Arts & Entertainment
Out & About: March 30
Events for both Washington and Baltimore
'Arias With a Twist' (Photo courtesy Woolly Mammoth)
Woolly unveils ‘Arias With a Twist’
Drag singer Joey Arias and master puppeteer Basil Twist will be performing “Arias With a Twist” at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D St., N.W.) starting Wednesday.
This is the D.C. premiere of the show, created in 2008, marking Arias’ return to New York after a six-year stint in a Cirque Du Soleil production in Las Vegas.
There will also be some special events through the show’s run. There will be four post-performance conversations on April 11, 15, 19 and 25. Woolly Mammoth will also be hosting a post-performance “Glamazon Pageant” on April 13 with local burlesque and vaudeville performers competing for a chance to be crowned as the ultimate “Glamazon.”
Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased online at woollymammoth.net. The show will run through May 6.
Rainbow Seder this weekend at HRC
GLOE Kurlander Program for GLBT Outreach and Engagement is having its fifth annual National Rainbow Seder on Sunday at the Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) starting at 5 p.m.
This year, GLOE will be focusing on Heroes of Freedom, the leaders of freedom and equality movements throughout history.
There will be drinks and hors d’oeuvres and the Seder, led by Rabbi Toby Manewith, will start at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $36 for general admission, $24 for GLOE members, students, seniors and those with limited income, children 18 and under and volunteers can attend for free.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit washingtondcjcc.org.
MTV chooses gay venue for ‘Real World’ casting call
MTV’s “The Real World” is holding an open casting call for the 28th season on Saturday at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Casting directors from Bunim/Murray Productions will be looking for people with strong personalities who are not afraid to speak theirs minds. Past seasons have included an HIV/AIDS educator, an Iraq War vet, a recovering addict and many more.
They are particularly interested in cast members who have had to work hard to support themselves and move ahead in their lives.
Applicants are asked to bring a recent picture of themselves that will not be returned and a photo ID. Those interested must be 21 by March 1, 2013 and appear to be between the ages of 20 and 24.
For more information and to download the application form, visit bunim-murray.com/rwcasting.
BALTIMORE OUT & ABOUT
‘Bad Bunny Mansion Party’ at Grand Central
S.H.E. productions and Grand Central (1001 North Charles St.) present “The Easter Bunny Ball: A Bad Bunny Mansion Party” tonight at 9 p.m.
The evening will include free champagne cocktail and dessert bar from 9 to 10:30 p.m., a golden egg giveaway with special prizes, music by DJ Image and more.
Dress code is anything goes.
There is a $10 cover for this 21 and older event. For more information, visitsheproductionsevents.com or centralstationpub.com.
Film critics profiled in new documentary
The Maryland Institute College of Art (1301 W. Mt. Royal Ave.) has a few events of interest coming up this week.
On Monday, Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu will be talking at the Brown Center at 10:30 a.m. about her work, which acts as commentary of a social and personal nature where the female body functions as a site of engagement and provocation. This event is free and open to the public.
Also Monday is a screening of “For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism,” a documentary that shows the story of American movie reviewing at 7 p.m. in Falvey Hall. Directed by Gerald Peary, the movie includes commentary by Roger Ebert, Liza Schwarzbaum and more. The screening will include a introduction by Peary and a Q&A about film criticism.
On Thursday, the play “Fat Pig” opens at BBox (1601 Mt. Royal Ave.) at 8 p.m. The show is about a stereotypical young man who falls in love with a plus-sized librarian and explores how society treats their romance. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and are available online at store.mica.edu and brownpapertickets.com, as well as at the door.
WAMMFest at Towson this weekend
WAMMFest (Women and Minorities in Media) is celebrating its fifth anniversary tonight and Saturday at Towson University.
WAMMFest strives to celebrate and encourage women and minorities in media production by calling for works, talks and screenings by everyone from students to professionals in categories such as animation, documentary, music and more.
This year’s guest artists are director and actor Jamil Walker Smith and producer Brittany Ballard. They will be screening their new film “An American Dream” on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Van Bokkelen where they will also talk about their experiences. Tickets to the screening are $5.
The two will also teach a master class “Script to Screen” at on Saturday 3 p.m. in the Media Center. Following the class will be a critique/feedback session.
WAMM winners will be presented this evening at 6 p.m. in Van Bokkelen.
For more information and to RSVP, visit wammtu.com.
Miss Gay Maryland tonight at the Hippo
Club Hippo (1 West Eager St.) has two big events going on this week.
Josie & the PussyCats present “Miss Gay Maryland Contestant Show” tonight at 11 p.m.
The show will featuring Eva Couture, Miss Gay Central Maryland 2012, Victoria Blair, first alternate Miss Hippo 2012, Anastacia Amor, Miss Gay FreeState 2012, Charity Suade’, Miss Hippo 2012, Cha’Nel Von Cartier Couture, first alternate Miss Gay FreeState and LuLu La Diva, first alternate Miss Gay Central Maryland.
