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Holliday triumphs with choir

Gay Men’s Chorus 30th anniversary concert welcomes ‘Dreamgirls’ diva

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Jennifer Holliday with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)

Jennifer Holliday’s powerful singing ability, on display last weekend during two local concerts with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington for its 30th anniversary, is, of course, well known and loved.

But two things about Saturday night’s concert stood out — how soft spoken and perhaps even shy she seems when she speaks and how vocally invested she is in each note she sings. The reservation she exhibits during between song patter makes for a real jolt when contrasted with the unabashed vocal fire she utilized when she sang. To some ears not steeped in black gospel musical traditions it may have sounded histrionic and overwrought, but nobody could claim she wasn’t giving 110 percent.

Her selections — four solos and two with the Chorus — were chosen clearly to give her plenty of room to wail, shout and grunt with as much abandon as she could muster. And she mustered plenty. You know she could take the middle-of-the-road Anita Baker approach if she wanted, but so could a zillion other female singers. It was way more fun to hear her let it rip and utilize the vast bounty of vocal reserves of which she possesses.

Her 1983 single “I Am Love” and a Mahalia Jackson cover, “Come Sunday” were fine, but the two “Dreamgirls” numbers — “I Am Changing” and, of course, her showstopping signature song “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” were clearly what everyone was clamoring to hear.

“Changing,” especially, brought down the house as she repeatedly growled the climactic lines — “stop-aaaah …. Me-aaaaah!” From a pre-show mini-musical (more on that in a minute), the extremely predictable (but not in a bad way) set list and Holliday’s interpretations, this was clearly not an evening for subtlety. But sometimes that’s OK.

After a donation pledge from Chorus director David Jobin, who made a joke of having to come on stage immediately after Holliday finished “And I Am Telling You,” the singer returned to do two covers with the Chorus, a welcome change of pace that featured live accompaniment (Holliday sang her solos to pre-recorded tracks) and powerful, gospel-style backing vocals from the Chorus’s nearly 300 male singers.

Both were knockouts — R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly,” which closed the show, and the clear standout of the entire evening, a passionate and rousing arrangement (by Steve Milloy) of Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me” that everyone involved clearly had fun with.

During her solo set, a soft-spoken Holliday joked about menopause, a mid-life crisis and how she’s much happier and content at 50 than she was in her 20s and 30s. She seemed relaxed and genuinely happy to be there.

It was a long wait for Holliday, who didn’t appear until the second half. The first  consisted entirely of a new one-act musical, “Alexander’s House,” by partners Michael Shaieb and Brent Lord that the Chorus commissioned.

Like many Chorus productions, it was performed with a small ensemble of actor/singers — all Chorus members — out front while the Chorus stood behind providing frequent vocal backing. “House” tells of a gay man who died leaving his partner and grown son to meet and hand over a summer beach house. Dramatically, it was maudlin, predictable and conceived without even a word or syllable that wasn’t instantly accessible and none-too-subtly crafted to elicit tears from the types who well up over Hallmark cards. But musically, it featured some lovely moments, especially the title tune which climaxed with the Chorus singing full throttle and offering the loveliest harmonies of the evening.

Other highlights were Alan Shorter’s “The Older I Get,” featuring soloist extraordinaire Justin Ritchie, and recognition of the Chorus’s “first decaders,” those who’d been in the group in the 1980s.

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Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

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(Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer)

You’ve done your share of marching.

You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.

You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.

Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.

You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.

Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.

If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.

Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.

Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.

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Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

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The Indigo Girls are back in the area next week. (Photo courtesy of Vanguard Records)

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall. 

The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts. 

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Calendar

Calendar: June 13-19

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, June 13

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected]

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. at Wundergarten. An update will be posted the night of the event on where to find WiTT’s table. There’ll be a Pride flag to help people find the group. For more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Saturday, June 14

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month 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.

Rainbow History Project will host “Behind the Scenes With the Senior Curator of ‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’” at 7:30p.m. at Freedom Plaza. This behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind this groundbreaking showcase of DC’s LGBTQ+ history. Learn about the bold design decisions that shaped the Quote Wall and Hero Cubes and the powerful stories that almost made the cut. Tickets cost $82 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

Monday, June 16

“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 details, email [email protected]

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit their website at www.genderqueerdc.org or check us out on Facebook

Tuesday, June 17

Bi+ Roundtable and Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Check out Facebook or Meetup for more information.

Wednesday, June 18

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. 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.

“Legends Live Loud: A Queer Karaoke Experience” will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a dynamic, Center-wide karaoke event celebrating the brilliance and cultural impact of some of our most colorful queer icons. The Center will honor legends through music, pop culture, dance, and inextinguishable liberation. For more details and to sign up, visit the DC Center’s website

Thursday, June 19

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Book Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. This book club is co-hosted by EQUALITY NoVa and is another opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding activity. The group doesn’t discriminate when it comes to genres it reads – from classic literature to best selling novels to biographies to histories to gay fiction. For more details, visit Eventbrite

Cultivating Change Foundation will host “Cultivating Pride Happy Hour” at 5:30 p.m. at Dacha Beer Garden. This Pride month, the organization is inviting LGBTQ+ people and allies in food and agriculture to come together in communities nationwide. These informal gatherings are a chance to connect, celebrate, and build community, whether it’s over coffee, a cocktail, or a conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

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