Arts & Entertainment
Psychology of abuse
Lesbian drama explores tumultuous relationship set in Baltimore
Playwright Ira Kip in Washington last weekend for performances of her lesbian domestic violence drama ‘She’Baltimore.’ (Photo courtesy Kip)
At last weekend’s D.C.-area debut of writer/director Ira Kip’s new play “She’Baltimore,” the scene was set for a fight, possibly to the death. The production’s spare set suggested a boxing ring. There were the standard chairs in opposite corners, but instead of ropes, the ring was fenced by crime scene tape.
Set in Baltimore, Kip’s hour-long theater piece explores domestic violence within the LGBT community. It focuses on Linay (also Kip in a nuanced performance) and her girlfriend Ebone (nicely underplayed by Nicole McManus). They have their good times, but when things go wrong between them, they go toxically wrong, resulting in beatings and emergency room visits. Interestingly the playwright (who declines to state her own sexual orientation) has somewhat blurred the lines regarding blame: Yes, it’s Ebone who busts her lover’s lip, but then again there’s Linay’s explosive temper. And when Ebone makes a move to exit what she realizes is an unsalvageable relationship, it’s Linay who pleads with her to stay.
Before coming to D.C., “She’Baltimore” premiered in Amsterdam and then played in Baltimore. In celebration of D.C. Black Pride, the Blade sponsored the production’s two-night run at the Warehouse over Memorial Day weekend. And despite some problems beyond the production’s control — loud music blared from Warehouse’s neighbor, the New York Avenue Beach Bar; and Kip was called upon rather last minute to understudy for the actor slated to play Linay — the May 25th performance was a success.
Kip is a gifted playwright. She seamlessly shifts from lyrical prose to raw dialogue. The play’s vignette-like scenes can stand alone, but when strung together they’re more powerful, taking the audience deep into what defines the couple’s disturbing relationship — sexual attraction, beatings, affection, frustration, anger, drug abuse — it’s all there. Additionally, Linay and Ebone come with baggage. Both women are regrettably estranged from their families largely due to their sexuality.
The production’s five-member cast was made up of gay, straight and bisexual black women. As the narrator, Sherry Richardson intermittently relayed domestic violence crimes ripped from the local Baltimore nightly news. Heather Smith played a dismissive intake nurse with a bad attitude. While supplying comic relief, the character also searingly represents the system’s insensitivity and lack of training. And Nia Johnson was appealing as Angel, Linay’s emotional port in the storm.
A post-show discussion on the play’s theme featuring the cast was led by production assistant Bakari Jones.
Kip is Caribbean-born. She has lived in the Netherlands but now calls New York City home. Her play is partly an indictment of America’s reluctance to understand gay people’s lives more fully and its inability to properly respond to LGBT mental and physical health issues in relation to domestic abuse. “She’Baltimore” puts the spotlight on important but not widely discussed topics.
Celebrity News
My evening with Madonna
Gay icon headlined the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key will be on assignment in the Netherlands through Aug. 10. They will be covering World Pride in Amsterdam.
AMSTERDAM — Madonna and 6,000 of her closest friends celebrated World Pride at Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall early Sunday morning. I was fortunate enough to be one of them.
Madonna last Wednesday nearly broke the internet when she said on social media in Dutch that “I got somethin’ I wanna talk about,” referring to an opening line in “Danceteria,” one of the tracks on her “Confessions II” album that has received rave reviews since its July 2 release. The track has been on near constant replay on my playlist since I first heard it.
— Madonna (@Madonna) July 28, 2026
MISTR — a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term care that has organized Madonna’s Club Confessions shows in the U.S. and the U.K. — later confirmed the rampant speculation. I woke up on July 30 to an email in my inbox from MISTR and the World Pride Music Festival PR team that said I was on the press list.
Madonna was indeed going to headline the World Pride Music Festival that Jake Resnicow and Insomniac produced, and I was going to be there. OMFG!!!!
The gay icon had one more surprise in store.
The Dutch internet on Saturday once again broke over speculation that Kylie Minogue was going to appear alongside Madonna. I was getting ready to leave our hotel in Amsterdam on Saturday night when I saw a video of the two of them together.
