CONTENTS

November 15 & 22, 2018 Volume 25 Issue 28

18 COMPOSING SUCCESS
The Congressional Chorus performs a piece this
weekend by one of the country’s hottest
up-and-coming composers.

By Randy Shulman

SOCIAL SPIRITS
Pia Carusone and Whit Kathner are shaking up the
world of cocktails with their high-end liquors and a
splash of progressive politics.

Interview by Doug Rule

Photography by Todd Franson
26
33 KILLER INSTINCT
Sexual tension permeates the true-crime tale of
Argentina’s most notorious serial killer in El Angel.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: METROCOOKING DC p.9 OUT ON THE TOWN p.13

CROSS-CULTURAL COMEDY: MAZ JOBRANI p.14 COMPOSING SUCCESS: CHRIS URQUIAGA p.18
COMMUNITY: HELPING HANDS p.21 THE FEED: BAD TRADE p.24 COVER STORY: SOCIAL SPIRITS p.26
FILM: EL ANGEL p.33 FILM: WIDOWS p.34 STAGE: BILLY ELLIOT & AS YOU LIKE IT p.35 NIGHTLIFE p.37
SCENE: HOUSE OF GARCON LOVE SEX PLAY BALL p.37 LISTINGS p.38 SCENE: SHAW’S TAVERN p.43
SCENE: NUMBER NINE p.45 LAST WORD p.46

Metro Weekly will not be publishing the week of Thanksgiving.

We wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday. See you on Nov. 29!
Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley
Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks
Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint Jack Daniel Cover Photography Todd Franson

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4 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Spotlight
MetroCooking DC
Cooking & Entertaining Show
B
OTH A HOLIDAY TREAT AND A SHOPPING PRE-
serve, “The Ultimate Foodie Outing” is the area’s big-
gest specialty food and culinary event. Emeril Lagasse
is the headliner at the James Beard Foundation Cooking Stage
at the 13th annual showcase also featuring Jacques Pepin,
Lidia Bastianich, Carla Hall, Bethenny Frankel, and many of
D.C’s best chefs, including Scott Drewno, Amy Brandwein,
Erik Bruner-Yang, Vikram Sunderam, and Michael Schlow.
Also on hand: 200 specialty food vendors, including a focused
Made in DC pavilion, a two-day Beer, Wine & Spirits section,
a BBQ Bash on Saturday and the 6th annual Grand Tasting
Pavilion with over 50 local restaurants on Sunday. New this
Hall and Pepin
year is a Holiday Gingerbread House Competition featuring
professional and amateur bakers. Saturday, Dec. 1, and Sunday,
Dec. 2, starting at 10 a.m. each day. Walter E. Washington
Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW. General admis-
sion tickets are priced at $21.50, and include admission to the
James Beard Cooking Stage and the Exhibitor Marketplace.
L’Academie de Cuisine cooking classes, Beer, Wine and Spirits
Garden, BBQ Bash and the Grand Tasting are special ticketed
events and sold separately. VIP ticket packages are available,
which will afford a backstage meet and greet with Lagasse,
Pepin, and Frankel plus access to additional ticketed special
events. Call 866-840-8822 or visit metrocookingdc.com.
NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 9
 Spotlight
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Craig Wallace returns for his third
year as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge
in Ford’s Theatre’s cherished annual
production of Dickens’ Yuletide clas-
sic. It really wouldn’t be Christmas
in Washington without this music-in-
fused adaptation, conceived by Michael
Wilson and directed by Michael Baron.
To Dec. 30. Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St.
NW. Tickets are $24 to $107. Call 800-
982-2787 or visit fordstheatre.org.

NICOLE BYER
A comedic performer and writer
known from her podcast Why Won’t
You Date Me as well as from Fox’s
short-lived sketch show Party Over
Here, Byer was also a guest judge
during an episode of this year’s
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Netflix
subscribers, of course, know her as
the quirky host from that quirki-
est of bake-off competitions — the
streaming platform’s wry Nailed It.
Byer comes to town for two nights

WILLIAM MORRIS ENTERTAINMENT

immediately after Thanksgiving.
Friday, Nov. 23, and Saturday,
Nov. 24, at 7 and 9 p.m. Drafthouse
Comedy, 1100 13th St. NW. Tickets
are $20. Call 202-750-6411 or visit
drafthousecomedy.com.

AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA:

A VERY SILLY VAUDEVILLE
Broadway tapping duo Mary Michael Patterson
and Cary Tedder guide you through APO’s mod-
ern take on classic American vaudeville acts of
yesteryear. Led by the orchestra’s Luke Frazier,
the program also features musical theater per-
formers Sam Hamashima and Hilary Morrow
and is touted as one filled with “magic, danc-
ing, singing, and lots of audience engagement.”
Saturday, Nov. 17, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Molly
Smith Study at the Mead Center for American
Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets, remaining only
for the 11 a.m. performance, are $17 to $32. Call
202-488-3300 or visit theamericanpops.org.

10 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 Spotlight
THE AGITATORS
A look at the 45-year friendship and occasion-
al rivalry between two great, rebellious, and
flawed American icons: Susan B. Anthony and
Frederick Douglass. KenYatta Rogers directs
Marni Penning as the pioneering women’s suf-
fragist and Ro Boddie as the famed orator and
abolitionist in Mat Smart’s play that shows how
the two met as young activists in the 1840s and
went on to help shape the course of American
history. Produced by Mosaic Theatre. To Nov.
24. Lang Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts
STAN BAROUH.

Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $50 to $65.

Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

CHARLINE VON HEYL: SNAKE EYES

More than 30 large-scale works from the influential German contempo-
rary painter are on display at the Hirshhorn Museum in what is heralded
as her largest U.S.
museum survey. Part
of a major multina-
tional exhibition,
Snake Eyes high-
lights von Heyl’s
groundbreaking
abstract output since
2005, with recent
works pointing to
new developments
in her constantly
evolving practice.
Now to Feb. 24.
Hirshhorn Museum,
Independence
Avenue and Seventh
Street SW. Call 202-
633-1000 or visit hir-
shhorn.si.edu.

GAY MEN’S CHORUS

OF WASHINGTON:
THE BEST WORST THING
The first concert of GMCW’s new season, with
the theme “Let Freedom Sing,” the cabaret
explores the notion that every bad experience
has a silver lining. The organization’s artistic
director Thea Kano guides 15 soloists from
the chorus as they share their personal stories
while singing songs from pop and Broadway,
including “Someone Like You,” “I’m Here,”
“Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered,” and
“You Could Drive A Person Crazy.” Saturday,
Nov. 17, at 5 and 8 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts
Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $39. Call
202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 11

 Out On The Town

MUSE
The conservative, reactionary, and incendiary tenor of today’s political climate inspired the eighth album from this sludgy,
synthy hard-rocking trio from the U.K. And yet, despite track titles such as “The Dark Side” and “Pressure,” the new
Simulation Theory isn’t quite as dark as previous sets from the group, which was inspired by “lighter influences” — rela-
tively speaking, anyway — drawn from aspects and aesthetics of ’80s-era science fiction and pop culture. Muse will tour
the album, co-produced by Timbaland, as part of a similarly “fantasy becoming real”-themed stadium tour. Built around a
grand stage show, the tour also offers a Mixed Reality Pre-Show Party featuring three original virtual reality games inspired
by album tracks and powered by Microsoft. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, Nov. 16, at noon, for the April
2 show at Capital One Arena. Enhanced Experience Packages, ranging from $229 to $339, include premium front row or
floor seats as well as access to the Mixed Reality Pre-Show Party. Presented by I.M.P. Productions. Call 202-628-3200 or
impconcerts.com/event/1785984-muse-washington.

Compiled by Doug Rule
FILM
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE 40TH
ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS
It’s hard to believe that it’s already
been four decades since we first
believed a man could fly. In 1978,
Richard Donner’s film ushered
in a new genre of movie, one in
which superheroes convincingly
leapt, in a single bound, from the
comic book pages to super-epic
cinema. Superman the Movie lum-
bers a bit (the sequel was more
action-packed), but it benefits
from a gorgeously stoic title per-
formance by Christopher Reed and
Gene Hackman’s scene-munching
Lex Luthor. The special effects
were magical, and the nightflight
between Superman and Lois Lane
(Margot Kidder) is pure magic, and
is punctuated by a jaw-dropping
scene on a balcony. The score by
John Williams is nothing short of
profound, and oh, those swoop-
ing opening credits. With Marlon
Brando, Valerie Perrine, Glenn
Ford, and Ned Beatty. Fathom will
be showing the original theatrical
version. Sunday, Nov. 25, at 3 p.m.,
Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 3 and 7 p.m.,
and Monday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. Area
theaters including Regal Gallery
Place (701 7th St. NW), Potomac
Yards Stadium (3575 Jefferson
Davis Highway), and Ballston
Common (671 N. Glebe Rd.). Visit
fathomevents.com.
THE BIG SLEEP
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
made the big screen sizzle in this
1946 noir classic from the mighty
Howard Hawks. Based on a novel
by Raymond Chandler. Part of the
Capital Classics series at Landmark’s
West End Cinema. Wednesday, Nov.
21, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m., 2301
M St. NW. Happy hour from 4 to
6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $12.50.
Call 202-534-1907 or visit landmark-
theatres.com.
STAGE
ACTUALLY
What begins as a casual college
hookup turns into a Title IX hear-
ing in which both students have
everything to lose in Anna Ziegler’s
provocative new play about sexual
consent and gender and race politics.
Jaysen Wright (Wig Out!) and Sylvia
Kates star in a Theater J production
directed by Johanna Gruenhut and
presented in the Arena Stage com-
plex while the company’s home, the
Edlavitch DCJCC, undergoes exten-
sive renovations. Closes Sunday,
Nov. 18. Kogod Cradle in Mead
Center for American Theater, 1101
6th St. SW. Call 202-777-3210 or visit
theaterj.org.
ALL SAVE ONE
The secret lives of Hollywood circa
1950 gets explored in a world pre-
miere from area playwright Greg
Jones Ellis and the Washington
Stage Guild. Bill Largess stars as
a famous British playwright strug-
gling with a screenplay, Laura
Giannarelli plays his distracted
actress wife, and R. Scott Williams
his longtime, acid-tongued “secre-
tary.” By turns darkly funny and
emotionally powerful, the come-
dy drama is directed by the Stage
Guild’s artistic associate Carl
Randolph. Previews begin Nov. 15.
Opens Sunday, Nov. 19. Undercroft
Theatre of Mount Vernon
United Methodist Church, 900
Massachusetts Ave. NW. Call 240-
582-0050 or visit stageguild.org.
AN INSPECTOR CALLS
A festive evening at the home of a
well-heeled British family is sud-
denly punctured by a visit from a
grim inspector investigating the
death of a young woman that pro-
ceeds to upend their comfortable
lives. Acclaimed stage and film

