Metro Weekly - 12-15-16 - Kinsey Sicks

DECEMBER 15, 2016
23
CONTENTS
VICTORY IN RESISTANCE
At last weekends Victory Institute conference, the talk was

all about how to prevent LGBT rights from backsliding in a
potentially hostile Trump administration
By John Riley
THE KINSEY WAY
The election of Donald Trump has made the

dragapella group The Kinsey Sicks more
relevant and necessary than ever
34
Volume 23 Issue 31
By Randy Shulman
26
MAGICAL MOBY
Visually and aurally enchanting, this is storytelling as

magical dream. Youve never seen Melville quite like this.
By Kate Wingfield
SPOTLIGHT: DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY MARKET p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.11

COMPASSION PLAY: CRAIG WALLACE p.12 SONG AND DANCE: GMCW p.14
SOUTH ASIAN SOCIALS p.17 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.17
2016 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE p.20 THE FEED: VICTORY IN RESISTANCE p.23
COVER STORY: THE KINSEY WAY p.26 GALLERY: MICHAEL CROSSETT p.31
FILM: ROGUE ONE p.32 STAGE: MOBY DICK p.34 STAGE: INTO THE WOODS p.36
NIGHTLIFE p.39 SCENE: TRADE p.39 LISTINGS p.41 LAST WORD p.46
Real LGBT News and Entertainment since 1994
Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Managing Editor Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editor Doug Rule
Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Gordon Ashenhurst,
Sean Bugg, Frank Carber, Fallon Forbush, Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint Vaselina (Jerry Friedman) Cover Photography Paco Ojeda
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DECEMBER 15, 2016 METROWEEKLY
Holiday Gift Guide
Visit the Holiday Gift Guide Online at metroweekly.com/giftguide
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOWNTOWN DC BID
Spotlight
Downtown Holiday Market

S
MALL BUSINESSES AND ARTISTS AND
craftSpeople really need a venue to be able to show
and sell their work, says Michael Berman, who,
for a dozen years, has offered such a venue on a seasonal
basis. The Downtown Holiday Market, operated by Run
by Bermans Diverse Markets Management in partnership with the DowntownDC Business Improvement
District, presents over 150 artisans tented over two city
blocks in front of the National Portrait Gallery.
The market offers a vast, eclectic and international
assortment of gifts and souvenirs, collectibles and wearables from prints and photographs, to pottery and
glassware, to custom jewelry and accessories. There
are things that are unique to find here youll never see
them in any other location, says Berman. Some of these
vendors only show up for this event. Several merchants

participate for a limited time on a rotating schedule
posted online. Its devised to maximize the small allotted
street space.
If you see [something you like], youll want to get
it because they might not be back, says Berman. On
the other hand, every time you come theres something
fresh and new to see and shop for. So it begs for repeat
attendance.
Each day also brings free staged concerts by local
musicians, and there are a few options for food and drink
although here even the German-style mulled wine
known as gluhwein is non-alcoholic. Laughs Berman,
No ones going to get sauced on gluhwein and stumble
into the street. Doug Rule
The Downtown Holiday Market, on F Street between 7th and 9th Streets NW, continues daily to Dec. 23.
Its open from noon to 8 p.m. Visit downtownholidaymarket.com.
Spotlight
BLOOD ON THE MOUNTAIN
A searing investigation into industrial control of

resources in West Virginia, Mari-Lynn C. Evans and
Jordan Freemans documentary details the struggles
of hard-working, misunderstood people who have
never benefited fairly from the rich, natural resources
of their land. The movie delivers a striking portrait of
a people exploited by corporate interests and abandoned by politicians sadly as relevant now as ever,
given the incoming presidents stated intentions of
reviving and reducing regulations over coal mining
and related industrial practices. Opens Friday, Dec. 16.
Landmarks West End Cinema, 2301 M St. NW. Call
202-534-1907 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
LIONEL RICHIE
The 80s hitmaker returns to the area two years after a joint
concert at Wolf Trap with Bruno Mars, this time to be one
of the first artists to christen the new 3,000-seat theater at
the MGM National Harbor. Interestingly, his retrospective
concert takes place just a few days before Mars hits MGM
for a sold-out solo show. Thursday, Dec. 22, at 9 p.m. Theater
at MGM National Harbor, 7100 Harborview Ave., Oxon Hill,
Md. Tickets are $181 to $1,086. Call 800-745-3000 or visit
mgmnationalharbor.com.
AN IRISH CAROL
For the fifth year in a row, Keegan Theatre offers company member Matthew Keenans homage to Dickens, albeit with typical,
Irish biting humor and incisive candor. Mark A. Rhea directs a
cast featuring himself plus Kevin Adams, Josh Adams, Timothy
Lynch, Mike Kozemchak, Matt Hirsh, Caroline Dubberly and
Mick Tinder. Opens Friday, Dec. 16, at 8 p.m., with an after-show
concert by Joshua Seymour. Runs to Dec. 31. Keegan Theatre,
1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 202-265-3768
or visitkeegantheatre.com.
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Spotlight
CRASH BOOM BANG
THE CHORAL ARTS

SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
A pop band representing diverse, modern-day Northern Virginia,

Crash Boom Bang was started a decade ago by the Rivero brothers, bass guitarist Raul and drummer Mauricio, and also features
guitarist Chaucer Hwang and lead vocalist Omar Ruiz. If Bruno
Mars fronted Cobra Starship, is how the band has described
its sound. Crash Boom Bang performs at the 9:30 Club with
Chicagos TLB, aka That Lying Bitch, a four-piece band including the lead singer (Tom Higgenson) and guitarist of Plain White
Ts, as well as the five-piece group His Dream of Lions. Proceeds
from the evening benefit Hope for Henry, which offers gifts of
consumer electronics to area children suffering from life-threatening diseases. Thursday, Dec. 22. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815
V St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.
Scott Tucker leads the local vocal ensemble in its annual run of holiday shows at
the Kennedy Center, starting Saturday,
Dec. 17, at 1 p.m., with A Family Christmas,
a one-hour concert intended for the young
featuring songs of classic Christmas characters, from Santa to Frosty to Rudolph.
Its followed by three A Choral Arts
Christmas concerts, including a Gala on
Monday night. William Neil accompanies
the chorus for selections on the Rubenstein
Family Organ, and guest artist Ralph Alan
Herndon joins for gospel arrangements
of hymns including Go Tell It On The
Mountain. Sunday, Dec. 18, and Monday,
Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 24,
at 1 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Tickets are $15 to $69. Call 202-467-4600
or visit kennedy-center.org.
THE WASHINGTON
BALLET: THE
NUTCRACKER
Every year for the past 12 years,

Washington Ballets artistic director
Septime Webre has offered his own
twist on the family favorite, setting it
in D.C.s historic Georgetown neighborhood with George Washington as
the titular figure and King George III
as the Rat King. After two weekends
in the intimate THEARC space in
Southeast D.C. as part of the companys efforts to spread and diversify its
audience, the production sets up shop
for nearly all of December at downtowns Warner Theatre. Runs to Dec.
24. Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW.
Tickets are $30 to $164. Call 202-8895901 or visit washingtonballet.org.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WASHINGTON CHORUS
Out On The Town
THE WASHINGTON CHORUS
Julian Wachner directs the annual A Candlelight Christmas, featuring the 200-voice chorus singing familiar carols and
holiday songs, plus audience sing-alongs and a candlelight processional. The Northwest High School Chamber Singers of
Germantown and the H-B Woodlawn Chamber Singers of Arlington will join the chorus. Saturday, Dec. 17, at 4 p.m., Monday,
Dec. 21, at 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Dec. 20, through Thursday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Also Monday, Dec.
19, at 7:30 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $18 to $72. Call 202-342-6221
or visit thewashingtonchorus.org.
Compiled by Doug Rule
FILM
ASSASSINS CREED
Films based on established video

game franchises are never awful.
Well, except for Lara Croft, Mortal
Kombat, Final Fantasy, Resident
Evil, Silent Hill, Hitman, Prince of
Persia, Need for Speed, Ratchet &
Clank, Angry Birds, Warcraft and
pretty much every game-based film
ever. It doesnt help that Justin
Kurzels action/adventure, about
a man reliving his ancestors past
as a member of an ancient order
of assassins and starring Michael
Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and
Jeremy Irons, looks dreadful. Opens
Wednesday, Dec. 21. Area theaters.
Visit fandango.com. (Rhuaridh
Marr)
COLLATERAL BEAUTY
Will Smith loses a child and, struggling in the aftermath, pens letters
to the concepts of Death, Love and
Time. Suprise! Three people, claiming to be Death (Helen Mirren),
Love (Keira Knightley) and Time
(Jacob Latimore), show up and
try to convince him to move on.

Are they real? Were they hired
by his friends? We have no idea,
but Kate Winslet, Edward Norton
and Michael Pea are also here for
this confusing drama from David
Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada).
Opens Friday, Dec. 16. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)
LA LA LAND
Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) writes

and directs a romantic musical
dramedy starring Emma Stone and
Ryan Gosling. Mia (Stone) is an
aspiring actress, Sebastian (Gosling)
a jazz musician. They meet and fall
in love, but their separate dreams
threaten to pull them apart.
Critically acclaimed, The Guardian
called it a sun-drenched musical
masterpiece. Opens Friday, Dec.
16. Area theaters. Visit fandango.
com. (RM)
PASSENGERS
Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence

wake up early from hibernation
pods on a transport spaceship. The
only problem? The other 5,000 people are all still asleep, and theyre 90
years from their destination. What
are two beautiful people to do? (We
can guess the answer, and were

already booking our tickets.) Opens
Wednesday, Dec. 21. Area theaters.
Visit fandango.com. (RM)
STAGE
BROADWAY BOUND
A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

in 1987 that Time also called the
best play of the decade, Broadway
Bound, the third play in Neil
Simons Eugene Trilogy, focuses on two brothers who mine
their familys travails for laughs
and hopes of Broadway success.
The cast features Scott Ward
Abernethy, Kathleen Akerley, Andy
Brownstein, Teresa Castracane,
Noah Schaefer and Stan Shulman,
Closes Sunday, Dec. 18. 1st Stage,
1524 Spring Hill Rd. Tysons, Va.
Tickets are $30. Call 703-854-1856
or visit 1ststagetysons.org.
FULLY COMMITTED
Last summer on Broadway, Jesse

Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
took on multiple characters in
Becky Modes one-man tourde-force, fictitiously set in one
of Manhattans most in-demand

restaurants. Virginias MetroStage
now presents the comedy starring
indomitable local actor Tom Story,
fresh from playing Prior Walter
in Angels in America. Alan Paul
directs. To Jan. 8. MetroStage, 1201
North Royal St., Alexandria. Tickets
are $55 to $60. Call 800-494-8497
or visit metrostage.org.
HOW THE GRINCH

STOLE CHRISTMAS
A decade after its Broadway debut,

Timothy Masons musical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss holiday
classic makes its D.C. debut. With
original music by Mel Marvin,
including the hit Youre A Mean
One, Mr. Grinch, How the Grinch
Stole Christmas is the heartwarming tale of the endlessly cheerful
Whos from Whoville, who foil
even the Mean One in his efforts
to dim their spirits. Philip Bryan
is the Grinch while Bob Lauder
and Andreas Wyder play the Old
and Young versions, respectively, of narrator Max the Dog. Now
to Dec. 31. National Theatre, 1321
Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are
$48 to $108. Call 202-628-6161 or
visit thenationaldc.org.
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ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE:

