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Social Agenda of Feb. 5

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Friday, Feb. 5

Gay organist Charles Miller plays a recital today at 12:15 p.m. at his church, National City Christian Church in Thomas Circle. He’ll perform works by J.S. Bach, Louis Vierne, Pietro Mascagni and David N. Johnson as part of a weekly concert organ series dubbed “Magical, Mystical, Musical Machine,” which resumes today and runs every Friday at this time through May. It’s free. Gay organists David Christopher and Stephen Harouff play on the 12th and the 19th respectively. Miller plays again on the 26th. The recitals are a half hour each.

Lesbian rock/dance party HottBoxx returns to Phase 1 tonight from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. and will happen the first Friday of every month. Doors open at 9. Phase is located at 525 8th St., S.E. Cover is $5.

A dance party featuring the music of Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson is tonight at 9:30 club, located at 815 V St., N.W. Visit 930.com for more information.

Queer Shabbaton, an urban retreat for LGBT Jews and allies, is this weekend, beginning today at 5 p.m. and continuing through Sunday at the D.C. Jewish Community Center located at 16th and Q streets. The event, which has been held successfully three times in New York, is coming to Washington for the first time this weekend. It features workshops, services, opportunities for networking, yoga and meditation, kosher food and more with several high profile Jewish LGBT speakers. Admission ranges from $80 to $140. For more information, visit nehirim.org/qsdc.

The “So You Think You’re a Drag Queen” monthly contest is tonight at Town, at 2009 8th St., N.W. Doors open at 10 p.m. Visit towndc.com for more information.

Saturday, Feb. 6

“Divas of Pop,” a dance party spanning four decades of pop’s most iconic female singers, is tonight at 9 at State, located at 220 N. Washington St. in Falls Church, Va. Doors open at 7. Visit thestatetheatre.com for more information.

A singles-only event is today at Hillwood Museum & Gardens from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A meet-and-greet, tour and lunch will be held. Tickets are $15. It’s hosted by Zoom Lesbian Excursions. Visit zoomexcursions.com for more information.

D.C. Front Runners, a local gay running group, starts a run today at 23rd and P streets (at the Shevchenko Monument) at 10 a.m. The group also runs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., though sometimes at other locations. Visit dcfrontrunners.org for more information.

D.C. Metro LGBT IT Professionals meets today from 10 to 11 a.m. at SteamCafe at 17th and R streets, N.W.

Gay singer/songwriters Tom Goss and Matt Alber play two shows tonight at the DeLaski Theater, located at 1700 Kalorama Road, N.W., in Adams Morgan. Shows are at 5 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Visit tomgossmusic.com/store for tickets. Goss is based in Washington and is touring on his latest album “Back to Love.” Alber, who lives in Los Angeles, became an online sensation last year for his poignant video “End of the World.”

Sunday, Feb. 7

Local drag queen Shi-Queeta Lee hosts drag brunch every Sunday at Nellie’s Sports Bar, located at 900 U St., N.W. Brunch buffet is $20. Miss Lee performs at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Visit nelliessportsbar.com for more information.

Monday, Feb. 8

Equality Maryland Lobby Day is today in Annapolis. LGBT Marylanders are encouraged to help the group have a strong presence in the state capitol. A rally is scheduled for 5 p.m., meetings with lawmakers will occur from 6 to 8 p.m. and a special “Annapolis edition” of Guerilla Gay Bar Baltimore will be from 8 to 10 p.m. at Ram’s Head Tavern. Register to attend at equalitymaryland.org/lobbyday. Or contact Mike at 410-685-6567 or [email protected].

A week of musical theater cabaret dubbed “Broadway Today and Tomorrow” is being held tonight and all week at the Kennedy Center at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. Tonight’s performers are Matt Cavanaugh, Peter Mills and Kate Baldwin. Many other Broadway up-and-comers perform each night through Friday. Free. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, the District’s largest mostly gay church, has an HIV-positive support group for people of faith every Monday at the church. For more information, contact Matt Senger at 202-546-2159 or e-mail him at [email protected]. MCC-DC is located at 474 Ridge St., N.W. Visit mccdc.com for more information about the church.

Tuesday, Feb. 9

Cobalt has “Flashback,” a retro night, every Tuesday at 10 p.m. Rail vodka drinks are free from 10 to 11 p.m. Cobalt, a gay bar and dance club, is at the corner of 17th and R streets, N.W.

Wednesday, Feb. 10

Rainbow Response has its monthly meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at National City Christian Church, located at 5 Thomas Circle, N.W. The group is a meeting of individuals and agencies collaborating to discuss intimate partner violence in the local LGBT community. The meeting is typically held on the second Wednesday of each month. Visit rainbowresponse.org for more information.