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 13


PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS
CROSS-CULTURAL COMEDY
Comedian Maz Jobrani is back with a fresh take on being an
immigrant in Trump’s America.
I
N HIS 2017 NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL IMMIGRANT, RECORDED
live at the Kennedy Center, Maz Jobrani does a great bit about rushing down
to LAX to join the protests when the Trump administration first announced
its travel ban. Despite a run-in with riot police, he’d do it all again.
“It felt really good to go to that travel ban protest,” Jobrani says. “I would go to
another protest in the blink of an eye.”
The proud immigrant from Iran was eager to exercise his civil liberties as an
American citizen, and while he later enjoyed exercising his right to joke about
it, Jobrani takes seriously the right of the people to raise their voices in protest.
“I’m always very proud of people that go out and do it,” he says, alluding to the
No One Is Above the Law demonstrations that were being held nationwide that
very afternoon.
Best known for his standup specials and a role on the CBS sitcom Superior
Donuts, Jobrani puts his passion for politics into his quick-witted comedy, which
also mines his cross-cultural experiences as the Persian dad of two all-American
kids with his Indian wife. An outspoken LGBTQ ally, Jobrani also puts his com-
mitment to equal rights in his act.
“I do it because I am someone who came from Iran to America at a young age
and I know that, about a year or two in, the hostage crisis happened and I remem-
ber being picked on,” he says. “They would call you back then ‘Fucking Iranian.’
“And so, I’ve always felt a tie with people who are persecuted just for whatever
their background might be. Whether that’s a racial thing, or an ethnic thing, or a
religious thing, or a sexual thing, I’m always on the side of those that get perse-
cuted for no reason.”
Jobrani has honed his cultural sensitivity into sharp humor meant to shake up
the close-minded. “I mean, it’s just stupid to me that people say, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t
get married because you’re gay.’ It used to be, ‘You shouldn’t marry because you’re
black and they’re white.’ Who are you to judge somebody else? They’re not affect-
ing you. So, yeah, it actually gets me upset, and then I go, ‘If I could find a funny
way into this, then we’ll be in good shape.’” —André Hereford
Maz Jobrani performs Friday, Nov. 16, at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Tickets are $29 to $125. Call 202-467-4600 or visit Kennedy-Center.org.
14 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) returns to J.B.
Priestley’s chilling drama, which he first helmed in
1992 at London’s National Theatre, for a Shakespeare
Theatre Company production starring Liam Brennan as
Inspector Goole and Christine Kavanagh, Jeff Harmer,
Lianne Harvey, and Hamish Riddle as the Birling fam-
ily. Previews begin Tuesday, Nov. 20. Runs to Dec. 23.
Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Call 202-547-1122
or visit shakespearetheatre.org.
CITIZEN: AN AMERICAN LYRIC
Shirley Jo Finney directs Stephen Sachs’ stage adapta-
tion of Claudia Rankine’s acclaimed book of poetry about
the everyday racism endured by African Americans.
Presented by the University of Maryland School of
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, Citizen: An
American Lyric is billed as a “searingly provocative
meditation on race in America [and] fast-moving, fluid
theater at the speed of thought.” Remaining performanc-
es Thursday, Nov. 15, and Friday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
Kogod Theatre in the Clarice, University Boulevard and
Stadium Drive. College Park. Tickets are $10 to $25. Call
301-405-ARTS or visit theclarice.umd.edu.
CRY IT OUT
Studio Theatre presents Molly Smith Metzler’s candid
comedy about the tinderbox of parenthood and class in
today’s culture. Emjoy Gavino plays Jesse, a corporate
lawyer, who befriends her working class neighbor Lina
(Dina Thomas) while both are marooned at home on
maternity leave. A wealthy couple from the neighbor-
hood, played by Paolo Andino and Tessa Klein, intrudes
on a naptime coffee date between the new mothers,
pushing Cry It Out toward a dramatic climax. Directed
by Joanie Schultz. To Dec. 16. Milton Theatre, 14th & P
Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.
FANCY NANCY’S
SPLENDIFEROUS CHRISTMAS
Nancy has enough money to buy a brand-new spar-
kly tree topper, but when things don’t turn out as
she planned, will Christmas still be splendiferous?
Adventure Theatre MTC presents a musical geared
toward younger audiences. Stevie Zimmerman directs.
Opens Friday, Nov. 16. To Jan. 6. 7300 MacArthur Blvd.,
Glen Echo Park. Call 301-634-2270 or visit adventuret-
heatre-mtc.org.
INDECENT
Paula Vogel won a Pulitzer Prize twenty years ago with
How I Learned To Drive, but only last year marked
the D.C.-born veteran playwright’s debut on Broadway
with this drama. The story of the courageous artists
who risked their careers to perform Sholem Asch’s God
of Vengeance on Broadway in 1923 — a work deemed
“indecent” for tackling then-taboo themes of censorship,
immigration, and anti-Semitism — comes to D.C. by
way of a co-production from Arena Stage with Kansas
City Repertory and Baltimore Center Stage. Eric Rosen
directs a cast starring Ben Cherry, Susan Lynskey, John
Milosich, Victor Raider-Wexler, Susan Rome, Emily
Shackelford, Maryn Shaw, Alexander Sovronsky, Ethan
Watermeier, and Max Wolkowitz. Previews begin Nov.
23. To Dec. 30. Kreeger Theater in the Mead Center for
American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300
or visit arenastage.org.
KING JOHN
He may be king, but unlike his older brother Richard
the Lionheart, John has no stirring nickname or truly
loyal following, with everyone from the Pope to his own
court seeming to think his crown is up for grabs. Aaron
Posner directs a rarely staged but timely history play by
Shakespeare about a toxic era of secret deals, threats
of mass destruction, and shifting loyalties (what a dif-
ference 800 years doesn’t always make). Brian Dykstra
plays the King in a gender-bending production that also
features Kate Eastwood Norris as Philip Faulconbridge,
Holly Twyford as Lady Faulconbridge, and Megan
 Ella Fitzgerald. Salvant returns for
the D.C. premiere of an original
song cycle arranged and conducted
by Darcy James Argue in perfor-
mance with a 13-piece ensemble.
Ogresse is a fairytale-like journey,
through song and narrative, of a
female ogre who falls in love with
a man. Or as Salvant sings, of “a
woman [who] lived in the woods on
the outskirts of town; her skin was
chocolate brown; upon her head
she wore a crown of bones.” The
Kennedy Center co-commissioned
the work and presents it as part of
its jazz season as well as the Voices
series overseen by Renée Fleming,
who calls Salvant “a brilliant pro-
grammer of song, truly a curator
of art song.” Saturday, Nov. 17, at
7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace
Theater. Tickets are $40 to $50.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kenne-
dy-center.org.
ROY COX
JAZZY BLU
Launched a dozen years ago in
D.C. by drummer Dominic “Nikk”
Taylor, this jazzy neo-soul band
from D.C. has gone on to open
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC: for Mary J. Blige and shared the
BERNSTEIN CHORAL CELEBRATION stage with Chaka Khan, the O’Jays,
Babyface, and the Whispers, among
Stan Engebretson conducts Strathmore’s resident
others. A nine-piece act also fea-
orchestra along with the National Philharmonic turing bassist Larry Richardson,
Chorale, soloists Danielle Talamantes (pictured), guitarist Leslie Lee, saxophonist
soprano, and Brian Cheney, tenor, and the Strathmore Brent Birkhead, keyboardist Clay
Morrow, percussionist Mike Artis,
Children’s Chorus led by Michael Wu in a program and vocalists Keith Brown, Danielle
featuring selections from Mass, Candide, and West Hatchell, and Bridgette Haggins,
Side Story. The late, great legend’s exuberance, Jazzy Blu returns for another home-
town gig at Georgetown’s legendary
panache, and joyful celebration of life were at their
Blues Alley. Wednesday, Nov. 28, at
fullest display in his choral music, infusing his sacred 8 and 10 p.m. 1073 Wisconsin Ave.
and secular choral works with drama, pathos, and NW. Tickets are $22, plus $12 min-
unfailing theatricality. Selections including “Almighty imum purchase. Call 202-337-4141
or visit bluesalley.com.
Father” and “Simple Song” from the extravagant
Mass, “The Best of All Possible Worlds” and “Make JEFFREY HIGGINS:
Our Garden Grow” from the whimsical Candide, and A DEAFENING SOUND
Three years ago, Higgins was
“Tonight” and “One Hand, One Heart” from the pas-
fired from a singing job in the
sionate West Side Story. Saturday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. Archdiocese of Washington simply
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, for being a gay, married man. The
North Bethesda. Tickets are $28 to $76. Call 301-581- Rainbow Theatre Project presents a
cabaret directed and performed by
5100 or visit strathmore.org. Higgins, marking his return to the
musical world, using music from
several genres to weave a deeply
personal story of shame, depres-
Graves as Arthur and Prince Henry. Jonathan Del Palmer. Closes sion, love, and resilience. Friday,
To Dec. 2. Folger Theatre, 201 East Sunday, Nov. 18. Lab Theatre II in Nov. 23, and Saturday, Nov. 24, at
Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $42 to the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m. District of Columbia Arts
$79. Call 202-544-7077 or visit fol- 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $19.99 to Center, 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets
ger.edu. $29.99. Call 202-399-7993 or visit are $35. Call 202-462-7833 or visit
atlasarts.org. rainbowtheatreproject.org.
SING TO ME NOW
MAGGIE ROSE
MUSIC
Iris Dauterman weaves sardonic
humor, poetry, and a deeply con- Originally from Potomac, Maryland,
temporary voice to create a come- this young power-piped sing-
dy about Calliope, the Greek Muse CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT: er-songwriter got an early career
of Epic Poetry, and the value in OGRESSE boost when she was one of CMT’s
fighting for beauty while the A quirky, sophisticated and soulful “Next Women of Country” in 2016.
world is falling apart. Directed by jazz vocalist, the New York Times has (Not to be confused with the simi-
Jenny McConnell Frederick, the heralded this 29-year-old classically larly fast-rising, folk/rock star with
Rorschach Theatre production fea- trained, Grammy-winning artist as a similar name, Maggie Rogers.)
tures Ian Armstrong, Tori Boutin, having the best chance of extend- Rose returns for a second year at
Desiree Chappelle, Erik Harrison, ing the lineage of the Big Three: Wolf Trap’s intimate and indoor
Cam Magee, Chloe Mikala, and Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and venue the Barns to showcase her
16 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
blurring of lines between country,
pop, and rock, with shades of Aretha
Franklin, Grace Potter, and Janis
Joplin. Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m.
1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are
$22 to $27. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or
visit wolftrap.org.
RAC
A little over a decade ago, André
Allen Anjos launched the Remix
Artist Collective to help the remix
gain appreciation beyond the con-
fines of electronic/dance music and
nightclubs. Having accomplished
that goal, the Grammy-winning,
Portuguese-born remixer and
multi-instrumentalist then shifted
his focus to making breezy, bouncy
yet smart and sophisticated indie-
pop. “You’re more beautiful, when
you’re unusual,” the artist MNDR
sings on one of the best tracks
from Ego, his second full-length
artist album. A year after release,
Ego remains a subtly astounding,
inspired affair, starting off with
the sound of an orchestra warming
up and using symphonic or instru-
mental elements to tie together a
collection of melodious indie-pop
songs, as varied in mood as they
are in guest vocalists and artists
represented. The five-piece act
that includes wife Liz Anjos aka
the singer Pink Feathers, returns to
D.C. to play through its strong rep-
ertoire of should-be hits. Thursday,
Nov. 30. Doors at 10 p.m. U Street
Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets
are $25 to $30. Call 202-588-1880 or
visit ustreetmusichall.com.
RDGLDGRN
What this Reston, Va.-based band
lacks in vowels it makes up for with
music in consonance with the best
of pop. Pharrell Williams co-pro-
duced the song “Doing The Most”
from the colorful trio’s self-titled
2013 debut EP, and you can hear
his influence all over the band’s
output — specifically, Williams’
early hip-hop/pop production work
with the Neptunes and the punk/
pop tunes of his old band N.E.R.D.
Guitarist Marcus “Red” Parham,
bassist Andrei “Gold” Busuioceanu
and vocalist Pierre “Green”
Desrosiers were also inspired by
other D.C.- and Virginia-bred acts
in creating their band’s go-go-pro-
pelled punky pop sound, from Bad
Brains to Chuck Brown to Dave
Grohl. Oxymorrons, a New York-
based LGBTQ-supporting brother
act blurring the lines of hip-hop
and rock, open. Saturday, Nov. 24.
Doors at 7 p.m. Union Stage, 740
Water St. SW. Tickets are $20 to
$30. Call 877-987-6487 or visit
unionstage.com.
THE INSERIES:
OPERETTA WONDERLAND
Brian J. Shaw directs a cabaret fea-
turing century-old, waltz-inspired
street songs and soaring melodies
plucked from topsy-turvy operettas
written by one of America’s greatest
popular composers, Victor Herbert.
The InSeries program features
selections from Herbert operettas
including Sweethearts, Naughty
Marietta, The Enchantress, and
Babes in Toyland. Expect fanciful
visions of prima donnas, toy sol-
diers, and star-crossed lovers — and,
for those who want to be immersed
in the proceedings, Cabaret Table
Seating right onstage. Wednesday,
Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec.
1, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 2, at
2 p.m. D.C. Scottish Rite Temple,
2800 16th St. NW. Tickets are $20
to $45. Call 202-204-7763 or visit
inseries.org.
WASHINGTON PERFORMING
ARTS GOSPEL CHOIR: A GOSPEL
THANKSGIVING
The Men & Women of the Gospel
Choir, led by Theodore Thorpe III,
perform “With A Grateful Heart,” a
seasonal concert showcasing a wide
range of repertoire and featuring
works by noted gospel composers
Phillip Carter, Patrick Lundy, and
Roderick Giles. Lundy and Giles
will perform with the Washington
Performing Arts choir along with
special guest soloist Thomas Allen.
Sunday Nov. 18, at 4:30 p.m. Duke
Ellington School of the Arts, 3500
R St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call
202-785-9727 or visit washington-
performingarts.org.
YASMINE HAMDAN
A personal, modern take on Arabic
pop from a Paris-based Lebanese
singer-songwriter who initially
emerged two decades ago as part of
Soapkills, an influential, indie/elec-
tronic band, one of the first of its
kind in the Middle East. A decade
ago, she teamed up with Mirwais,
the famed Music-era Madonna
producer, and released Arabology
under the alias Y.A.S. Hamdan
tours in support of her sophomore
solo set Al Jamilat (The Beautiful
Ones), which showcases her unique
Arabesque fusion of voice and
music, with melodies and lyrics
inspired by Middle Eastern folk
traditions and embellished with
contemporary Western pop styling
and instrumentation. Thursday,
Nov. 29. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The
Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets
are $17.25 to $39.75. Call 202-787-
1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.
READINGS
& LECTURES
CARLA HALL
The fan favorite of Bravo’s Top Chef
and former co-host of ABC’s The
Chew drops by the Union Market
Politics & Prose on the eve of her
appearance as a headliner at this
year’s MetroCooking DC. Hall is
touring, reading, and signing cop-
ies of “Soul Food: Everyday and
Celebration,” a new book tracing
soul food’s roots to Africa and the
Caribbean, sharing personal culi-
nary stories, and featuring 145 rec-
ipes that go well beyond barbeque
and mac and cheese — ranging from
black-eyed pea salad with hot sauce
vinaigrette to tomato pie with garlic
bread crust, sweet potato pudding
with clementines to coconut cream
layer cake. The ticketed event is
presented in partnership with the
Pineapple Collaborative. Friday,
Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. Politics & Prose
at Union Market, 1270 5th St. NE.
Call 202-544-4452 or visit poli-
tics-prose.com.
SARAH LEWIS
Photography — and art — as
a catalyst for social change.
That’s the central theme of a
#FreshTalk4Change event at the
National Museum of Women in the
Arts headlined by this Harvard pro-
fessor, who has promulgated her
PHOTO COUTESY OF MR BAKE
ideas via a popular TED talk and
her book “The Rise: Creativity, the
Gift of Failure, and the Search for
Biography.” In 2016, Lewis served
as guest editor of a landmark issue
of Aperture magazine in which
she distinguished between what
we see (vision) and what we fix
(justice), and proceeded to connect
the dots among visual literacy, cit-
izenship, and representational jus-
tice. An expert on art history and
MR. BAKE’S
African-American studies, Lewis BAKE IT LIKE BUDDY VIEWING PARTY
will expand on her ideas about The first cake Kareem Queeman made, back when
the power of photography, and in
particular the role of photojour-
he was a kid growing up in Harlem, was a Duncan
nalists and fine art photographers, Hines yellow. “It’s still one of my favorite cakes,” says
in today’s image-obsessed culture the 32-year-old local baker who has since graduated
through a discussion with Rhea L.
from store-bought box cakes, and now runs his own
Combs, the photography and film
curator at the National Museum custom cake business called, fittingly, Mr. Bake. This
of African American History and Saturday, Queeman will appear on Discovery Family’s
Culture. Sunday, Nov. 18, at 4:30 Bake It Like Buddy, a cake competition that pairs him
p.m. 5th Floor Performance Hall at
1250 New York Ave. NW. Although
with a family member in competition with another
advanced tickets are sold out, stand- baking duo, also related to one another. Queeman’s
by seats the day of may be available cousin is not as experienced as him, but, he points out,
for $25, including museum admis-
she’s “a quick learner.” To win, the pair must create a
sion before and Sunday Supper after
the talk. Call 202-783-5000 or visit “topsy turvy cake” that wows New Jersey Cake Boss
nmwa.org. Buddy Valastro. “It’s a whimsical cake,” Queeman
says of the Topsy Turvy. “It’s [multiple] tiers of cake,
ART & EXHIBITS each at a sharp angle, and they look like they’re going
to slide off of each other. And then decorate with a lot
AMERICANS of whimsical colors. We had four hours to bake and
November is Native American
Heritage Month, with Thanksgiving decorate it.” The episode was taped last February, and
also Native American Heritage Day. Queeman has had to keep silent about the results for
Anytime is a good time to visit the the past nine months. “I had to act like I didn’t even
Smithsonian’s National Museum of
do this show until we got the air date,” he says. “Now
the American Indian, though, and
this long-term exhibit showcasing I’m so excited for everyone to see it, even though I’m
nearly 350 objects and images —
from a Tomahawk missile to baking
like ‘Shoot, I already know what happened.’” The
episode airs on Discovery Family Saturday, Nov. 17, at
powder cans — demonstrating that
Native words, images, and prod- 9 p.m. Check local listings. Queeman will be hosting
a viewing party that night from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at
ucts are everywhere in American
life. And non-native citizens have The Allison House, 619 Allison St. NW. There will
always been fascinated, conflicted,
and profoundly shaped by their
be a meet and greet with the baker, as well as sam-
ples of award-winning desserts, wine pairings, and
relationship to American Indians.
Independence Avenue at 4th Street other spirits. Admission is free, but you must RSVP to
SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit
attend. Visit mrbakeoncakeboss.eventbrite.com.
nmai.si.edu.
NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 17
 BETWEEN ROCK
AND A HARD PLACE
Susan Calloway Fine Arts presents
a series of “Rock and Roll” oil paint-
ings by Mark Giaimo that go behind
the scenes to present intimate views
of the raucous and rowdy lives of
musicians, with a title alluding
to the artist’s struggle to build a
career in music and his eventual
shift towards painting. Giaimo’s still
lifes, genre scenes, and portraits are
accompanied by a curated selection
of photographic portraits of musi-
cians courtesy of Chris Murray,
director of Govinda Gallery. Closes
Saturday, Nov. 24. 1643 Wisconsin
Ave. NW. Call 202-965-4601 or visit
callowayart.com.