A LIVE RADIO PLAY
The Washington Stage Guild

revives Joe Landrys adaptation
of the classic film tale as a radio
play after a successful run last year.
Joe Brack portrays the lead character, here named Jake Laurents, in
this production directed by Laura
Giannarelli also featuring Vincent
Clark, Jennifer Donovan, Julie-Ann
Elliott and Nick Depinto. Steven
Carpenter returns as the shows
Helen Hayes-nominated sound
engineer, operating in full view of
the audience. Closes Sunday, Dec.
18. Undercroft Theatre of Mount
Vernon United Methodist Church,
900 Massachusetts Ave. NW.
Tickets are $40 to $50. Call 240582-0050 or visit stageguild.org.
SCOTT SUCHMAN
MISS BENNET:
CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY
COMPASSION PLAY
Compassion is needed now more than ever, says

the newest Scrooge in town
F ONLY DONALD TRUMP AND HIS MINIONS WERE

to see A Christmas Carol, it might do a world of good.
The thing that I think about every time I hit the stage
is compassion and charity, caring for each other, says Craig
Wallace, who took over the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge
in Ford Theatres iconic annual production. Thats the only
way were going to make it. And you know, were moving
toward a time when thats not prevalent. This play reminds
us of that.
Wallace believes the Dickens classic endures as popular-to-the-point-of-ubiquitous holiday theater fare in part
because of that message. Im still understanding things in
the play, discovering things in the play, because Im starting
to make it my own, he says.
A native of Rochester, New York, Wallace first came to
D.C. four decades ago to study theater at Howard University.
With his assured stage presence and booming baritone, hes
been a leading force in shows at Fords for years now, with
parts including Frederick Douglass in Necessary Sacrifices
and Hoke Colburn in Driving Miss Daisy. Scrooge, however,
is Wallaces first leading role at the historic venue.
Scrooge is very cold, and he is not compassionate,
Wallace says. We all know people like that. We all know
people who choose not to feel. A troubled, embittered past
can have that effect on a person, and on a persons future
unless theyre inspired to change. The great thing about
the play is that [it suggests] theres always an opportunity,
theres always a chance to open up instead of to close off.

Doug Rule
A Christmas Carol runs to Dec. 31 at Fords Theatre,
511 10th St. NW. Call 800-982-2787 or visit fordstheatre.org.
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Lauren Gunderson and Margot

Melcons holiday play is set two
years after Pride and Prejudice, with
the focus (unsurprisingly) on Mary
Bennet. Eleanor Holdridge directs
favorite characters as they gather at Pemberley, the home of Mr.
and Mrs. Darcy, played by Danny
Gavigan and Erin Weaver. Katie
Kleiger is Miss Bennet. Now in previews. Extended to Dec. 23. Round
House Theatre, 4545 East-West
Highway, Bethesda. Tickets are $55
to $70. Call 240-644-1100 or visit
roundhousetheatre.org.
SLEEPING BEAUTY
Closer to Brothers Grimm than

Disney, Synetic Theater presents a
darkly elegant and, as you would
expect from Synetic, wordless
adaptation of the classic tale. To
Jan. 8. Theater at Crystal City, 1800
South Bell St., Arlington. Tickets
are $45 to $55. Call 800-494-8497
or visit synetictheater.org.
THE SECOND CITYS BLACK SIDE

OF THE MOON
An all-African American troupe

of sketch and stand-up artists
satirize what it means to be
black in our soon-to-be postObama era. The shows Second
City ensemble consists of Angela
Alise, Sonia Denis, Dave Helem,
Torian Miller, Felonious Munk
and Dewayne Perkins. To Jan. 1.
At Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St.
NW. Tickets range from $20 to
$59. Call 202-393-3939 or visit
woollymammoth.net.
THE SECOND SHEPHERDS PLAY
Mary Hall Surface directs a magical retelling of the Nativity story

combining the moving tale with
beautiful music festive medieval English tunes performed by
early music ensemble the Folger
Consort. The cast features Tonya
Beckman, Louis E. Davis, Megan
Graves, Emily Noel, Lilian Oben,
Malinda Kathleen Reese, Ryan
Sellers and Matthew R. Wilson.
Closes Wednesday, Dec. 21. Folger

Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE.
Tickets are $25 to $60. Call 202544-7077 or visit folger.edu.
TITANIC: THE MUSICAL
Eric Schaeffer has opted to make

Peter Stone and Maury Yestons
Tony-winning musical from two
decades ago the latest epic classic
to get Signatures signature intimate
spin. The result is a 360-degree,
three-story staging intended to
make the audience feel as if they
are aboard the ship of dreams on
its fateful maiden voyage. Schaeffer
leads a cast, crew and orchestra
of more than 50 artists. Now in
previews. Opens Tuesday, Dec. 20,
at 7:30 p.m. Runs to Jan. 29. The
Max Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave.,
Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit
signature-theatre.org.
MUSIC
ALLTHEBESTKIDS, FOSTER
CARROTS, DJ TEZRAH
Several local music acts come

together for what is called allthebestQREW:
A
Holiday
Collaboration. Hip-hop/pop bands
allthebestkids and Foster Carrots
will perform at a benefit concert
also featuring an acoustic performance by Selena Benally of the band
More AM Than FM and ending in a
dance party with DJ Tezrah. Friday,
Dec. 16, at 8 p.m. 3514 12th St. NE.
Cover is $10, with all proceeds
going to SMYAL. Call 202-733-5834
or visit facebook.com/qrewdc/.
HANDELS MESSIAH
Two of the areas great orchestras take on Handels monumental Messiah the weekend before
Christmas. Laurence Cummings
conducts the National Symphony
Orchestra version featuring the
University of Maryland Concert
Choir and four soloists. Thursday,
Dec. 15, at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 16,
and Saturday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m., and
Sunday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m. Kennedy
Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $15
to $89. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org. Meanwhile,
Stan Engebretson conducts the
National Philharmonic and its
Chorale plus soloists soprano
Danielle Talamantes, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wor, tenor Matthew
Smith and baritone Christopheren
Nomura. Saturday, Dec. 17, at 8
p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 3 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Tickets are $28 to $94. Call 301-5815100 or visit strathmore.org.
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, as the All Music Guide
has put it. After a spring run of
presented by Listen Local First D.C.

and featuring traditional and seasonal songs. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at
6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium
Stage. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.
THE INSERIES: GOYESCA
ANDREW POWALENY
Inspired by Francisco de Goyas

paintings, composer Enrique
Granadoss opera/ballet, rarely
seen in the U.S., is a cloak-anddagger story of mistaken betrayals
spun with the passion of Spanish
dance. Jaime Coronado directs and
choreographs an InSeries production honoring the centennial of the
premiere of Goyesca, adapted by
Elizabeth Pringle, coupled with
Manuel de Fallas Seven Spanish
Popular Songs. Remaining performances are Saturday, Dec. 17, at 8
p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m.
GALA Theatre at Tivoli Square,
3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $23
to $46. Call 202-234-7174 or visit
inseries.org.
SONG AND DANCE
The Gay Mens Chorus debuts its new dance troupe at this years holiday show
HEN YOU GO TO A ROCKETTES CHRISTMAS SHOW AT ROCKEFELLER

Center in New York, you know that the Rockettes are eventually going to kick. But
you dont know what theyre going to wear, you dont know what the song is going
to be, you dont know how its going to work out. John Moran thinks people should view the
annual holiday show presented by the Gay Mens Chorus in a similar manner.
Were developing a tune that weve done many times in the past called Our Favorite One
and we introduce Santa Claus into it, says Moran, the shows director. You know were going
to do that song, but you dont know what were going to wear, and you dont know how were
going to do it.
The choruss holiday show, blending the sexy and playful with the sweet and sentimental, is
one of its most popular. In addition to the standard seasonal and sensational offerings, including
performances by ensembles Potomac Fever and Rock Creek Singers and the LGBT youth choir
GenOUT, this years run of concerts introduces a new dance troupe, 17th Street Dance, lead by
the GMCWs director of marketing, Craig Cipollini.
Moran sees the creation of the dance ensemble as an expansion in line with the intentions of
the choruss founders more than three decades ago. The ideas that were talked about then were
opportunities for gay men to participate in many different areas of performing arts, he says.
Therefore, he argues, its time for them to dance a bit. Maybe even do a kick line. Doug Rule
The Gay Mens Chorus performs its holiday concert Naughty and Nice on Saturday, Dec. 17, at
3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 3 p.m., at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are
$25 to $65. Call 202-328-6000 or visit gmcw.org.
shows celebrating The Songbook

Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald, the first
release on her label Emerald City
Records, Monheit returns to Blues
Alley for a special Christmas show.
Thursday, Dec. 22, and Friday, Dec.
23, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley,
1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets
are $40 to $45, plus $12 minimum
purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit
bluesalley.com.
14
LORRIE MORGAN
Born into the Nashville country

music scene as daughter of George
Morgan, Loretta Lynn Lorrie
Morgan has been a country hitmaker
of her own the past couple decades.
She drops by the Birchmere to perform Lorrie Morgans Enchanted
Christmas. Sunday, Dec. 18, at 7:30
p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount
Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets
are $45. Call 703-549-7500 or visit
birchmere.com.
THE 9 SONGWRITER SERIES
Folk-rock
musician
Justin
Trawick formed the collaborative
9 Songwriter Series in 2008 as a
means to book larger venues for
shows featuring Trawick and fellow local musicians, giving them
a bigger audience and opportunities to improvise and collaborate,
and giving audiences an easier way
to discover a songwriter or band
to love. Next week performers in
the series offer its 5th annual family-friendly holiday extravaganza
THE WORLD CHILDRENS CHOIR
Open to children from throughout the D.C. area, the Worlds

Childrens Choir works to promote
cultural diversity through music,
positive international relations and
other efforts to create a peaceful,
healthy world for all children.
Sondra Harnes conducts the choir
in its 27th Annual Holiday Concert,
Let Us Be United, also featuring
pianist James Selway and audience
sing-alongs. Saturday, Dec. 17, at 6
p.m. St. Peters Episcopal Church,
4250 N. Glebe Dr., Arlington.
Tickets are $10 to $30. Call 703883-0920 or visit worldchildrenschoir.org.
DANCE
COYABA DANCE THEATER:
KWANZAA CELEBRATION
Sylvia Soumah directs the annual Kwanzaa Celebration at

Dance Place featuring the Coyaba
Academy, Coyaba Dance Theater
and special guests. The focus is on
the seven principles of the African
American holiday. Saturday, Dec.
17, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 18, at
4 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE.
Tickets are $25 in advance, or $30 at
the door. Call 202-269-1600 or visit
danceplace.org.
THE MOSCOW BALLET: GREAT

RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER
Dubbed the Great Russian

Nutcracker, this version of the holiday ballet staple pays tribute to
Marius Petipa, who developed the
Nutcracker choreography and, for
good measure, that of Swan Lake
and is credited as The Father of
Russian Ballet. The Moscow Ballet
has been touring its Nutcracker in
the United States for more than 20
years and returns for another annual run at Strathmore. Wednesday,
Dec. 21, and Thursday, Dec. 22,
gallery. Also available at the market

will be 2017 wall calendars, upcycled
tote bags and handmade ornaments.
Closes Sunday, Dec. 18. Del Ray
Artisans in the Nicholas A. Colasanto
Center, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria. Call 703-731-8802 or
visit thedelrayartisans.org.
GARDEN DISTRICTS
HOLIDAY MARKET
ERIN SUTHERLAND
The popular 14th Street beer garden closes its season with a bang
of tinsel and lights 10,000 of
them, twinkling and beckoning you
to check out the wares from local
craftspeople and merchants set up
in a special Holiday Market Tent. A
mix of art, candles, candies, clothing, jewelry and cards as well as live
Christmas trees are for sale, as are
special menu of boozy holiday beverages in addition to its usual lineup
of German beers. Closes Sunday,
Dec. 18. Garden District, 1801 14th
St. NW. Visit gardendistrictdc.com.
ABOVE & BEYOND
THE WASHINGTON REVELS
Featuring a cast of over 100, the Revels perform the annual Christmas Revels, this year
A Nordic Celebration of the Winter Solstice in Music, Dance & Drama, everything from
Finlands epic drama Kalevala to Icelands Vivivaki to Swedens Sankta Lucia to Norways
Halling dance. Remaining performances are Friday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17,
at 2 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m. GW Lisner, The George Washington University, 730
21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 to $60. Call 202-994-6851 or visit lisner.org.
and Friday, Dec. 23, at 8 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Tickets are $48 to $88. Call 301-5815100 or visit strathmore.org.
COMEDY
A JOHN WATERS CHRISTMAS
The Baltimore filmmaker known

as the Pope of Trash returns to
the Birchmere for his 12th annual
exploration of the gay and sexual
possibilities of the holiday. Waters
poses questions youve probably
never pondered before, such as
whether there is such a thing as
a Santa hag or a flue queen.
Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m., at
the Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon
Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are
$49.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit
birchmere.com.
THE SECOND CITYS TWIST

