Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: events through Jan. 15
Plays, concerts, exhibits and more among week’s offerings
Florence Lacey as Norma Desmond in 'Sunset Blvd.' Signature Theatre, which is hosting a production of the show, is having a special 'Pride Night' at tonight's performance. (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Signature)
Friday, Jan. 7
D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) is having its monthly open mic night tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. This month the event will feature the work of the Brother Tongue poetry workshop participants. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and performers can sign up between 7:30 and 8.
ANNIEthing Goes and friends present “Absolina” a birthday celebration with DJs Zenbi, Charles Martin and vANNIEty kills tonight at 10 at Jimmy Valentine’s Lonely Hearts Club (1103 Bladensberg Rd., N.E.)
RAW, hosted by DJs Bil Todd and Shea Van Horn, will be at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Free entry before 11 p.m. with a $3 cover after. There will be an open bar from 10 to 11 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older.
Metropolitan Community Church of Washington’s fundraising team is hosting a bingo night tonight at 7 p.m. at the church (474 Ridge St., N.W.). The evening begins with four early bird games which costs $2 for four cards or $3 for eight cards. This is followed by 17 regular and special games which are packaged for as low as $25. There will be homemade refreshments available in Mama Cecelia’s kitchen.
The Foundry Gallery (1314 18th St., N.W.) is holding an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. for its newest exhibit “Celebrate Gay Marriage” which is a juried show of regional artists. The reception will feature a performance by Potomac Fever, part of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington. The exhibit will continue through Jan. 30.
Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave.) in Arlington is hosting “Pride Night” tonight featuring a performance of “Sunset Boulevard” followed by a one-hour post-show cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception. The performance begins at 8 p.m. Signature has also teamed up with Fleet Transportation and is offering a shuttle service from Dupont Circle on P Street directly to the theater leaving at 6:30 and returning at 11:30 p.m. Roundtrip tickets for the bus are $5 and tickets to “Pride Night” are $86 and $91. All tickets can be purchased at the theater box office.
Apex (1415 22nd St., N.W.) and Gloss present First Fridays Ladies Night tonight with music by DJ Rosie in the main room and performances by the D.C. Kings and the D.C. Gurly Show at midnight. There is a $10 cover. Attendees must be 18 or older to enter.
Front Runners is having its monthly happy hour tonight at the Duplex Diner (2004 18th St., N.W.) at 6:30 p.m.
The Dance Party will be at 9:30 Club with Wallpaper, K-Flay, Ra Ra Rasputin and lowercaseletters at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at 930.com.
Saturday, Jan. 8
The planning committee for the D.C. Center’s sixth annual Oscar celebration, “Glamour, Glitter, Gold” is meeting today at 11:30 a.m. at the Center (1318 U St., N.W.). The committee is chaired by Michelle Ross and Timur Tugberk.
City Gallery (804 H St., N.E.) will be holding an opening reception for its newest exhibit “Leaves, Words and Screens” featuring the work of Ronnie Spiewak tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibit will continue through Jan. 29.
Pianist Alexander Paley will be giving a free all-Liszt concert tonight in celebration of what would be Franz Liszt’s 200th birthday at 8 p.m. at Westmoreland Congregational UCC Church (1 Westmoreland Circle) in Bethesda.
Team D.C. will be having an information Q&A session today at 10 a.m. at the Verizon Center. The session is open to anyone, but space is limited. To reserve a space, e-mail Ryan Bos at [email protected].
The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop will host its fifth annual juried photography exhibition and reception today from 5 to 7 p.m. at CHAW (545 7th St., S.E.). The exhibit will feature works from local and regional artists. The show will continue through Feb. 4.
Apex presents Glowing, a fusion of black lights, dayglo paint and glow sticks tonight with DJ Gigi. DJ Michael Brandon will host Caliente, a latin dance party, in the east wing dance lounge. Kristina Kelly and the Girls of Glamour will perform at 11 p.m. There is a $10 cover.
The NSO Teddy Bear Concert: “Fancy That!” will have three performances of a one-woman show with NSO violinist Marissa Regini today at 11 a.m., 1:30 and 5 p.m. in the Kennedy Center’s Family Theatre (2700 F St., N.W.).
Sunday, Jan. 9
LAMBDA SCI-FI, a monthly meeting and social of LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror fans, will have its annual blind book exchange today at 1:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a snack or a non-alcoholic drink to share. The meeting will be held at 1414 17th St., N.W. For more information call James at 202-232-3141, e-mail to [email protected], or visit the group’s website at lambdascifi.org.
D.C. Kings will be at Phase (525 8th St., S.E.) tonight with “One Hit Wonders.” Doors open at 7 p.m. and the performance begins at 10. There is a $5 cover.
The Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Drive) is having its free family Sundays with “Collage Wacky Warhol Wigs” today from 2 to 5 p.m. Today is also the last day to view the exhibit “Andy Warhol: The Last Decade.” Tickets to the exhibit range from $15 for adults to $5 for children 6 to 18 years old.
Burgundy Crescent Volunteers will be helping fight hunger in the D.C. area today from 9 a.m. to noon, with D.C. Central Kitchen. Volunteers will help cook, working along chefs who have graduated from the Kitchen’s job training program. No experience is required, just an interest of cooking. The Kitchen provides job skills by using rescued and donated ingredients to teach unemployed and homeless individuals how to cook, then turns this food into free meal services. E-mail [email protected] for more information.
Monday, Jan. 10
The fourth Mid-Atlantic Band Battle IV Preliminaries start tonight at 7 p.m. at Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave., E.) in Vienna. The preliminaries continue through Thursday.