CONNECTING THREADS
Alexandria’s Del Ray Artisans
Gallery offers a display of members’
artwork featuring fiber and textiles
as a major component in construc-
tion and/or as a part of the subject
matter, conveying some sort of mes-
sage, emotion, or meaning beyond
the literal definition of the mate-
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

rials. Artists showcase the ways

COMPOSING SUCCESS
they manipulate fiber in ways both
traditional — such as knitting and
crocheting — and nontraditional
via mixed-media. To Nov. 25. 2704
Mount Vernon Ave. Call 703-731-
The Congressional Chorus performs a piece this weekend by one of the 8802 or visit thedelrayartisans.org.
country’s hottest up-and-coming composers. LAURA BERMAN:

B
CHROMATIC SPACE
LAME CHRIS URQUIAGA’S SUCCESSFUL CAREER ON HIS MOTHER. “WHEN I Inspired by “the vast landscape of
nothingness” that is the very middle
was seven years old, I didn’t really care much for practicing piano,” says the 27-year-old of Kansas, the unique monoprints
Maryland native. “My mom just put me in a room and made me practice. That was a pret- of this artist and professor at the
ty painstaking experience for me. I hated the fact that I couldn’t go outside and play.” In time, Kansas City Art Institute reflect
Urquiaga “developed a passion for performing music,” and eventually found himself at the presti- the slow and dramatic connections
between enormous spaces on and
gious Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. beyond our earth. Everything is
The composer — who has made a gradual move away from classical compositions and into pop related and nothing is identical in
— has been on an upward trajectory over the past few years, acknowledged as one of the indus- iterative prints of patterns and bold
colors, also informed by the artist’s
try’s more dazzling new talents. Not only is he a former Strathmore Artist-in-Residence, but last hometown of Barcelona, Spain. To
summer, he served as musical director for Signature Theatre’s cabaret, “Everything Elvis,” and Nov. 25. Long View Gallery, 1234
performed at the venerable Blues Alley. In 2011, he played at the 50th anniversary of the March on 9th St. NW. Call 202-232-4788 or
Washington for President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and John Lewis, and recently performed at a visit longviewgallery.com.

“Get Out the Vote” rally helmed by Senator Bernie Sanders at Bethesda Blues and Jazz. REFRAME YOUR FEAST:
This Sunday, the Congressional Chorus will perform “Dreams,” a piece Urquiaga wrote when RECYCLE REUSE
he was 19. It’s the centerpiece of a program entitled “Poets, Painters, and Dreams,” inspired by the Ziploc and Tupperware be gone:
The Kiln Club stuffs the Scope
works of Marc Chagall, Sara Teasdale, and Langston Hughes. “Dreams is a three-movement piece Gallery with pottery designed to
based on Hughes’ poetry,” says Urquiaga. “I chose these poems by Langston Hughes from the replace non-biodegradable plastic
Harlem Renaissance era because I thought they were very masterful, full of substance. The poems bags and containers. From covered
are related, as they talk about dreams and perseverance and the hardships of life.” Urquiaga will casserole dishes, bakers, and trays,
the reusable serveware on offer will
perform piano alongside a chamber ensemble and the full one-hundred voice chorus. help you “class up traditional hol-
Urquiaga, who has released two pop albums — I’m Here and Complete — calls his style of music iday hangovers while reducing the
a blend of pop with R&B and Latin influences, owing to his Brazilian and Peruvian heritage. In the paper and plastic along with fridge
overload.” Now to Dec. 2. Studio 19
classical music realm, however, he doesn’t “follow any particular genre or agenda — I just try to - Scope Gallery in Torpedo Factory
make my music very melodically driven.” Art Center, 105 North Union St.
The composer considers himself an ally of the LGBTQ community. “I’m very happy that there Alexandria. Free. Call 703-838-4565
is a greater sense of acceptance in our society of LGBT people,” he says. “What I think allies are or visit torpedofactory.org.

helping to do is to help make the LGBT community more part of the conversation, more part of WORLD PRESS
what looks like mainstream America. It’s something very important to me, as I have a big gay fan PHOTO EXHIBITION
base and I love them all.” —Randy Shulman While FotoDC takes off 2018 for “a
rebuilding year,” one of its affiliated
annual FotoWeekDC events con-
“Poets, Painters, and Dreams,” is Sunday, Nov. 18, at 4:30 p.m. at the Church of the Epiphany, 1317 tinues. The Dupont Underground
hosts a second annual exhibition
G St. NW. Tickets are $19 to $39. Call 202-347-2635 or visit congressionalchorus.org.

18 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

 LA FANTASY:
SWIMSUIT PARTY PART II
A swimsuit is always acceptable
on a packed, sweaty dance floor
no matter the season — and of
course in Miami anywhere, any-
time. For its next party, La Fantasy
Productions toasts the city and
its upcoming Circuit Festival, the
for-profit successor to the storied
White Party dance for charity, set
for Thanksgiving weekend. DJs
Anne Louise from Brazil and Jesus
Montanez from Mexico will pro-
vide the beats to soundtrack the
pretend pool/beach party at the
downtown club L8 Lounge. Friday,
Nov. 16, starting at 10 p.m. 727 15th
St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-
506-7006 or visit lafantasyproduc-
tions.com.
ABOVE & BEYOND
STAN BAROUH
A DRAG QUEEN CHRISTMAS:
THE NAUGHTY TOUR
This year, the queens from RuPaul’s
Drag Race aren’t trying to fool
Santa — or anyone — that they’re
ELF THE MUSICAL nice and ladylike. Murray & Peter
An orphan leaves the North Pole to find his true identi- presents another touring show
ty in this musical based on the 2003 Will Ferrell movie featuring contestants from VH1’s
hit series — Alyssa, Monet, Farrah,
and featuring songs by the team of composer Matthew
Latrice, Aja, Naomi, Raja, Trinity,
Sklar and lyricist Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer) and host Miz Cracker — one that
and a book by Thomas Meehan (Annie) and Bob Martin they promise will be “hilarious” and
(The Drowsy Chaperone). Olney Theatre presents a also for “all ages,” though they do
add “Warning: Adult comedy).” So,
holiday treat of a production with a powerhouse cast you know, you can’t say you weren’t
including Patricia Hurley, Kevin McAllister, Nova Y. warned. Sunday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m.
Payton, and Bobby Smith, plus David Schumpf in the Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW.
Tickets are $20 to $50. Call 202-
Ferrell role of Buddy. Directed by Michael J. Bobbitt
783-4000 or visit dragfans.com.
and choreographed by Tara Jeanne Vallee. To Jan. 6.
Mainstage, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. DAR CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE
Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org. For this 17th annual event, the
Daughters of the American
Revolution throws open the doors
to its headquarters and museum in
the historic Memorial Continental
featuring winners chosen by an
independent jury from more than
NIGHTLIFE Hall, with 31 period rooms depict-
ing scenes of early American life,
73,000 entrees submitted by more
than 4,000 photographers repre- HIGHLIGHTS some of which will festooned in
traditional holiday decorations.
senting 125 countries. The World
FLASH: CHUS & CEBALLOS The event includes caroling from
Press Photo and Lightscape foun-
Less than a week after another area choirs, the chance to win DAR
dations present the contest and
round of the exceedingly popular door prizes, a book drive to bene-
exhibition, which includes a retro-
gay party Flashy Sundays, the inti- fit local children, cookies, refresh-
spective of the Photos of the Year
mate, sharply designed nightclub ments, even a visit from Santa, plus
winners since 1955, the work of four
in the same block as Uproar plays the museum shop and DAR store
African Photojournalism Database
host once again to the transport- will be open for holiday gift shop-
photographers, the honorees of
ing sounds of Chus Esteban and ping. All that immediately across
the International Women’s Media
Pablo Ceballos. Together, the two the street from the Ellipse and the
Foundation’s Anja Niedringhaus
comprise one of the world’s best National Christmas Tree display.
Award, and images honoring the
progressive house acts. Truth be Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 5:30 to 8
work of Agence France-Presse
told, there’s something particularly p.m. 17th and D Streets NW. Free.
photographer Shah Marai. The
magical — even tribal — in the air Call 202-628-1776 or visit dar.org/
exhibition kicks off with an open-
whenever the gay-popular straight openhouse.
ing reception on Friday, Oct. 26,
from 6:30 to 10 p.m. and featur- Spaniards play the club. The duo
draws a notably mixed gay/straight GEORGETOWN GLOW 2018
ing three of the 2018 winners:
crowd as musically enthusiastic, Now in its fifth year, this light
Ronaldo Schemidt, honored with
engaged and distinct as they come, art exhibition presented by the
the Photograph of the Year, Ami
and that good energy and vibe often Georgetown Business Improvement
Vitale, 1st Prize for Nature Stories,
seems to further fuel duo’s fire. District features 10 displays by mul-
and David Becker, 1st Prize for Spot
Saturday, Nov. 17, at 10 p.m. 645 tidisciplinary artists. Billed as a way
News Stories. Through Nov. 25.
Florida Ave. NW. Tickets are $$20 to “reimagine the season of light,”
1500 19th St. NW. Tickets are $12 to
to $25. Call 202-827-8791 or visit the commissioned works, curated
$15, or $70 for opening reception.
flashdc.com. by Deirdre Ehlen MacWilliams,
Visit dupontunderground.org.
offer a high-tech modern contrast
20 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
with the surroundings of D.C.’s
oldest neighborhood — which
has been further illuminated by
the stringing of white lights on
street-facing buildings. The five-
week event includes a GLOW All
Night evening shopping and dining
extravaganza on Dec. 7, a Winter
Wonderland during the day on
Dec. 8, plus a Christmas Tree Farm
every weekend at the Ritz-Carlton
Georgetown’s Yard and regular
GLOW-inspired walking and food
tours led by several local tour com-
panies. In addition, the House of
Sweden offers its annual Swedish
Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, Dec.
1, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. GLOW kicks
off Saturday, Dec. 1, and runs every
night from 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan.
6. Visit GeorgetownGlowDC.com
for more information.
VIDA FITNESS: THANKSGIVING
EVE PRE-BURN OPEN HOUSE
“Enjoy your holiday feast guilt-free”
by squeezing in a work out on
Thanksgiving Eve at Vida. All day
long at all locations, the public is
free to use premier fitness equip-
ment and cardio machines as well
as try a Zumba, cycling or HIIT
class. The promotion is part of a
“Come 20 Times” campaign offer-
ing members who visit Vida fre-
quently between now and Dec. 15
the chance to win prizes, everything
from a free month of membership
to fitness packages to gift cards to
partner businesses. In addition, all
Open House attendees receive pri-
ority access to “never-before-seen
Black Friday deals.” Wednesday,
Nov. 21. From 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. All
five Vida locations. RSVP at vidafit-
ness.com/thanksgiving.
ZOOLIGHTS/BREWLIGHTS
More than 500,000 colorful
Christmas lights illuminate life-
sized animal silhouettes, dancing
trees, buildings, and walkways, plus
a light show set to music. New at
ZooLights this year is a Gingerbread
Village, a magical land of frosted
cookies and lollipops, giant gin-
gerbread-people cutouts, and an
Instagram-ready gingerbread
throne, set in the Elephant Outpost
amongst food and holiday ven-
dors, plus a performance stage for
local school groups. Select animal
houses will be open, including the
Small Mammal House, the Great
Ape House and Reptile Discovery
Center. Thursday, Nov. 29, from 6
to 9 p.m., BrewLights offers snacks
and unlimited tastings from more
than 40 craft breweries — includ-
ing samples from Atlas, Denizens,
Flying Dog, Manor Hill, Port City,
Right Proper, the Bruery, and Union
Craft — plus exclusive access to sites
throughout the park. ZooLights
runs nightly starting Friday, Nov. 23,
except Dec. 24, 25, and 31 until Jan.
1. National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut
Ave. NW. Free. BrewLights tickets
are $50 to $60. Call 202-633-4800
or visit nationalzoo.si.edu. l
 Community
FRIDAY, NOV. 16
GAY DISTRICT, a group for
GBTQQI men between the ages
of 18-35, meets on the first and
third Fridays of each month.
8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
mation, visit gaydistrict.org.