YOUR DICKENS
The Kennedy Center offers the D.C.

premiere of the comedy troupes
twist on A Christmas Carol, an
irreverent and interactive parody
featuring a Second City cast including Frank Caeti, Jamie Moyer,
Aaron Bliden, Anne Bowles, John
Lescault, Tia Shearer and Jamie
Smithson. Marc Warzecha directs
a largely improvised tale with a
script based on Dickens but adapt-
16
ed by former The Colbert Report

writers Peter Gwinn and Bobby
Mort. To Dec. 31. Kennedy Center
Theater Lab. Tickets are $49 to
$79. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org.
EXHIBITS
CERAMIC GUILDS
LET THERE BE LIGHT
Alexandrias Torpedo Factory Art

Center presents its annual show featuring holiday-themed handmade
gifts and keepsakes from local clay
artists. Think candleholders, lamps,
ornaments, dishware, sculpture and
more. To Dec. 31. Scope Gallery in
Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105
North Union St. Alexandria. Free.
Call 703-548-6288 or visit scopegallery.org.
ELAINE FLORIMONTE:
ACCUMULATION
Using paint and canvas, Elaine

Florimonte tackles the notion that
the depth of our shared human
experience is created by a layering
of interaction with each other and
our world a metaphor for the
accumulation of human interaction
and the depth of identity. This is the
first solo exhibition at Touchstone
by Florimonte, a veteran art educator with Fairfax County Public
Schools. Closes Friday, Dec. 23.
Touchstone Gallery, 901 New York
Ave. NW Call 202-347-2787 or visit
touchstonegallery.com.
YAYOI KUSAMA: PUMPKIN
As its nod to the holidays, the

Hirshhorn offers the U.S. museum debut of the monumental artwork by celebrated Japanese artist.
Pumpkin is a whimsical sculpture
of surreal scale in a bold yellowand-black pattern. The work will
remain on display through next
spring when it will be featured
as part of Yayoi Kusama: Infinity
Mirrors, the first major traveling
survey exhibition to explore the
evolution of the painter/sculptors
immersive infinity rooms. On the
outdoor plaza at the Hirshhorn
Museum and Sculpture Garden,
Independence Avenue and Seventh
Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or
visit hirshhorn.si.edu.
HOLIDAY
MARKETS
DEL RAY ARTISANS 21ST
ANNUAL HOLIDAY MARKET
Alexandrias quirky, members-only

art gallery offers its 21st annual holiday market, featuring unique handmade fine arts and fine crafts from
different local artists on a rotating
basis over the next three weekends.
The artists working in pottery,
photography, jewelry, fiber, paper
crafts and glass donate a percentage of their sales to help support the
BOUDOIR BURLESQUE: HEXMAS
Krampus, aka Buster Britches,

hosts this ribald telling of Creepy
Christmas Tales and Fae Folklore
featuring witches, sprites, nymphs
and demons going by names Blanche
Boudoir, Sally Cinch, Ophelia Hart,
Clementine ODonnell and Salem
Sirene. There will also be a special
group performance by the DC Gurly
Show. Sunday, Dec. 18, at 3 p.m.
Bier Baron Tavern, 1523 22nd St.
NW. Tickets are $15 in advance,
$20 at the door. Call 202-293-1887
or visit inlovewithbier.com.
ROERS ZOOFARIS CHINESE

LANTERN FESTIVAL
The National Zoo isnt the only area

preserve lit up at night this season.
What was once known as the Reston
Zoo presents a Chinese Lantern
Festival with authentic Chinese
lanterns that are far beyond the
simple, traditional hand-held candle-lit lamps, made out of silk and
paper, that the term might conjure.
There are 40 lantern sets of 800
displays in all, portraying animals
from around the world. Presented
by Hanart Culture, a company
focused on bringing the art and
culture of China to America, the
festival also includes other forms
of Chinese art and entertainment
handicrafts, live kung fu performances to create an enchanting, multicultural experience in
the 30-acre park. Therell also be
animatronic dinosaurs for kids to
ride. Daily from 5 to 9 p.m. until
Jan. 15. Roers Zoofari, 1228 Hunter
Mill Rd., Vienna, Va. Tickets are
$12.50 for children and $22 for
adults online, or $15 and $25 at
the gate. Call 703-757-6222 or visit
ChineseLanternFestival.com. l
WARD MORRISON
Community
Attendees at Khush DCs 2016 Kickoff Happy Hour
SOUTH ASIAN SOCIALS
Khush DC offers both a formal support group and informal get-togethers

for D.C.s South Asian LGBT community
HEN ANISH TAILOR WAS EMERGING FROM THE CLOSET IN

early 2015, he felt confused and alone. He didnt know any out LGBT
Indian people, save a lone person who had once lived in D.C. but had
moved away. Calling his friend for advice, he learned about Khush DC, a group
for queer South Asian people.
Three weeks later, Tailor attended a Khush happy hour and was introduced
to several other South Asian LGBT people who made him feel welcome and at
ease. It was still early for me in my coming out process, and I heard all these
other peoples coming out stories, and it was comforting, because they had gone
through everything I was going through at that time, says Tailor. So I just felt
like, Oh, Im normal. Everybody else has gone through this, too.
Two years later, Tailor serves as one of the moderators of Khush DCs
monthly peer support group, held on the third Saturday of each month at The
DC Center. For two hours, attendees share stories, vent, or ask for advice in a
confidential setting as they tackle sensitive topics such as coming out, family
acceptance, and relationship challenges.
Tailor tries to plan social events and opportunities for LGBT South Asians to
meet and establish friendships in a less formal setting as well. Sometimes that
involves house parties, happy hours, or potluck dinners. Twice a year, Khush
DC hosts Jalwa, a Bollywood-style LGBT dance party with a DJ, typically held
at the Green Lantern.
For those who are just coming out, our events are a place where you can
meet people and share experiences of being queer, he says. Those conversations typically happen more easily in a social setting, so its just another avenue,
in addition to the support group. Other people who are just looking to have fun
with other queer brown people. John Riley
Khush DCs monthly support group meets on the third Saturday of every month
at The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. This months meeting will take
place on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. For more information on
Khush DC, visit khushdc.blogspot.com.
THURSDAY, December 15
Center Military, a group for
LGBT military members, their
families, and allies, holds a
monthly PENTAGON HAPPY
HOUR get-together at Freddies
Beach Bar. 5-8 p.m. 555 23rd
St. S., Arlington, Va. For more
information and to RSVP, visit
meetup.com/CenterMilitary.
The DC Center holds a meeting of its POLY DISCUSSION
GROUP, for people interested
in polyamory, non-monogamy
or other non-traditional relationships. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. Visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
ANDROMEDA
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing, 9-5

p.m., and HIV services (by
appointment). Call 202-2914707, or visit andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Takoma
Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St.
NW. 7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.
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.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
practice, 7:30-9:30 p.m. King
17
Greenleaf Recreation Center, 201 N

St. SW. All welcome. Scandalsrfc.
org or dcscandals@gmail.com.
NW. Contact Tamara, 202-3190422, layc-dc.org.
levels, gay or straight. teamdcbasketball.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.
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.
DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for
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.
IDENTITY offers free and confiden-
tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg,

414 East Diamond Ave., and
in Takoma Park, 7676 New
Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walkins 2-6 p.m. For appointments
other hours, call Gaithersburg,
301-300-9978, or Takoma Park,
301-422-2398.
METROHEALTH CENTER
offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St.
NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in,
for youth 21 and younger. 202-5673155 or testing@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics
Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30

p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The
group is independent of UHU. 202446-1100.
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.
FRIDAY, December 16
Volunteers are needed to help
with the CASA RUBYS MONTHLY
DINNER. Held on the third Friday
of each month, in conjunction
with The DC Center, the event
provides a hot meal to those individuals being housed at Casa Ruby.
Homemade or store bought meals
welcome. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Casa
Ruby, 3530 Georgia Ave. NW. For
more information, contact lamar@
thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
practice session at Hains Point,

927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-
affirming social group for ages

11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road
18
SATURDAY, December 17
Join HIPS and The DC
Center for a celebration of the
INTERNATIONAL DAY TO
END VIOLENCE AGAINST SEX
WORKERS. The event is designed
to honor and support those who

are forced to engage in survival
sex work due to social or economic
oppression, and call for the decriminalization of sex work. A separate
portion of the event will also honor
the 23 transgender women who
have been violently killed this
year. 3-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org or contact
Shareese Mon at shareese@thedccenter.org.
The DC Center hosts a meeting

of KHUSH DC, a support group
for LGBTQ South Asians. 1:303:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. For more information, email
board@khushdc.org.
The DC Center hosts a monthly LGBT ASYLEES SUPPORT
MEETING AND DINNER for LGBT
refugees and asylum seekers. 5-7
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.
BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others interested in Brazilian

culture, meets. For location/time,
email braziliangaygroup@yahoo.
com.
practice session at 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
LGBT community, family and

friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel
Church-on-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. RSVP preferred. brendandarcy@gmail.com.
SUNDAY, December 18
ADVENTURING outdoors group
holds annual Winter Solstice

Poetry Hike on Sugarloaf Mountain
near Frederick, Md. Moderately
strenuous hike will not exceed 6
miles with 1400 feet of elevation
gain. Bring beverages, lunch, sturdy
boots, money for fees, and a poem
to share during lunch at White
Rocks Overlook. Carpool at 10 a.m.
from Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro
Station. Craig, 202-462-0535.
adventuring.org.
Weekly Events
BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive
and radically inclusive church
holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217
Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895,
betheldc.org.

