Arts & Entertainment
Maintaining mystery
Out actor Spinella says ‘Velocity’ better experienced blind
Estelle Parsons as Alexandra and Stephen Spinella as Chris in “The Velocity of Autumn’ at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. It runs through Oct. 20. (Photo by Teresa Wood; courtesy Arena)
‘The Velocity of Autumn’
Through Oct. 20
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth Street, SW
$40-90
Arenastage.org
Broadway star Stephen Spinella almost never leaves New York City to work.
“I’ll only go for incredibly special situations,” he says. “I love my apartment. I have a great support system of friends. I’m just not a happy camper outside of New York. It’s got to be something really great to tempt me.”
Playing opposite Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons in Arena Stage’s “The Velocity of Autumn” is one of those impossible-to-refuse situations.
“Last winter I got a call from Molly Smith [Arena’s artistic director and ‘Velocity’s’ director] offering me the job,” says Spinella, who is gay. “I asked why they’d reached out to me. Molly said I was Parsons’ first choice to play her son. You don’t say no to that.”
Penned by Cleveland-based playwright Eric Coble, the two-character play focuses on 79-year-old Alexandra, who is experiencing the early signs of dementia. Holed up in her Brooklyn brownstone with a cache of homemade explosives, she threatens to blow up the house and herself rather than rethink a less independent living arrangement. It’s then that her estranged gay son Chris is brought in to mediate.
Spinella, widely known for his brilliant Tony Award-winning performances as Prior Walter (a gay man with AIDS) in “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” and “Angels in America: Perestroika,” won’t reveal much — he believes an audience should experience a play blind. But he will say that in 90 uninterrupted minutes, Chris and Alexandra must find out where they’ve been, where they are now and how they’re going to resolve her issues. It’s a lot to cover.
In real life, Spinella’s 90-year-old mother suffers from dementia. She lives in a care facility in Arizona. But unlike his mother, says Spinella, “Alexandra is still very alert and aware. She’s an artist and very self-reliant. Her character is processing what is happening to her and what she wants to do. That’s a big part of what the play is about.”
And while we’re told Spinella’s character is gay, it’s mentioned rather offhandedly. The straight playwright Coble, says he was intrigued with the idea of Chris’ sexuality not being the focal point.
“So often when being gay is used as a dramatic device it’s the entire focus of the character,” Coble says. “I wanted to write a character who’s not struggling with his sexuality. There are other reasons why he needed to get out of New York City and live far from his mother and more conventionally successful siblings.”
Spinella concurs: “The fact that he’s gay is almost completely unimportant to the play. It’s a minor revelation. When he left home, it was probably more important but it’s essentially dissolved in the way that it has for so many of us in this country.”
For Coble, having Parsons (who won her Oscar for “Bonnie and Clyde” and hilariously played Bev on “Roseanne” for a decade) and Spinella bring his characters to life has been a joy and slightly unnerving. “They’re so good and so smart,” he says. “Their ‘truthometers’ are very high — they have a way at getting at the kernel of truth in every moment. It’s an incredible thing to see and experience.”
And Spinella is rhapsodic about 85-year-old Parsons: “She has that frank New England aspect. It’s great for the character. She’s always surprising — incredibly smart and sensitive with a steel trap mind. She and her husband Peter are both like jocks. They cycle, walk, swim and hike. They’re also fun — really wonderful people.”
Next year, Spinella can be seen HBO’s movie version of Larry Kramer’s seminal AIDS play “The Normal Heart.” He describes the experience as fantastic and intense. His part (Sanford) is small but important. “Early in the play his KS lesions are revealed in the doctor’s office,” says Spinella. “And later, in a newly added scene set in a hospital, he is wild with dementia, calling for his dog. He totally loses it and falls apart.”
But for today, Spinella is happily immersed in “Velocity.” When the show closes next month, he returns to New York City, that place he hates to leave.
Theater
‘Inherit the Wind’ isn’t about science vs. religion, but the right to think
Holly Twyford on new role and importance of listening to different opinions
‘Inherit the Wind’
Through April 5
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
Tickets start at $73
Arenastage.org
When “Inherit the Wind” premiered on Broadway in 1955 with a cast of 50, its fictional setting of Hillsboro, an obscure country town described as the buckle on the Bible Belt, was filled with townspeople. And now at Arena Stage, director Ryan Guzzo Purcell has somehow crowded Arena’s large Fichandler space with just 10 actors, five principals and a delightful ensemble of five playing multiple roles.
