Arts & Entertainment
‘Body’ of evidence
Well-crafted lesbian-themed character study closes at Theater J Sunday
‘Body Awareness’
Theater J
1529 Sixteenth Street, NW
Through Sept. 23
Tickets: $25
MaryBeth Wise, Susan Lynskey and Adi Stein in ‘Body Awareness’ by Annie Baker at Theater J through Sunday. (Photo by C. Stanley Photography)
It’s wonderful when you leave a play wanting more — more of the interesting multi-faceted characters, more of the thought-provoking themes, more of the crackling dialogue and more of the nuanced acting, striking design and confident direction. And luckily for Washington’s LGBT theater audiences, that is definitely the case with Theater J’s excellent production of Annie Baker’s “Body Awareness.” But act fast — this is the last weekend to catch it as it closes Sunday.
As the play opens, it’s Body Awareness week at Shirley State College in Vermont. Psychology professor Phyllis (Susan Lynskey) predicts all too accurately that, “we have five eventful days ahead of us.” Like Wendy Wasserstein’s “The Heidi Chronicles,” “Body Awareness” is structured around a series of addresses by a feminist academic, but Baker’s writing is less self-conscious and more self-assured and her character’s use of humor is more organic and less self-defensive.
One of the guest artists for the politically correct-yet-intellectually-and-artistically-scattershot week is Frank Bonitatibus who takes nude photographs of women of all ages. Frank is staying with Phyllis and her partner Joyce, and that’s when the drama starts.
Phyllis categorically rejects Frank’s photos as manipulative and exploitative. Joyce quickly sees Frank as a kindred spirit with a common interest in Judaism and a mutual yearning for self-expression. Joyce’s 21-year-old son Jared, who still lives with Joyce and Phyllis, sees Frank as a potential role model who might be able to teach him how to get a girlfriend.
Baker skillfully draws out the shifting alliance and antagonisms between the characters: the feminist psychologist verses the visionary artist; the arrogant college professor and the caring high school teacher (“your mother’s job does not count as academic”); the politically correct lesbian versus the warm fuzzy lesbian hippy; the well-meaning mothers and the quirky son who insists he does not have Asperger’s Syndrome, despite his lack of social skills, his obsessive interest in etymologies and his bursts of violent language.
Under the smooth direction of Eleanor Holdridge, the cast brings these rich characters to energetic theatrical life, Lynskey is strong as a rather rigid ideologue whose more tender feelings are betrayed by a suspected facial tic and a meltdown during her Friday lecture. MaryBeth Wise is superb as Joyce, the woman who plays peacekeeper to the warring factions and still tries to address her own needs. Michael Kramer is fascinating as Frank, striking a fine balance between a sensitive empowering artist and a somewhat creepy voyeur who has his own issues relating to women.
Adi Stein is somewhat less successful as Jared, who may, or may not, have Asperger’s Syndrome. He captures the character’s mood swings and idiosyncrasies with admirable precision, but his lively performance leaves the young man’s diagnosis in little doubt. A flatter aspect might have preserved more of the character’s mystery.
The play is also well served by the subtle work of the design team (Scenic Designer Daniel Ettinger, Lighting Designer Nancy Schertler, Costume Designer Kelsey Hunt and Sound Designer Chas Marsh). The set design is fluid and effective and the lighting evocatively captures the shifting moods of the different scenes. Director Holdridge brings all this together with a casual effortlessness that works well with the tricky verbal and emotional rhythms of Baker’s dialogue. The scene transitions are especially effective, creating lovely stage pictures with lively underscoring while giving the actors and audience a chance to regroup and rethink.
There are a few bugs in the writing. Phyllis’s instant antagonism to Frank and his art, and her lack of awareness about the content of his exhibition, don’t make a lot of sense and a final twist involving Jared and one of his mother’s students comes out of nowhere. Despite these relatively minor flaws, “Body Awareness” is an exciting early work by an important new female playwright.
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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