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.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service,

945 G St. NW. firstuccdc.org or
202-628-4317.
HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF

CHRIST welcomes GLBT community for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130
Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.
hopeucc.org.
HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT

GROUP for gay men living in the
DC metro area. This group will be

meeting once a month. For information on location and time, visit
H2gether.com.
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 interpreted) and 11 a.m. Childrens Sunday

School at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW.
202-638-7373, mccdc.com.
RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,
a Christ-centered, interracial,
welcoming-and-affirming church,
offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St.
SW. 202-554-4330, riversidedc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF
ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcom-
ing-and-affirming congregation,
offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia
Rainbow UU Ministry. 4444
Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.
UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL
MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-
ing and inclusive church. GLBT

Interweave social/service group
meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m.,
Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St.
NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.
MONDAY, December 19
CENTER FAITH, a program of The
DC Center, hosts a meeting for the
LGBT community and their religious allies. 7:30-9 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The Metro D.C. chapter of PFLAG,
a support group for parents, family
members and allies of the LGBTQ
community, holds its monthly
meeting at The DC Center. 7-9 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events

927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
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: 703789-4467.
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, 703-2990504, secretary@wetskins.org,
wetskins.org.
WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH
HIV/AIDS Support Group for

newly diagnosed individuals,
meets 7 p.m. Registration required.
202-939-7671, hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.
TUESDAY, December 20
CENTER BI, a group of The DC
Center, hosts a monthly roundtable
discussion around issues of bisexuality. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. Visit thedccenter.org.
Cathy Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
WEDNESDAY, December 21
GAMMA, a confidential support
group for men who are gay, bisexual, questioning and who are
married or involved with a woman,
meets on the third Wednesday
of each month in Virginia. This
months meeting is at a private
residence in Vienna. 6:30-8:30
p.m. For more information, visit
GAMMAinDC.org.
THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL

BRIDGE CLUB will meet for Social
Bridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center,

721 8th Street SE (across from
Marine Barracks). No partner
needed. Call 301-345-1571 for more
info.
Freddies Beach Bar & Restaurant

hosts DONT BOO...VOTE! Learn
ways to keep Virginia moving
toward full LGBT equality in 2017
and beyond. Proceeds from the
event benefit Equality Virginia. 7-9
p.m. 555 23rd St. S, Arlington, Va.
For more information, visit equalityvirginia.org.
WOMAN TO WOMAN: A
SUPPORT GROUP FOR HIVPOSITIVE WOMEN WHO LOVE
WOMEN, meets on the third
THE HIV WORKING GROUP of

THE DC CENTER hosts a Packing
Weekly Events
Party, where volunteers assemble

safe-sex kits of condoms and lube.
7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. 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 SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 7:30-9:30 p.m. King Greenleaf

Recreation Center, 201 N St. SW.
All welcome. Scandalsrfc.org or
dcscandals@gmail.com.
THE GAY MENS HEALTH

COLLABORATIVE offers free
HIV testing and STI screening

and treatment every Tuesday.
5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday
LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health
Department, 4480 King St. 703746-4986 or text 571-214-9617.
james.leslie@inova.org.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
LGBT 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, 703-5211999. Handicapped accessible.
Newcomers welcome. liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.
SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ

YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at
SMYAL, 410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m.
Wednesday of each month at The

Womens Collective. Light refreshments served. 5:30-7 p.m. 1331
Rhode Island Ave. NE. For more
information, 202-483-7003.
AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-
versation, meets about 6-6:30 p.m.,

Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome. For more information, call
Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.
FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

group for LGBT people looking
to quit cigarettes and tobacco use,
holds a weekly support meeting at
The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH
offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.

and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.
Washington St., Alexandria. 703549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.
JOB CLUB, a weekly support program for job entrants and seekers,
meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more info, www.centercareers.org.
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
Submit your community event for
consideration at least 10 days prior
to the Thursday publication you
would like it to appear. Email to calendar@metroweekly.com.
19
Holiday Gift Guide

Stuck for a last minute gift idea? We have six great solutions for the arts (and
leather) aficionado in your life By Rhuaridh Marr and Randy Shulman
ATHER YOUR CREDIT CARDS, NOTIFY YOUR BANK, TAKE AN ASPIRIN TO EASE THE STRESS
youre going to be putting on your heart and get ready to spend those savings youve carefully hoarded all year. Yes, its holiday season, and that means its time for us to spend inordinate amounts
on our friends and loved ones because giving is just as much fun as receiving, apparently. Gift-buying is
an experience fraught doubt and anxiety, but if youre completely stuck on ideas for that one bothersome
giftee, let us help. With a variety of items, including arts, entertainment, and leather, weve collated a half
dozen shopping ideas guaranteed to please this holiday season.
WOLF TRAP
Arguably one of the most breathtaking venues in the region, if you

want to give someone an unforgettable experience for Christmas,
something from Wolf Trap does
the trick. The Filene Center(left),
with its gorgeous outdoor amphitheater, is an incredible space for
experiencing a live performance.
Bring a picnic, cuddle up on blankets, soak up the entertainment.
Whether rock, blues, jazz, orchestra or choral, theres sure to be
something to delight at Wolf Trap
this season. But lets not forget The Barns (far left), an intimate indoor performing space with an impressive winter lineup, including dreamboat Aaron
Tveit, Ari Heist, Jim Brickman and the legendary Kathy Mattea. You can scale your gift large or small, with either a gift certificate or a membership,
available for as little as $75, which grants exclusive pre-sales, pre-performance dinners, discounts, and depending on membership level preferred parking, free alcohol and snacks, access to VIP lounges and private restroom facilities. Wolf Trap, Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, Va.
Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolftrap.org.
BITE THE FRUIT
Bite the Fruits items probably arent recommended

for your parents stocking stuffers, but for your partner or more liberal friends, theres plenty to delight,
titillate and amuse in equal measure. And Bite the
Fruit has a singularly provocative collection of toys
and gear to make the season bright. Give a loved one
JOs very adult flavored gelato lubes -- Tira Misu or
Salted Caramel. Or how about a onesies or handle
harness from Nasty Pig? Colt Playing Cards come
with an array of hunky men -- would sir like leather,
hairy or muscled? -- and are sure to spice up any
game of strip poker (or regular poker, for that matter). And the FemmeFunn Massager is sure
to make any ladies in your life abundantly happy. The store has many items under $25. Bite
the Fruit is at 1723 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Call 202-299-0440 or visit shop.
bitethefruit.com.
METROSTAGE
MetroStage has put its

traditional
Broadway
Christmas Carol on hiatus for a year and is presenting in its place the
vastly gifted Tom Story
(pictured), playing 32 characters in the hit comedy
Fully Committed (Peter
Marks of the Washington
Post called it one of the top ten shows of the year). The one-man tour de force makes the perfect stocking stuffer and runs through Jan. 8, so theres
plenty of time for your giftees to catch it. The theater also offers gift certificates and subscriptions and its two remaining shows in the season
D.L. Coburns extraordinary The Gin Game and Terrence McNallys masterful Master Class are both sure to be winners. MetroStage is at 1201 N.
Royal St. in Alexandria, Va. Call 703-548-9044 or visit metrostage.org.
20
WOOLLY MAMMOTH
Woolly has a brilliant way of sharing theater with your friends. The companys SixPacks, while neither alcoholic nor muscular, offer an amazing way to give someone
the gift of theater, including granting the recipient six tickets to use in whatever combination they so choose, with ticket reservations up to one day before the show, the
best available seats and up to 40 percent off single ticket prices. And when you buy six
you get a seventh ticket free, valid through Dec. 31. Even better, the tickets are good
through Dec. 2017. And the theater offers special pricing for those under 30 (valid ID
required) and a Lite version which excludes Friday and Saturday night shows. Urge
your recipient to start with the currently running Black Side of the Moon (left) from the
uproarious and outrageous Second City comedy troupe. Nothing beats the gift laughter
as an antidote to a truly taxing 2016. Standard gift certificates are also available. Woolly
Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St. NW, Washington, D.C. Call 202-393-3939 or
visit woollymammoth.net.
9:30 CLUB
For those who think of 9:30 Club and its sister

venues as merely a place to watch live music, think
again. 9:30 offers several extraordinary items for fans
of musical history in the D.C. area. Chief among them is
a section of actual stage floor from Merriweather Post
Pavilion, showcased in a shadowbox. The handcrafted,
12 x 15 segment of stage is mounted atop custom
matting and features a photo from a 1984 Grateful
Dead concert. Text overlay lists in alphabetical order
artists who have graced the stage over the past 49
years. Meanwhile, the handsome, 264-page coffee
table tome 9:30 - A Time And A Place is jammed with
never-before-seen photos, stories and firsthand insider
accounts of experiences commemorating the clubs 35
year old history. Clothing items on offer include 9:30
socks, a 9:30 onesie, 9:30 t-shirts and a 9:30 fitted hat.
For pricing or to order, visit merch.930.com.
ARENA STAGE
If a family member, loved one, or particularly close friend enjoys nothing

more than escaping to the cozy darkness of the theater, treat them to a
show at one of the countrys finest regional theaters. Currently, Arena
has two critically-acclaimed shows running through Dec. 24 Carousel
(above) and Moby Dick (right). But there are five richly provocative
shows to come 2017 that can be combined to create mini-subscription,
including Lisa Loomers timely Roe, Lillian Hellmans gripping Watch on
the Rhine, starring Marsha Mason, and Lorraine Hansberrys soul-stirring
A Raisin in the Sun. The new comedy Smart People and Intelligence,
which dramatizes the events surrounding CIA operative Valerie Plame,
fill out the season. For pricing and gift information call 202-554-9066 or
visit arenastage.org.
21
PHOTO COURTESY OF GAY & LESBIAN VICTORY FUND & INSTITUTE
theFeed
Baldwin
VICTORY IN RESISTANCE
At last weekends Victory Institute conference, the talk was all about
how to prevent LGBT rights from backsliding in a potentially
hostile Trump administration By John Riley
RIOR TO THIS YEARS ELECTION, THE VICTORY INSTITUTE CEO

Aisha Moodie-Mills had been expecting to spend time at the organizations
LGBT Leaders Conference talking about presidential appointments and the
possibility of confirming the first openly LGBT cabinet member in the Hillary Clinton
Administration.
November 8 changed all that.
Its been about four weeks now since the disastrous election, says Moodie-Mills.
What just happened is a dramatic shift in the country towards nasty, vile, anti-LGBT
views. The president-elect has doubled down on the nasty rhetoric of this campaign,
and is promoting people into his administration who would not only do our community harm, but would roll back the hands of time on progress a decade.
Given the president-elects open courting of anti-LGBT social conservatives
during the campaign, and a list of cabinet nominees that reads like a Whos Who of
people with anti-LGBT views, the conference, held last weekend in Washington, took
on a much more urgent tone by focusing on ways to safeguard against any backsliding
on LGBT rights.
The conference also served as a way to identify a young, diverse bench of LGBT
people who may be interested in running for political office in the future. Trumps
victory, coupled with Republican control over both houses of Congress and, concerningly, a majority of legislatures throughout the country, has highlighted the importance of building a bench of progressive allies at all levels of government.
The bench building is everything, Moodie-Mills says. And what were seeing
in the wake of this election is that people are fired up, and theyre really excited and
inspired to figure out what can they do, and how to be the change they want to see.
It cannot be understated how on the ropes the LGBT movement finds itself in
some areas of this country. Despite enjoying eight years of victories, from open military service to marriage equality, under the Obama administration, the community
still finds itself fighting an uphill battle at the state and local level. In large swaths of
the country, pro-LGBT legislators have effectively been shut out of government, rel-
egated to the minority party. Even

