Arts & Entertainment

Calendar for May 21

Published

16 years ago

May 20, 2010

Friday, May 21

Pandora Boxx from season 2 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is making her debut in the nation’s capital at EFN Lounge, 1318 9th St., N.W. Don’t miss this fun event with Universal Gear swimsuit fashion show, your favorite sugar-coated alt-pop music spun by drag DJ Summer Camp (aka Shea Van Horn of MIXTAPE), and a special performance from Pandora and Summer. 9 p.m.- 3 a.m., $5 cover for 21+, $10 cover for 18-20.

The DC Cowboys present Brodeo: Saddle up for a wild night at Remingtons, 639 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E., with your hosts, the DC Cowboys. Featuring country/western and disco/club music, live performances, giveaways, Jell-O shots, an auction and lots of sexy Cowboys. Proceeds benefit the DC Cowboys on their mission to provide free entertainment for HIV/AIDS charity organizations. Starts at 10 p.m.

Peach Pit 90’s Dance Party with DJ Matt Bailer (MIXTAPE) + guest DJ Aaron Riggins (HHHH) from 11-midnite. The party starts at 10 p.m. No cover at the Dahlak Restaurant, 1771 U St., N.W.

The Washington Blade’s 4th annual summer kick-off party at Blue Moon, 35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE, 6-8 p.m.

Saturday, May 22

Wicked Jezabel benefit concert sponsored by the John Guggenmos team of McWilliams/Ballard. Featuring all-lesbian party band Wicked Jezabel with performances by Charm City Boys and DC Kings. The concert is being held at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St. N.W., from 7-11 p.m., $15 cover (proceeds benefit Mautner Project). Call Jeanie at 202-332-5536 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, goes to the National Zoo today. To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Galeria Artesanos Don Bosco is continuing its Maryland Artists 2010 series with the work of Vincent Hughes. Hughes, whose studio is in Silver Spring, will exhibit his classical male nude figure studies along with Impressionist influenced watercolors and oils, May 22-June 18. A complimentary Italian wine and food tasting will be held at the opening reception May 22, 2-5 p.m. Galeria Artesanos Don Bosco is located in the heart of Federal Hill at 828 S. Charles St., Baltimore. For more information call 410-563-4577 or visit artesanosdonbosco.com

Latin Fusion “Amazon Night” at Cobalt, 1639 R St. N.W., with music by DJ Fantasy upstairs and DJ Stevie P downstairs, with performances by Phoenix Bloomingdale and Afrodita Washington, 9 p.m.-3 a.m., 21+.

Sunday, May 23

Sugarfree Sundays: Reloaded! Sugarfree Sundays at Eyebar, 1716 I St., N.W. (between 17th and 18th/Farragut Square). Doors open at 10 pm with no cover charge all night. Featuring the best hip-hop and house music, multiple DJs on multiple levels plus rooftop.

Monday, May 24

Burgundy Crescent “kicks up our heels” at Remingtons. To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Tuesday, May 25

GLAAD Leadership Council kick-off event. The councils are local groups of volunteer leaders with a commitment and passion for GLAAD’s efforts to amplify the voice of the LGBT community. Sponsored by the Washington Blade, 6-8 p.m. at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, 1526 14th St., N.W. Tickets are $25. Enjoy wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres; GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios will attend.

Wednesday, May 26

Men of Mautner celebration honoring gay D.C. Council member David Catania, 7-9 p.m., 701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Sponsored by Ackerman Legal PLLC; tickets $100 at mautnerproject.org.

DC Black Pride 2010: Town Hall, 7-9 p.m. Visit dcblackpride.org/ for more information on topic and location. Full coverage of this year’s Black Pride in the May 28 Washington Blade.

“Sex and the City 2” premiere presented by Fresh of Georgetown. The evening starts with an open Skyy Vodka bar at Mate for general admission or an open Moet and Belvedere bar at Georgetown’s Ritz Carlton for VIP ticketholders. General admission: $60, 6:30 p.m. pre- reception at Mate, 3101 K St., N.W. 8 p.m. pre-screening at AMC Loews, 3111 K St. VIP tickets $110, 6:30 p.m. pre-reception at the Ritz Carlton, 3100 South St., N.W., 8 p.m. Visit boxofficetickets.com/cherry for full information.

