolns pockets two pairs of spectacles,
a pocketknife, a linen handkerchief and a brown leather wallet containing a five-dollar Confederate note. [The spectacles]
Lincoln repaired, tying them together with a piece of string.
And the top hat with the mourning band that Lincoln added in
memory of his son Willie, who died in 1862 those speak so
deeply about Lincoln the person, Lincoln the man, says Avant.
The most complicated artifact to secure was the carriage that
transported the President and Mrs. Lincoln to Fords to see the
play Our American Cousin. On display at the National Museum
of American History, this barouche, on loan from the Studebaker

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APRIL 9, 2015

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Lincolns Hat

National Museum in South Bend, Ind., traveled in one piece, so

it had to have a special crate built for it.
Avant is quick to point out the unprecedented nature of the
exhibition as the key reason to see it. None of these things have
been together in the same space for 150 years. It will probably be
at least another 50 years before anyone thinks about trying to put
them together again.
Silent Witness: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination runs to
May 25, including extended viewing hours Thursday evenings until
8 p.m., at the Center for Education and Leadership, 514 10th St.
NW across the street from Fords Theatre. Call 800-982-2787 or
visit fordstheatre.org. l

IMAGE COURTESY NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY

PHOTO BY CAROL M. HIGHSMITH - IMAGE COURTESY FORDS THEATRE

John Wilkes Booths Deringer

tech

Happy Anniversary?
As Microsoft looks ahead to
its next forty years, Bill Gates
ponders the companys future
by RHUARIDH MARR

GIL C

ORTY YEARS AGO, TWO MEN HAD AN AMBItious goal. In an era where computers were still
in their infancy and cost prohibitive amounts of
money Bill Gates and Paul Allen set themselves a
simple challenge: a computer on every desk and in every home.
And, in the four decades since, Microsoft has maintained that
global, all-conquering attitude for better or worse.
Indeed, those words of ubiquitous Microsoft products come
from Gates himself, in a letter sent to the Redmond-based tech
giants employees, celebrating the companys fortieth anniversary on April 5th. The worlds richest man for sixteen of his
companys forty years a title he held onto this year, with a net
worth of almost $80 billion has a lot to celebrate. Microsoft is
a household name, not just in America, but on an international
level. His products can be found in schools, hospitals, businesses,
cars, at all levels of the government and, of course, in homes.
Microsofts success enabled Gates to become one of the worlds
most charitable people, too.
Of course, there have been missteps along the way. Windows,
Microsofts cash cow, is by an incredible margin the worlds
most used operating system, but latency, greed, mismanagement
or overly ambitious desires have all played their parts in some of
its most notably awful outings. Not to beat a long-dead horse, but
we all remember Vista, and what about the horrible mess that
was Windows ME? Internet Explorer became the worlds most
popular browser thanks to its bundling with Windows, but it has
since lost ground to Google Chrome and Mozillas Firefox due to
a reputation as being unsafe, slow and an acceptable punchline
for lazy comedians. Of course, Microsoft has since worked hard
to turn it into a surprisingly decent browser, but the damage to

its name has been dealt.

There are other mistakes, too: the $900 million write-down
on Surface inventory because nobody wanted Microsofts tablet,
the truly awful Clippy, the companys too-late attempt to rival
the iPod with Zune, its Kin feature phones... Microsoft isnt
alone in failing as often as it has succeeded but when millions,
if not billions, of people use your products daily, the slightest
mistake is infinitely amplified. It didnt help that the company
gained a reputation as a hulking beast, riddled with bureaucracy
and intense competition between departments, which stifled
growth and creativity. Plus, there are always Microsoft-loathing
journalists waiting to break out their bats and go to town at the
slightest hint of anything less than incredible success (and even
then, theyll still find flaws).
For Bill Gates, though, it doesnt serve to dwell on the lower
points of the last four decades. I am thinking much more about
Microsofts future than its past, he wrote in his letter. I believe
computing will evolve faster in the next 10 years than it ever has
before. We already live in a multi-platform world, and computing
will become even more pervasive. And what of Microsofts role
in that world? Under Satya [Nadella]s leadership, Microsoft is
better positioned than ever to lead these advances.
Its a confident statement, but how does it bear out in the
real world? Gates has determined to take a much more hands-on
approach in a company he gave up the reins to in 2008, but what
can we expect from Microsoft over the next decade?
Windows, of course, will remain one of Microsofts biggest
products. Windows 10 debuts this Fall, bringing a host of much
needed changes. A better user-interface, faster interactions, the
ability to scale from desktops down to smartphones and other
devices its a modern OS for modern devices. Its what Microsoft
needs to clear out any remaining Windows 8 negativity.
However, as Apple beats its chest and proclaims rising sales
of Mac devices, its important to remember just how popular
Windows is. Windows 8 was maligned for its odd, schizophrenic
appearance, which shoehorned a tablet interface into a desktop
operating system and forced users to interact with both, regardless of device. Still, according to NetMarketShare, its latest
update Windows 8.1, which refined its duality and improved
its usability has more users than every version of Apples OS X
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35