in states where governors of either
party have refused to sign antiLGBT legislation, bona fide allies
in the legislature lack the numbers
to sustain a gubernatorial veto. As
an example, look no further than
North Carolina, where, this past
year, the legislature and Republican
Gov. Pat McCrory passed a law
that eliminated local nondiscrimination ordinances with LGBT
protections and placed restrictions
on transgender peoples ability to
access public restrooms. Even with
McCrorys defeat, the controversial HB 2 law is likely to remain on
the books due to the dominance
of anti-LGBT Republicans in the
legislature.
In that regard, the cultivating of
potential future LGBT elected officials and progressive allies at the
local level is crucial to avoid getting
steamrolled by HB 2-style laws.
But developing a bench of leaders
ready to take on tough fights also
provides a potential buffer against
any rollback of hard-won LGBT
protections that may occur on the
federal level.
Its really critical that we are
rallying our LGBT officials around
this country to implement state
and local solutions that can mitigate the fallout from the federal
level, says Moodie-Mills, and do
the best that they can to safeguard
our community and to make sure
they can stop and beat back anything that might do them harm.
For some, the Trump administrations preferred picks to head
various federal agencies is sounding alarm bells. Nominees like Sen.
Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), U.S. Rep.
Tom Price (R-Ga.), U.S. Rep. Mike
Pompeo (R-Kansas), billionaire
donor Betsy DeVos, and former
presidential candidate Ben Carson
appear to some to be signaling
the president-elects commitment
to pursuing a highly conservative
social agenda. Such picks may
encounter opposition when they
seek confirmation by members of
the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin
(D-Wisc.), who spoke at the conference, is hopeful the Senate
will perform due diligence as the
23
theFeed
body decides whether to confirm or reject potential cabinet members.
I would hope that every member of the Senate, regardless of party, would care about peoples equal rights, says
Baldwin. The nominees will come to the various committees. We will need to research them fully, and ask really
tough questions. I know Im hearing not only from people
from my own state, but from around the country, with issues
and concerns. ... We have our work cut out for us.
Liberal-leaning policy experts say the X factor in a
Trump administration is how strongly he or his cabinet
picks will pursue an anti-LGBT agenda.
Ive never experienced an incoming administration that
was as unpredictable as this one, says Paul Gordon, senior
legislative counsel with People for the American Way.
Trump really courted the Religious Right to get their votes.
How serious was he about it? Within days of getting elected,
he was already backing down from previous positions. We
just dont know.
Gordon suggests keeping an eye on the Justice
Department, particularly if Sessions is confirmed at U.S.
Attorney General.
The Justice Department has a Civil Rights Division,
which, under Obama, has been really terrific about protecting the rights of LGBT people in court, in terms of
collecting statistics on hate crimes, working with local law
enforcement. Under Sessions, I dont think thats going to be
a priority. And if he gets confirmed, I think the community
is really going to be pushing to say, Youve got to take these
laws seriously.
Another concern about a Sessions-run Justice is likely
to be the incoming administrations stance on various discrimination lawsuits that are working their way through the
courts, such as the case of Virginian Gavin Grimm, a transgender student suing the Gloucester County School Board
for the right to use the boys restroom at school.
Under President Obama, the Department of Justice
is strongly supporting the transgender student in the
Gloucester County case, says Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. We dont
know what the DOJ under Trump will do, but theres concern that they will withdraw support or switch sides. Thats
something we need to be ready for.
Beyond the Department of Justice, Minter is looking
at other areas where a Trump administrations change of
policy might create problems for the community, such as
undocumented LGBT people, including those fleeing persecution in their home countries. Theyre not likely to find
a sympathetic ear in the administration of a president who
campaigned explicitly on deporting undocumented immigrants.
Another area of concern include Trumps zeal for repealing the Affordable Care Act, which contains provisions that
prohibit insurance companies from denying medically necessary care to transgender people. Moreover, LGBT people
who are less financially stable and get their health insurance
through the state or federal exchanges could see their health
insurance taken away completely. HIV/AIDS funding under
a Tom Price-run Department of Health and Human Services
could be on the chopping block, which would be devastating
not only for members of the LGBT community but other
24
at-risk groups.
Another place where the LGBT community would be
well-advised to remain vigilant is the passage of anti-LGBT
federal legislation through Congress. As a candidate, Trump
vowed to sign into law the First Amendment Defense Act,
which would prevent the government from taking retaliatory action against individuals, businesses or corporations
that seek to discriminate against LGBT people (and others)
by claiming religious or moral objections to homosexuality, same-sex marriage, or extramarital sex. Already, Sens.
Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are planning
to introduce the bill next year in the hope that Trump will
sign it into law.
But Sean Patrick Maloney isnt worried. In fact, the
gay New York congressman is embracing the potential of
fighting against any anti-LGBT legislation. Earlier this year,
Maloney, a Democrat, successfully swayed 43 Republicans
to vote with his party to add an amendment to an appropriations bill that would reiterate workplace nondiscrimination
protections for LGBT federal workers. He was also one of a
bipartisan group of House members who fought against the
addition of a separate amendment that would have undermined those same protections to a defense bill.
If they want to have that fight again, lets go. Im good
for round two, says Maloney. Because they got their butts
kicked in round one. In other words, I dont think their members want to be on record voting for anti-LGBT legislation.
As for the possibility of a religious freedom bill such
as the First Amendment Defense Act, Maloney believes the
LGBT community and its congressional allies can emerge
victorious.
I dont think theres any reason to think we cant win
this fight going forward, even in a Trump administration,
he says. When we put a spotlight on it last summer, we
won. They cannot get away with this, unless they hide it
from public view. Thats what we need to do: call it out.
Meanwhile, several state legislatures are reportedly
weighing ways to curtail LGBT freedoms and rights, including Texas, where the lieutenant governor, in his position as
presiding officer of the state senate, has made passing an
HB 2-style law one of his chief priorities for the upcoming
session. Tennessee has introduced a bill to broaden the
reach of an existing law allowing therapists or counselors
to refuse to treat LGBT clients. Religious freedom bills
are expected to be introduced in states like Alabama, West
Virginia and Iowa.
But Nevada State Sen. Pat Spearman says the LGBT community and its allies dont have to be relegated to playing
defense. Rather, LGBT people can be proactive and push
within their own state for greater legal protections. She feels
LGBT people need to be willing to throw themselves into
the fray and fight against any erosion of rights, using the
power of their vote to send a message.
Im encouraging everyone, everywhere, to start where
you are, she said during a panel at the conference. Theres
a hell of a lot you can get done at the state level. We can
build a firewall. Find out if you have in your state statutes
laws that will protect people. If they dont, find someone
who will carry those bills. And if your legislature is not
friendly to you, or not friendly to our community, then
change it in 2018. l
the
Kinsey
way
The election of Donald Trump has made the dragapella group The Kinsey Sicks
more relevant and necessary than ever. By Randy Shulman
It was a founding out of a fairy tale.

In 1993, Ben Schatz corralled a few friends and organized an
outing to a Bette Midler concert in San Francisco. They dressed
in drag, as they so often did.
The evening would change the course of the Harvardeducated attorneys life.
At the time, Schatz was working at an organization hed
founded that advocated for HIV positive health care workers.
I did a lot of interviews on TV and for newspapers, and part of
my job at that point because so many people in the midst of
the AIDS crisis just wanted as many gay people as possible to die
was to be an earnest, respectable homosexual, he says. But
deep down, Im not respectable.
As an antidote to respectability, Schatz would organize
drag outings with my friends. For the Midler concert, eight of
us five gay men and three lesbians went in drag, the women
in jackets and ties and mustaches, and the men in Andrews
Sisters drag.
Schatz had figured the crowd would be packed with men in
drag to see The Divine Miss M. Turns out, they were the only
ones. As they entered the venue, they were met with thunderous
applause. During intermission, the men were approached by
a woman who asked if theyd sing at an upcoming party. They
declined. We dont sing, Schatz told her. Yet, on the way home,
inspired by Bettes fabulousness, they found themselves singing in rapturous ensemble.
We sounded really good, says Schatz. So we stayed up
until three in the morning singing. And decided right then and
there to start a drag a cappella group.
26
The Kinsey Sicks was born.

If you had told me when I graduated from law school that at
this point I would be a singing drag queen, I wouldnt have possibly believed it at all, laughs the 57-year-old founding member,
and the last of the originals to be part of the four-person ensemble. Apart from their clever arrangements and vibrant, precise
vocals,` the secret to the groups popularity lies in its biting, satiric take on everything from sex to politics. Their songs are funny,
filthy, and often unexpectedly poignant. Margaret Cho called
them subversive. She was the first person to use that word to
describe us, says Schatz, who writes the groups lyrics and original music. I was so delighted when she used that word.
Schatz notes that, particularly in the 80s and 90s, subversiveness was part of the natural terrain of gay performers.
Identifying yourself as gay or lesbian at that point was inherently political. You were closing off ninety nine percent of your
career opportunities in order to have personal integrity. I was at
that point an activist, so Im going to be writing lyrics that reflect
who I am. When I was a gay rights attorney and would go to
national meetings, I often used a lot of humor at meetings, which
was often looked down upon by some others who were, I think,
perhaps a little short on the humor gene.
The Kinsey Sicks may be the worlds longest-running dragapella group, but they werent the first gay men to perform a
cappella in a popular context. When we started the group,
there was already a well-known and beloved gay a cappella
group called The Flirtations, he says. The driving force behind
that group, Michael Callen, eventually died of AIDS. They were
PACO OJEDA
27
PACO OJEDA
pretty pointedly political. At that point, in the early 90s, you

know, Ellen hadnt come out, there were virtually no out queer
performers, except in the gay and lesbian circuit. By definition,
that made you political on a certain level. But it also made sense.
We were literally fighting for our lives at that point, so people
were kind of grim. For me, humor was a form of asserting my
own right to joy and survival.
The Kinsey Sicks existed as a hobby for six years. Then, in
1999, Schatz talked the group into allowing me to quit my job
and devote myself to trying to see if we could make this a fulltime job for all of us. An off-Broadway producer came calling,
but the deal fell through. So the four men, having left their day
jobs behind, decided to produce an off-Broadway show themselves. They raised money and relocated to Manhattan.
Our first scheduled business meeting in New York, after
wed all moved there, says Schatz, was September 11, 2001.
He continues, his naturally buoyant tone turning somber. I
had moved to New York three days before, and the only good
thing about my six-story walkup was that I had a view of the
Twin Towers. I woke up [on September 11] and I looked at the
World Trade Center to remind myself that really I was in New
York. I actually saw the plane hit the tower.
The Kinsey Sicks made their off-Broadway debut not long
after 9/11, and got amazing reviews. But, Schatz says, nobody
was going to see off-Broadway, and we like everything else at
that point closed.
It did not deter the Kinsey Sicks from pursuing what was now
a dream. Schatz worked hard to get the group bookings around
the country. Slowly, steadily, they built a following.
It has been one continuous struggle after another to keep the
group afloat, he says. I love this group. Number one, its more
fun than anyone should be allowed to have in a job. It really is.
But I really believe what we do has importance, and the recent
election has reminded me of that and strengthened my belief in
that.
Oh, that election. It has not gone down well with any of the
members of the Kinsey Sicks.
As Shatz tells it, on the night of the election, the group was on
a plane, en route to perform in Boise, Idaho.
Im a cheap son of a bitch, so I never pay for wi-fi, says
Schatz. But we got on the plane, the polls are still open and I
was fully optimistic. For the first time in my life I was like, Im
going to pay for wi-fi on the plane. Let me tell you, that was the
When we performed in Boise the day after the election and

then two days later in Whitefish, Montana, we had absolutely
dejected, despondent people in our audience. We turned the
scripts around to recognize what had just happened. So many
people came up to us and just said, Thank you so much. I really
needed this. I cannot tell you how important this was.
I felt the same way about them, he continues. They think that we saved them, but they
the audience saved us. Were not world
famous or even country famous. Were somewhere in that middle level between fame and
obscurity. As the LGBT community has gotten
more respectable, theres the question of what
function do we serve, apart from making people
laugh? People sometimes come, they see drag
queens, they expect us to be sort of fake and
maybe a little naughty. But there is greater need
Schatz
for subversiveness now than there has been in
a long time. Its the same need, with sincerity,
that existed when the group was founded in the midst of the
worst of the AIDS crisis.
With the rise of Trump, a lot of us on the progressive side,
are using comedy as an outlet to vent our frustrations, says
Jeffrey Manabat, who has portrayed Trixie for the last 14 years,
following in the footsteps of two Trixies before him. Our fears
about the incoming administration, what they may do to our
One of the things I felt back in the early

