Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: August 19
Dozens of events this weekend and in the coming week to keep you very busy!
Today
“American Idol’s” top 11 contestants are making at stop in D.C. at the Verizon Center (601 F St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $65 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.
Zenith Gallery presents “Character of Chevy Chase” at the Chevy Chase Pavilion (5335 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) featuring works by Kim Abraham, Harmon Biddle, Deborah Brisker Burk, Lou Kaplan, Carol Gellner Levin and Joan Samworth. The gallery, on the second floor, is open from noon to 6 p.m.
Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) presents “Pop!” a musical murder-mystery by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Anna K. Jacobs which peeks inside the artistic revelry of Andy Warhol’s infamous Factory, today at 8:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35 to $50 and can be purchased online. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit studiotheatre.org.
Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave.) in Arlington presents “The Marcy and Zina Show” starring Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich as part of its 2011-2012 cabaret series tonight at 8:30 p.m. There will be another performance Saturday at the same time. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online by visiting signature-theatre.org.
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) has two exhibits on display, MiniSolos@Touchstone, which features the work of 37 area artists and a small companion show, Summer Sampler, which features works by the gallery’s members, which will run through Aug. 27. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 20
Brightest Young Things is teaming up with BYGays for fashion camp today from noon to 8 p.m. at the Capitol Skyline Hotel (10 I St., S.W.) with DJs Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer. There is a $15 cover.
Rock & Roll Hotel (1353 H St., N.E.) is celebrating its fifth anniversary and Mixtape is taking over both floors to throw its closing party tonight from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. with guest DJS vANNIEty Kills and Cale. There is a $7 cover or $5 with a BYGays Pool Party wristband. Attendees must be 21 or older.
There will be two performances of the Olney Theatre Center’s (3001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd.) production of “Grease” directed by Bobby Smith today at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $26 to $49 and can be purchased online at olneytheatre.org. The show has been extended to run through Sept. 4.
Sydney Theatre Company returns with an exclusive U.S. engagement of Andrew Upton’s tragicomedy “Uncle Vanya” starring Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett, today at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). Tickets range from $59 to $135 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
DJ Theresa, who plays the bongos live as she spins, will be playing at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight at 10 p.m. with Wess providing music and video downstairs. There is a $8 cover from 10 to 11 p.m. which then goes up to $12. All attendees must be 21 or older.
Burgundy Crescent Volunteers help with Books Plus, the nonprofit library store at MLK Jr. Memorial D.C. Public Library (901 G St., N.W.) today. Volunteers will be unpacking boxes, selecting interesting titles and sorting them by category on book carts. Volunteers will get special pricing and dibs on books they would like to purchase. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Sunday, Aug. 21
The Beach Boys will be performing at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna today at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $38 and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.
The musical “Wicked” will be performed at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) today at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. “Wicked” tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, before Dorothy landed in Oz. Tickets range from $37 to $250 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org, though mostly only the pricier tickets remain available.
Monday, Aug. 22
SAGE Metro D.C. is holding its monthly meeting tonight from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.).
Tuesday, Aug. 23
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.).
Maryland’s first gay legislator, Sen. Rich Madaleno, will be at Nellie’s tonight for a friend, host and sponsor reception to help pass same-sex marriage in Maryland at 7 p.m. followed by drag bingo from 8 to 10 p.m. For more information and to donate, visit actblue.com/page/richmadaleno.
Wednesday, Aug. 24
Busboys & Poets is having its monthly book club at its Shirlington location (4251 South Campbell Ave.) in Arlington tonight at 7 p.m. The group will be discussing Alice Walker’s “The Chicken Chronicles.”
Green Lantern (1331 Green Court, N.W.) will host the weekly Poz D.C. happy hour upstairs from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Train and Maroon 5 will be performing at Merriweather Post Pavilion (10475 Little Patuxent Parkway) in Columbia, Md., tonight. Tickets range from $40.50 to $75.50 and can be purchased online at merriweathermusic.com. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 25
The Temptations and The Four Tops will be performing at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna, Va., tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $22 to $38 and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.
Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) is having its monthly meeting tonight in the main room at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington will be opening for Del Shores’ “Sordid Confessions” tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) at 9 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $20 and can be purchased online at delshores.com.
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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