Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Jan. 20
Concerts, parties, events and more through Jan. 20
Rita McKenzie stars in ‘Ethel Merman's Broadway’ playing at the Music Center at Strathmore Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Strathmore)
TODAY (Friday)
Green Lantern (1335 Green Court) hosts Mama’s Trailer Park Dance Party tonight upstairs from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., “Pop Goes the World: International Dance Party,” and a $16 Smirnoff “All-U-Can-Drink” buffet from 10 to 11:30 p.m.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6 to 10 p.m. featuring $3 rail, Bud bottles and pint drafts. There is no cover for this event and attendees must be 21 or older.
Onyx Entertainment and A 2 Zee present “Capri-quarius” tonight at Love (1350 Okie St., N.E.) from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Cover is $12 before midnight at $15 after and $20 for VIP.
Tony Award-winning musical “La Cage aux Folles” starring Christopher Sieber and George Hamilton will be at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $65 to $130 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
Strathmore’s Friday Night Eclectic, a mash-up of music and art, returns tonight with the Oli Brown Band with Artist in Residence alum, Margot MacDonald at the Mansion at Strathmore (10701 Rockville Pike, North Besthesda) at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and include a pre-concert happy hour with drink specials.
Saturday, Jan. 21
On Foursquare? Add many of these events to your To-Do list
Rita McKenzie stars in “Ethel Merman’s Broadway” tonight at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda) at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $65 and can be purchased online atstrathmore.org.
Mixtape D.C. is tonight at the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.), a dance party for queer music lovers and their pals that features DJs Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer playing an eclectic mix of electro, alt-pop, indie rock, house, disco, new wave and anything else danceable. There is a $10 cover for this event. Doors open at 9:30 p.m.
Spunk-E Productions presents “Ink” at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. featuring music by DJ T-one and a “Show Your Tats” contest.
Freddie’s Beach Bar (555 23rd St., S., Arlington) is hosting a winter champagne brunch today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The brunch buffet includes four mimosas, champagne or bloody marys or attendees can order a la carte. Fifteen percent of the proceeds will benefit Capital Queer Prom and Transgender Health Empowerment.
Queer electro-dance-rock band Glitterlust plays DC9 (1940 9th St., N.W.) tonight with J Street. Cover is $8 and doors open at 9 p.m.
The Imperial Court of Washington presents the Miss Faux Queen Pageant today at Remingtons (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) at 4 p.m. Admission is $10 and all proceeds benefit the Imperial Court and Mautner Project. Doors open at 3 p.m. For more information, call 703-593-1282.
D.C. Lambda Squares is having its first community dance of 2012 tonight at Francis Scott Key Middle School (910 Schindler Drive, Silver Spring) from 7 to 10 p.m. featuring Betsy Gotta calling. Admission is $10 per dancer. For more information, visit dclambdasquares.org.
Sunday, Jan. 22
Judy Collins performs tonight at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd., Vienna) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.
Busboys & Poets presents “Mature Voices,” an open mic for performers 55 and older, hosted by Saleem Wayne Waters and featuring Queen Aishah tonight in the Zinn room of its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104) at 6 p.m. For more information, visit busboysandpoets.com.
NOVA Gay and Lesbian Professionals and D.C. Ice Breakers are co-hosting a French wine tasting and social tonight at Total Wine (1451 Chain Bridge Road, McLean) from 6 to 8 p.m. featuring a tasting of eight wines. Tickets are $25 and RSVP is required by emailing [email protected].
Monday, Jan. 23
Bryan Adams performs at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $65 and can be purchased online at strathmore.org.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) hosts Bears Do Yoga from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. upstairs followed by Queer Pong hosted by Andy from 8 p.m. to midnight.
WEAVE, a support group for LGBT survivors of intimate partner violence/abuse will be meeting from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Lighthouse Center for Healing (5321 First Place, N.E.). For more information and to register, call 202-280-6391.
SAGE Metro D.C. is hosting a presentation on discriminatory treatment of older LGBT persons and same-sex couples and how an attorney can help, by Henry Nash, an estates, trusts and elder law attorney, at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) starting at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 24
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents “Bare!: True Stories of Sex, Desire and Romance” tonight at 8 p.m. featuring J.T. Bullock, Derek Hills, Jennifer Luu, S.M. Shrake and musical guest Kimi Lundie. The night’s theme is “firsts.” Admission is $8.
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at FUK!T’s packing location, Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.
Wednesday, Jan. 25
Aimee Mann performs tonight at the Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria) with John Roderick at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $49.50 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com. For more information, visitbirchmere.com.
Busboys & Poets presents Sparkle Open Mic Poetry, a queer-friendly reading series hosted by Regie Cabico and Danielle Evennou in the Cullen room of its 5th and K location (1025 5th St., N.W.) at 9 p.m. Wristbands are $4 and will be sold in the Global Exchange store beginning at 11 a.m.
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE — across from Marine Barracks) for duplicate bridge. No reservations needed; newcomers welcome. Visit lambdabridge.com if you need a partner.