The DC Center’s TRANS AND

GENDERQUEER GAME NIGHT
features board and card games
PHOTOCOURTESY OF FOOD & FRIENDS

and a chance to socialize with

other people from across the
LGBTQ spectrum. All welcome.
7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. Visit thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events

ANDROMEDA
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing and HIV
services (by appointment). 9

HELPING HANDS
a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center,
1400 Decatur St. NW. To
arrange an appointment, call
202-291-4707, or visit androm-
edatransculturalhealth.org.
There’s no shortage of opportunities for D.C. area residents
BET MISHPACHAH, founded
to lend their time and assistance. by members of the LGBT com-

L
munity, holds Friday evening
OOKING FOR A WAY TO FILL SOME FREE TIME AND GIVE BACK TO THE Shabbat services in the DC
community? Volunteering is a vital lifeline for many of the city’s most valued organi- Jewish Community Center’s
Community Room. 8 p.m. 1529
zations. “Volunteers are the heart of our organization,” says Beth Stewart, volunteer 16th St. NW. For more informa-
services manager at Food & Friends. “We cannot do what we do without them. We’re a staff tion, visit betmish.org.
of only about 54, and we send 3,000 meals out the door every single day.”
Food & Friends relies on volunteers to help prepare, sort, package, and deliver food to DC AQUATICS CLUB holds
a practice session at Howard
people with life-threatening or long-term illnesses. While help is necessary year-round, the University. 6:30-8 p.m. Burr
organization is in particular need of volunteers to assist in delivering special Thanksgiving Gymnasium, 2400 6th St. NW.
dinners to clients prior to and on the morning of the holiday. “Volunteers are the primary For more information, visit
swimdcac.org.
people preparing and packaging those meals under the direction of our chef team,” says
Stewart. “We can’t physically do the work without their support.” HIV TESTING at Whitman-
Similarly, the Capital Area Food Bank and DC Central Kitchen are always looking for Walker Health. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
people to sort and package food, which they provide to nonprofit partners, homeless shel- at 1525 14th St. NW. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000
ters, and schools. Both allow volunteers to sign up for shifts on their respective websites, or visit whitman-walker.org.
making it easy to fit volunteering into your schedule.
If you want to specifically help LGBTQ organizations, there’s an abundance of options. METROHEALTH CENTER
offers free, rapid HIV testing.
SMYAL’s Sharifa Love-Schnur says the LGBTQ youth advocacy organization has opportu- Appointment needed. 1012 14th
nities ranging from helping at events to serving as a youth mentor, which requires additional St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an
training and a background check. SMYAL typically holds quarterly orientations for volun- appointment, call 202-638-0750.
teers, with its next one in 2019. But the organization is currently seeking one-time volun-
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-
teers for an upcoming panel discussion on youth homelessness on Nov. 28 at the Verizon affirming social group for ages
Technology and Policy Center. 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia
The DC Center also holds quarterly orientations for people who want to work as support Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-
319-0422, layc-dc.org.
staff. The Center also holds a monthly volunteer night on the first Monday of every month,
and has a list of other one-time opportunities on its website. SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides
“We use volunteers for almost anything you can imagine,” says The Center’s executive a social atmosphere for LGBT
director, David Mariner. “We also have a number of group volunteer opportunities. So if you and questioning youth, featur-
ing dance parties, vogue nights,
pull together a group from your church, sports team, or friends, and want to make dinner for movies and games. For more
homeless youth, or make dinner for the Center’s asylum seekers group, or hang out with our info, email catherine.chu@
seniors, you can get involved in those activities as well.” —John Riley smyal.org.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing,

For more information on the above organizations, visit Food & Friends at foodandfriends.org, 3-6 p.m., by appointment
the Capital Area Food Bank at capitalareafoodbank.org, the DC Central Kitchen at dccentral- and walk-in, for youth 21 and
kitchen.org, SMYAL at smyal.org, and the DC Center at thedccenter.org. younger. Youth Center, 410 7th

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 21

 St. SE. 202-567-3155 or testing@
smyal.org.
SATURDAY, NOV. 17
ADVENTURING outdoors group
hikes several level miles between
Rosslyn, Va., and the new District
Wharf development on the
Southwest Waterfront. Bring
beverages, a snack, comfortable
walking shoes, and a $2 trip fee.
Meet at Rosslyn Metro Station at 10
a.m. For more information, contact
Elaine, 215-510-6121 or visit adven-
turing.org.
ADVENTURING outdoors group
celebrates National Take a Hike
Day with a strenuous outing in
Shenandoah National Park. Circuit
route will be 10.4 miles long, with
2100 feet of elevation gain and five
stream crossings. Suitable only for
experienced hikers in good aerobic
shape. Bring beverages, lunch, stur-
dy, waterproof boots, about $20
for fees, and money for dinner on
the way home. Carpool at 8:30 a.m.
from the East Falls Church Metro
Kiss & Ride lot. Return after dark.
Contact Jeff, 301-775-9660, or visit
adventuring.org.
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group
holds bi-monthly potluck social in
the party room of a co-op building
near Washington Circle. Plans for
early winter museum visits and
out-of-town excursions will be dis-
cussed. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. For
food coordination and directions,
contact Kevin, 571-338-1433 or
kgiles27@gmail.com.
KHUSH DC, a support group
for LGBTQ South Asians, hosts
a monthly meeting at The DC
Center. 1:30-3:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more informa-
tion, visit facebook.com/khushdc.
The DC Center hosts a month-
ly 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 thedc-
center.org.
The DC Center holds a meeting of
its LGBTQ PEOPLE OF COLOR
SUPPORT GROUP, facilitated by
Dakia Davis. 1-3 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more informa-
tion, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-
tice session at Montgomery College
Aquatics Club. 8:30-10 a.m. 7600
Takoma Ave., Takoma, Md. For more
information, visit swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes run-
ners of all ability levels for exercise
in a fun and supportive environ-
22 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
ment, with socializing afterward.
Route distance will be 3-6 miles.
Walker meet at 9:30 a.m. and run-
ners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets
NW. For more information, visit
dcfrontrunners.org.
DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for
LGBT community, family and
friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel
Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary
Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For
more info, visit dignitynova.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confiden-
tial HIV testing at its Takoma Park
location. Walk-ins accepted from
12-3 p.m., by appointment for all
other hours. 7676 New Hampshire
Ave., Suite 411, Takoma Park, Md. To
set up an appointment or for more
information, call 301-422-2398.
SUNDAY, NOV. 18
ADVENTURING outdoors group
hikes 6 moderate miles with 700
feet of elevation gain in Gambrill
State Park overlooking Frederick,
Md., followed by a visit to a
nearby cidery. Bring beverages,
lunch or snacks, sturdy boots,
and about $12 for transportation,
trip, and cidery admission fees.
Attendance is limited, so you
must RSVP in advance. Carpool
from the Grosvenor-Strathmore
Metro Station at 9:30 a.m. Contact
Jackson, 410-422-9257 or visit
meetup.com/Adventuring-LGBTQ-
Outdoors-Club.
Volunteers are needed to help
with CASA RUBY’S MONTHLY
DINNER. Held on the third Sunday
of each month, in conjunction with
The DC Center, the event provides
a hot meal to those housed at Casa
Ruby. Homemade or store bought
meals welcome. 7-8 p.m. Casa Ruby
Shelter, 1216 Kennedy St. NW. For
more information, contact lamar@
thedccenter.org, jon@thedccenter.
org, or visit casaruby.org.
Weekly Events
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a
practice session at Wilson Aquatic
Center. 9:30-11 a.m. 4551 Fort Dr.
NW. For more information, visit
swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes run-
ners of all ability levels for exercise
in a fun and supportive environ-
ment, with socializing afterward.
Route will be a distance run of 8, 10
or 12 miles. Meet at 9 a.m. at 23rd
& P Streets NW. For more informa-
tion, visit dcfrontrunners.org.
HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT
GROUP for gay men living in the
DC metro area. This group will be
meeting once a month. For infor-
mation on location and time, visit
H2gether.com.
MONDAY, NOV. 19
Join GLAA, a local LGBTQ advo-
cacy organization focused on
promoting pro-LGBTQ policies,
for its monthly meeting and annual
officer elections. 7-8:30 p.m. The
DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information,
visit glaa.org.
The Metro D.C. chapter of PFLAG,
a support group for parents, family
members and allies of the LGBTQ
community, holds its monthly meet-
ing at The DC Center. 7-9 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
TUESDAY, NOV. 20
CENTER BI, a group of The DC
Center, hosts a monthly roundtable
discussion around issues of bisex-
uality. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. Visit thedccenter.org.
Join members of the greater D.C.
community as they commemorate
the 18th annual TRANSGENDER
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE,
memorializing those who have
been killed due to anti-trans-
gender hatred. 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Metropolitan Community Church
of Washington, 474 Ridge St. NW.
For additional accommodations or
more information, email support-
desk@thedccenter.org.
Join the MoCo Pride Center
and members of the LGBTQ
community for the 8TH
ANNUAL MONTGOMERY
COUNTY TRANSGENDER
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND
RESILIENCE as they remember
those lives lost to transphobic vio-
lence. 7-9 p.m. VisArts, 155 Gibbs
St., Suite 300, Rockville, Md. For
more information, visit mocopride-
center.org.
People of Faith for Equality in
Virginia’s Northern Virginia
Chapter, the TransGender
Education Association,
Metropolitan Community
Church of Northern Virginia,
and the Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Fairfax host the
10TH ANNUAL NORTHERN
VIRGINIA INTERFAITH
SERVICE commemorating
the TRANSGENDER DAY
OF REMEMBRANCE. 7-8:30
p.m. Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Fairfax, 2709
Hunter Mill Rd., Oakton, Va. For
more information, call 703-281-
4230 or email uucf@uucf.org.
THE HEALTH WORKING GROUP
of The DC Center hosts a “Packing
Party,” where volunteers assemble
safe-sex kits of condoms and lube.
7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21
The TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL
BRIDGE CLUB meets for Social
Bridge at the Dignity Center, across
from the Marine Barracks. No
partner needed. 7:30 p.m. 721 8th
St. SE. Call 301-345-1571 for more
information.
THURSDAY, NOV. 22
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
The DC Center hosts a
THANKSGIVING DAY DINNER for
LGBTQ community members who
are alone or unable to travel home
for the holidays. Come join your
fellow community members for a
full dinner and afternoon of social-
izing. 1-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more info, call 202-
682-2245 or visit thedccenter.org.
FRIDAY, NOV. 23
GAMMA is a confidential, volun-
tary, peer-support group for men
who are gay, bisexual, questioning
and who are now or who have been
in a relationship with a woman.
7:30-9:30 p.m. Luther Place
Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont
Ave NW. GAMMA meetings are
also held in Vienna, Va., and in
Frederick, Md. For more informa-
tion, visit gammaindc.org.
The DC Center holds its CENTER
AGING MONTHLY LUNCH social
for members of D.C.’s senior com-
munity. Lunch is potluck — bring
your own dish to share. 12-2 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org or call 202-682-2245.
WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES
(AND THIRTIES), a social discus-
sion and activity group for queer
women, meets at The DC Center
on the second and fourth Friday of
each month. Group social activity
to follow the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org.
SATURDAY, NOV. 24
ADVENTURING outdoors group
takes a guided walking tour high-
lighting historic sites between the
Fort Totten and Petworth/Georgia
Avenue Metro Stations, including
well-preserved Civil War earth-
works at Fort Totten, Rock Creek
Church Cemetery, and President
Lincoln’s Cottage. Optional lunch
afterwards along Georgia Avenue.
Bring comfortable walking shoes,
water, snacks, and a $2 trip fee.
Meet at 10 a.m. inside the Fort
Totten Metro near the station atten-
dant’s kiosk. Contact Craig, 202-
462-0535 or visit adventuring.org.
Join The DC Center as it patroniz-
es local LGBTQ businesses as part
of SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY,
a national day dedicated to sup-
porting local, home-grown busi-
nesses in lieu of large chain stores,
in response to Black Friday. 12-5
p.m. Meet at the DC Center, 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105, at noon. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org.
SUNDAY, NOV. 25
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group
visits the National Gallery of art to
catch up with current exhibitions,
including Dutch Maritime Art
during the Golden Age, Corot’s
Women, and political humor in
art. Free. All welcome. Lunch in
the Gallery’s Cascades Cafe. Meet
at 11:30 a.m. in the lobby of the
Old West Building at 6th Street
and Constitution Avenue. Contact
Craig, 202-462-0535 or craighow-
ell1@verizon.net.
MONDAY, NOV. 26
THIS FREE LIFE, a campaign
aimed at encouraging youth to
live tobacco-free lifestyles, holds
a PAINT NITE event at The DC
Center. Bring your creativity and
imagination for painting! 7-9 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For
more information, visit thedccen-
ter.org.
TUESDAY, NOV. 27
GENDERQUEER DC, a support and
discussion group for people who
identify outside the gender binary,
meets at The DC Center on the
fourth Tuesday of every month.
7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 28
The LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meets
at the Dignity Center, across from
the Marine Barracks, for Duplicate
Bridge. No reservations needed.
Newcomers welcome. 7:30 p.m. 721
8th St. SE. Call 202-841-0279 if you
need a partner.
Weekly Events
AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-
versation, meets about 6-6:30 p.m.,
Steam, 17th and R NW. All wel-
come. For more information, call
Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing
and HIV services (by appointment).
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center, 1400
Decatur St. NW. To arrange an
appointment, call 202-291-4707,
or visit andromedatranscultural-
health.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)
holds a practice session at Dunbar
Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 101 N
St. NW. For more information, visit
swimdcac.org.
FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a
group for LGBT people looking
to quit cigarettes and tobacco use,
holds a weekly support meeting at
The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
mation, visit thedccenter.org.
HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH
offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.
and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.
Washington St., Alexandria. 703-
549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at 1525 14th
St. NW, and 9 a.m-12 p.m. and 1-5
p.m. at the Max Robinson Center,
2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000 or
visit whitman-walker.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confiden-
tial HIV testing at its Gaithersburg
location. Walk-ins accepted from
2-7 p.m., by appointment for all
other hours. 414 East Diamond
Ave., Gaithersburg, Md. To set up
an appointment or for more infor-
mation, call 301-300-9978.
JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-
gram for job entrants and seekers,
meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more info, centercareers.org.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers
free, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-
ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012
14th St. NW, Suite 700. For more
information, call 202-638-0750.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV
testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N.
15th St., Suite 200, Arlington.
Appointments: 703-789-4467.
STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at both 1525
14th St. NW and the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 Martin Luther King,
Jr. Ave. SE. Testing is intended for
those without symptoms. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000 or
visit whitman-walker.org.
WASHINGTON WETSKINS
WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9
p.m. Newcomers with at least basic
swimming ability always welcome.
Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van
Buren St. NW. For more informa-
tion, contact Tom, 703-299-0504
or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit
wetskins.org. l
NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 23
 theFeed
BAD TRADE
In firing Jeff Sessions for Matt Whitaker, Trump trades one anti-LGBTQ
zealot for another. By John Riley
T
HE DAY AFTER HIS PARTY LOST CONTROL
of the House of Representatives, President Trump
tried to change the discussion by firing Attorney
General Jeff Sessions and naming his chief of staff, Matthew
Whitaker, as interim attorney general.
Many critics have raised questions about whether Trump
is attempting to derail Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s
investigation — something Whitaker has previously called
a witch-hunt. Democrats fear that, with Whitaker now
in charge of Mueller’s investigation, the administration
will attempt to bury any of the special counsel’s findings
before Democrats take control of
the House in January.
It may even spark a constitu-
tional crisis if Trump fires Mueller
or Deputy Attorney General Rod
Rosenstein. Whitaker’s appoint-
ment is abnormal, given that
Rosenstein would normally have
assumed the office, and may
even be unconstitutional under
the Appointments Clause of the
U.S. Constitution, which requires
those that “principal officers” who
report directly to the president to
be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
But constitutional and ethical
issues aside, there are other, major
problems with Whitaker — a two-
time failed candidate for statewide
office in Iowa and a Bush-appointed U.S. Attorney for the
Southern District of Iowa. He has a troubling history of anti-
LGBTQ stances, one that leads many advocates to believe he
will continue Sessions’ push for policies or interpretations of
law that severely restrict LGBTQ people’s freedoms.
In short, Trump — self-professed “friend” to the LGBTQ
community — may have swapped one anti-LGBTQ zealot
for another.
Among Whitaker’s anti-LGBTQ moves include his work
as a volunteer attorney for the right-wing, anti-LGBTQ
legal organization First Liberty Institute, which supports
religious exemptions that could allow for discrimination
against LGBTQ people. In an interview with the organiza-
tion intended to tout his work on its behalf, Whitaker said:
“I have seen how an expanding government and a culture
dominated by non-Christian worldviews can encroach and
offend on the religious liberties of Bible-believing people.”
As part of his work for First Liberty Institute, Whitaker
defended Bob Eschliman, the former editor-in-chief of
Iowa’s Newton Daily News, after he was fired over a post on
his private blog criticizing LGBTQ activists for producing
24 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
the Queen James Bible, a revision of the King James Bible
that amended verses speaking out against homosexuality.
On the blog, Eschliman wrote that “the LGBTQXYZ
crowd and the Gaystapo” are trying to reword the Bible “to
make their sinful nature ‘right with God.’” Eschliman object-
ed to his firing, arguing that his employer discriminated
against him because of his Christian religious beliefs oppos-
ing homosexuality. The newspaper’s parent media company
eventually agreed to settle the case out of court.
“No one should be fired for simply expressing his reli-
gious beliefs,” Whitaker said at the time. “In America,
it is against the law to fire an
employee for expressing a reli-
gious belief in public. This kind
of religious intolerance by an
employer has no place in today’s
welcoming workforce.”
Outside of First Liberty
Institute, in both his legal career
and his political bids for office —
most notably for the U.S. Senate
seat from Iowa — Whitaker
has repeatedly gone on record
opposing LGBTQ rights.
In 2011, Whitaker appeared at
the Conservative Principles PAC
Conference, where he praised
leaders from the anti-LGBTQ
Family Research Council and
Whitaker
the National Organization for
Marriage as “a great group of culture warriors.”
During his 2014 bid for the Senate, Whitaker said that
he considers the marriage a “non-negotiable” issue. More
explicitly, he said that marriage is between one man and
one woman, and that then-President Barack Obama was
doing “significant damage” by supporting marriage rights for
same-sex couples, adding: “There will be an unbelievable,
long-term negative impact he’s leaving.”
Whitaker is also on record expressing support for a con-
stitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage during his
2014 campaign, according to the Sioux City Journal.
In addition, Whitaker opposed efforts to overturn the
military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, decrying it as a
form of social experimentation by saying: “I don’t want
to see our military treated as a petrie [sic] dish.” He also
expressed concerns over reports that military chaplains
were being disciplined for refusing to endorse homosexuali-
ty or perform same-sex marriages.
Most concerning, Whitaker believes that federal judges
should be asked if they are “people of faith” who have “a
biblical view of justice.” He also said that, were he elected
 theFeed
to the U.S. Senate, he would vote against judges that hold a
“secular worldview.”
During his time as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District
of Iowa, Whitaker was criticized by Democrats for what
they saw as a politically motivated investigation into wheth-
er openly gay Democratic Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy
was guilty of attempted extortion by allegedly threatening
to use his influence as a senator to force a business partner
to pay him $2,000. Some even questioned at the time if
Whitaker was intent on prosecuting McCoy because of anti-
gay bias. McCoy was eventually found not guilty by a jury.
Unsurprisingly, LGBTQ groups are slamming Whitaker’s
appointment to acting Attorney General.
Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD,
tweeted: “The new acting Attorney General Matthew
Whitaker becomes the latest in a long line of known anti-
LGBTQ activists who President Trump and Vice President
Pence place in positions of power.”
David Stacy, the director of governmental affairs at
the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement that
Whitaker’s appointment “signals that the anti-LGBTQ pol-
icies of Donald Trump, Mike Pence and Jeff Sessions will
continue unchecked and unabated.”
He continued: “Whitaker has made clear he is a com-
mitted ally to extreme right-wing activists who oppose
marriage equality, would block military service of qualified
LGBTQ people, and would define sex in an attempt to erase
all legal protections for LGBTQ Americans. With his his-
tory as a hardcore political operative and his views on the
Mueller investigation and executive power, installing him as
acting Attorney General threatens the rule of law and moves
our country one step closer to a constitutional crisis.”
Shannon Minter, the legal director of the National Center
for Lesbian Rights, says Whitaker “poses a grave threat to
the rule of law and civil rights for everyone but the wealthy
and privileged.” Minter calls Whitaker’s appointment
“appalling,” warning that if he remains in office, attacks
against LGBTQ legal protections are likely to escalate.
Already, on his first day in his new position as head of
the Department of Justice, Whitaker issued a new interim
rule that immigrants who illegally enter the country will
no longer be able to claim asylum. NCLR Policy Counsel
Tyrone Hanley notes that it could have detrimental effects
on LGBTQ immigrants who flee their home countries to
avoid persecution.
“President Trump’s plan would not only unlawfully limit
asylum but would rewrite the character of our nation. For
generations, America has been a refuge for those fleeing
persecution in their home countries,” Hanley said in a state-
ment.
“For many, asylum is a life and death matter. NCLR
has worked with hundreds of LGBTQ asylum seekers who
faced devastating physical and sexual violence in their
home countries at the hands of the people and systems that
should have protected them,” he added. “Trump’s plan to
refuse asylum seekers based on where they enter the U.S. is
not only cruel but will be a death sentence for many in our
community.” l
NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 25
 Pia Carusone and Whit Kathner are shaking up