90s is if we could take a roomful of grieving,
emotionally wounded gay men and we could
make them laugh, GIVING THEM JOY IS A
WONDERFUL GIFT TO THEM, TO US, TO OUR
COMMUNITY, AND THE WORLD. Ben
worst five dollars I have ever spent in my life, because I could
have had another hour or two of blissful denial. The poor woman
who was there to meet us at the airport, she didnt know what
had happened yet, and we were all just desolate. We could barely
say hello.
The troupe was forced to amend their show, which had been
geared toward a presumed Hillary Clinton win.
28
country, our safety, our standing in the world. All the progress
that weve made in the last few years, if not decades, on so many
different levels.... It is terrifying to think about what can happen.
But for us, the terror feeds our art, our comedy, our music, our
scripts, our shows. Were able to turn that into something that
hopefully alleviates some of that fear. It gives us some levity, and
brings communities together.
We needed to laugh after the devastation
of the election. I think theres going to be a
lot more devastation headed our way, and
our role now is being more clearly defined by
what is coming up against us.
Its very satisfying to both echo what our
audiences are feeling and thinking, particularly now, says 35-year-old Nathan Marken,
the newest member of the group, having
joined two years ago to step into the heels of
Winnie, after Irwin Keller, a founding member, retired in 2014. Its also good to challenge a lot of the perceptions they may have about political and
social topics, particularly with respect to racism and religion.
In every show we tend to have a few songs that are meant
to really provoke the audience, to really make them think, says
Spencer Brown, who has played Trampolina since 2008. We
have a song about religious tolerance in the current show, Oy
Vey in a Manger, that is very, very thoughtful. It comes out of
one of the characters that you would least expect. The reaction
of the audience at the end of that song is one in which I almost
feel the whole audience give a sigh of relief. Its another instance
in which they feel that theyre not alone and its, Thank you.
Weve been saying this the whole time. Why is nobody else saying this?
For Schatz, its the groups comedy that matters, and its
many shows including Manger, which starts an eight-day run
at Theater J on Tuesday, Dec. 20 often feature a modest narrative arc punctuated by songs performed by the four Kinseys:
Rachel (Schatz), Trampolina (Brown), Trixie (Manabat) and
Winnie (Marken).
If you were to think of us as the Golden Girls, says Schatz,
Trampolina would be Betty White, Trixie would be Rue
McClanahan, Winnie would be Bea Arthur, and Id be Estelle
Getty as Sophia. My character is pure id, and shes never met a
boundary that she recognizes. Winnie is kind of a lesbian Miss
Jean Hathaway although that may be redundant from The
Beverly Hillbillies. Trampolina is an absolutely lovable fool. And
Trixie is glamour personified, at least in her own mind. He
chuckles that theyre all naughty, but insists hes the naughtiest. I do unforgivable things. Its amazing what I get away
with.... Were not Up With LGBT People. It has to be funny, it
has to be biting. I want it to shake people up. I want to make
people a little bit uncomfortable. And thats a good thing.
Even though all bemoan the Trump win, the Kinseys do
acknowledge it will be good for business.
Comedy is often a way of pointing out the absurd, says
Schatz. And when you are feeling clubbed over the head, the
ability to laugh at the person doing the clubbing is empowering.
One of the things I felt back in the early 90s is if we could take
a roomful of grieving, emotionally wounded gay men and we
could make them laugh, giving them joy is a wonderful gift to
them, to us, to our community, and the world.
In times of feeling despair, in times of great political disarray, of things not making sense anymore, theres a way in which
comedy can bring people together again when were feeling far
apart, says Manabat. Art, which I think comedy is part of, is
our light in the darkness. Without it, we really may as well just
be animals. But art and laughter unites us. It keeps us sane, keeps
us human.
The drag lends credence to the groups comedy. While the
Kinsey Sicks are playing characters, they are very much attuned
Theres a way in which an election of a man

like [Trump] is a danger to...the world. To
paraphrase Martin Luther King, the arc of
history bends toward justice. I think that we
will prevail. Unfortunately, I FEEL LIKE A LOT
OF PEOPLE WILL BE CRUSHED WHEN THAT
ARC IS BENDING. Jeffrey Manabat
to the sensibility of drag within the LGBT culture.
As much as people may want us to be lip-syncing queens or
catty, biting, acerbic drag queens who will bite your head off, or
want us to be a fierce RuPauls Drag Race queen, we dont fit into
those boxes, says 32-year-old Marken. The box we do fit in fits
very nicely for us in that were a comedy a cappella drag troupe.
Theres really nothing else like that anywhere on Earth.
29
I do not consider myself an entertainer, insists Schatz. I

consider myself a provocateur who is entertaining. I get really
tired of the defense that many comics use when they say things
that are offensive or hurtful: Im just being funny. Cant you take
a joke? It shows a lack of imagination and a lack of creativity.
There are many things that we talk about or joke about in the
dressing room that make us crack up, but we would never say
them on stage because they are genuinely hurtful to people we
dont want to hurt. So we dont say them.
Comedy is just another form of speech, he continues. It
doesnt blanket you from responsibility for the content of what
youre saying. There are a billion unthought of jokes in the
universe. Trillions of them. So think of something original. You
dont have to make fun of Latinos or blacks or women or Jews.
You dont have to. And if thats all you can do, then youre not
very smart.
We have a funny, irreverent show that also has a large heart,
and a lot of smarts, and says things in a way that I think wouldnt
be possible if we were not in drag, adds Manabat. Theres this
And probably a really good padlock to put on that cabinet.

The thought of starting a nuclear war over something that
can be fixed with diplomacy is now a real danger, says Manabat.
This is a person who is only looking at national security briefings once a week, and he should be looking at them every day.
He is holding victory rallies around the country when he should
be studying up on how to be president. Im flummoxed over how
this man can operate this way and how his supporters can turn
a blind eye to what seems to be obviously bad behavior from
someone who should be a shining example of the United States,
for not just our citizens, but the world.
Manabat has another reason to despair. As a Filipino, Trumps
not-so-coded messages of ill-will toward immigrants have resonated in the White Supremacist community, giving them perhaps their strongest voice in a generation.
As someone who is not white, my experience travelling
across the country has been eye-opening, he says. I grew up in
San Francisco, which has a tremendously diverse population. In
the Asian American community alone, theres Chinese American,
Japanese American, Filipinos, Thai, Vietnamese
its just as diverse as it is in Europe. A lot of people
dont think of the Asian American community that
way. When I go outside San Francisco or L.A., the
big metropolitan areas with large Asian population,
Im just Asian. Even more than that, when I go even
further out, I am just not white. Its different, being
who I am visually, in San Francisco or L.A., than it is
being in, for example, Whitefish, Montana, or Salina,
Kansas. I am, many times, the only person who is not
white in the room.
Before the election of Trump, it wasnt something I thought that was dangerous, but after the election of
Trump, now I do. Its unnerving to think that in my own country someone who doesnt look like the majority of its citizens
is automatically suspect, and is seen as...a danger to the entire
country.
Having an anti-Semite [like] Steve Bannon as one of the key
chief White House advisors is quite a frightening prospect,
says Marken. As for the rest of the cabinet posts, my goodness.
Having climate change annihilists, people who have never had a
child [and] who attended public schools in charge of education,
CEOs in charge of labor it really is the foxes ruling the hen
house. And I feel sorry for all of those hens out there.
There is no greater proof that Kinsey Sicks are a tonic to the
worlds woes than the diversification of their audience.
When we started, says Schatz, we had a much more gay
and lesbian audience. But now we have sort of a collection of
marvelous misfits and outsiders and bedraggled progressives, I
would say. The key to our success is not Whats going to sell?
Lets do that. Weve always been about what do we want to say,
what do we want to do, what do we think is funny? So weve
always attracted people who are looking for something thats
different. Theres nothing else like us. For better or for worse,
theres nothing else like us.
Asked if he ever regrets leaving his law career behind for a
life of singing, a cappella, in heels and makeup, Schatz lets loose
a laugh.
As much as I regret not taking cyanide this morning. l
Art, which I think comedy is part of, is our

light in the darkness. Without it, we really
may as well just be animals. BUT ART AND
LAUGHTER UNITES US. IT KEEPS US SANE,
KEEPS US HUMAN. Jeffrey Manabat
way in which our drag allows us to speak our political minds,
and have that heard and accepted, and reflected in ways that
otherwise it wouldnt be.
Everyone on both sides of the aisle can appreciate comedy,
and absorb the truth, but some people, you cant reach them that
way because they are so self centered, so insecure about where
they stand and who they are, that when they see the mirror
brought up on them, theyre not able to look at themselves. I
think that if youre so thin-skinned when comedy is referring to
you, then something truly is wrong.
One of the most thin-skinned, obviously, is Donald Trump,
who has attacked Saturday Night Live and Alec Baldwin for the
actors brilliant, razor-sharp parody of the President-elect.
His skin is so thin, the man is translucent, says Schatz.
If hes tweeting against Saturday Night Live, can you imagine what happens when hes actually having a real diplomatic
crisis? wonders Manabat. Its just not a man who I think this
world is prepared for. A lot of people are doing their best to get
ready for whats to come.
On election night, like his colleagues, Manabat felt incredible despair in a way that I have not felt before.... Theres a way
in which an election of a man like that is a danger to not just
this country, but to the world. I thought, This is not the way
the world should be, but to paraphrase Martin Luther King, the
arc of history bends toward justice. I think that we will prevail.
Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of people will be crushed when
that arc is bending.
Brown takes a glib approach to Trump. Momentarily assuming the vivacious persona of Trampolina, he says, I feel like his
hands arent big enough to press down on the nuke button! And
its not him that I worry about so much as everybody else around
him. I feel that the world needs more people in Trumps cabinet.
30
The Kinsey Sicks in Oy Vey in a Manger opens Tuesday, Dec.

20, and runs through Dec. 28 at the Aaron and Cecile Goldman
Theater, Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $47.
Discounts available. Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.
Gallery
Michael Crossett
Collage, Silkscreen, Digital & Film Photography, Mixed Media.
Clockwise from top left: In Transit 4, Lake and Surf, Lincoln, Funky Ride
districtcreative.com
Instagram @michael_crossett
31
LUCASFILM
Movies
Pointless Exercise
Theres little reason for Star Wars: Rogue One to exist other than to
make Disney money. That said, its not terrible. By Randy Shulman
T SOME POINT, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO STAR WARS. IT

became an industry, one with its own particular set of commodities and brands.
What had essentially started life as joyful, fun homage to serialized shorts of
the 30s and 40s, rapidly fell prey to its own sense of myth and self-importance. It
would have been more than fine for creator George Lucas to conclude the run after
three movies Chapters 4, 5 and 6 but as with any industry, a fan base had to be fed,
money had to be made, stockholders had to be appeased. And while Star Wars is one
of the few movie franchises that maintains a high code of integrity to its cause, notably
in the form of quality control, it is not immune from lining its pockets with the gold of
the galaxy now more than ever under the ownership of Disney.
Chapters 1, 2 and 3 were a misstep, in part because they were little more than an
ego-trip for Lucas, who is not and never has been a competent director. Being
a visionary is one thing, but that doesnt translate to actual filmmaking. They were
pointless films because they didnt add anything to the narrative. Rather than advance
it, they simply spun it in place and only in Chapter 3: Revenge of the Sith did the series
start to show a sign of life as Darth Vader was (finally) born.
Last years The Force Awakens was, at long last, a brilliant, much-needed reset,
finally pushing the story forward, introducing new foes, creating an entire franchise
launching pad for fans, new and old alike.
Personally, I loved The Force Awakens. It was a stunning return to form for the series,
brisk and spirited, with just the right touch of mystery and gravity. The movie came perilously close to dethroning Empire Strikes Back, considered by many (including myself)
to be the best of Star Wars films. Id have been happy to wait a few years for Episode 8,
but Disney has solemnly sworn to release a Star Wars film every year from now to eternity. And how do you achieve that? By finding side-stories and filling in missing pieces
that really dont require filling in. By force-feeding us origin stories of characters whose
beginnings should be left to our imaginations. (Do we really need a Hans Solo origin
story? Why not an Ewok movie? Oh. Wait. Never mind.) Basically, by creating nothing
of real import and hoping no one notices. Regardless, spun sugar is still sugar and the
first of these cinematic confections, Star Wars: Rogue One, has its sweet moments. If
nothing else, its intensely competent. No one is going to screw up this franchise.
Its good but its not great. In fact, its nowhere near great. Apart from a magnificently
32
orchestrated 30 minute climactic battle that

