Arts & Entertainment
Hayes’ gays
LGBT community well represented at annual D.C. theater awards
Michael Bobbitt accepting his award Monday night. (Photo courtesy theatreWashington)
Monday night’s 28th annual Helen Hayes Awards had many winners, but the evening’s first was playwright Marc Acito.
He won the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical for his “Birds of a Feather,” a comedy about a pair of gay penguins living together in New York’s Central Park. Acito, who is gay, thanked his own longtime partner who couldn’t make the event.
Next up, Michael Baron (also gay) won Outstanding Director Resident Musical for his work on “A Year with Frog and Toad” at Adventure Theatre. He thanked his partner whom he’d left at home in Oklahoma.
The absentee boyfriend trend soon ended. When topnotch musical director Jon Kalbfleisch was singled out of Outstanding Musical Direction in a Resident Musical, he happily thanked his date who was seated close to the stage.
Presented by theatreWashington, the Helen Hayes Awards was co-hosted by notable local actors Holly Twyford and Felicia Curry. (In recent years, there had been pairs of presenters but no designated emcee per se. The return to hosts is a fun correction). Twyford, who is gay, and Curry underwent a half-dozen glamorous costume changes and traded insider references and gossipy tidbits. It’s exactly what the raucous audience seemed to want. After all, the Helen Hayes Awards is primarily a celebration of all that is local theater.
Every April, the awards are handed out to reward excellence in Washington-area professional theater. During the 2011 season, 53 theatres produced 192 productions that met eligibility requirements in the Jan.-Dec. judging cycle. From these shows, 153 artists, productions and ensembles from 26 theatres were nominated for awards and from these nominees, a large pool of judges carefully selected the evening’s winners.
Longtime Helen Hayes (and now theatreWashington) honcho Victor Shargai presented the prestigious Helen Hayes Tribute (sponsored and awarded by philanthropist Jaylee Mead) to Kevin Spacey, in honor of the famous actor’s enduring career and advocacy for arts funding. A two-time Oscar winner (“American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects.”), Spacey, who is rumored to be gay but opts not to publicly discuss his orientation, is also a man of the theater: He won a Tony for the in “Lost in Yonkers” in 1991 and most recently toured the world in a Sam Mendes’ production of “Richard III.” He has worked as a director, screenwriter, producer and singer and is artistic director at the Old Vic in London.
Spacey’s acceptance speech was the highlight of the night. In about 10 minutes or so, he dropped several F bombs, did a couple of spot-on impersonations, waxed nostalgic, advised on the importance of giving back and ultimately inspired a house full of theater folks to live their dreams.
The tribute included a short film on Spacey’s career, and — much to the audience’s surprise and delight — a warm videotaped message from Spacey friend and fan, President Bill Clinton. Past honorees include Derek Jacobi, James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, Stephen Sondheim, and the award’s namesake, Helen Hayes.
Other deserving winners included delightful newcomer Matthew Delorenzo. He was awarded Outstanding Supporting Actor Resident Musical for his portrayal of Warhol superstar Candy Darling in Studio Theatre 2ndStage’s “Pop!” Michael Bobbitt, Adventure Theatre’s gay artistic director accepted the prize for Outstanding Production Theatre for Young Audiences on behalf of his company’s charming production of “Charlotte’s Web,” staged by talented gay director Serge Seiden. The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theater Company (named in memory of Victor Shargai’s theater-loving, late partner) to Faction of Fools, a performance group rooted in the Italian Commedia dell’Arte style currently in residence at Gallaudet University.
With nearly 80 professional theatre companies, Greater Washington is second only to New York for the number of productions produced each year. Appropriately, the night ended with co-hosts Twyford and Curry melodically encouraging everyone to see more theater: “Who needs the real housewives?” they sang. “Medea’s the original one. Go see a show!”
Visit theatrewashington.org for a complete list of winners.
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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Comings & Goings