“Madonna is now teasing Kylie Minogue on her social media … she may be one of her ‘special guests’ tonight,” I wrote in a text to Washington Blade Editor Kevin Naff at 8:46 p.m.
“Have fun! This is turning into the gayest concert ever,” he responded.
I arrived at AFAS Live shortly before 11 p.m. My press contact walked me and two other Dutch journalists into the venue’s cavernous main room known as the Black Box. We made small talk for a few minutes before I started to walk around and listen to Josh Harrison who was on the decks.
Madonna was scheduled to take the stage at 1:30 a.m., but she is known for being late — she is Madonna and she does what she wants. Hayla, a British singer, and Bebe Rexha are among those who performed ahead of Madonna. Thousands of sweaty men — including a group of Australians next to me who were eagerly awaiting Kylie’s anticipated appearance — packed the Black Box and were dancing, anticipating what was to come.
MISTR CEO Tristan Schukraft at one point came on stage and declared Madonna was indeed in the building. The moment for which we were all eagerly waiting finally came shortly before 2:30 a.m.
“Mother is here and this is gay heaven,” said Madonna when she took the stage.
Stuart Price, who produced her “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album in 2005, manned the decks during Madonna’s set.
She opened it with “I Feel So Free” from “Confessions II.” Madonna then sang “Bring Your Love” and “Danceteria” to which this reporter — and everyone else — sang along.
Madonna then teased a surprise before she began to perform “Love Sensation.” Kylie soon appeared on stage. It was nearly too much for my fellow partygoers from Australia. It was indeed the gayest concert ever!
Madonna and Kylie performed “Love Sensation” together. They then sang “Hung Up” and “Sorry” from “Confessions on a Dance Floor” to round out the set that ended shortly after 3 a.m.
Madonna and I share the same birthday — Aug. 16 — and I would like to think she and Kylie gave me an early birthday present. In all seriousness though, it was an amazing night for me and for everyone else who was fortunate enough to be there.
“On the dance floor I feel so free,” says Madonna in the opening of “I Feel So Free.”
For those few precious hours at AFAS Live I did not think about the Trump-Vance administration and the myriad ways it is destroying the U.S. I did not think about the National Guard troops deployed to D.C. I did not think about the pointless wars that continue to ravage Ukraine and other countries around the world. I simply lost myself on the dance floor and celebrated an icon who has always stood with my community.
Thank you, Madonna.
The Petal Release Party and Drag Show was held at Spark Social on Friday, July 31. Performers included Tiara-Missou, Labianna and Darcy de la Cuadra.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Celebrity News
Madonna headlines World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
Kylie Minogue made surprise appearance alongside gay icon
AMSTERDAM — Madonna on Sunday headlined the final night of the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam.
The gay icon took the stage shortly before 2:30 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday) during Club Confessions, a set that MISTR, a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term HIV care, organized.
“Mother is here and this is gay heaven,” said Madonna when she took the stage inside Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall that can hold up to 6,000 people.
Stuart Price, who produced Madonna’s 2005 “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album and “Confessions II,” which debuted on July 2, DJed the set.
Kylie Minogue made a surprise appearance. She and Madonna performed a new remix of “Love Sensation” from “Confessions II.”
(Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)
“Throughout my career, I’ve always supported efforts to fight HIV and AIDS, and that fight begins with education and access,” said Madonna in a MISTR press release. “With MISTR, (CEO) Tristan (Schukraft) is expanding access to HIV prevention and sexual healthcare for everyone. Through this work, he’s helping preserve and strengthen LGBTQ+ spaces while investing in the communities and culture that have long sustained us.”
Minogue in an Instagram post thanked Madonna, Price, Schukraft, and MISTR.
Madonna appeared at The Abbey in West Hollywood, Calif., in April. Madonna in June celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York’s Times Square.
Jake Resnicow and Insomniac produced the World Pride Music Festival that also featured Bebe Rexha and Paris Hilton, among others.
“Pride has always been about bringing our community together,” said Resnicow. “At a moment when too many people are being told to hide or make themselves smaller, gathering openly, joyfully, and without apology matters more than ever. I couldn’t be prouder of what this festival brought to life in Amsterdam — one dance floor, completely free.”
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