pulls out all the stops, its nowhere near as
fun or engaging as The Force Awakens. And
that, of course, is by design. You cant have
the side stories eclipse the main story. That
would never do.
Its no spoiler to reveal that Rogue
One (HHHHH) bridges the gap between
Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and Episode
4: A New Hope, by detailing for us how
precisely the Rebels stole the Death Star
plans from the Empire and got them into
the hands of a certain, cinnamon-bun
haired princess who then... well, you
know the rest.
On its own merits, Rogue One is a
solid enough film, with a story that, while
needlessly complicated in the first hour,
settles into a nice blasters-a-blazing
espionage film. Narratively, it fills a few
gaps that never really needed filling, and
fully and finally explains one key plot
point from A New Hope that has plagued
super-fans for decades. No need to speculate any longer. We now know why,
how and who. If only we cared.
Since you already know how Rogue One
ends going in, theres a strange lack of suspense, despite director Garth Edwardss
best attempts to generate edge-of-your
seat moments. Will our tough but cookie-cutter heroine Jyn Ersa (Felicity Jones)
learn where the Death Star plans are? Yes.
Will they seem virtually impossible to get,
with obstacles galore (including what is
almost certainly a nod to the magnificent
sci-fi parody Galaxy Quest)? Yup. And will
she actually obtain them and get them to
her fellow rebels, evading a very angry,
lightsaber-wielding Darth Vader? Um.
Duh. Otherwise thered be no new hope. Or any hope. Because

that Death Star? It blows things up good. Real good.
Rogue One relies on the action relating to how these events
transpire, but Edwards tries to generate suspense by using wellworn movie cliches that display both a lack of imagination and
point to the flaws of telling this story in the first place.
If the story is negligible, at least the characters are fantastic,
and its here where writers Chris Weitz (About a Boy) and Tony
Gilroy (the Bourne films) and Edwards truly dazzle. Rogue One
has some of the best characters to grace a Star Wars film in ages.
Better yet, theyre portrayed by a diverse, international cast that
speaks to how far weve come since Empire Strikes Back and its
solitary black smuggler, Lando Calrissian.
Sadly, as good as this renegade band of miscreants is, they are,
for all intent and purposes, wholly expendable. Theyre martyrs
for the cause and have been written in a way that we dont get
too invested in them. That way, when they are killed off, one by
one, each in a showstopping way, we feel a tiny prick of sadness,
but nothing along the order of devastation when, say, someone
like Hans Solo is offed. In fact, the amount of death in Rogue One
is almost alarming. Its not a matter of who will die, its a matter
of when in the two hour and fifteen minute running time theyll
kick the bucket.
Its all a pity, really, because there are some fantastic new
characters on display, ready to be minted into figurines, including Donnie Yens blind monk Chirrut mwe whose mantra
concerning The Force will undoubtedly wind up on T-shirts for
sale at your nearest Target and Wen Jiangs Baze Malbus, a
massive hunk of warrior with a puppy dogs heart. Riz Ahmed
gives a rich, magnetic performance as Bodhi Rook, a pilot who
defects to the rebel cause and becomes a key ally.
On the other hand, Ben Mendelsohn plays the movies bland

villain, Orson Krennic, with a fixed sneer, as though in desperate need of Kaopectate. Krennic pales compared to Vader, who
emerges for about five minutes and makes you wish the writers
could have worked to incorporate him into the story more fully.
Vaders presence and that deep, redolent voice, still belonging
to James Earl Jones invigorates Rogue One in an emotionally gratifying way. Its like seeing an old friend. A very evil old
friend.
But its a reprogrammed Imperial droid named K-2SO, spectacularly voiced by Alan Tudyk, that is perhaps the best reason
to see Rogue One. Hes the antithesis to C-3PO, brightly sarcastic, independently minded and implausibly courageous, with a
bitchy streak that (thankfully) never quits.
There is an element in Rogue One that will no doubt become
its controversial talking point, once the secret is fully out. Im
not going to spoil it here, other than to say it left me profoundly unsettled, queasy even. In years to come, it could be viewed
as one of those turning points for cinema, though I sincerely
hope not, because the tactic deployed evokes a moral quandary that should be abandoned immediately by Hollywood. One
could argue its a gimmick, but its a gimmick that goes way too
far. One shouldnt merely do things just because one can (are
you listening Donald Trump?). Yet maybe some people fans,
mainly will relish it and embrace it. But I think it shows a
lack of respect to actors everywhere and, for a few moments,
it turns Rogue One from basic popcorn fare into something
unspeakably, unnervingly creepy. l
Star Wars: Rogue One opens Friday at area theaters. Visit
Fandango.com.
33
LIZ LAUREN
Stage
Magical Moby
Visually and aurally enchanting, this is storytelling as magical dream.

Youve never seen Melville quite like this. By Kate Wingfield
OUD BE FORGIVEN FOR FEELING LIKE ITS TIME TO STICK A FORK IN

Moby Dick (HHHHH). With films, opera, a TV miniseries and, of course, a musical, when it comes to covering Melvilles classic, isnt this whale tale truly done?
In the case of the Lookingglass Theatre Companys production now at Arena Stage, the
answer is a resounding no.
Visually and aurally enchanting, this is storytelling as magical dream. Put simply,
you have never seen Melville quite like this.
Without giving away any of the loveliest surprises, suffice to say that, not unlike the
offerings of Synetic Theater, this is very much a work of physical theater. Blended with
the extraordinary eye of adapter and director David Catlin, music, sound, movement
and an artful quotient of aerial acrobatics draw us into a beautifully gloomy world
above and below the sea. In this telling, the watery depths are filled with mysterious
life natural, metaphorical, perhaps even supernatural.
But if there is a rich dose of melancholy and menace (as there should be with any
well-told fairy tale), Catlin lightens his tincture with a few clever moments of humor
and plenty of sailors jollity. The costumes of Sully Ratke are a powerful component of
these atmospheres: moving from appropriately austere early 19th century silhouettes
through an array of creative and Steampunkish riffs on the lines and looks of the day.
Its a sensibility that blends finally and fascinatingly with Catlins vision of Ahabs
confrontation with the whale. Think American Horror Story: Victorian Boudoir meets
high concept.
All this wonderment aside, there are two caveats. The first is a slightly slow start,
due to a mild lack of cohesion and a mildly incongruous Jamie Abelson as archetypal
newbie, Ishmael. Starting things off in narrative form, Abelsons job is to set the stage
of this young would-be sailor naively joining a whaling crew about whom he knows
34
nothing. But if he is clear and concise,

he also presents rather like the slightly-whiny new guy in the office, not really
the best entry to a piece that is all about the
atmosphere. Matter arent helped by some
accents among the incidental characters
that cant decide if theyre Irish, English
or deepest Revere. Even so, Abelson and
the ensemble as a whole soon meld into
the larger story told with pitch-perfect
pace and all is forgiven.
The second issue is a tougher call:
Christopher Donahues Ahab. Had this
been a bigger venue, his spasmodic pauses, athletic limping, and (random) searing madmans leers might have delivered
nicely to the nosebleed seats. In the intimate confines of Arenas Kreeger, this
Joe Cocker-meets-Ahab interpretation is
more likely to deliver just the nosebleed.
As interesting as it is, its just a bit too
much of a good thing.
Still, as a piece writ large and fantastical, even this over the top performance
largely works within its feverish vision,
not least because there is so much to balance it. As the super-skilled Polynesian
whale killer, Queequeg, Anthony Fleming
III is a complete scene-stealer. A beautiful
mover, his dream-dance over the sleeping
Ishmael is stunningly otherworldly and
the first indicator of the many treats in
store in the highly visual production. Vital
considering his enormous charisma, Fleming does an extraordinary job of walking the line between caricature and authenticity.
His man may be exotic as seen through early 19th century eyes,
but he is never a clich and never naive.
Also strong is Walter Owen Briggs as Starbuck. A rather
uneventful role in which Ahabs chief mate spends most of his
time bumming out over his captains obsession, there isnt much
to chew on. But Briggs not only looks the part of a strapping
seaman, he does a good job of expressing the angst of a man
who recognizes a suicide mission when he sees one. In his
smaller role as Father Mapple, the versatile Briggs is memorably
nuanced and charismatic, leading a powerful insight into the
deeply mystical world of this tight-knit community.
But when it comes to the artistic mystery of the piece, credit must go to the trio of women who deliver so much of the
atmosphere and iconography of the interpretation though song,
mime, movement and dramatization. Serving as local and symbolic women as well as a host of magically metaphorical embodiments, Kasey Foster, Cordelia Dewdney and Kelley Abell move
seamlessly through Catlins carefully choreographed and conceived story. Foster is particularly affecting as a widow, while
Dewdney makes for a wonderful whale. Finally, mention must
be made of Javen Ulambayar as the very credible crew-member
Mungun, for his visually stunning aerial interpretation of Sylvia
Hernandez-Distasis deeply affecting choreography.
This is all to say that if you thought there was nothing left to
say about Moby Dick, catch a ride on this bewitching Pequod
and be thoroughly and most wonderfully transported. l
Moby Dick plays through Dec. 24 in the Kreeger Theater at Arena
Stage, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.
35
JOAN MARCUS
Stage
Stripped Down
An unfussy, unpretentious, minimalist approach, Fiascos

Into The Woods is a journey well-worth taking By Doug Rule
OU KNOW WHAT THE FIASCO THEATERS STRIPPED-DOWN APPROACH

to Into The Woods is missing? A full-fledged pit orchestra. You might wish for a
little more musical oomph and flourish to enhance the shows by-now familiar
tunes, and the extraordinary, extended multi-song Prologue/Finale numbers bookending each act lose resonance without the typical multi-instrument accompaniment.
Still, its surprising how effective the 10-member Fiasco ensemble is at pulling double
duty, performing as supporting musicians off to the sides of the stage when not moving
around the Eisenhower Theater as actors. Music Director Evan Rees is the one musical
constant, a near-constant presence on upright piano though constant does not mean
stationary. Rees, too, moves all around, performing at a piano on wheels that doubles
as a key prop.
Actors doubling as musicians was the same approach taken by Once, the Tonywinning musical that played the Eisenhower last year. But Once is about a group of
musicians pursuing their dreams of writing and performing pop and folk music, so having the actors also play instruments makes intuitive sense. It doesnt for Into The Woods
(
), the musical co-written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine set in the
wild, verdant land of fairy tales, a place where classic characters dream of a better life.
And yet Fiasco makes it work, chiefly by sheer virtue of its actor-driven approach, in
which the score becomes just another tool in the actors toolbox.
Its an audacious approach, the upstart New York companys unfussy, unpretentious staging of Into The Woods. Fiasco directors Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld totally
rethink the musical from top to bottom. In addition to cutting the orchestra for a more
immediate, immersive musical approach, Whitney Lochers costumes are evocative,
whimsical and mostly unshowy. Its a minimal, stripped Into The Woods in all aspects
of design, right down to Derek McLanes bare bones, utilitarian set, featuring the kind
36
of items you might find in a grandparents

