Arts & Entertainment
Can’t get her out of our head
Kylie on her new show, love of Britney and passion for pancakes
Kylie Minogue (photo courtesy of EMI)
Some of us have been Kylie Minogue fans for longer than we care to remember, dating back to her days as a soap star on the Australian hit “Neighbours.” Others caught Kylie fever after her first hit single “Locomotion” landed at No. 3 on the U.S. charts in 1988. Still others in the U.S. never heard of her until 2001’s ubiquitous worldwide smash “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”
There have been movie roles, a cancer scare, 60 million records sold and multiple tours, yet Kylie never quite reached the pop heights of Madonna or Janet in the U.S. But that doesn’t stop her from trying.
On Saturday, Minogue brings her latest show, “Aphrodite — Les Folies Tour,” to the Patriot Center. It’s a scaled back production compared to the over-the-top, Greek-themed, $25 million spectacle complete with “splash zone seating” that she’s delivered to adoring audiences in Europe.
“There are changes for the states,” Minogue said in a recent interview with the Blade. “I would love to bring everything, but that’s not possible so I’m bringing all I can to do a great show.”
Among the props she’s leaving behind are a giant Pegasus statue and fountains designed by the team responsible for the Bellagio’s in Vegas. And even though she’s a much bigger star overseas, Minogue said she enjoys performing in the United States.
“The energy is out of control, the passion of the audience [in the U.S.],” she said, adding that she would make up for the lack of props “with my passion and emotion.”
Of course, Minogue is keenly aware of her gay appeal and fan base and she’s rewarded them by including an entourage of muscled, leather-clad backup dancers in the show.
“Gays are a great influence in my life — I’m surrounded basically,” she said. “There’s a group of supporters who’ve been with me for a long time … but I’m so thrilled to share that history with you. It feels like we’re members of a secret society.”
What does she like best about touring the United States?
“I love really crappy diners in America, bad coffee and a stack of pancakes,” Minogue said. “And I can walk around without being recognized.”
The American artist she’s been listening to lately is Britney Spears. Minogue said she’d welcome the chance to do a duet with her and added that the song she can’t get out of her head right now is Spears’s “He About to Lose Me.”
As for the future, Minogue said she is considering an “anti-tour — no lights, dancers, just music and doing songs that are much loved by super fans but will never be heard anywhere in a live environment. B-sides and covers … it would be really cool to be in a tiny, tiny venue somewhere and just strip everything back and do songs that uber fans would cry for.”
And if that doesn’t pan out, she’d consider something splashier, like a Las Vegas residency.
“A Vegas residency could be out of control,” she said. “Imagine what it would be like if we had the luxury of being in one place … I would be excited to do something like that.”
Minogue will draw from her impressive catalogue of hits for Saturday’s D.C.-area show, including material from 2010’s “Aphrodite.” The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. Tickets are still available at centerboxoffice.org.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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