Arts & Entertainment
Calendar for Aug. 13
Friday, Aug. 13, to Thursday, Aug. 19
Friday, Aug. 13
Ladies Night tonight at 7 p.m. at the Verizon Center as the Washington Mystics take on the Minnesota Lynx. There will be music, games, raffle prizes, shopping and more. The party starts at 5 p.m. in Dewars Club. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance. Call 202-527-7517 to reserve your seats.
Siren the 13th featuring DJs Majr and Aaron Riggins tonight at Apex, 1415 22nd St., N.W., with electropop vs 00’s Dance with lasers, fog, snow, performances and A Lanai. Must be 18 or older to enter, 21 or older to drink and there is an $8 cover.
She.Rex returns tonight at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room Upstairs, 1725 Columbia Rd., N.W., from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. This month’s party features the ladies of rock ānā roll spun by lady DJs and lady bartenders serving up cheap beers until 11 p.m. There is no cover.
Mr. Charlie Rod’s Blue Discotheque tonight at Liv Nightclub, 2001 11th St., N.W., starting at 10 p.m. featuring DJ Rich Morel. Must be 21 or older to enter and there is a $7 cover charge.
The Pocket Gays are teaming up with Velvet Lounge, 915 U St., N.W., for Vacation Bible School Dance Party from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., featuring DJ Retrospect Lantern and love sets by AK Slaughter and Menya. There’s no cover and cheap drinks.
Saturday, Aug. 14
A monthly event in downtown Cambridge, Md., Second Saturday, running from 5 to 9 p.m., features gallery openings and receptions, late shopping hours with special promotions and bargains, great dining at top restaurants, musical entertainment, and more. The festivities unfold at roughly 20 different locations along four adjacent blocks in downtown. Abundant free parking on street and in municipal lots off of Gay Street and Academy Street.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Funkytown, a night of 70s, 80s and 90s music and video on the main floor by Ed Bailey. Doors open at 10 p.m.; $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after, 21 and over.
Hip-hop legends Public Enemy play the 9:30 club at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35; visit 930.com for information.
Sunday, Aug. 15
The anti-gay group National Organization for Marriage is headed to D.C. with its “One Woman, One Man” summer tour. A coalition of LGBT organizations, activists and allies is organizing a counter demonstration, āThe Big Commit,ā to be held from 2-4 p.m. in Freedom Plaza. See related story in news section or visit the eventās Facebook page for more information.
āBang to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancerā at Bang Salon, 601 F St., N.W., from 9 a.m. to midnight only at the Verizon Center location. Proceeds go to Walk to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer. Enjoy free mimosas and small bites. Book an appointment at bangsalon.com or call any location.
Adodi DC will meet at The DC Center, 1318 U St., N.W., at 2 p.m. Adodi is a community of men of color who affirm their African lineage and love of men. For more information, visit adodionline.com.
The HFStival is back and the California Tortilla Battle To Break Out has been narrowed down to the top six. The top six bands will perform live for the HFStival judges at the 9:30 club. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the competition starts right away. The top six bands determined by votes are: 16 Large, Cyrenic, Eye of All, Funkmnkyz, Sons of the Radio and Vessel. The winner will open the main stage of the HFStival 2010.
Monday, Aug. 16
The GLB Youth Support Group will meet at the GW Center Clinic, 1922 F St., N.W., Suite 103, at 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 17
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits tonight from 7-9 p.m. at EFN Lounge, on 9th Street between O and N streets.
Wednesday, Aug. 18
The DC IceBreakers’ regular skating night starts at 7:45 p.m. at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, 627 North Glebe Rd., in Ballston/Arlington followed by a social. The co-host for this skating/social is Alexandria Gay & Lesbian Community Association.
Bookmen DC discuss selections from “A Casualty of War: The Arcadia Book of Gay Short Stories” edited by Peter Burton, at 7:30 p.m. at American Foreign Services Association, 2101 E St., N.W. All are welcomed. Bookmen DC is an informal group of men who are interested in gay literature (both fiction and non-fiction).