Social
the world of cocktails with their high-end liquors
and a splash of progressive politics.

Spirits Interview by Doug Rule

Photography by Todd Franson

W
HEN IT OPENED ITS DOORS ON
Kentucky Derby Day in May of 2016, the
distillery Republic Restoratives did so with
remarkably little funding from established
banks. Initially refused loans, founders Pia
Carusone and Rachel Gardner turned to Indiegogo to become, in
effect, “the largest crowdfunded distillery in U.S. history.”
And that’s not Republic’s only — or even biggest — distinc-
tion.
“We’re one of the few spirits producers that are very, very
upfront about our values and our mission,” says Whit Kathner, a
company director and managing partner who helped launch the
business. Republic is explicitly women-and-queer-owned-and-
operated, and also proud to proclaim its progressive politics in a
way that is practically unheard of in the industry.
“With the election, a lot of spirits brands on Instagram would
say, ‘It doesn’t matter who you vote for — just go out and vote
and then we’ll all drink afterwards,’” says Kathner, a trans man
who identifies as queer. Republic took a more decidedly partisan
approach: who you vote for does matter. In fact, the distillery
gained national attention after launching a product named
Rodham Rye.
“We were really excited about the election of the first female
president of the United States,” Kathner says. “We got that
trademark and November [2016] happens, and on top of every-
thing else with our country, we said, ‘Remember that rye brand
we were about to launch? Oh no!’ We ended up keeping the
name, but we changed the brand story. Instead of it being a cel-
ebratory [Hillary] Clinton inauguration rye, we made it a tribute
to all the women whose shoulders we stand on — women who
fought to repeal prohibition, who fought for the right to vote,
who run for office, who start businesses.”
Having grown up as childhood friends in Saratoga Springs,
New York, Carusone and Gardner continued their bond as adults
living in opposite Washingtons — Gardner is based in Seattle —
chiefly through a mutual love of whiskey. They had even batted
around what Kathner jokingly calls the “crazy, hair-brained
idea” of opening a whiskey distillery long before circumstances
in Carusone’s political career compelled her to make a move and
take the distillery dream seriously.
And Kathner — who had already made a career out of two
previous left-field ideas from Carusone — was all too eager
to pounce on this one. “When two of your closest friends are
opening a whiskey distillery, you figure out a way to make your
irrelevant resume pertinent,” he says.
Today, with its prime location in the distilling-rich Ivy City
neighborhood, Republic Restoratives has become a key player in
D.C.’s thriving independent spirits community. It’s also a spon-
sor of DC Cocktail Week, an annual promotion of the Restaurant
Association of Metropolitan Washington that runs through this
Sunday, Nov. 18. Republic’s smooth, clean, corn-based Civic
Vodka factors into some of the cocktails on offer at participating
Cocktail Week venues around town, including City Winery,
with its Civic Sunset cocktail embellished with lemon juice and
rosemary simple syrup ($14 with a phyllo-encrusted bleu cheese
mousse amuse bouche), and at Wild Days in the Eaton Hotel