Tuesday, Jan. 11
The Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Drive) begins “Rest, Restore, Renew,” its winter yoga series, today from 6 to 7:15 p.m. There are six sessions and they are $95 for members and $110 for non-members.
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at FUK!T’s new packing location Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.
Wednesday, Jan. 12
The Big Gay Book Group will meet tonight at 7 p.m. at 1155 F St., N.W., Suite 200. The book for discussion will be “Great Speeches on Gay Rights” edited by James Daley. For more information, visit the group’s website biggaybookgroup.com or e-mail [email protected].
Rainbow Response will hold its monthly meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.)
Thursday, Jan. 13
DCBiWomen will be having its monthly dinner at Café Luna (1633 P St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit dcbiwomen.org.
Exposed Tattoo and Baller Inc., present the D.C. Tattoo Arts Expo starting today at the Crystal City Doubletree Hotel (300 Army Navy Drive) in Arlington with a VIP welcome party in the Sky Dome from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The expo will continue through the weekend, ending Sunday.
Friday, Jan. 14
DJ Joshua and TheNewGay present BALLS! Tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Velvet Lounge (915 U St., N.W.) featuring the debut DJ set of Steve Scarlata. There is no cover for this event. Drink specials include $3 Natty Boh and $4 kamikazes.
Gross National Product returns with “The Sound of Palin” at Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $20 and can be purchased at atlas arts.org.
Saturday, Jan. 15
Blowoff, a dance party featuring gay DJs Bob Mould and Richard Morel, will be at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight. Doors opens at 11:30 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at 930.com.
Theater
Out dancer on Alvin Ailey’s stint at Warner Theatre
10-day production marks kickoff of national tour
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Through Feb. 8
Warner Theatre
513 12th St., N.W.
Tickets start at $75
ailey.org
The legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is coming to Washington’s Warner Theatre, and one of its principal veterans couldn’t be more pleased. Out dancer Renaldo Maurice is eager to be a part of the company’s 10-day stint, the kickoff of a national tour that extends through early May.
“I love the respectful D.C. crowd and they love us,” says Maurice, a member of esteemed modern dance company for 15 years. The traveling tour is made of two programs and different casting with Ailey’s masterwork “Revelations” in both programs.
Recently, we caught up with Maurice via phone. He called from one of the quiet rooms in his New York City gym where he’s getting his body ready for the long Ailey tour.
Based in North Newark, N.J., where he recently bought a house, Maurice looks forward to being on the road: “I enjoy the rigorous performance schedule, classes, shows, gym, and travel. It’s all part of carving out a lane for myself and my future and what that looks like.”
Raised by a single mother of three in Gary, Ind., Maurice, 33, first saw Alvin Ailey as a young kid in the Auditorium Theatre in downtown Chicago, the same venue where he’s performed with the company as a professional dancer.
He credits his mother with his success: “She’s a real dance mom. I would not be the man or artist I am today if it weren’t for the grooming and discipline of my mom. Support and encouragement. It’s impacted my artistry and my adulthood.”
Maurice is also part of the New York Ballroom scene, an African-American and Latin underground LGBTQ+ subculture where ball attendees “walk” in a variety of categories (like “realness,” “fashion,” and “sex siren”) for big prizes. He’s known as the Legendary Overall Father of the Haus of Alpha Omega.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Like many gay men of his era, Ailey lived a largely closeted public life before his death from AIDS-related complications in 1989.
RENALDO MAURICE Not unusual for a Black gay man born during the Depression in Rogers, Texas, who’s striving to break out in the industry to be a creative. You want to be respected and heard. Black man, and Black man who dances, and you may be same-sex gender loving too. It was a lot, especially at that time.
BLADE: Ailey has been described as intellectual, humble, and graceful. He possessed strength. He knew who he was and what stories he wanted to tell.
MAURICE: Definitely, he wanted to concentrate on sharing and telling stories. What kept him going was his art. Ailey wanted dancers to live their lives and express that experience on stage. That way people in the audience could connect with them. It’s incredibly powerful that you can touch people by moving your body.
That’s partly what’s so special about “Revelations,” his longest running ballet and a fan favorite that’s part of the upcoming tour. Choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1960, it’s a modern dance work that honors African-American cultural heritage through themes of grief, joy, and faith.
BLADE: Is “Revelation” a meaningful piece for you?
MAURICE: It’s my favorite piece. I saw it as a kid and now perform it as a professional dance artist. I’ve grown into the role since I was 20 years old.
BLADE: How can a dancer in a prestigious company also be a ballroom house father?
MAURICE: I’ve made it work. I learned how to navigate and separate. I’m a principal dancer with Ailey. And I take that seriously. But I’m also a house father and I take that seriously as well.
I’m about positivity, unity, and hard work. In ballroom you compete and if you’re not good, you can get chopped. You got to work on your craft and come back harder. It’s the same with dance.
BLADE: Any message for queer audiences?
MAURICE: I know my queer brothers and sisters love to leave with something good. If you come to any Ailey performance you’ll be touched, your spirit will be uplifted. There’s laughter, thoughtful and tender moments. And it’s all delivered by artists who are passionate about what they do.
BLADE: Alvin Ailey has been a huge part of your life. Thoughts on that?
MAURICE: I’m a believer in it takes a village. Hard work and discipline. I take it seriously and I love what I do. Ailey has provided me with a lot: world travel, a livelihood, and working with talented people here and internationally. Alvin Ailey has been a huge part of my life from boyhood to now. It’s been great.
Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.
Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Arts & Entertainment
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’
Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.
O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.
In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.
In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”
Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.
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