combined. Including Windows 7, Vista, and those still clinging to

XP, Microsoft powers nine-in-ten desktops and laptops.
It also dominates enterprise customers, even as Apple pushes
to get businesses to adopt Macs and BlackBerry attempts to save
itself with its enterprise solutions. Microsoft has nothing to
worry about businesses and governments run on Windows.
That isnt going to change any time soon.
Still, Windows does have an image problem. Look around
any university, or Starbucks, or possibly even your office, and
youll likely see an ever-increasing number of MacBooks. In
the Metro Weekly offices, Im the only writer who doesnt use
a Mac I have a Dell all-in-one at my desk and use Microsofts
own Surface Pro 3 everywhere else. Despite Windows ubiquity,
Im considered the odd one out.
Microsoft will continue to mop up low and mid-range
consumers, who want a cheap, reliable laptop or desktop for
a few hundred dollars though Google is aggressively pushing its Chromebooks as viable alternatives. But it will take
time to regain consumer trust at the premium end of the scale,
those who have moved to Apple and see no reason to return.
Microsoft will hope that Windows 10 and a bevy of beautifully
made devices from HP, Dell and others as well as Microsofts
Surface devices will offer a tantalizing reason to come back
into the fold.
In terms of ecosystem, however, Microsoft has something
of a mixed bag on its hands. Unlike Apple, which can offer
computers, smartphones and tablets all running its own software, or Google, which can offer smartphones and tablets (and
Chromebooks, to an extent) as well as desktop software to keep
everything in sync, Microsoft has so far struggled to crack the
market in the same way.
Windows tablets, according to IDC, comprise just five percent of the tablet market. Apple dominates, Googles Android
commands just under one-third. IDC is estimating (perhaps
guessing would be more accurate) that Windows will rise to
fourteen percent by 2019, which is modest, but Microsoft will
have to offer compelling reasons as to why users should ditch
their iPads and Android tablets for Windows devices. Similarly,
and perhaps more crucially, Microsoft currently has nothing to
back up tablet sales on the smartphone side of things.
Windows Phone came too late to save itself. Windows
Mobile wreaked havoc for years, a customizable and powerful
but painfully awkward and hamfisted smartphone operating
system. When Microsoft finally released Windows Phone 7 in
2010, it was incredibly unique and refreshing, but riddled with
flaws that Android and iOS had managed to mostly address
by that point. Windows Phone 8 came two years later, but
still Microsoft had failed to ignite the market. Nokia, which
Microsoft would ultimately buy, was the only manufacturers
making compelling devices, but even then users were faced with
a paucity of apps and a lack of features that they were accustomed to on other smartphones.
Windows Phone 10 is intended to save Microsofts mobile
ship, as apps can be written once and theyll scale between
phones, tablets and PCs. Its a necessary simplicity, because
Windows Phones arent selling in anywhere near enough numbers to justify the expense of building apps in addition to
Android and iOS devices. Last year, IDC estimates that 35
million Windows Phones were sold around the world. Apple?
Almost 200 million devices. Android? Over one billion. Ive
owned two Lumia devices, but even I wouldnt harass a company to develop an app for Microsofts smartphones given how
little they sell.
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Windows 10 for phones launches this fall, but for now the
platform is essentially stagnant. We wont see a headline grabbing flagship from Microsoft until Fall, while companies such as
Samsung and HTC are focused on Android for their profit margins. By the time Windows 10 drops, the damage may already
be fatal.
With regards to the rest of its ecosystem, though, theres still
a lot that Microsoft has to look forward to over the next decade.
Under Satya Nadella, who took over from Steve Ballmer, its
slowly transforming into a mobile-first, cloud-first company.
Office, the venerable productivity suite, finally launched to
great reviews on Android and iOS devices, after years of other
developers releasing functionally similar apps. Office 365 and
Microsofts cloud-based storage solution, OneDrive, work on
every device imaginable, letting you keep work documents and
personal content wherever you go (provided you have an internet connection, naturally). The companys Outlook email app is
considered one of the best available on smartphone heck, I use
it on my iPhone and its better for Gmail than Googles own app.
Cortana, Microsofts voice-activated personal assistant, is
making the jump from Windows Phone to PCs with Windows
10, which will make finding information and keeping track of
daily life much easier. Its personality rivals that of Siri, but with
the functionality of Google Now. Indeed, Cortana is everything
Microsoft should be, something Apple has refined for years
it takes the best parts of its competitors and mixes it into
something better. If Microsoft brings it to iOS and Android, as
some rumors suggest, itll give even more compelling reasons
to embrace the companys products on devices from its competitors. Pulling its core components out of the walled garden
of Windows, getting people invested in and committed to them
whether theyre on a $100 Android phone or a $3,000 Mac, will
be crucial to the Microsoft of the next decade.
Creativity, too, seems to be back. Microsoft Research is dedicated to giving engineers and developers room to test out ideas
and future products. The Surface line proves that Microsoft
can not only listen to criticism, but also craft products which
rival Apples design prowess seriously, pick up a Surface Pro
3 and try not to be impressed with how it feels. Skype, which
was bought by Microsoft a few years ago, is previewing Skype
Translator, which will translate calls in near real-time, including an auto-generated transcript, removing language as a barrier in conversations. HoloLens, debuted at a Windows event in
January, is a headset that mixes holographs and virtual reality
with the real world an implementation which Microsoft views
as useful for both work and leisure. Heck, look at Xbox, and the
incredible things Microsoft has done with Kinect and Xbox Live,
for an example of how the company can flourish when given
room to do so.
We have accomplished a lot together during our first 40
years and empowered countless businesses and people to realize their full potential, Gates wrote. Its true. Microsoft really
did bring computers into the home their tactics may not have
always been sound, their business practices not always honorable (hello, antitrust lawsuits), but Gates and company drove
computers down to a price where owning one became an essential purchase, not an extravagant expenditure. Yes, its easy to
hate on Microsoft, but its undeniable that theyve helped shape
our modern technological world.
What matters most now is what we do next, Gates concluded.
Its true, but if recent efforts are anything to go by, as Windows
becomes more transparent, more accessible, more device agnostic,
we look forward to the next decade and beyond. l