Tickets are $7. For tickets and more information, call 443-926-2678.
Doors open at 10 p.m.
On Wednesday, the club has its weekly bingo game at 8:30 p.m. The game will also serve as an album release party for Madonna’s “MDNA.” Participants could win copies of the album and more. Proceeds from the game will benefit the GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland.
For more information, visit clubhippo.com.
The 2026 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition was held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on Sunday. Seven contestants vied for the title and Gage Ryder was named the winner.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Theater
Voiceless ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ a spectacle of operatic proportions
Synetic production pulls audience into grips of doomed lovers’ passion
‘Antony & Cleopatra’
Through Jan. 25
Synetic Theater at
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre
450 7th St., N.W.
Synetictheater.org
A spectacle of operatic proportions, Synetic Theater’s “Antony & Cleopatra” is performed entirely voiceless. An adaptation of the Bard’s original (a play bursting with wordplay, metaphors, and poetic language), the celebrated company’s production doesn’t flinch before the challenge.
Staged by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili, this worthy remount is currently playing at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre, the same venue where it premiered 10 years ago. Much is changed, including players, but the usual inimitable Synectic energy and ingenuity remain intact.
As audiences file into the Klein, they’re met with a monumental pyramid bathed in mist on a dimly lit stage. As the lights rise, the struggle kicks off: Cleopatra (Irina Kavsadze) and brother Ptolemy (Natan-Maël Gray) are each vying for the crown of Egypt. Alas, he wins and she’s banished from Alexandria along with her ethereal black-clad sidekick Mardian (Stella Bunch); but as history tells us, Cleopatra soon makes a triumphant return rolled in a carpet.
Meanwhile, in the increasingly dangerous Rome, Caesar (memorably played by Tony Amante) is assassinated by a group of senators. Here, his legendary Ides of March murder is rather elegantly achieved by silver masked politicians, leaving the epic storytelling to focus on the titular lovers.
The fabled couple is intense. As the Roman general Antony, Vato Tsikurishvili comes across as equal parts warrior, careerist, and beguiled lover. And despite a dose of earthiness, it’s clear that Kavsadze’s Cleopatra was born to be queen.
Phil Charlwood’s scenic design along with Colin K. Bills’ lighting cleverly morph the huge pyramidic structure into the throne of Egypt, the Roman Senate, and most astonishingly as a battle galley crashing across the seas with Tsikurishvili’s Antony ferociously at the helm.
There are some less subtle suggestions of location and empire building in the form of outsized cardboard puzzle pieces depicting the Mediterranean and a royal throne broken into jagged halves, and the back-and-forth of missives.
Of course, going wordless has its challenges. Kindly, Synectic provides a compact synopsis of the story. I’d recommend coming early and studying that page. With changing locations, lots of who’s who, shifting alliances, numerous war skirmishes, and lack of dialogue, it helps to get a jump on plot and characters.
Erik Teague’s terrific costume design is not only inspired but also helpful. Crimson red, silver, and white say Rome; while all things Egyptian have a more exotic look with lots of gold and diaphanous veils, etc.
When Synetic’s voicelessness works, it’s masterful. Many hands create the magic: There’s the direction, choreography, design, and the outrageously committed, sinewy built players who bring it to life through movement, some acrobatics, and the remarkable sword dancing using (actual sparking sabers) while twirling to original music composed by Konstantine Lortkipanidze.
Amid the tumultuous relationships and frequent battling (fight choreography compliments of Ben Cunis), moments of whimsy and humor aren’t unwelcome. Ptolemy has a few clownish bits as Cleopatra’s lesser sibling. And Antony’s powerful rival Octavian (ageless out actor Philip Fletcher) engages in peppy propaganda featuring a faux Cleopatra (played by Maryam Najafzada) as a less than virtuous queen enthusiastically engaged in an all-out sex romp.
When Antony and Cleopatra reach their respective ends with sword and adder, it comes almost as a relief. They’ve been through so much. And from start to finish, without uttering a word, Kavsadze and Tsikurishvili share a chemistry that pulls the audience into the grips of the doomed lovers’ palpable passion.
Out & About
Love board games and looking for love?
Quirk Events will host “Board Game Speed Dating for Gay Men” on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at KBird DC.
Searching for a partner can be challenging. But board games are always fun. So what if you combined board games and finding a partner?
Picture this: You sit down for a night of games. A gaming concierge walks you through several games over the course of the night. You play classics you love and discover brand new games you’ve never heard of, playing each with a different group of fun singles. All while in a great establishment.
At the end of the night, you give your gaming concierge a list of the folks you met that you’d like to date and a list of those you met that you’d like to just hang out with as friends. If any two people put down the same name as each other in either column, then your gaming concierge will make sure you get each other’s e-mail address and you can coordinate a time to hang out.
Tickets cost $31.80 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
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