Arts & Entertainment
Holliday triumphs with choir
Gay Men’s Chorus 30th anniversary concert welcomes ‘Dreamgirls’ diva
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.
The 2026 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition was held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on Sunday. Seven contestants vied for the title and Gage Ryder was named the winner.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Theater
Voiceless ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ a spectacle of operatic proportions
Synetic production pulls audience into grips of doomed lovers’ passion
‘Antony & Cleopatra’
Through Jan. 25
Synetic Theater at
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre
450 7th St., N.W.
Synetictheater.org
A spectacle of operatic proportions, Synetic Theater’s “Antony & Cleopatra” is performed entirely voiceless. An adaptation of the Bard’s original (a play bursting with wordplay, metaphors, and poetic language), the celebrated company’s production doesn’t flinch before the challenge.
Staged by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili, this worthy remount is currently playing at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre, the same venue where it premiered 10 years ago. Much is changed, including players, but the usual inimitable Synectic energy and ingenuity remain intact.
As audiences file into the Klein, they’re met with a monumental pyramid bathed in mist on a dimly lit stage. As the lights rise, the struggle kicks off: Cleopatra (Irina Kavsadze) and brother Ptolemy (Natan-Maël Gray) are each vying for the crown of Egypt. Alas, he wins and she’s banished from Alexandria along with her ethereal black-clad sidekick Mardian (Stella Bunch); but as history tells us, Cleopatra soon makes a triumphant return rolled in a carpet.
Meanwhile, in the increasingly dangerous Rome, Caesar (memorably played by Tony Amante) is assassinated by a group of senators. Here, his legendary Ides of March murder is rather elegantly achieved by silver masked politicians, leaving the epic storytelling to focus on the titular lovers.
The fabled couple is intense. As the Roman general Antony, Vato Tsikurishvili comes across as equal parts warrior, careerist, and beguiled lover. And despite a dose of earthiness, it’s clear that Kavsadze’s Cleopatra was born to be queen.
Phil Charlwood’s scenic design along with Colin K. Bills’ lighting cleverly morph the huge pyramidic structure into the throne of Egypt, the Roman Senate, and most astonishingly as a battle galley crashing across the seas with Tsikurishvili’s Antony ferociously at the helm.
There are some less subtle suggestions of location and empire building in the form of outsized cardboard puzzle pieces depicting the Mediterranean and a royal throne broken into jagged halves, and the back-and-forth of missives.
Of course, going wordless has its challenges. Kindly, Synectic provides a compact synopsis of the story. I’d recommend coming early and studying that page. With changing locations, lots of who’s who, shifting alliances, numerous war skirmishes, and lack of dialogue, it helps to get a jump on plot and characters.
Erik Teague’s terrific costume design is not only inspired but also helpful. Crimson red, silver, and white say Rome; while all things Egyptian have a more exotic look with lots of gold and diaphanous veils, etc.
When Synetic’s voicelessness works, it’s masterful. Many hands create the magic: There’s the direction, choreography, design, and the outrageously committed, sinewy built players who bring it to life through movement, some acrobatics, and the remarkable sword dancing using (actual sparking sabers) while twirling to original music composed by Konstantine Lortkipanidze.
Amid the tumultuous relationships and frequent battling (fight choreography compliments of Ben Cunis), moments of whimsy and humor aren’t unwelcome. Ptolemy has a few clownish bits as Cleopatra’s lesser sibling. And Antony’s powerful rival Octavian (ageless out actor Philip Fletcher) engages in peppy propaganda featuring a faux Cleopatra (played by Maryam Najafzada) as a less than virtuous queen enthusiastically engaged in an all-out sex romp.
When Antony and Cleopatra reach their respective ends with sword and adder, it comes almost as a relief. They’ve been through so much. And from start to finish, without uttering a word, Kavsadze and Tsikurishvili share a chemistry that pulls the audience into the grips of the doomed lovers’ palpable passion.
Out & About
Love board games and looking for love?
Quirk Events will host “Board Game Speed Dating for Gay Men” on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at KBird DC.
Searching for a partner can be challenging. But board games are always fun. So what if you combined board games and finding a partner?
Picture this: You sit down for a night of games. A gaming concierge walks you through several games over the course of the night. You play classics you love and discover brand new games you’ve never heard of, playing each with a different group of fun singles. All while in a great establishment.
At the end of the night, you give your gaming concierge a list of the folks you met that you’d like to date and a list of those you met that you’d like to just hang out with as friends. If any two people put down the same name as each other in either column, then your gaming concierge will make sure you get each other’s e-mail address and you can coordinate a time to hang out.
Tickets cost $31.80 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
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