NIGHT

LIFE
LISTINGS
THURS., 04.09.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover
ANNIES/ANNIES
UPSTAIRS
4@4 Happy Hour, 4pm-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $6 Call
Martini, $3 Miller Lite, $4
Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm $3
Rail Drinks, 10pm-midnight,
$5 Red Bull, Gatorade
and Frozen Virgin Drinks
Locker Room Thursday
Nights DJs Sean Morris
and MadScience Ripped
Hot Body Contest at midnight, hosted by Sasha
J. Adams and BaNaka
$200 Cash Prize Doors
open 10pm, 18+ $5 Cover
under 21 and free with
college ID
DC EAGLE
Throwback Thursday Ted
on the Bar, Peter on the
Boot Black Chair Eagle
Hour: Men in any DC Eagle
shirt drink free rail and
domestic, 9-10pm
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm

JR.S
$3 Rail Vodka Highballs, $2
JR.s drafts, 8pm to close
Throwback Thursday featuring rock/pop retro hits

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Shirtless Thursday,
10-11pm Featuring music
by DJs BacK2bACk

METROWEEKLY.COM

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APRIL 9, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

scene
JR.s Easter Bonnet Contest
Sunday, April 5
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY
WARD MORRISON

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

Beat The Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
TOWN PATIO
Open 5pm No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
Tim-e in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+
FRI., 04.10.15

9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
Friday Night Videos with
resident DJ Shea Van Horn
VJ Expanded craft beer
selection No cover

ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis Upstairs open
5-11pm

DC EAGLE
Gear Night Men in
gear get $2 off drinks and
receive a ticket for a raffle
prize with each drink
Eagle Wings Charity Bar
Night Eagle Wings at
Club Bar