The Gertrude Stein Club, a local group of gay Democrats, is having a speed dating event tonight at the D.C. Center at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Attendees will go on three-minute dates, fill out evaluation forms and be informed of matches upon which contact information will be shared. Cost is $10 in advance or $15 at the door. The Center is located at 1804 14th St., N.W. Visit steindemocrats.org for more information.

Ladies First night is tonight and every Wednesday at Fab Lounge, located at 1805 Connecticut Ave., N.W. For more information, visit myspace.com/ladiesfirst.

Thursday, Feb. 11

D.C. Lambda Squares, a local gay square dancing group, meets every Thursday for square dancing. For more information about the group or to find out when beginner classes are available, visit dclambdasquares.org.

Friday, Feb. 12

Gay District meets tonight. The group was formerly known as the Twenties Group but has expanded its age range for gay, bi, trans and questioning men from 18 to 35. The group meets for weekly discussion from 8:30 to 9:30 every Friday at St. Margaret’s Church located at 1830 Connecticut Ave. Those interested can visit the group on Facebook under the name “GD: Gay District.”

A new Friday night drag show at Ziegfeld’s has started with a new hostess. The Ladies of Illusion hosted by Kristina Kelly has performances every Friday at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. Ziegfeld’s is celebrating its one-year anniversary this weekend.

Saturday, Feb. 13

Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, the District’s largest mostly gay church, has its annual Valentine’s dance tonight at 7 p.m. at the church. Refreshments will be served. A $7 donation is suggested. Contact 202-638-7373 or [email protected] for more information. The church is located at 474 Ridge St., N.W.

“Love,” a concert by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, is today with shows at 5 and 8 p.m. at Church of the Epiphany located at 1317 G St. N.W. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at www.gmcw.org/tickets, by phone at 202-293-1548 or at the HRC shop at 1633 Connecticut Ave., N.W. The concert will feature a chorus transcription of Brahm’s “Liebeslieder Waltzes” by chorus member Robert T. Boaz and a performance by the Rock Creek Singers, a chamber ensemble of Chorus members.

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Out & About

Wizards to host annual Pride Night

Ticket purchase includes limited-edition belt bag

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The Wizards celebrate Pride Night on March 27. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Capital Pride Alliance and the Washington Wizards will host ā€œPride Nightā€ on Thursday, March 27 at 7 p.m. Ticket purchases come with a limited-edition Wizards Pride belt bag. There are limited quantities.

Tickets start at $31 and can be purchased on the Wizardsā€™ website

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Theater

Celebrated local talent Regina Aquino is back on the boards

Queer actor starring in Arena Stageā€™s ā€˜The Age of Innocenceā€™

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Jacob Yeh, Regina Aquino (foreground), and Lise Bruneau inĀ ā€˜The Age of Innocenceā€™Ā at Arena Stage.Ā (Photo by Daniel Rader)

ā€˜The Age of Innocenceā€™
Through March 30
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
Tickets start at $59
Arenastage.org

Actor, director, and now filmmaker, celebrated local talent Regina Aquino is back on the boards in Arena Stageā€™s ā€œThe Age of Innocence,ā€ staged by the companyā€™s artistic director Hana S. Sharif. 

Adapted by Karen ZacarĆ­as from Edith Wharton’s 1920 masterpiece novel, the work surrounds a love triangle involving New York scion Newland Archer, his young fiancĆ©e, and the unconventional beauty Countess Olenska. The Gilded Age-set piece sets up a struggle between rigid societal norms and following oneā€™s own heart.

Aquino ā€” a queer-identified first-generation Filipino immigrant who grew up in the DMVā€” is the first Filipino American actress to receive a Helen Hayes Award (2019). She won for her work in Theater Allianceā€™s ā€œThe Events.ā€

In ā€œThe Age of Innocence,ā€ Aquino plays Newlandā€™s mother Adeline Archer, a widow who lives with her unmarried, socially awkward daughter Janey. No longer a face on the dinner party circuit, she does enjoy gossiping at home, especially with her close friend Mr. Sillerton Jackson, a ā€œconfirmed bachelorā€ and social arbiter. Together, they sip drinks and talk about whatā€™s happening among their elite Manhattan set. 

WASHINGTON BLADE: Do you like Mrs. Archer? 

REGINA AQUINO: Thereā€™s a lot of joy in playing this character. Sheā€™s very exuberant in those moments with her bestie Sillerton. Otherwise, thereā€™s not much for her to do. In Whartonā€™s book, it says that Mrs. Archerā€™s preferred pastime is growing ferns. 