Thursday, May 27

DC Black Pride 2010: Volunteer orientation 7- 9 p.m. at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza, 14th & K streets, N.W. Visit dcblackpride.org/ for more information

Fourth annual HIPSXotic Carnival at The Palace of Wonders, 1210 H St., N.E., 6 p.m. Happy hour with special surprises, palm readings, henna, face painting and more benefiting HIPS, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals engaged in sex work and drug use lead healthy lives. Limited VIP and general admission pre-sale tickets available now at HIPS.org. $10-$20 suggested donation.

Photos

PHOTOS: Denali at Pitchers

‘Drag Race’ alum performs at Thirst Trap

Published

9 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Michael Key

Denali performs at the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show at Pitchers DC on April 9. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI

‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Last year, Baltimore Center Stage refused to give up its DEI focus in the face of losing federal funding. They've tripled down. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz of the Baltimore Banner)

By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.

Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.

“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

Books

Susan Lucci on love, loss, and ‘All My Children’

New book chronicles life of iconic soap star

Published

2 days ago

April 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy of Blackstone Publishing)

‘La Lucci’
By Susan Lucci with Laura Morton
c.2026, Blackstone Publishing
$29.99/196 pages

They’re among the world’s greatest love stories.

You know them well: Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Abelard and Heloise. Phoebe and Langley. Cliff and Nina. Jesse and Angie, Opal and Palmer, Palmer and Daisy, Tad and Dixie. Now read “La Lucci” by Susan Lucci, with Laura Morton, and you might also think of Susan and Helmut.

When she was a very small girl, Susan Lucci loved to perform. Also when she was young, she learned that words have power. She vowed to use them for good for the rest of her life.

Her parents, she says, were supportive and her family, loving. Because of her Italian heritage, she was “ethnic looking” but Lucci’s mother was careful to point out dark-haired beauties on TV and elsewhere, giving Lucci a foundation of confidence.

That’s just one of the things for which Lucci says she’s grateful. In fact, she says, “Prayers of gratitude are how I begin and end each day.”

She is particularly grateful for becoming a mother to her two adult children, and to the doctors who saved her son’s life when he was a newborn.

Lucci writes about gratitude for her long career. She was a keystone character on TV’s “All My Children,” and she learned a lot from older actors on the show, and from Agnes Nixon, the creator of it. She says she still keeps in touch with many of her former costars.

She is thankful for her mother’s caretakers, who stepped in when dementia struck. Grateful for more doctors, who did heart-saving work when Lucci had a clogged artery. Grateful for friends, opportunities, life, grandchildren, and a career that continues.

And she’s grateful for the love she shared with her husband, Helmut Huber, who died nearly four years ago. Grateful for the chance to grieve, to heal, and to continue.

And yet, she says of her husband: “He was never timid, but I know he was afraid at the end, and that kills me down to my soul.”

“It’s been 15 years since Erica Kane and I parted ways,” says author Susan Lucci (with Laura Morton), and she says that people still approach her to confirm or deny rumors of the show’s resurrection. There’s still no answer to that here (sorry, fans), but what you’ll find inside “La Lucci” is still exceptionally generous.

If this book were just filled with stories, you’d like it just fine. If it was only about Lucci’s faith and her gratitude – words that happen to appear very frequently here – you’d still like reading it. But Lucci tells her stories of family, children and “All My Children,” while also offering help to couples who’ve endured miscarriage, women who’ve had heart problems, and widow(ers) who are spinning and need the kindness of someone who’s lived loss, too.

These are the other things you’ll find in “La Lucci,” in a voice you’ll hear in your head, if you spent your lunch hours glued to the TV back in the day. It’s a comfortable, fun read for fans. It’s a story you’ll love.

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