COBALT/30 DEGREES
All You Can Drink Happy
Hour $15 Rail &
Domestic, $21 Call &
Imports, 6-9pm Guys
Night Out Free Rail
Vodka, 11pm-Midnight, $6
Belvedere Vodka Drinks
all night Watch your
favorite music videos with
DJ MadScience in the
lounge DJ Keenan Orr
on the dancefloor $10
cover 10pm-1am, $5 after
1am 21+

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm

DC BEAR CRUE
@Town Bear Happy
Hour, 6-11pm $3 Rail,
$3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles
Free Pizza, 7pm Hosted
by Charger Stone No
cover before 9:30pm 21+

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm The
Boys of HUMP, 9pm-2am
$5 Cover upstairs 1
Free Rail/Domestic drink,
9-10pm $5 Smirnoff, all
flavors, all night long
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1, 11pm-midnight Happy Hour: 2-for1, 4-9pm $5 Coronas, $8
Vodka Red Bulls, 9pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat The Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Washington Prodigy
Womens Tackle Football
Season Kickoff Party,
8-10pm

NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour: 2
for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
TOWN
Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by Lena
Lett and featuring Miss
Tatianna, Shi-QueetaLee, Epiphany B. Lee
and BaNaka DJ Wess
upstairs, BacK2bACk
downstairs Doors open
at 10pm For those 21 and
over, $5 from 10-11pm and
$10 after 11pm For those
18-20, $12 all night 18+
TOWN PATIO
Open 5pm No Cover,
5-10pm, $5 from 10-11pm
and $10 after 11pm (enter
through Town)
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers,
hosted by LaTroya Nicole
Ladies of Illusion with host
Kristina Kelly, 9pm DJ
Steve Henderson in Secrets
VJ Tre in Ziegfelds
Cover 21+

SAT., 04.11.15

9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
$5 Absolut & Titos, $3
Miller Lite after 9pm
Expanded craft beer selection No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Drag Yourself to Brunch at
Level One, 11am-2pm and
2-4pm Featuring Kristina
Kelly and the Ladies of
Illusion Bottomless
Mimosas and Bloody
Marys Happy Hour: $3
Miller Lite, $4 Rail, $5 Call,
4-9pm BearZerk with
DJs Tommy Cornelis and
Dean Douglas Sullivan,
10pm-3am Featuring
Butch Queen DC downstairs
21+
DC EAGLE
Half Price for Jose Cuervo
Drinks SigMa on Club Bar

METROWEEKLY.COM

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Diner-style Breakfast
Buffet, 10am-3pm Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Freddies
Follies Drag Show, hosted
by Ms. Destiny B. Childs,
8-10pm Karaoke, 10pmclose
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm JOX:
The GL Underwear Party
Featuring DJ David Merrill
Doors open, 9pm $5
Cover after 10pm, including
clothes check $3 Bud
Light, $4 Fireball Shots
$5 Bacardi, all flavors, all
night long
JR.S
$4 Coors, $5 Vodka highballs, $7 Vodka Red Bulls
NELLIES
Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15

APRIL 9, 2015

39

NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
any drink, 5-9pm No
Cover DILF Daddy Party,
9:30pm-close Featuring
DJ Douglas Sullivan $3
Miller Lite, $5 Titos and
Bulleit bourbon, 9pm-close
TOWN
Madonnarama Rebel
Heart Release Party,
10pm-close Music and
videos downstairs with DJ
Wess Drag Show starts
at 10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring
Miss Tatianna, Shi-QueetaLee, Epiphany B. Lee and
BaNaka Doors open
10pm Cover $10 from
10-11pm, $12 after 11pm
21+
TOWN PATIO
Open 2pm No Cover,
2-10pm, Cover $10 from
10-11pm, $12 after 11pm
(enter through Town)

40

APRIL 9, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion with host Ella
Fitzgerald, 9pm DJ Steve
Henderson in Secrets
DJ Don T. in Ziegfelds
Doors 8pm Cover 21+

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Champagne Brunch Buffet,
10am-3pm Crazy Hour,
4-7pm DC Gurly Show
presents Cherry Bomb:
Women that Rock, 9pm
No Cover Food specials,
8-10pm Karaoke, 11pm1am

SUN., 04.12.15

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $3
Smirnoff, all flavors, all
night #SundayFunday
upstairs Wear your favorite sports jersey upstairs
and get free Smirnoff,
6-7pm Mamas Trailer
Park Karaoke, 9:30pm-close