The Tom Davaron Social Bridge Club will meet at 7:30 p.m., at the Dignity Center, 721 8th St., S.E., (across from Marine Barracks) for Social Bridge. No partner is needed. Visit lambdabridge.com and click on āSocial Bridge in Washington, DCā.
Thursday, Aug. 19
The Atlas Performing Arts Center presents Summer Film Series: Gay 101 showing āCabaretā starring Liza Minnelli and directed by Bob Fosse at the Paul Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St., N.E., at 8 p.m. Buy tickets at atlasarts.org or at the box office one hour prior to the movie.
Cool Kid Collective at Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place in Baltimore, with Tsunami Rising and Maryland’s Most Wanted. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 on the day of the show, prices include tax. The event is for all ages.
Theater
Signatureās fresh take on classic āForumā
Actor Mike Millan says āitās like a new work in many waysā
āA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forumā
Through Jan. 12
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Ave.
Arlington, Va.
$40-$126
sigtheatre.org
For out actor Mike Millan, Signature Theatreās production of āA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,ā couldnāt feel fresher.
Set in ancient Rome, the 62-year-old Tony-winning hit (music with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart) borrows from Roman comedy, farce, and a dash of bawdy vaudeville to the tales of slaves, soldiers, courtesans, and a lovesick young man.
Millan plays Hysterium, a nervous slave in the House of Senex, whose tagline reads āI live to grovel.ā
āIāve never done āForum,ā so to me itās like a new work in many ways,ā he says. āAnd because itās older and has a classic musical point of view and weāre doing it now, itās as if weāve been given a lovely opportunity to make it our own.ā
And indeed, they are doing just that. Directed and choreographed by Matthew Gardiner, the Signature production is introducing new bits and playing with gender: the central character Pseudolus, a sly slave role created by Zero Mostel, is played by Erin Weaver; Erronius is played by Sherri Edelen in drag; and two male actors and one nonbinary actor play courtesans.
Though Millan, 35, is based with his partner in Los Angeles, he regularly travels to New York and is pleased to make Signature in Shirlington an additional destination on his bicoastal work journey. Recently, the affable actor took time to talk about Signature and āForum.ā
WASHINGTON BLADE: A little about the brilliantly named Hysterium, please.
MIKE MILLAN: As a gay actor, I can say that Hysterium is one of the gayer characters Iāve ever played. Heās a sort of fop and heās in drag most of the second act. How can you not see him as a queer character?ā
When the part was written it was sort of gay coded and now itās just abundantly clear, you donāt think twice about it.
BLADE: āForumā is unapologetically fun. Is now the right time for a romp?
MILLAN: The show comes with a level of escapism that is really infectious. During these tense times, it feels great to be doing a silly musical. Weāre doing fart jokes in tunics, and the material and jokes really hold up. Youāll feel better leaving than when you came in.
BLADE: All that and a Sondheim score too?
MILLAN: Heās the reason Iām here. In high school, I discovered his āInto the Woodsā and remember locking myself in my room until I knew every word to āGiants in the Sky.ā
āPassion,ā āFollies,ā I love it all. Heās so singular because he writes from a perspective of acting and storytelling; Sondheim touches me in a way that feels quasi-religious.
When I think about the number of times I sang āLast Midnightā alone in my car, it fills me with a joy that Iāve never gotten from any other composer or jukebox musical.
BLADE: In 2022, you played Idina Menzel super fan Jeff in āWhich Way to the Stageā at Signature. Are you glad to be back?
MILLAN: Yes, Iām happy to be employed. Itās a tough business. Not only are we asked to be great singers, dancers, actors, and performers but weāre asked to have a social media presence and to be the most popular kid in school.
Signature provides a safe environment to try something new and different, to experiment with a community that respects doing that. Also at Signature, it never feels like any audience members are being dragged by their partners to see a show. Itās a supportive community.
BLADE: Speaking of partners, do you miss being away from home?
MILLAN: Sometime itās nice to have that time away from each other; it builds a little mystery.
BLADE: Will your performance change between now and January?