26 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 27
downtown, with its Burn Baby Burn concoction mixing in gin-
ger, Szechuan peppercorn, and lime ($14).
On a recent Friday afternoon, Carusone and Kathner led a
tour of the facility and a tasting of the spirits, including Borough
Bourbon and Chapman’s Apple Brandy. Naturally, we couldn’t
leave without a taste of Rodham Rye, a popular seller, partic-
ularly among women of a certain age. And yes, its namesake
— who was given two bottles, including Bottle One — has tried
the whiskey.
“Last time I saw Clinton,” Carusone says, “she said, ‘It’s actu-
ally good.’”
METRO WEEKLY: Let’s start with how the two of you met.
PIA CARUSONE: Can we tell the real story? We dated sisters.
WHIT KATHNER: For five years.
CARUSONE: For a long time. So we were more like in-laws. Those
relationships changed, but Whit and I remained very close, like
family. This was a long time ago. In another, far off land.
KATHNER: Yeah, like 2006 to 2011.
MW: Did you have any experience in the spirits or service industries
prior to this?
CARUSONE: No, not at all. I’m from a family of Republicans in
upstate New York. I graduated college in 2003, sort of the begin-
ning of the ‘04 election. Everything that I was interested in in
life sort of hinged on that election. So what does an out-of-work
recent college grad do when there’s a bunch of political cam-
paigns hiring? I thought, “I’ll give it a shot for a few months.”
And that was in the summer and fall of ‘03. I moved to New
Hampshire to work for Howard Dean — Governor Dean from
Vermont. Totally unintended, but that kind of set my career off.
I met a bunch of people, took the next job, and the next one and
it sort of evolved from there.
MW: Whit, I understand you were previously involved in politics,
also because of Pia.
KATHNER: One summer, in between semesters, I was living in
Boston, trying to find a job anywhere that wasn’t just a vol-
unteer job, and I went and visited Pia up in Manchester, New
Hampshire, where she was running a Congressional race. And
you know, late in the evening, when all of the brilliant ideas hap-
pen, she asked, “Do you want to work for the Obama campaign?
They’re doing this unpaid fellowship.” And I said, “Absolutely.”
So I moved and shacked up with Pia for six months, up in New
Hampshire, during the 2008 election.
After the election, I totally caught the bug. I loved it — the
political work and engaging with the community. Values-based
and mission-based work [where you] wake up every morn-
ing, go out and save the world. I managed a campaign in New
Hampshire while I was finishing my last semester of school.
Then I managed another race and then was deputy manager on
a federal race.
One thing I didn’t love about campaign work was this feeling
of building something that then goes away after Election Day.
That iterative process of starting from scratch. So I actually
moved down to D.C. after the 2010 election and got connected by
Pia with the Service Employees International Union. I ended up
working there for about five years [as] political director. But then
this conversation started to get more and more serious.
MW: I understand the conversation about Republic Restoratives
became more serious after Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was
shot in 2011. At the time, Pia, you were serving as her chief of staff.
CARUSONE: Yeah. The idea had come up prior to that, but until
that moment it was of one of these ideas that friends have that
come and go: Wouldn’t it be fun to do this? But you don’t do it.
28 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
But when everything happened with Congresswoman Giffords
is when I began to reevaluate my life. Everybody around her did.
And this idea of opening a business became more appealing, and
being able to transition off the Hill and out of politics entirely
also at that time was appealing.
In December of 2012, a year and a half after she was shot,
the Sandy Hook shooting happened. I was working at the
Department of Homeland Security at the time and Mark and
Gabby were like family — we talked all the time. They called and
said, “This is insane. We should do something.”
That became the impetus to start the organization Americans
for Responsible Solutions. I left DHS to be the executive director
and help them start it up. That was always going to be tempo-
rary. It was great and I still work with them a little bit, but that
wasn’t going to be a forever thing for me. And having left gov-
ernment, I could start to take a meeting about the distillery and
figure out, is this a thing that could become a reality?
Every distillery has its own challenges. For us in D.C., it’s
space. I think if we were looking today, I think we’d have a
much harder time finding a space. I don’t think we’d be able to
open. But at that point, we got lucky. We looked and looked and
looked — it was a saga, but the realtor that we were working
with knew the family that owned this building. It wasn’t for sale,
but it needed a total rehab. That’s how we got introduced to this
property.
MW: Let’s turn to your experiences as members of the LGBTQ com-
munity. When did you come out, and was that a challenge?
CARUSONE: I’m gay, and no, it wasn’t really a challenge. I haven’t
had the experiences that other people have had. It wasn’t all
sunshine and roses, clearly [with a Republican family]. But in the
end, they have been very supportive.
KATHNER: I had to come out four times. It was, “I’m gay” — that
seemed like it would just be easier [than] bisexuality...back in
1998. Then I said, “All right, no. I’m actually bi.” So I had to do
that. And then I transitioned. And then I said, “Yeah, Mom. So
now I’m just straight.” How easy is this? It’s so simple. And then,
“No, I’m not. I’m sorry. I’m still bi, but now I’m trans, too.” So I
got to come out to my mom four times. That was interesting. I
think the transition was the hardest. Parents kind of go through
the process of feeling like they’re losing a child. So that was real-
ly hard for her. There was a period of time, probably six months,
when it was really rocky. We weren’t in communication a lot.
But she has really, really come around and is super-supportive.
She couldn’t love my wife Heidi any more. She said that our
wedding was the greatest day of her life. Now things are really
straightened out in a very queer way.
MW: How long have you been together?
KATHNER: We’ve been together for five-and-a-half years now.
We actually met on a work trip in Miami as colleagues. We both
left thinking, “Man, I wish everything could be like that. That
was so awesome.” A couple of months later, she was living in
L.A. and work deployed me to L.A. randomly on a campaign for
six months. And they put me up 15 minutes from her house. So it
was a little bit of fate and a lot of luck. We just kind of fell head
over heels for each other real quick.
CARUSONE: We were living together when that happened. It was
the cutest thing ever! It was cute all the time.
MW: Pia, how long have you been with your wife?
CARUSONE: Leanne and I have been together four-and-a-half
years.
KATHNER: Last year, Rachel got married in March, I got married
in June, and Pia got married three weeks later in July. So we had
three distillery weddings last year.
 “WITH RODHAM RYE, YOU’D BE SURPRISED HOW MANY PEOPLE DON’T
PICK UP ON [HILLARY’S] MIDDLE NAME. OR THE FEMALE SYMBOL ON THE
LABEL. We’ll hear a lot of men say, ‘This is terrific rye.’ ‘Yep, it is,’ we’ll say,
and just leave it at that.” — Pia Carusone
MW: All here?
KATHNER: Not here. Actually, they were all in different coun-
tries. Mine was in Joshua Tree, Pia’s was in Berlin, and Rachel’s
was in Whistler. We’re like, “Cool. First 12 months in business,
we’re all just going to get married.”
CARUSONE: It was a little crazy.
MW: Years into the process, despite this not being something you
envisioned for yourself and your career, are you fulfilled by it?
CARUSONE: Oh, yeah. I think what drives me are challenges
and learning. If I look back on my career, the times I was the
most unhappy were the most stable and boring professionally.
So that’s why I was kind of addicted to campaigns. And even
working on the Hill with Gabby — we barely won that election
in 2010. It was just constant movement all the time. That’s what
I like about this work. We are not experts at this, we are learning
it. We’ve had a chance to do things differently than other peo-
ple because we have the freedom to try because we don’t have
generations of customs that we’ve had to watch out for. So abso-
lutely, it’s immensely challenging, but has been very rewarding.
MW: And you have been working on this together from the incep-
tion, right?
CARUSONE: Yeah. We were actually living together when this
whole thing started. And Whit was our first hire.
KATHNER: I had to interview four times. I actually really respect-
ed that. After the last interview, I told my wife, “Oh, my god. I
just don’t know what I’m going to do if I don’t get this job, I’m
going to be so bummed and dispirited.” And my wife had this
just sage wisdom on it: “Look, if you trust them enough to make
good business decisions that you would want to leave a totally
safe job to go to them, then trust that they’re going to make the
right business decision. If they don’t hire you, then it’s probably
for the best.” I thought, “That’s so true.” I don’t want to ruin my
friendships and my relationships because I ended up being the
wrong fit for the job.
MW: Have you had challenges being a minority — in any sense of
the word — in the business?
CARUSONE: The answer, for me, is basically no. Do I know that
we’re different? Yes. Do I feel that when we go to conferences?
For sure. It’s a very male-dominated industry. Keep in mind that
Whit and I interact in very different networks of people. In my
world, I’m interacting with a lot of vendors, producers — the
business of a distillery. I’m not face-to-face everyday with bar-
tenders and bottle shop owners the way Whit is. A lot of the peo-
ple that I’m doing business with are men who don’t live in a city
and they don’t really understand — we live different lives, clear-
ly. I know that for them, I’m probably one of very few female
owners that’s calling them over the course of a few weeks to buy
something from them. But it’s been fine for the most part. There
is for sure an old boys’ network, but it’s okay. I got through it.
KATHNER: Let’s be super-clear: I’m in the most privileged posi-
tion in the world. I present as a white, straight, Christian male
in America. My walking around life is very, very privileged and
comfortable. My life is really simple. I get to go into bathrooms
and feel totally comfortable. No one is ever going to say, “You
should be in the women’s room.” So I’m really fortunate in that
regard. At the same time, there’s this really interesting invisibili-
ty that comes for me on the day-to-day where people never, ever
assume that I’m trans, so I’ve got to be really vocal about that.
And that means having to have that conversation with people a
lot. Then they say, “Why would you want to be a woman?” “No,
no, no, no. I’m trans. I’ve already transitioned.” So it’s a really
interesting position to exist in in society, for me. Within this
industry, I can go in anywhere and I don’t present like what my
identity actually is.
It’s very difficult to speak on behalf of an entire community,
so this is my personal trans experience. But I’m not a guy — I’m a
trans man, I’m a trans guy. This is my lived experience. I have no
idea what it’s like to be raised as a cisgendered male in America
and how difficult it [can be].... I’ll tell you that transitioning has
made me a very intense feminist, because it’s really opened up
my eyes to the gender divide and the way that men get trained
to speak to each other and to speak and treat women. I think
it’s really important to be vocal about that — especially because
for so long, the definition of success in the trans community, at
least I felt, was “passing.” This idea of fitting into other people’s
expectations of how you should look and act and behave,
I remember studying the way that men comported them-
selves: All right, I should squint my eyes a little bit because
women have larger eyes than men’s eyes. And I should hold
myself like this and I should sit with my legs wide. All this stuff. I
can imagine that’s what guys are having indoctrinated into them
from a very young age. So for me, being upfront about this and
trying to give face and give voice to the trans community is so
important. So many people that I meet say, “You’re the first trans
person I’ve ever met.” I’m also like, but am I? Maybe not. Who
knows? Being upfront and vocal and very out is very important
to me.
MW: Do you miss being in politics? Do you ever feel like you want
to get back into it?
CARUSONE: No, not really. I really loved my time there. My net-
work is still very much connected. Do I miss it? Yes, but I also
miss something that doesn’t exist today, which is a better time
that’s just less rancorous and partisan. We said nothing got done
in 2010. Really nothing gets done now. My friends that work
there are miserable. So it’s not something I wish for.
One of the most rewarding, unintended consequences of this
business is that we’ve hosted a lot of events.... Once the word got
out about this place and who we were, we started getting lots of
calls and emails from organizations that we personally support
that are looking for a place to do their next annual meeting or
holiday dinner or whatnot. It’s turned into this steady stream of
people and organizations that we’re really excited to host here.
On all levels, [but] more community-based events and that fits in
with who we are.
MW: Have you declined requests from conservative organizations
or those that don’t share your progressive or LGBTQ values?
CARUSONE: We had CPAC last year reach out looking to host
their event here. We didn’t do that. There’s been a few folks that
I just don’t think they realize who they’re reaching out to.
The company’s political nature, it’s not always so obvious.
NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 29
 “I remember studying the way that men comported themselves: I should
squint my eyes a little bit. I should sit with my legs wide. I CAN IMAGINE
THAT’S WHAT GUYS ARE HAVING INDOCTRINATED INTO THEM FROM A
VERY YOUNG AGE.” — Whit Kathner
Civic is just a great name for vodka — it’s sharp, it’s crisp, it’s
short. Rodham, you’d be surprised how many people don’t pick
up on the fact that that’s her middle name. Or the fact that that’s
a female symbol on the label. There are a lot of things that people
don’t get. We’ll hear a lot of men: “This is terrific rye.” “Yep, it
is,” we’ll say, and just leave it at that.
KATHNER: For me, leaving the [labor] movement, and not feeling
that you’re saving the world every day, I was really concerned
about going fully into the private sector and what that would
mean. Does that mean I can’t do mission- and values-oriented
work? We’ve found a lot of creative ways to make that happen.
During Women’s History Month this past March, we got a pro-
fessional photographer in here and worked with 31 female bev-
erage directors and bartenders in D.C. We wanted to lift them
up because it is a very male-dominated industry. We wanted to
give them a chance to be highlighted. For a lot of them, it was the
first time they’d had a professional photographer take their shot.
[We also] donate a portion of the proceeds from Rodham Rye to
recruiting and training women to run for office [via] Emily’s List
— every bottle, all the time.
We had a Pride promotion this past June. We had 26 bars
engaged in putting a Civic cocktail on the menu. Then we basi-
cally paid for an entire year’s budget for TransLAW.
MW: As a business, I understand you place an emphasis not only
in the quality of your actual products but also in how you package
and brand them.
KATHNER: I want to give credit where credit is due regarding our
branding. Going into this, I said, “Let’s get the cheapest business
cards possible. Stock bottles are fine.” I knew that the spirit had
to be fantastic, and it is, but the packaging — you’re going to
drink with your eyes first. And Pia’s responsible for shepherding
all of these things from ‘crazy thing on butcher block paper’
to something that’s in a bottle with packaging that’s winning
awards before anyone even tries it. Then we also win awards
after they open it, thank goodness.
CARUSONE: We all are guilty of shopping with our eyes. Take
wine. There are so many wines out there. I’ll kind of know what
I want, and then I’ll look at the bottles — that’s just the truth of
how consumers shop. So we knew we wanted to beat the compe-
tition on the brand front, and we felt we could. Then what we’re
hoping is when you open the bottle, you’re further delighted as
opposed to buying a bottle — “Wow, what a great looking bot-
tle” — and open it and think, “Well, glad to support whomever’s
project, but I think I’ll just pick up a bottle of Maker’s Mark for
my next Manhattan.”
That’s where we’re looking to compete, and really turn the
idea on its head — that craft can be your forever choice. Not
just us, but someone else’s craft, as opposed to choosing one of
the bigger brands — which, sidebar, is doing what all businesses
are doing right now, which is further consolidation. There are
basically two distributors left in America — brands are being
bought up more and more. Very few independent companies are
left. They’re multinational, huge corporations. We do not share
values with them as you can imagine, in any way possible.
MW: You don’t ever plan to be part of that.
30 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
CARUSONE: No. That will never happen to us. If you apply the
largest version of success to us, it will be done in the way we feel
comfortable and proud of.
I know that how we do it is going to be a little bit different.
We’re going to be careful about our growth. We’re not repre-
sented by distributors. And that includes pricing. We just feel
strongly about our prices being actually pretty low. When you
look at trends in the industry, you’re seeing premiumization
happening more and more. Fifteen years ago, people were
laughing at the idea of super-premium prices being applied to
American bourbon. And now, the industry is being rewarded
from these brands — you can now go out and buy a $100 bottle
of bourbon pretty easily at any liquor store.
MW: Speaking of the future, what are your personal plans? Do you
want to have kids?
CARUSONE: Actually, we’re both in the process of trying to have
a kid. I live in Shaw right now. And my wife and I are trying to
have a baby.
KATHNER: And I live in Langdon, and we are also in the process
of trying to start a family.
MW: I’m seeing a pattern here.
KATHNER: We’re really lined up.
MW: Is Rachel also on a similar life track?
CARUSONE: Yeah. I think she’s trying to work on that as well.
Figuring it out. It’s a little bit that the business became the baby
for a few years now. I’m shocked that we all managed to have
successful personal relationships throughout all this.
KATHNER: We have really, really understanding and loving and
supportive wives.
CARUSONE: Yeah. We could not be here without our wives. So
we’ll see. I think we can share a babysitter here.
MW: Are you optimistic about the future as far as the business
goes?
CARUSONE: Yeah. In our company, absolutely, but also in the
industry. More and more consumers are looking to support
brands that they understand the story behind. The nameless,
faceless brands that we’ve seen do so well are struggling.
Rum is on the decline in America. That’s only because one
product is on the decline: Captain Morgan. That’s what that is.
Craft rum is on the rise. Just think about it that way. So we’re
going to see more and more of that happening, I think. Everyone
is crying the death of vodka. But it is absolutely still growing.
Bourbon — you can’t make it fast enough right now. And it’s only
made in America.
MW: Republic Restoratives is billed as a women-and-queer-owned
distillery. Are there others that can also make that claim or are
you unique?
CARUSONE: There are a few in the country, but not many. It
always gets a little tricky — you parse words when you think
about how many owners you have. We sort of stripped away that
question mark by saying women-owned and -run, in the sense
that there are very few owner/operator teams that are women.
A lot of wives do the finances and stuff and then the men run the
business. The same dynamic you’d expect. That said, there are
plenty of women in this industry, and increasingly so.
MW: I imagine that people seek you out or are drawn to you
because of either distinction.
CARUSONE: I think so. More women-owned and operated. I
mean, it’s not like [the queer label] has been widely publicized.
And that’s a little strange. A while ago, we said, “It’s weird that
we aren’t more involved in that aspect. We’re not in any gay bars
or anything.” We’re now at A League of Her Own.
KATHNER: They built a special display shelf just for our stuff.
They’re awesome. I love that place.
CARUSONE: Yeah, but that’s it.
MW: Is that because of the sway of national distributors who supply
most or all of a venue’s liquor?
CARUSONE: I think so. Our impression is that gay bars get deals
on vodka that we couldn’t compete with. And there’s sort of a
history with the gay community and our interaction with cor-
porate sponsorships. There’s a real sense of ease with letting
whomever sponsor our Pride parades and our conferences and
whatnot. So I don’t think anyone thinks twice about the fact that
they may be saying no to your local queer-owned vodka. It’s sort
of an uphill battle that we just haven’t even tried. We’ll figure it
out later.
MW: Are you involved in Capital Pride activities?
CARUSONE: We’ve done a few things here, but no, not really. We
haven’t done anything like that. It’s hard for us. We’ve taken a
firm stance with everybody, whether it’s Capital Pride or others:
Are you selling anything that we make at your event, or is it
someone else’s brand? We’re not going to give you free vodka to
do an activation and bring cool local people there to setup if then
the event-goer, to get their cocktail, goes to the bar and they’re
getting a Stoli.
We give discounts to anyone that asks, essentially, but we’ve
sort of taken a hard line on, you know, you have to do business
with us. If you do business with us, we’ll show up for you. But
don’t ask us to show up just to be nice. It’s not going to work out
for us. I mean, we’re a business.
And people, when they hear that, say, “Oh, that makes sense.”
I know that liquor sponsorships are [huge]. The giveaway bud-
get for Absolut, I can’t imagine. It’s probably a hundred times the
revenue that we have. We can’t give away that much.
KATHNER: They just give cases away. And they have no problem
because all they want is to have their brand be seen. And for us,
we’re just not at that point.
CARUSONE: We can’t do that. But anyone that has a budget, we
will figure out a way to make it work. So we’ll see. I think people
are more and more open to that.
MW: Well, it’s only been two-and-a-half years. You’re still on the
upward swing of things.
CARUSONE: Yeah. I hope so.
KATHNER: We’re super-grateful to those in the queer community
who are being vocally supportive of us and making Civic their
call vodka when they go out, [and] helping to move beverage
directors into supporting local. l
Republic Restoratives is located at 1369 New York Ave. NE. Call
202-733-3996 or visit republicrestoratives.com.
Distillery Tours & Tastings are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 1
and 3 p.m. The Ivy Room bar is open Thursdays and Fridays from
5 to 11 p.m., Saturdays from Noon to 11 p.m., and Sundays from
Noon to 5 p.m.
For more on DC Cocktail Week, visit dccocktailweek.com.
NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 31
 Scene Mugs!
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 Movies

Villa and Ferro

ing himself a man who lives for freedom.