Thursday, Jan. 26
Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) holds its monthly meeting tonight in the main room at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The Lambda Sci-Fi Book Group meets today at 1425 S St., N.W. This month’s book is “Kushiel’s Dart” by Jacqueline Carey. Attendees are asked to bring a snack and/or non-alcoholic drink to share. For more information, email [email protected], [email protected] or visit the group’s website lambdascifi.org.
a&e features
Eastern Shore chef named James Beard Finalist
Harley Peet creates inventive food in an inclusive space
In a small Eastern Shore town filled with boutiques, galleries, and the occasional cry of waterfowl from the Chesapeake, Chef Harley Peet is most at home. In his Viennese-inflected, Maryland-sourced fine-dining destination Bas Rouge, Peet draws from his Northern Michigan upbringing, Culinary Institute of America education, and identity as a gay man, for inspiration.
And recently, Peet was named a James Beard Finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic – the first “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” finalist representing the Eastern Shore.
Peet, after graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, took a position as sous chef at Tilghman Island Inn, not far from Bas Rouge. Falling in love with the Eastern Shore, he continued his passion for racing sailboats, boating, gardening, and fishing, and living his somewhat pastoral life as he opened Bas Rouge in 2016 as head chef, a restaurant part of the Bluepoint Hospitality group, which runs more than a dozen concepts in and around Easton, Md.
Coming from a rural area and being gay, Peet knew he had his work cut out for him. He was always aware that the service and hospitality industry “can be down and dirty and rough.”
Now as a leader in the kitchen, he aims to “set a good example, and treat people how I want to be treated. I also want to make sure if you’re at our establishment, I’m the first to stand up and say something.”
The Bas Rouge cuisine, he says, is Contemporary European. “I’m inspired by old-world techniques of countries like Austria, Germany, and France, but I love putting a new spin on classic dishes and finding innovative ways to incorporate the bounty of local Chesapeake ingredients.”
His proudest dish: the humble-yet-elevated Wiener Schnitzel. “It is authentic to what one would expect to find in Vienna, down to the Lingonberries.” From his in-house bakery, Peet dries and grinds the housemade Kaiser-Semmel bread to use as the breadcrumbs.
Peet works to support the LGBTQ community inside and outside of the kitchen. “I love that our Bluepoint Hospitality team has created welcoming spaces where our patrons feel comfortable dining at each of our establishments. Our staff have a genuine respect for one another and work together free of judgment.”
Representing Bluepoint, Peet has participated in events like Chefs for Equality with the Human Rights Campaign, advocating for LGBTQ rights.
At Bas Rouge, Peet brings together his passion for inclusion steeped in a sustainability ethic. He sees environmental stewardship as a way of life. Peet and his husband have lived and worked on their own organic farm for several years. Through research in Europe, he learned about international marine sourcing. Witnessing the impacts of overfishing, Peet considers his own role in promoting eco-friendly practices at Bas Rouge. To that end, he ensures responsible sourcing commitments through his purveyors, relationships that have helped create significant change in how people dine in Easton.
“I have built great relationships in the community and there’s nothing better than one of our long-standing purveyors stopping in with a cooler of fresh fish from the Chesapeake Bay. This goes especially for catching and plating the invasive blue catfish species, which helps control the species’ threat to the local ecosystem.
Through his kitchen exploits, Peet expressed a unique connection to another gay icon in a rural fine-dining restaurant: Patrick O’Connell, of three Michelin starred Inn at Little Washington. In fact, Peet’s husband helped design some of O’Connell’s kitchen spaces. They’ve both been able to navigate treacherous restaurant-industry waters, and have come out triumphant and celebrated. Of O’Connell, Peet says that he “sees [his restaurants] as canvas, all artistry, he sees this as every night is a show.” But at the same time, his “judgment-free space makes him a role model.”
Being in Easton itself is not without challenges. Sourcing is a challenge, having to either fly or ship in ingredients, whereas urban restaurants have the benefit of trucking, he says. The small town “is romantic and charming,” but logistics are difficult – one of the reasons that Peet ensures his team is diverse, building in different viewpoints, and also “making things a hell of a lot more fun.”
Reflecting on challenges and finding (and creating) space on the Eastern Shore, Peet confirmed how important it was to surround himself with people who set a good example, and “if you don’t like the way something is going … move on.”
Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ-friendly sports teams and leagues in the D.C. area, held its annual Night of Champions Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20 at the Hilton National Mall. The organization gave out scholarships to area LGBTQ student athletes as well as awards to the Different Drummers, Kelly Laczko of Duplex Diner, Stacy Smith of the Edmund Burke School, Bryan Frank of Triout, JC Adams of DCG Basketball and the DC Gay Flag Football League.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The 2024 National Cannabis Festival was held at the Fields at RFK Stadium on April 19-20.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering the @NatlCannaFest at RFK Stadium for @WashBlade . Stop by the LGBTQ+ booth and pick up a paper if you are here. pic.twitter.com/is7hnsaPns
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) April 20, 2024
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