Inspired by the real-life Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s fictionalized work pits intellectual freedom against McCarthyism via the imagined trial of Bertram Cates (Noah Plomgren), a Tennessee educator charged with teaching evolution. Drawn into the fracas are big shot lawyers, defense attorney Henry Drummond (Billy Eugene Jones), and conservative prosecutor, Matthew Harrison Brady (Dakin Matthew). On hand to cover the closely watched story is wisecracking city slicker and Baltimore reporter E.K. Horneck (played by nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan).
Out actor Holly Twyford, a four-time Helen Hayes Award winner who has appeared in more than 80 Washington area plays, is part of the ensemble. In jeans and boots, she memorably plays Meeker, the bailiff at the Hillsboro courthouse and the jailer responsible for holding Cates in the days leading to his trial.
Twyford also plays Sillers, a slack jawed earnest employee at the local feed store who’s called to serve on the jury. And more importantly she plays Brady’s quietly strong wife Sarah whom he affectionately calls “Mother.”
When Twyford makes her memorable first entrance as Meeker, she’s wiping shaving cream from her face with a hand towel. With shades of Mayberry R.F.D., the jail is run casually. Meeker says Cates isn’t the criminal type, and he’s not.
“There’s a joke among actors,” says Twyford. “When an actor gets his shoes, they know who their character is. And it’s sort of true. When you put on boots, heels, or flip flops, there’s a different feeling, and you walk differently.”
Similarly, shares Twyford, it goes for clothes too: “When Mother slips a pink coat dress over her cowboy boots, dons a little hat and ties her scarf, or Meeker puts on his work shirt, I know where I am. And all of that is thanks to a remarkable wardrobe crew.
“Additionally, some of the ensemble characters are played broadly which is helpful to the actors and super identifying for the audience too.”
During intermission, an audience member loudly described the production as “a proper play” filled with beautifully written passages. And it’s true. Twyford agrees, adding “That’s all true, and it’s also been was fun for us to be a part of the Arena legacy as well. Arena took ‘Inherit the Wind’ to the Soviet Union in the early ‘70s when the respective governments did a cultural exchange. At the time, the iron curtain was very much in place, and they traveled with a play about a man with his own thoughts.”
When the ensemble was cast, actors didn’t know which tracts exactly they were going to play. “What came together was a cast, diverse in different ways. Some directors, including myself when I direct, are interested in assembling a cast that’s a good group. No time for egos. It’s more about who will make the best group to help me tell this story.”
At one point during rehearsal, ensemble members began to help one another with minor onstage costume changes, like jackets and hats: “We just started doing it and Ryan [Guzzo Purcell] picked up on it, saying things really began to come alive when we helped each other, so we went with that.”
“For me, it was reminiscent of ‘The Laramie Project’ [Ford’s Theatre in 2013] when we played five different parts and we’d help each other with a vest or jacket in a similar way. It worked so well then too,” says Twyford.
“Inherit the Wind” isn’t about science versus religion. It’s about the right to think, playwright Jerome Lawrrence has been quoted as saying. And it’s a quote that makes the play that much more relevant today.
Twford remembers a chat in a hair salon: “I was getting my hair cut and the woman next to me shared that she was tired of message plays. Understandably there are theater makers who believe that message plays are the point, while others think it’s all about entertainment. I feel like ‘Inherit the Wind’ sits in a nice place in the middle.”
She adds “the work is a creative way of showing different opinions and that, I think, is what we should be paying attention to right now. Clearly, it’s not right or wrong to express what you think.”
Out & About
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
‘Living History’ discussion to be held at Spark Social
Friends of Dorothy Cafe will host “Part One, Living History: How We Survived,” will take place on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Spark Social House.
This event will be moderated by Abby Stuckrath, host of the “Queering the District” podcast. Panelists include: Earline Budd, activist, trans rights advocate; TJ Flavell of Go Gay DC; DC LGBTQ+ Center Board Member David Bissette; and Alexa Rodriguez, founder and executive director, Trans-Latinx DMV.
This event is part of a four-part storytelling series called “Living History,” which centers LGBTQ elders, activists, artists, and icons sharing their lived experiences and reflections with younger generations. The conversations explore themes like resilience, community organizing, chosen family, and the lessons earlier generations hope today’s LGBTQ+ and ally communities will carry forward.
Saturday, March 21
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Sunday, March 22
LGBTQ+ Community Coffee and Conversation will be at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for people looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ community. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, March 23
Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
Queer Book Club will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The Queer Book Club meets on the fourth Monday of the month to discuss queer books by queer authors. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Tuesday, March 24
Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so — by sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit www.genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.
Wednesday, March 25
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.
Thursday, March 26
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Small is beautiful: subcompact SUVs
‘Inherit the Wind’ isn’t about science vs. religion, but the right to think
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
Calendar: March 21-26
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