Killer Instinct
The film reflects his moods, deploying
stillness and quiet, or blasts of violence
and noise.
Ferro plays the character as a sunny
Sexual tension permeates the true-crime tale of Argentina’s most sociopath, mysterious but approachable,
notorious serial killer in El Angel. By André Hereford and totally transparent in his attraction

E
to Ramón. Actually, he and Darín play a
ARLY IN LUIS ORTEGA’S GRIPPING EL ANGEL (HHHHH), THE MOD- mutual attraction, as Ramón eagerly uses
est, middle-class Puchs — mother Aurora (Cecilia Roth) and dad Héctor (Luis his hold over Carlitos to maintain control
Gnecco) — recognize that 19-year old Carlos (Lorenzo Ferro) is a liar and a thief. in their relationship. Wielding the promise
His new motorcycle, he tells them, was simply borrowed from a friend. They know of being straight but a little bit interested,
better, but still they have no idea what monstrous deeds their boy commits when he Ramón remains just beyond Carlos’ reach.
steals into people’s homes in the middle of the night. Darín smoldered in a similar game of
Ortega’s film offers no pat explanation in the home life of this seemingly average will-they-or-won’t-they in his 2014 cine-
’70s Buenos Aires family. Aurora laments that she doesn’t know what to do to keep her matic breakthrough Death in Buenos Aires,
son from running the streets, while Héctor lectures him on the value of honest work to opposite Demián Bichir. He smolders
acquire the things he wants. Carlos absorbs all their love and concern and is destined here, too, but it’s Ferro who holds court
anyway to become a ruthless killer. as the movie’s wicked golden boy, glee-
The script, by Ortega, Sergio Olguín, and Rodolfo Palacios, doesn’t stick strictly fully breaking and entering, or riding his
to the facts of Puch’s real-life crimes and, notably, changes the name of his leading girlfriend Marisol (Malena Villa) around
accomplice. Yet, by avoiding the procedural trappings of a making-of-a-monster biopic, the streets of Buenos Aires on his stolen
Ortega and company (including producer Pedro Almodóvar) concoct a dark character motorbike.
study that remains tantalizingly lighthearted, especially considering Puch’s nearly Marisol’s twin Magdalena (also Villa,
year-long rash of armed robberies, murders, and assaults. in a seamless double-take) hooks up with
The film revels in the beauty that concealed Carlitos’ ugliness. The upbeat Ramón and, briefly, it appears the two
soundtrack of classic Argentinian rock and pop and the colorful costume and produc- Jimmy Deans might be on their way to
tion design emphasize a romantic take on the outlaw. That’s certainly the take on his some form of a dual happy ending. But
relationship to Ramón Peralta (Chino Darín), the rough and handsome lad he meets at history intervenes, and El Angel’s wings
reform school who triggers the dangerous escalation in his life of crime. Ramón hails are eventually clipped.
from a family of outlaws, along with his ex-con burglar dad, José (Daniel Fanego), Ortega doesn’t waste time hyping up
and soused mom, Ana María (Mercedes Morán). The Peraltas immediately embrace the public scandal or criminal infamy, or
Carlitos, propelling him on the spree that will cement his notoriety. outside reaction to the film’s inner cir-
The gang’s crimes are unsettling, but the movie’s not gruesome. El Angel is no Gacy cle of Carlos, Ramón, and their parents.
or Dahmer. He’s a passionate thief, and sometimes a jester, who speaks to his victims The focus is on the two families — the
and at least acts friendly. He shoots without thinking, and kills without caring, declar- utter helplessness of the Puchs juxtaposed

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 33

 against the warped sense of pride and loyalty shared by the
Peraltas. The film, dryly funny when it wants to be, mines much
of its humor from the angst of Carlos’ clueless mom Aurora, and
its funniest scene finds her dropping by the Peraltas to try to
learn what it is their boys do with themselves at night.
Aurora is almost certainly more clever about her son than
she lets on. The movie is clever about how it uses the central
romance as a means of turning the monstrous Carlos into the
hero of an unrequited love story. Ortega’s direction and Ferro’s
performance might even make some believe in the goodness of
this angel, before he coldly shoots his next victim right between
the eyes. l

El Angel is rated R, and opens at Landmark’s E Street Cinema on Friday, Nov. 16. Visit landmarktheatres.com.
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX.

alderman seat against another ethically

Widows’ Web
challenged politico, Jack Mulligan (Colin
Farrell). Although Henry and Kaluuya’s
crazy sibling act of baldly unscrupulous
Jamal and blasé psychopath Jatemme
A heist thriller with gravitas, Widows is overstuffed pays dividends, as does Farrell’s admira-
but still satisfying. By André Hereford bly controlled turn as an establishment

A
jerk, the campaign story steals too much
T FIRST GLANCE, WIDOWS APPEARS TO BE A LARK OF A POPCORN screen-time from the widows.
crime flick. However, the tone of Steve McQueen’s latest film, while darkly The film plunges deep down a rabbit
humorous, is quite dark. It might not be such a lark after all, and the Oscar- hole of civic intrigue before it finally con-
winner’s Chicago-set crime story, pimped out as a star-studded, revenge-driven heist nects the alderman race to the plot really
thriller, might actually be an intricate drama about class warfare. worth caring about: Veronica, Linda, and
Or, Widows (HHHHH) might mean to explore the insidious effect of political cor- Alice stealing that money, with the help of
ruption on America’s inner cities. The film invites a number of interpretations with Linda’s babysitter, Belle (Cynthia Erivo).
its sprawling high-caliber cast and winding plotlines revolving around three widows Highbrow intentions aside, Widows,
planning to pull off a multi-million dollar heist that their dead husbands never had the based on the ’80s English crime series,
chance to attempt. ultimately overcomes its political digres-
Viola Davis stars as Veronica, whose husband Harry (Liam Neeson) was the master- sions and gets the job done as a com-
mind of the now-deceased gang. Naturally, Veronica steps up to lead her fellow widows pelling, crowd-pleasing heist flick. Davis,
Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) into battle when desperate the steely center of a uniformly strong
times call for the ladies to follow in the gang’s outlaw footsteps. ensemble, is riveting, as usual. Whenever
The women, all of whom benefited from their husbands’ life of crime though never the movie is in Veronica’s hands, it can
participated in it, don’t have a choice to steer clear of it now. They have a corrupt do no wrong. Her story blends powerful
local politician, Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), breathing down their necks for emotion, realism and gun-blazing action,
money Harry owed him, and he’ll unleash his lethal gangster brother Jatemme (Daniel culminating in a well-paced climax that
Kaluuya) on Veronica or anyone else who would deny him his due. should leave audiences rooting for the
Widows gets lost in the weeds probing Jamal’s hotly contested race for a ward three not-so-merry widows. l

Widows is rated R, and opens everywhere on November 16. Visit landmarktheatres.com.

34 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

CHRISTOPHER MEULLER
Stage

Tabaka and Anderson

when he goes from boxing class to Mrs.

Wilkinson’s ballet class that he starts to

Musical Tropes
live his dreams out loud.
The show likewise comes to life inside
Wilkinson’s classroom, in apt contrast to
the heartfelt sense of struggle that enve-
Billy Elliot the Musical dances its way out of trouble, while As You Like lopes Billy at home. Anderson, a well-de-
It is a flawed escape to Shakespeare’s idyllic forest. By André Hereford served Helen Hayes Award nominee last

A
season for Arena’s The Pajama Game, finds
s she lives and breathes, Mrs. Wilkinson, the brash and caring ballet instructor Wilkinson’s accent, in every form of the
who propels coal miner’s son Billy Elliot to fulfill his dance potential, has a sim- word, and sticks to it. She and the show go
ilar effect on the musical that bears his name. Embodied by Nancy Anderson, broad in their comedy, but she’s the real
Wilkinson enters her classroom in Matthew Gardiner’s new staging of Elton John and deal all the same in her vibrant turn as the
Lee Hall’s Billy Elliot the Musical ( ), and the show exhales. Wearing loose strict, single mom.
curls, dance heels and leg warmers, she wafts in like a breath of fresh air after being Anderson and Tabaka, accompanied by
stuck in a coal mine. a class full of on-point Ballet Girls, and a
The story, adapted from Hall’s Oscar-nominated screenplay for the 2000 film, seems delightful Olivia McMahon as Wilkinson’s
at times to be stuck in those coal mines along with the production. The real-life 1984 knowing little girl Debbie, deliver a
British miners’ strike serves as more than mere backdrop for a story about talented sure-footed “Shine” and a fabulous “Born
eleven-year old Billy (Owen Tabaka) and his family — dad Jackie (Chris Genebach), to Boogie.”
brother Tony (Sean Watkinson), and elderly Grandma (Catherine Flye). Tabaka (who alternates performance
Yet Gardiner and company don’t capture the milieu of this close-knit English dates in the title role with Liam Redford,
coal-mining town so persuasively that the miners’ plight gathers real potency. They are not reviewed here) also finds swell accom-
this production’s ensemble of “Miners,” rather than a specific community of working paniment in Jacob Thomas Anderson as
men and women. Billy’s singing, dancing, and cross-dress-
The score tries to get across their collective states of mind with songs like “Solidarity” ing gay best friend Michael. Gardiner gives
and “Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher,” but the simple melodies by Elton and lyrics the dancing duo of Billy and Michael an
by Hall are met with muddy accents and a somewhat pat delivery. The striking miners opportunity to truly shine with vigorous
that Gardiner sends marching around Jason Sherwood’s town and union hall sets tend choreography in “Expressing Yourself”
to look more like musicians in formation than picketing workers or revolutionaries. that Tabaka and Anderson absolutely
The production feels altogether more at home depicting the Elliot household, sadly slay. They’re like a young Gene Kelly and
absent of Billy and Tony’s mum, Jack’s dearly missed wife. Genebach and Tabaka beau- Donald O’Connor bringing home the end
tifully enact the bond between a father and son mourning the same woman differently, of “Moses Supposes.”
yet together. Billy’s Mum (Crystal Mosser) appears to him in dreams, but it’s only The dancing should be spectacular in

