Connect with us

Arts & Entertainment

Murder at St. Mark’s

Community players shine in lavish ‘Chicago’ production

Published

on

The St. Marks players in rehearsal for ‘Chicago.’ (Blade photo by Michael Key)

‘Chicago’
music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb
based on book by Ebb and Bob Fosse
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday
4 p.m. Sunday
thru May 21
St. Mark’s Players
3rd and A Streets, S.E.
Washington
Tickets $20 ($18 seniors and students)
202-546-9670 or visit stmarksplayers.org

The Tony Award winning “Chicago: The Musical” — with its heart of purest bile, its lyrics by Fred Ebb, and its music by John Kander — mocks everything we claim to value in life (truth, love, justice, you name it). On the Capitol Hill stage of the St. Mark’s Players, consistently one of the area’s sharpest community theaters, it’s here through May 21.

This “Chicago” with its iconic choreography by Bob Fosse and later Ann Reinking is stylishly restaged by director Rick Hayes and choreographer Rikki Howie, sharply punched up with jokes and sight gags to fit this top-notch production neatly into the historic church’s tall-ceilinged but narrow nave. But it delivers the same signature Kander and Ebb tap-dance around a seedy world of jail cells, its story forever doomed.

The satirical story of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, and how they beat their respective murder raps, has been told many times before. At St. Mark’s it is staged with all the famed double-snap, wise crackle and syncopated pop that this show can be at its best.

Billy Flynn is portrayed by Eric Kennedy, who packs the part with animal appeal — a wolf’s whistle, a fox’s morals and a cat’s grin of self-satisfaction. Kennedy, who’s gay, imbues Billy with oodles of smarm and charm in the key role as the mercenary mouthpiece for the murderesses. But he’s more than being both sleazy and sleek in the role — Kennedy also has a great voice and a fine soft shoe to go with dark good looks.

Attention must also be paid to the three women playing the two roles of Velma and Roxie. Anya Nebel is Velma, with the voice and the lung power to belt it out and the comic tease to add sparkle to the part. Sharing the role of Roxie on different nights are the equally talented Kim Pyle (May 13-15) and choreographer Howie herself (May 20-21). All three ladies bring a comic sensibility as well as the chops and gams to sing and dance and just the right mix of curve, verve and nerve as they shimmy and shake and bring high-kicking whoopee to their dreams of making it big in show business.

Also noteworthy is Genevieve Williams as their jailor, Mama Morton, with her deep rumble of a contralto voice. With heavy hints that she is lesbian (Billy calls her “butch”),  there’s real spice in this Mama’s gumbo.

Heather Cipu also deserves notice — she shines as Mary Sunshine, hitting every high note with her operetta-soprano ode to saccharine, “A Little Bit of Good,” though later she drops the goodie-two-shoes image and matronly frock to reveal a very different persona underneath. Finally, there is Stephen Yednock as poor, put-upon Amos Hart, the one and only decent person, Roxie’s good-natured but basically dimwitted husband who is prepared at every turn to take the fall for her if he can. Yednock brings real feeling to several songs, especially his solo lament, “Mister Cellophane.”

This staging of “Chicago” is simply great right down to the terrific ensemble who among them function like a chorus, singing and dancing different roles, including the females in a first-rate “Cell Block Tango,” wicked and wonderful in red lips and black leather, and in the opening song, “All That Jazz.” Other show-stoppers include “We Both Reached for the Gun” and “Nowadays.” Special kudos go to the show’s director, Rick Hayes, also the Players’ artistic director, and as the musical director, the veteran musician J. N. Wickert III, at the baton of an 11-piece orchestra. Both are gay, as is the Players’ president Jerry Dale Jr., who also serves as stage manager for this show.

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Calendar

Calendar: March 27-April 2

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

on

Friday, March 27

Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website

Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected]

Saturday, March 28

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation.  Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website

Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. For more details, email [email protected]

Monday, March 30

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).

“Tea Time! A Local DC Drag Comedy Show” will be at 3 p.m. at Spark Social. This is a live drag comedy show where drag legends TrevHER & Tiara Missou Sidora host spill all the tea in the DMV. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Tuesday, March 31

Visibili-TEA Party will be at 6 p.m. at Restoration Station. Guests are encouraged to come sip, celebrate, and shine together. This event is a Trans Day of Visibility celebration and a special collaboration between Auntie’s Home and Damien Ministries. This is a boozy tea party with intention and the dress code reflects the vibe. More details are available on Eventbrite

Wednesday, March 1

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Thursday, April 2

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245. 

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.  

Continue Reading

Out & About

Celebrate cherry blossoms the drag way

Unconventional Diner hosts bingo party

Published

on

The cherry blossoms are here. Celebrate at a unique event hosted by Unconventional Diner. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Unconventional Diner will host “Cherry Blossom Drag Bingo Party” on Friday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.

Guests will be treated to an unforgettable night of drag performances, bingo, food and drink and prizes. Highlights of the evening include themed cocktails, drag performances and bingo prizes.

Tickets can be secured via Resy.

Continue Reading

Sports

New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics

New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles

Published

on

(Photo by Greg Martin; courtesy IOC)

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.

“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.

The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”

“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”

The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”

The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”

“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”

(Video courtesy of the IOC)

Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.

Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.

“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.

An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.

Continue Reading

Popular