BLADE: But she can be rather ruthless? 

AQUINO: When it comes to her family, yes. Sheā€™s protective, which I understand. When she feels that her familyā€™s under attack in any way, or the structure of the society that upholds way of life is threatened, she leans hard into that. 

The rare times that sheā€™s out in society you see the boundaries come up, and the performative aspect of what society means. She can be very mean if she wants to be. 

BLADE: Can you relate?

AQUINO: I come from a large Filipino matriarchal family. Mrs. Archer is someone I recognize. When Iā€™m in the Philippines, Iā€™m around people like that. People who will do business with you but wonā€™t let you into their inner circle. 

BLADE: Did you ever imagine yourself playing a woman like Mrs. Archer? 

AQUINO: No. However, in the past couple of years diversely cast TV shows like ā€œBridgertonā€ and ā€œQueen Charlotteā€ have filled a need for me that I didnā€™t I know I had.

With stories like ā€œThe Age of Innocenceā€ that are so specific about American history, they arenā€™t always easily imagined by American audiences when performed by a diverse cast.  

But when Karen [ZacarĆ­as] wrote the play, she imagined it as a diverse cast. What theyā€™re presenting is reflective of all the different people that make up America.

BLADE: You seem a part of many groups. How does that work?

AQUINO: For me, the code switching is real. Whether Iā€™m with my queer family, Filipinos, or artists of color. Itā€™s different. The way we talk about the world, it shifts. I speak Tiglao in the Philippines or here I may fall into an accent depending on who Iā€™m with.

BLADE: And tell me about costume designer Fabio Tabliniā€™s wonderful clothes.

AQUINO: Arenā€™t they gorgeous? At the Arena costume shop, they build things to fit to your body. Itā€™s not often we get to wear these couture things. As actors weā€™re in the costumes for three hours a night but these women, who the characters are based on, wore these corseted gowns all day, every day. Itā€™s amazing how much these clothes help in building your character. Iā€™ve found new ways of expressing myself when my waist is cinched down to 26 inches. 

BLADE: Arenaā€™s Fichandler Stage is theatre-in-the-round. Great for costumes. How about you? 

AQUINO: This is my favorite kind of acting. In the round thereā€™s nowhere to hide. Your whole body is acting. Thereā€™s somebody somewhere who can see every part of you. Very much how we move in real life. I find it easier. 

BLADE: While the Gilded Age was opulent for some, it wasnā€™t a particularly easy time for working people. 

AQUINO: The play includes commentary on class. Never mind money. If youā€™re not authentic to who you are and connecting with the people you love, youā€™re not going to be happy. The idea of Newland doing what he wants, and Countess Olenskaā€™s journey toward freedom is very threatening to my character, Mrs. Archer. Today, these same oppressive structures are doing everything here to shutdown feelings of liberation. Thatā€™s where the heart of this story lands for me.

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Movies

Stellar cast makes for campy fun in ā€˜The Parentingā€™

New horror comedy a clever, saucy piece of entertainment

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The cast of ā€˜The Parenting.ā€™ā€Ø(Image courtesy of Max/New Line Productions)

If youā€™ve ever headed off for a dream getaway that turned out to be an AirBnB nightmare instead, you might be in the target audience for ā€œThe Parentingā€ ā€“ and if you also happen to be in a queer relationship and have had the experience of ā€œmeeting the parents,ā€ then it was essentially made just for you.

Now streaming on Max, where it premiered on March 13, and helmed by veteran TV (ā€œLooking,ā€ ā€œMinxā€) and film (ā€œThe Skeleton Twins,ā€ ā€œAlex Strangeloveā€) director Craig Johnson from a screenplay by former ā€œSNLā€ writer Kurt Sublette, itā€™s a very gay horror comedy in which a young couple goes through both of those excruciatingly relatable experiences at once. And for those who might be a bit squeamish about the horror elements, we can assure you without spoilers that the emphasis is definitely on the comedy side of this equation.

Set in upstate New York, it centers on a young gay couple ā€“ Josh (Brandon Flynn) and Rohan (Nik Dodani) ā€“ who are happily and obviously in love, and they are proud doggie daddies to prove it. In fact, they are so much in love that Rohan has booked a countryside house specifically to propose marriage, with the pretext of assembling both sets of their parents so that each of them can meet the otherā€™s family for the very first time. They arrive at their rustic rental just in time for an encounter with their quirky-but-amusing host (Parker Posey), whose hints that the house may have a troubling history leave them snickering. 