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 35

 Billy Elliot, and often it is. The climactic aerial illusion of Billy
soaring to incredible heights isn’t so breathtaking, but Tabaka
still impresses in his command of the high-flying moment. And
Billy’s song “Electricity” declares its message of freedom most
powerfully when Tabaka finally lets loose with the dancing that
backs up Billy’s words.
Throughout, Gardiner’s choreography for Billy, Michael,
and the older Billy (danced by Grant Richards) contributes
profoundly to the actors’ solid characterizations. The vivid
characterization of Mrs. Wilkinson, however, might owe more
to Hall’s script, Kathleen Geldard’s costumes, and Anderson’s
three-dimensional portrayal.
As miners go marching past, the mind strays to wonder what
Wilkinson’s gotten up to offstage, perhaps out shopping for
hairbands and leg warmers with Debbie in tow. She is the wind
beneath Billy’s wings, as she might joke in her self-deprecating
fashion, but this production really wouldn’t fly without her.
CAMERON WHITMAN
IN KEEGAN THEATRE’S MUSICAL ADAPTATION of
Shakespeare’s As You Like It (HHHHH), the men and ladies
swirling around the fanciful Forest of Arden dance, sing, and
fight for love and honor. More than once in Cara Gabriel and
Josh Sticklin’s staging of the piece, it’s the fighting that takes
center stage. The doses of brute force and violence, well-exe-
cuted by the actors and fight choreographer Kyle Encinas, are as
effective as many of composer Shaina Taub’s songs in transmit-
ting the dynamic, youthful energy that animates the production.
The cast exudes that spirit amid the transporting atmosphere
of Matthew J. Keenan’s voluminous in-the-round scenery.
Immersing the audience in a forest of tall balconies strung with
lights, the set resembles an inviting summer camp deep in a hid-
den wood, where lovers and exiles roam.
Physically, the setting seems ripe for comedy and romance.
As You Like It runs through December 2 at The Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW.
Tickets are $25 to $58. Call 202-265-3767, or visit KeeganTheatre.com.
Billy Elliot runs through January 6, 2019 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington.
Tickets are $40 to $103. Call 703-820-9771, or visit sigtheatre.org.
36 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
The music and lyrics by Taub (also an accomplished singer
and actress) occasionally cast their spell too, particularly when
voiced by Debora Crabbe as runaway heroine Rosalind. Crabbe
carries Taub’s plucky melodies to lustrous heights on “When I’m
Your Wife,” Rosalind’s declaration to her beloved Orlando.
Would were her Orlando, Kevin Thorne II, as persuasive a
lover as he is a fighter, then the play’s main couple might seem
more evenly matched. Thorne grapples with fiery intent in
Orlando’s showcase wrestling match against the court champi-
on, but he doesn’t invest his songs and soliloquies with as pow-
erful a sense of purpose.
Omar D. Cruz fares better as Orlando’s rivalrous brother
Oliver, but the siblings’ conflict generally registers as a thin-
ner strand in the play’s tapestry of interwoven tales. Maybe
it’s a matter of focus, as the adapted script by Taub and Laurie
Woolery strains to carve out the various themes, while the direc-
tion strains to service all the characters and accompanying plo-
tlines banished from court or passing
through Arden.
The production indulges more
than enough of the comically grand
entrances of the haughty Duke
Frederick (Patrick M. Doneghy), a
joke that’s amusing the first but not
the fourth or fifth time. Meanwhile,
far more attention could be devoted
to the duke’s deposed brother, Duke
Senior (Jade Jones), who has made a
home for himself among the innocent
animals of Arden.
Jones’ exiled Duke leads a rous-
ing group number, “Oh Deer,” a fun,
twangy ditty that speaks to life in the
forests of love. As pleasant a song as
it is, it doesn’t speak so directly to
the story the production seems to be
telling. The adapters reserve better
storytelling for songs and narration
delivered by the bard of this coterie,
Nigel Rowe and Phillip Rei Jacques, played by Caroline Dubberly.
Among the actors who also pick up
an instrument here, Dubberly joins in on synthesizer with music
director Tiffany Underwood Holmes and the modest pit orchestra.
Sharing the wisdom that “All the World’s a Stage,” Jacques is
just one of the show’s pointedly gender-switched roles. Silvius
has been made Silvia, portrayed by Caroline Wolfson, who pur-
sues Bianca Lipford’s Phoebe through the forest. Phoebe’s name
gives rise to the song “You Phoebe Me,” another amusing joke
that wears out its welcome with too much repetition.
In fact, the score runs half a dozen times to the well of repris-
es, to the detriment of those standout tunes that are heard only
once. The songs start to sound the same, even when they’re
not the same, just as the concealed identities and star-crossed
romances similarly start to run together. Verve and talent are
sometimes captivating enough, but in this case, they spin off in
too many directions to grasp and hold close. l
NightLife Photography by
Photography
Ward Morrison

November 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 37

Scene House of Garcon’s Love Sex Play Ball at Echostage - Sunday, November 11
Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc... SHAW’S TAVERN Saturday, Cocktails and Drink SHAW’S TAVERN

Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Specials • No Cover Brunch with $15
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, November 17 Bottomless Mimosas,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR 10am-3pm • Homme
Friday, NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Open 3pm • Beat the
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Drag Brunch, hosted Brunch, Second Floor,
November 16 Clock Happy Hour — $2
and Select Appetizers •
Capital Laughs Comedy
Open 2pm-3am • Video
Games • Live televised
by Chanel Devereaux,
10:30am-12:30pm and
12pm • Happy Hour,
5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite,
(5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4
Show, Second Floor, Doors sports 1-3pm • Tickets on sale $4 Blue Moon, $5 House
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer,
open 7:30pm at nelliessportsbar.com Wines, $5 Rail Drinks •
Open 5pm-3am • Happy $15 • Weekend Kickoff
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR • House Rail Drinks, Zing Half-Priced Pizzas and
Hour: $2 off everything Dance Party, with Nellie’s
TRADE Saturday Breakfast Buffet, Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Select Appetizers •
until 9pm • Video Games DJs spinning bubbly pop
Doors open 5pm • Huge 10am-3pm • $14.99 with Beer and Mimosas, $4, Jukebox Ginger, 9pm
• Live televised sports music all night
Happy Hour: Any drink one glass of champagne 11am-3am • Buckets of
normally served in a cock- or coffee, soda or juice • Beer, $15 • Guest DJs TRADE
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR NUMBER NINE
tail glass served in a huge Additional champagne $2 Doors open 2pm • Huge
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Open 5pm • Happy Hour:
glass for the same price, per glass • World Tavern NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: Any drink
Karaoke, 9pm 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
5-10pm • Beer and wine Poker Tournament, 1-3pm Doors open 2pm • Happy normally served in a
• No Cover • Friday Night
only $4 • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, cocktail glass served in a
GREEN LANTERN Piano with Chris, 7:30pm •
Freddie’s Follies Drag 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 huge glass for the same
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Rotating DJs, 9:30pm
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Show, hosted by Miss Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close price, 2-10pm • Beer and
$3 Rail and Domestic
Men of Secrets, 9pm • Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm • THIRSTY, featuring DJ wine only $4 • Gay Bash:
• $5 Svedka, all flavors PITCHERS
Guest dancers • Rotating • Karaoke, 10pm-close Chord Bezerra, 9:30pm The Alt Dance Party and
all night long • Rough Open 5pm-3am • Happy
DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva Drag Show, 10pm • Music
House: Hands On, Lights Hour: $2 off everything
Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors GREEN LANTERN PITCHERS by The Barber Streisands
Off, featuring DJ Lemz, until 9pm • Video Games
at 9pm, Shows at 11:30pm Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Open Noon-3am • Video • Hosted by Donna Slash
10pm-close • $5 Cover • Foosball • Live televised
and 1:45am • DJ Don T. in Bacardi, all flavors, all Games • Foosball • Live and featuring JaxKnife
(includes clothes check) sports • Full dining menu
Ziegfeld’s • Cover 21+ night long • The Bear televised sports • Full Complex, Salvadora Dali,
till 9pm • Special Late
Cave: Retro to Electro, dining menu till 9pm • Jane Saw, and special
Night menu till 2am • Visit
9pm-close • Featuring Special Late Night menu guests
pitchersbardc.com
DJ Popperz • Specialty till 2am • Visit pitchers-
bardc.com

38 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Men of Secrets, 9pm-4am • Karaoke, 9pm-close
• Guest dancers • Ladies
of Illusion Drag Show GREEN LANTERN
with host Ella Fitzgerald Happy Hour, 4-9pm •
• Doors at 9pm, Shows Karaoke with Kevin down-
at 11:30pm and 1:45am stairs, 9:30pm-close
• DJ Don T. in Ziegfeld’s
• DJ Steve Henderson in NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Secrets • Cover 21+ Drag Brunch, hosted
by Chanel Devereaux,
10:30am-12:30pm and
1-3pm • Tickets on sale
Sunday, at nelliessportsbar.com
• House Rail Drinks, Zing
November 18 Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 11am-1am • Buckets of
Open 2pm-12am • $4 Beer, $15 • Guest DJs
Smirnoff and Domestic
Cans • Video Games • NUMBER NINE
Live televised sports Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR and $5 Bulleit Bourbon,
Ella’s Sunday Drag Brunch, 9pm-close • Multiple TVs
10am-3pm • $24.99 with showing movies, shows,
four glasses of champagne sports • Expanded craft
or mimosas, 1 Bloody beer selection • Pop
Mary, or coffee, soda or

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 39

40 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
Goes the World with Wes
Della Volla at 9:30pm •
No Cover
PITCHERS
Open Noon-2am • $4
Smirnoff, includes flavored,
$4 Coors Light or $4 Miller
Lites, 2-9pm • Video
Games • Foosball • Live
televised sports • Full din-
ing menu till 9pm • Visit
pitchersbardc.com
SHAW’S TAVERN
Brunch with Bottomless
Mimosas, 10am-3pm •
Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers
• Dinner-n-Drag, with
Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm
• For reservations, email
shawsdinnerdragshow@
gmail.com
TRADE
Doors open 2pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
2-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Monday,
November 19
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
Singles Night • Half-Priced
Pasta Dishes • Poker Night
— 7pm and 9pm games •
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm •
$3 rail cocktails and
domestic beers all night
long • Singing with the
Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke
Night with the Sisters
of Perpetual Indulgence,
9:30pm-close
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
Beer, $15 • Half-Priced
Burgers • Paint Nite, 7pm
• PokerFace Poker, 8pm •
Dart Boards • Ping Pong
Madness, featuring 2 Ping-
Pong Tables
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with
Jeremy, 7:30pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Tuesday,
November 20
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Open 5pm-12am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Live televised sports
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco
Tuesday • Poker Night —
7pm and 9pm games •
Karaoke, 9pm
NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm
• $3 rail cocktails and
domestic beers all night
long
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
Beer $15 • Drag Bingo
with Sasha Adams and
Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm •
Karaoke, 9pm-close
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
PITCHERS
Open 5pm-12am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Foosball • Live televised
sports • Full dining menu
till 9pm • Special Late
Night menu till 11pm •
Visit pitchersbardc.com
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers
• Half-Priced Burgers
and Pizzas all night with
$5 House Wines and $5
Sam Adams • DC Bocce
League: Indoor Bocce,
Second Floor, 6:30pm •
Drag Bingo with Kristina
Kelly, 8pm
TRADE
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
• Sissy That Tuesday: A
Monthly Cabaret, 8pm •
Hosted by Pussy Noir with
special guests • Music by
WesstheDJ
41
 Wednesday, NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night,
till 9pm • Special Late
Night menu till 11pm •
pop-up performances •
Music by WesstheDJ and
GREEN LANTERN
Shirtless Thursday, 9-11pm
till 9pm • Special Late
Night menu till 11pm •
November 21 8-10pm • Prizes include Visit pitchersbardc.com Jesse Jackson • Special • Men in Underwear Drink Visit pitchersbardc.com
bar tabs and tickets to guest hosts and performers Free, 12-12:30am • DJs
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN shows at the 9:30 Club • SHAW’S TAVERN BacK2bACk SHAW’S TAVERN
Open 5pm-12am • Happy $15 Buckets of Beer for Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 CLOSED — Happy
Hour: $2 off everything SmartAss Teams only • Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Thanksgiving!
until 9pm • Video Games
• Live televised sports
Absolutely Snatched Drag
Show, hosted by Brooklyn
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
Thursday, $15 Buckets of Beer all
night • Sports Leagues TRADE
Heights, 9pm • Tickets and Select Appetizers • November 22 Night Doors open 7pm • Huge
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR available at nelliessports- Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm Happy Hour: Any drink
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6 bar.com HAPPY THANKSGIVING! NUMBER NINE normally served in a cock-
Burgers • Beach Blanket TRADE Open 7pm • Happy Hour: 2 tail glass served in a huge
Drag Bingo Night, hosted NUMBER NINE Doors open 5pm • Huge A LEAGUE OF HER OWN for 1 on any drink, 7-9pm • glass for the same price,
by Ms. Regina Jozet Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any Happy Hour: Any drink Open 5pm-2am • Happy No Cover 5-10pm • Beer and wine
Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes drink, 5-9pm • No Cover normally served in a Hour: $2 off everything only $4
• Karaoke, 10pm-1am cocktail glass served in a until 9pm • Video Games PITCHERS
PITCHERS huge glass for the same • Live televised sports Open 5pm-2am • Happy ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
GREEN LANTERN Open 5pm-12am • Happy price, 5-10pm • Beer and Hour: $2 off everything All male, nude dancers •
Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm • Hour: $2 off everything wine only $4 • Church: A FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR until 9pm • Video Games Open Dancers Audition •
Bear Yoga with Greg Leo, until 9pm • Video Games Church-themed dance party Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • • Foosball • Live televised Urban House Music by DJ
6:30-7:30pm • $10 per • Foosball • Live televised featuring house music and Karaoke, 9pm sports • Full dining menu Tim-e • Doors open 9pm •
class • $3 rail cocktails sports • Full dining menu Cover 21+ l
and domestic beers all
night long

To see listings for Friday, Nov. 23 to Thursday, Nov. 29,

please visit metroweekly.com/nightlife

42 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY

Scene Kristina Kelly’s Dinner-N-Drag at Shaw’s Tavern
Sunday, Nov. 4 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.
com/scene

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 43

Scene Number Nine - Saturday, November 3 - Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY 45

 LastWord.
People say the queerest things

“We can work with people who are different than us. We can be friends with people who are different than us.
We can love and care about people
who are different than us.”
— Rep. KYRSTEN SINEMA, at a rally after she was declared the winner of Arizona’s Senate race following days of ballot counting.
Sinema, a Democrat, becomes not only the first woman to represent the state in the U.S. Senate, but also the country’s first openly
bisexual Senator. She said her win represented a rejection of hostile politics, saying,
“Arizona proved that there is a better way forward.”

“I was pigeonholed into the only thing that the industry could handle at the time:
the magical fairy faggot.”
— BILLY PORTER to Out Magazine after being awarded the Out 100 Performance of the Year award for his work in FX’s Pose. Porter,
who won a Tony Award for his leading role in Kinky Boots, continued, “Don’t get me wrong: What I was given was an opportunity
to stop the show, but when it came to my humanity, nobody wanted to discuss that.”

“Whether it’s the swastika for Nazi Germany or whether it’s a rainbow flag, the underlying thing is
a hostility to individual freedoms.”
— JOHN CARPAY, leader of anti-LGBTQ Canadian Christian legal group Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, speaking at an
event for far-right Revel Media. Carpay compared the LGBTQ rainbow flag to “totalitarian” symbols, including the swastika and
the “hammer and sickle for communism.” He added, “The underlying thing is a vision where government is the master...
rather than allowing us to lead our own lives.”

“I’m humbled to step into this leadership role, and

I don’t take it lightly.”
— JERRI ANN HENRY, the new executive director of LGBTQ Republican organization Log Cabin Republicans, in a press release.
The first woman to lead the organization, Henry hopes to “build a strong, effective movement and grow
the Republican Party of the future.”

“Whether through policies, programs, affinity groups, or our enrollment forms, DCPS is proud to be
a leader in affirming, supporting,
and welcoming LGBTQ students.”
— AMANDA ALEXANDER, interim chancellor of District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), in an email to INTO after new poli-
cy came into effect which allows students to register as non-binary in enrollment forms. “We value the whole child at DCPS
and have worked diligently to ensure our schools are safe and inclusive for all students, staff, and families,” she added.

46 NOVEMBER 15 & 22, 2018 • METROWEEKLY