attic, as well as a backdrop of ropes and
images of musical notes.
And yet, you dont miss all the lavish
showboating. Fiasco was started a few
years ago by a young troupe of Ivy League
theater grads rebelling against the trend
of increasingly elaborate, extravagant and
expensive productions. Far more than
money can get lost in such high-cost, hightech escapist exercises in excess, something Fiasco set out to prove with a lessis-more, back-to-basics, actor-driven style.
The cast sets the scene even before the
show begins, walking the aisles to interact
with audience members as they take their
seats. And then the show simply starts as
the house lights dim and the ensemble
moves to the stage. No dramatic buildup,
no grand entrance, no pretense that this
is anything but a storytelling troupe with
a job to do. Who needs a Narrator in such
a situation? The actors simply take turns
stepping out of character to provide the
necessary context.
The ensemble is enthusiastic and dedicated, and ideally poised to lead the audience on an enlightening and revealing
journey, one in which the lyrics are as
front and center as theyve ever been.
Washington native Eleasha Gamble has
been a star of many local productions over
the years, and shes as commanding here in
JOAN MARCUS
the heartbreaking
role of the Bakers
Wife. Assured yet
vulnerable
and
earnest in the most
likable, least dogmatic way possible, Gamble is the
understated belle
of these woods.
Even with minimal costuming,
Vanessa Reseland
is almost unrecognizable in her presentation of the
two sides of the
Witch: the wicked,
hideous, elderly
hunchback who
seems almost as
frightened by her
appearance and demeanor as anyone else, and the ravishing
pre-curse beauty whose supreme self-confidence is almost
unbecoming.
Fiascos take illuminates minor details and nuances, not to
mention helping appreciate minor characters you likely had
barely even thought of before. Darick Pead takes on three,
wholly divergent
ones, for instance,
including a charmingly
agonized
Rapunzels Prince
and Florinda, one
of
Cinderellas
step-drag queens.
Yet he also adds a
touching and hilarious new dimension to another
traditional stock
character,
the
cow Milky White,
usually only portrayed as a prop.
Its the same
approach Fiasco
used for the dog
in Two Gentlemen
of Verona, but it
works to far greater effect here chiefly because Pead portrays
Milky White as a sensitive, sentient being, exhibiting as much
feeling as a cow can express.
Even if youve seen Into the Woods in one of its Broadway
incarnations, or at Signature, or in its screen incarnation, Fiascos
production is a journey well-worth taking again. l
Into The Woods runs to Jan. 8 at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $45 to $175.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
37
NightLife
Photography by
Ward Morrison
39
Scene
DrinksDragDJsEtc...
Thursday,
December 15
Prize Doors open 10pm,

21+ $5 Cover or free
with college ID
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection
Music videos featuring
DJ Wess
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm Strip
Down Thursdays Happy
Hour Shirtless guys
drink $2 off all drinks,
8-10pm Jock or underwear gets $2 off all drinks,
10pm-midnight No Cover
21+
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: Tops Down $6
Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3
Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm
Locker Room Thursday
Nights $3 Rail Drinks,
10pm-midnight, $5 Red
Bull and Frozen Virgin
Drinks DJs Sean Morris
and MadScience Best
Package Contest at midnight, hosted by BaNaka &
Kristina Kelly $200 Cash
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Ladies Drink Free Power
Hour, 4-5pm Shirtless
Thursday, 10-11pm DJs
BacK2bACk
Trades First Birthday - Wednesday, December 7

Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene
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
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
Closed for a private event
until 9pm Piano Bar,
9pm-close
TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
9pm Cover 21+
Friday,
December 16
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos with Jack Rayburn,
9:30pm Expanded craft
beer selection No Cover
off everything MidAtlantic Kennel Korps

(MAKK) on Club Bar
MAKK Trainer Social and
Puppy Mosh Dan Moe
Short Circuit in the
Annex 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
COBALT/30 DEGREES
All You Can Drink Happy
Hour $15 Rail and
Domestic, $21 Call &
Imports, 6-9pm Guys
Night Out $6 Grey Goose
all night Two 30-minute open bars featuring
Grey Goose, 11-11:30pm
and 1-1:30am DJ
MadScience upstairs
DJ Keenan Orr downstairs
$10 cover 10pm-close
21+
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Smirnoff, all flavors, all
night long Kylie Night
Videos: A Kylie Christmas,
featuring VJ Tre, 9pm-2am
21+
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
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
No Cover Friday Night

Piano with Chris, 7:30pm
SHAWS TAVERN
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 Rails and House Wines
& Half-Priced Pizzas Live
Magic, 8pm
SMITH PUBLIC TRUST
3514 12th St. NE
Washington, D.C. 20017
The QREW and allthebestkids present allthebestQREW: A Holiday
Collaboration! Live Benefit
concert, 8pm Live
music by allthebestkids,
Foster Carrots, and Selena
Bennally of More AM
than FM Dance Party,
10pm-3am All proceeds
benefit SMYAL $10
Cover
TOWN
Patio open 6pm DC Bear
Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm
$3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud
41
Bottles Free Pizza, 7pm

No cover before 9:30pm
21+ Drag Show starts
at 10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring
Miss Tatianna, ShiQueeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx
and BaNaka DJ Wess
upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk
downstairs following the
show GoGo Boys after
11pm Doors open at
10pm For those 21 and
over, $12 For those
18-20, $15 Club: 18+
Patio: 21+
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
normally served in a
cocktail glass served in a
huge glass for the same
price, 5-10pm Beer and
wine only $4 DJ Jeff
Prior, 10pm
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion Drag Show
with host Ella Fitzgerald
Doors at 9pm, Shows
at 11:30pm and 1:30am
DJ Don T. in Secrets
Cover 21+
42
Saturday,
December 17
9 1/2
drink, 2-9pm $5 Absolut
& Titos, $3 Miller Lite
after 9pm Expanded craft
beer selection No Cover
Music videos featuring
various DJs
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:
Tops Down $6 Top Shelf,
Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3
Bud Light, 4-9pm LURe
Ladies Night Dance Party,
10pm-close Doors open
10pm $5 Cover 21+
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5:30pm
Leatherman of Color 2017
Contest, 6:30-8:30pm
Happy Hour, 8-10pm
$2 off everything Darryl
Wilson presents Delta 2.0,
10:30pm-5am Main Bar
and Exile $10 Cover
Tickets available online
and at door 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Drag Queen Broadway
Brunch, 10am-3pm
Starring Freddies
Broadway Babes Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Freddies
Follies Drag Show, 8-10pm,
hosted by Miss Destiny B.
Childs No Cover
GREEN LANTERN
Bacardi, all flavors, all
night long
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
Doors open 2pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
2-9pm $5 Absolut and
$5 Bulleit Bourbon
Jawbreaker, with Chord
Bezerra, 9:30pm $ Deep
Eddy and $2 Shot Specials,
11pm-12am
SHAWS TAVERN
Bottomless Mimosas,
10am-3pm Happy Hour,
5-7pm $3 Miller Lite, $4
Blue Moon, $5 Rails and
House Wines & Half-Priced
Pizzas Gay Mens Chorus
of Washington AfterConcert Party, 10:30pm

TOWN
Patio open 6pm DC
Rawhides host Town &
Country: Two-Step, Line
Dancing, Waltz and West
Coast Swing, $5 Cover to
stay all night Doors open
6:30pm, Lessons 7-8pm,
Open dance 8-10:30pm
DJs Adam Koussari-Amin,
Jeff Prior and Devon
Trotter present CTRL: 2016
GTFO Dance Party upstairs,
11pm-close Photobooth
by Kalorama Photography
and David Claypool DJ
Wess spins music and
video downstairs Drag
Show starts at 10:30pm
Hosted by Lena Lett and
featuring Tatianna, ShiQueeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx
and BaNaka GoGo Boys
after 11pm Doors open
10pm $12 Cover 21+
TRADE
Doors open 2pm Huge
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion Drag Show
with host Ella Fitzgerald
Doors at 9pm, Shows
at 11:30pm and 1:30am
DJ Don T. in Secrets
Cover 21+
Sunday,
December 18
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: Tops Down
$6 Top Shelf, Bottoms
Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light,
4-9pm Mid-Atlantic
All-American Goddess,
Goddess At-Large and
Gent DC Preliminaries, 8pm
Homowood Karaoke,
hosted by Robert Bise,
10pm-close 21+
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 12pm
off everything $2 Bud
and Bud Lite Draughts

all day and all night
Highwaymen TNT host
Sunday BBQ, only $10,
3-7pm No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Champagne Brunch
Buffet, 10am-3pm Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Karaoke,
8pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Mamas Trailer Park
Karaoke downstairs,
9:30pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
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 9:30pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
any drink, 2-9pm No
Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
& Half-Priced Pizzas 202

to You! Holiday Market,
4:30-8:30pm, Second Floor
5th Annual Shaws
Tavern Holiday Party and
Sing-Along, 6pm Open
Bar, 7-8pm
TRADE
Doors open 2pm Huge
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
9pm Cover 21+
Monday,
December 19
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES

Mister and Miss Cobalt
2017 Pageant Doors
open at 10pm Showtime
at 11:30pm $3 Skyy
Cocktails, $8 Skyy and Red
Bull $8 Long Islands
No Cover, 18+
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm
off everything Endless
Happy Hour prices to anyone in a DC Eagle T-Shirt
Monday Madness: Free
Pool All Night and Day
$1 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts all night No
Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Singles Night Karaoke,
8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long
Open Mic Night Karaoke,
9:30pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Texas Holdem
Poker, 8pm Dart Boards
NUMBER NINE
SHAWS TAVERN
and Half-Priced Pizzas
Trivia with Jeremy, 7:30pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
only $4
Tuesday,
December 20
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
DJ Honey Happy Hour:
Tops Down $6 Top Shelf,
Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud
Light, 4-9pm SIN Service
43
Industry Night, 10pm-close

$1 Rail Drinks all night
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Karaoke and
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
After 9pm, $3 Absolut,
Bulleit & Stella
SHAWS TAVERN
Half Priced Burgers &
Pizzas, 5pm-close $5
House Wines & Sam
Adams Drafts, 5pm-close
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
only $4
44
Wednesday,
December 21
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
$4 Stoli and Stoli Flavors
and Miller Lite all night
Wednesday Night Karaoke,
hosted by India Larelle
Houston, 10pm No Cover
21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm $6
Burgers Drag Bingo
Night, hosted by Ms.
Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm
Bingo prizes Karaoke,
10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
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
SHAWS TAVERN
and Half-Priced Pizzas
Piano Bar with Jill downstairs, 8pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Shirtless Night, 10-11pm,
12-12:30am Military
Night, no cover with
military ID DJ Don T. in
Secrets 9pm Cover
21+ l
45
LastWord.
People say the queerest things
to decide to come out they should feel supported by the authorities and that any
If someone wereabuse
would be tackled in the same way as it would be if it was
directed towards one of their black players.
UK Sports Minister TRACEY CROUCH, responding to comments made in October by Football Association Chairman
Greg Clarke advising gay footballers not to come out at this time. Reportedly, there are three FA players
who are considering coming out, and Crouch wanted to send an affirming message.
The ExxonMobil executive may be the greatest ally liberals have in the Cabinet for
their abortion and LGBT agendas.
Family Research Council President TONY PERKINS, complaining about Donald Trumps pick of ExxonMobil CEO
Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State. Tillerson previously served as president of the Boy Scouts of America,
where he reportedly urged the organization to accept openly gay youth.
If you think Im gay,

send your girlfriend over to my house
for the weekend and see what happens.
SHEMAR MOORE, star of Bounce Back and Criminal Minds in an interview with BET.com addressing rumors
that he is gay. Moore who also expressed his appreciation for his gay fan base and said he was
comfortable with his sexuality in the interview.
Rudolph is the parable of gay acceptance

that many of us always wanted and some of us didnt know we already had.
BRIAN MOYLAN, writing in Vulture about what he calls the gay subtext of the 1964 childrens Christmas special
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Moylan calls Rudolphs story a pre-Stonewall contemplation of the power
of coming out and embracing sexual minorities into society at large.
loved to perform at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ...

We would have But
the orchestra decided to join others determined
not to contribute economically to North
Carolina until the law is overturned.
BRETT ASSINK, executive director of the San Francisco Symphony, in a statement explaining the orchestras decision
not to perform in North Carolina because the anti-LGBT law HB 2 remains on the books.
46

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DECEMBER 15, 2016

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