When their respective families arrive, things go predictably awry. Rohanā€™s adopted parents (Edie Falco, Brian Cox) are successful, sophisticated, and aloof; Joshā€™s folks (Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris) are down-to-earth, unpretentious, and gregarious; to make things even more awkward, the coupleā€™s BFF gal pal Sara (Vivian Bang) shows up uninvited, worried that Rohanā€™s secret engagement plan will go spectacularly wrong under the unpredictable circumstances. Those hiccups, and worse, begin to fray Josh and Rohanā€™s relationship at the edges, revealing previously unseen sides of each other that make them doubt their fitness as a couple  ā€“ but theyā€™re nothing compared to what happens when they discover that theyā€™re also sharing the house with a 400-year-old paranormal entity, who has big plans of its own for the weekend after being trapped there alone for decades. To survive ā€“ and to save their marriage before it even happens ā€“ they must unite with each other and the rest of their feuding guests to defeat it, before it uses them to escape and wreak its evil will upon the world.

Drawing from a long tradition of ā€œhaunted houseā€ tropes, ā€œThe Parentingā€ takes to heart its heritage in this campiest-of-all horror settings, from the gathering of antagonistic strangers that come together to confront its occult secrets to the macabre absurdity of its humor, much of which is achieved by juxtaposing the arcane with the banal as it filters its supernatural clichĆ©s through the familiar trappings of everyday modern life; secret spells can be found in WiFi passwords instead of ancient scrolls, the noisy disturbances of a poltergeist can be mistaken for unusually loud sex in the next room, and the shocking obscenities spewed from the mouth of a malevolent spectre can seem as mundane as the homophobic chatter of your Boomer uncle at the last family gathering.

At the same time, itā€™s a movie that treats its ā€œhookā€ ā€“ the unpredictable clash of personalities that threatens to mar any first-time meeting with the family or friends of a new partner, so common an experience as to warrant a separate sub-genre of movies in itself ā€“ as something more than just an excuse to bring this particular group of characters together. The interpersonal politics and still-developing dynamics between each of the three couples centered by the plot are arguably more significant to the filmā€™s purpose than the goofy details of its backstory, and it is only by navigating those treacherous waters that either of their objectives (combining families and conquering evil) can be met; even Sara, who represents the chosen family already shared by the movieā€™s two would-be grooms, has her place in the negotiations, underlining the perhaps-already-obvious parallels that can be drawn from a story about bridging our differences and rising above our egos to work together for the good of all.

Of course, most horror movies (including the comedic ones) operate with a similar reliance on subtext, serving to give them at least the suggestion of allegorical intent around some real-world issue or experience ā€“ but one of the key takeaways from ā€œThe Parentingā€ is how much more satisfyingly such narrative formulas can play when the movie in question assembles a cast of Grade-A actors to bring them to life, and this one ā€“ which brings together veteran scene-stealers Falco, Kudrow, Cox, Norris, and resurgent ā€œitā€ girl Posey, adding another kooky characterization to a resume full of them ā€“ plays that as its winning card. Theyā€™re helped by Sublettā€™s just-intelligent-enough script, of course, which benefits from a refusal to take itself too seriously and delivers plenty of juicy opportunities for each of its actors to strut their stuff, including the hilarious Bang; but itā€™s their high-octane skills that bring it to life with just the right mix of farcical caricature and redeeming humanity. Heading the pack as the movieā€™s main couple, the exceptional talent and chemistry of Dodani and Flynn help them hold their own among the seasoned ensemble, and make it easy for us to be invested enough in their couplehood to root for them all the way through.

As for the horror, though Johnsonā€™s movie plays mostly for laughs, it does give its otherworldly baddie a certain degree of dignity, even though his menace is mostly cartoonish. Indeed, at times the film is almost reminiscent of an edgier version of ā€œScooby-Dooā€, which is part of its goofy charm, but its scarier moments have enough bite to leave reasonable doubt about the possibility of a happy ending. Even so, ā€œThe Parentingā€ likes its shocks to be ridiculous ā€“ itā€™s closer to ā€œBeetlejuiceā€ than to ā€œThe Shiningā€ in tone ā€“ and anyone looking for a truly terrifying horror film wonā€™t find it here.

What they will find is a brisk, clever, saucy, and yes, campy piece of entertainment that will keep you smiling almost all the way through its hour-and-a-half runtime, with the much-appreciated bonus of an endearing queer romance ā€“ and a refreshingly atypical one, at that ā€“ at its heart. And if watching it in our current political climate evokes yet another allegory in the mix, about the resurgence of an ancient hate during a gay coupleā€™s bid for acceptance from their families, well maybe thatā€™s where the horror comes in.

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