MILLAN: In recent years, Iāve changed my acting approach from cracking the code on how to play a character to inviting the audience on a journey and making them part of the process.
I was raised in musical theater, but by doing comedy, standup, and improv, Iāve come to find the joy of failure freeing. And I like being part of a changing show. I like the idea of somebody being able to say āI was there the night Patti LuPone yelled at the guy who took a picture.ā
BLADE: An unexpected moment.
MILLAN: Of course, I go in with certain things I have planned out, but I like the element of excitement that anything might happen. And I think the audience should feel that way too.
The flight over to Barcelona was uneventful and landed on-time in this beautiful city. I was met at the airport by a very nice taxi driver I had pre-arranged through booking.com. He drove me to my hotel, the Barcelona Continental, on the Ramblas. It was a little disappointing. They neglected to tell those booking the road in front of the hotel was dug up and therefore you needed to be let out of the taxi across the Ramblas and had a long walk with your luggage. It is really old and not redone, except for the bathrooms, those are nice. But I would not recommend it.
I was early and they couldnāt get me checked in for a few hours, so had coffee and then met my friend Simone, also staying at the hotel. She had checked in a couple of days earlier and had the same reaction to the hotel I did. But that didnāt stop either one of us from enjoying Barcelona in all its beauty. I donāt sleep on planes, so the first day was spent relaxing and wandering aimlessly past cathedrals, long shopping streets, and wonderful little side streets off the Ramblas. Simone took off to do her shopping with more specific plans. It was an early night for me and we met again in the morning for coffee and spent a wonderful day together, shopping, walking, and seeing some great street performers. Then it was dinner with friends who we would be boarding the ship with the next morning. They kept predicting rain. It did come late at night and continued through us heading to the port to board the ASCENT. Because of the broken-up roadway we got a little wet heading to the taxi stand, which didnāt make us feel any better about the hotel.
It was a short ride to the port, and soon the beautiful ASCENT came into view. Boarding was easy and then suddenly the cruise was beginning. A walk around the ship unveiled some beautiful artwork, and small changes from the rest of the EDGE series ships I have been on. But it still felt like a welcome home. I headed to deck 15 and the Retreat lounge to meet some of the 70 people I would be traveling with. Scott and Dustin of My Lux Cruise had planned a sail-away party for all of us in their beautiful Iconic suite. They will be hosting a number of events during the cruise, which makes them such great travel agents, and friends. Another friend, the extraordinarily talented Andrew Derbyshire, who would be performing that evening, was there. He was on the ship for only one night, getting off in Alicante to head home to the UK the next day.
I joined friends, Scott, Mike, and the irrepressible Jason, for dinner in Luminae, the dining room for the retreat. It was to be a night where dinner came first and then the show. At 9 p.m. we were seated in the third row of the beautiful theater, to hear Andrew. He didnāt disappoint. He is better than ever. He has an incredible voice and such great stage presence. I, and everyone else, were just so sorry he wouldnāt be staying on the cruise with us. He reminded us he has been working with Celebrity for more than eight years and is one of their biggest stars. He also hosts their Pride month events doing so with great panache. As a young man Andrew performed in the West End in London, and has been a star performer for much of his life. Then it was off to The Club for a little disco music, and then off to bed with a satisfied smile on my face to complete day one on the ASCENT.
Day two began with a knock on the door of my cabin with delivery of coffee, juice, and a bagel. I sat down to write, which I do every morning, and then headed to the gym for my first workout on the ship. It was empty, which was great, and the sun had come out and the view from the lifecycle made it fun. After the gym I headed to the retreat lounge and met some friends and had a cappuccino. The sky started to get gray and clearly it was going to rain in Alicante, our first stop. But that didnāt stop anyone from walking around the town. I was getting the best feeling this was going to be a great cruise.
Out & About
DC Center to host queer market
Clothes, shoes, accessories and other items will be available
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host āMetro Queer Marketā on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. at its offices at 2000 14th St., N.W., Suite 105.
Guests will have the opportunity to check out the centerās closet. Clothes, shoes, accessories and other items will be available.
For more details, visit the DC Centerās website.
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