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
$4 Stoli, Stoli flavors
and Miller Lite all day
Homowood Karaoke, 10pmclose No Cover, 21+
DC EAGLE
Barbecue and Beer Blast
$2 off pitchers of beer
all day, including Shock
Top, Devils Backbone and
Goose Island IPA

JR.S
Sunday Funday Liquid
Brunch Doors open at
1pm $2 Coors Lights &
$3 Skyy (all flavors), all day
and night
NELLIES
Drag Brunch, hosted by
Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm
$20 Brunch Buffet
House Rail Drinks, Zing
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
11am-close Buckets of
Beer, $15

NUMBER NINE
Pop Goes the World with
Wes Della Volla at 9:30
pm Happy Hour: 2 for
1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
TOWN PATIO
Open 2pm No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
8pm Cover 21+
MON., 04.13.15

9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
Multiple TVs showing
movies, shows, sports
Expanded craft beer selection No Cover
ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis

COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
RuPauls Drag Race
Viewing and Drag Show
hosted by Kristina Kelly
Doors open at 10pm, show
starts at 11pm $3 Skyy
Cocktails, $8 Skyy and Red
Bull No Cover, 18+

NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour: 2
for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover

FREDDIES
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm

9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
Multiple TVs showing
movies, shows, sports
Expanded craft beer selection No Cover

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour All Night Long,
4pm-close Michaels
Open Mic Night Karaoke,
9:30pm-close
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm
Showtunes Songs &
Singalongs, 9pm-close
DJ Jamez $3 Drafts
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat The Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Poker Texas
Holdem, 8pm Dart
Boards

TOWN PATIO
Open 5pm No Cover
TUES., 04.14.15

ANNIES
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $4
Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
SIN Industry Night
Half-price Cocktails, 10pmclose

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour All Night Long,
4pm-close
JR.S
Underground (Indie Pop/Alt/
Brit Rock), 9pm-close DJ
Wes Della Volla 2-for-1,
all day and night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat The Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Karaoke and
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour: 2
for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover Safe Word: A
Gay Spelling Bee, 8-11pm
Prizes to top three
spellers After 9pm, $3
Absolut, Bulleit & Stella
TOWN PATIO
Open 5pm No Cover

WED., 04.15.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover
ANNIES
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $4
Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
Wednesday Night
Karaoke downstairs, 10pm
Hosted by Miss Sasha
Adams $4 Stoli and Stoli
Flavors and Miller Lite
No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm $6
Burgers Drag Bingo
Night, hosted by Ms.
Regina Jozet Adams
Bingo prizes Karaoke,
10pm-1am

METROWEEKLY.COM

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $4
Drafts all night long Boys
of HUMP upstairs, 9pm
JR.S
Trivia with MC Jay Ray,
8pm The Queen, 10-11pm
$2 JRs Drafts & $4
Vodka ($2 with College I.D./
JRs Team Shirt)
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night, 8pm
and 9pm Prizes include
bar tabs and tickets to
shows at the 9:30 Club
$15 Buckets of Beer for
SmartAss Teams only
Bring a new team member
and each get a free $10
Dinner
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
TOWN PATIO
Open 5pm No Cover

APRIL 9, 2015

41

42

SEE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Night, 10-11pm,
12-12:30am Military
Night, no cover with
military ID DJ Don T. in
Secrets 9pm Cover 21+
THURS., 04.16.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover
ANNIES/ANNIES
UPSTAIRS
4@4 Happy Hour, 4pm-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $6 Call
Martini, $3 Miller Lite, $4
Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm $3
Rail Drinks, 10pm-midnight,
$5 Red Bull, Gatorade
and Frozen Virgin Drinks

Locker Room Thursday

Nights DJs Sean Morris
and MadScience Ripped
Hot Body Contest at midnight, hosted by Sasha
J. Adams and BaNaka
$200 Cash Prize Doors
open 10pm, 18+ $5 Cover
under 21 and free with
college ID
DC EAGLE
Throwback Thursday Ted
on the Bar, Peter on the
Boot Black Chair Eagle
Hour: Men in any DC Eagle
shirt drink free rail and
domestic, 9-10pm
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Shirtless Thursday,
10-11pm DJs BacK2bACk
JR.S
$3 Rail Vodka Highballs, $2
JR.s drafts, 8pm to close
Throwback Thursday featuring rock/pop retro hits

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

Beat The Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
TOWN PATIO
Open 5pm No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
Tim-e in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+
FRI., 04.17.15

9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
Friday Night Videos with
resident DJ Shea Van Horn
VJ Expanded craft beer
selection No cover

ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis Upstairs open
5-11pm
COBALT/30 DEGREES
All You Can Drink Happy
Hour $15 Rail &
Domestic, $21 Call &
Imports, 6-9pm Guys
Night Out Free Rail
Vodka, 11pm-Midnight, $6
Belvedere Vodka Drinks
all night Watch your
favorite music videos with
DJ MadScience in the
lounge DJ Keenan Orr
on the dancefloor $10
cover 10pm-1am, $5 after
1am 21+
DC BEAR CRUE
@Town Bear Happy
Hour, 6-11pm $3 Rail,
$3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles
Free Pizza, 7pm Hosted
by Charger Stone No
cover before 9:30pm 21+

DC EAGLE
Bear Happy Hour, 6-10pm
Extended Happy Hour
prices until 10pm Coat
check open Mr. DC Eagle
2015 on Club Bar
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm DJ
MAJR presents SIREN:
The 5th Annual Robyn Riot
$5 Cover after 10pm
$5 Stoli, $4 Fireball shots,
$3 Bud $5 Smirnoff, all
flavors, all night long
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1, 11pm-midnight Happy Hour: 2-for1, 4-9pm $5 Coronas, $8
Vodka Red Bulls, 9pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat The Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15

METROWEEKLY.COM

NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour: 2
for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
TOWN
Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by Lena
Lett and featuring Miss
Tatianna, Shi-QueetaLee, Epiphany B. Lee
and BaNaka DJ Wess
upstairs, BacK2bACk
downstairs Doors open
at 10pm For those 21 and
over, $5 from 10-11pm and
$10 after 11pm For those
18-20, $12 all night 18+
TOWN PATIO
Open 5pm No Cover,
5-10pm, $5 from 10-11pm
and $10 after 11pm (enter
through Town)
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers,
hosted by LaTroya Nicole
Ladies of Illusion with host
Kristina Kelly, 9pm DJ
Steve Henderson in Secrets
VJ Tre in Ziegfelds
Cover 21+ l

APRIL 9, 2015

43

scene
Freddies Easter
Bonnet Brunch
Sunday, April 5
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY
WARD MORRISON

44

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

METROWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 9, 2015

45

We want our voice to be heard against all of

the counterfeit and alternative lifestyles that try
to replace the family
organization that God Himself established.

Apostle L TOM PERRY, speaking at the 185th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,
The Guardian reports. The Mormon religion has long opposed homosexuality and Perrys comments echoed
those of many during the biannual conference.

Schools should be places that

allow students and staff to be free from homophobia,
biphobia and transphobia,
to enjoy a positive educational experience.

The United Kingdoms NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS, in a resolution that will demand the countrys government implement
plans to better educate students about LGBT issues. A future government must tackle the embedded homophobia, biphobia and
transphobia that exists in schools and create a positive climate of understanding about sexuality and gender fit for
the twenty first century, the resolution continues.

If you are a print shop and you are a gay man,

should you be forced to print God Hates Fags for the
Westboro Baptist Church
because they hold those signs up?

RICK SANTORUM, former senator and Republican presidential candidate, speaking on CBS Meet the Nation. Santorum compared gay people being forced to craft homophobic signs with asking Christian bakers to make cakes for same-sex weddings.

I thought for sure when one of us came out

other people in our sports would come out too.
Out soccer star ROBBIE ROGERS, who plays for LA Galaxy, speaking with GQ. Rogers expressed his disappointment with fellow
sports stars whove refrained from coming out after he, Jason Collins (NBA) and Michael Sam (NFL) did so,
believing they had helped open the door for widespread acceptance.

If you really and truly want pizza for your gay wedding in Indiana...
We will make it for you.
Actor ZACH BRAFF, tweeting in response to Memories Pizza, an Indiana pizzeria whose owners refused to cater same-sex
weddings as a result of the states Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Braffs former Scrubs co-star,
Donald Faison, was also included on the Tweet.
46

APRIL 9, 2015

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METROWEEKLY.COM

APRIL 9, 2015

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