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New voices, new works

Signature takes daring chance on two new musicals by local composers

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Matt Conner (left) and Adam Gwon, composers of two new musicals on the boards now at Signature. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

‘The Boy Detective Fails’
‘The Hollow’
Through Oct. 16
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington
703-820-9771

In a rather bold move, Signature Theatre, the Arlington-based company that is best known for doing pared down takes on fat Broadway hits, is opening its fall season with not one but two world premiere musicals in full production in rep. And what’s more, the shows, “The Boy Detective Fails” and “The Hollow,” are the new works of talented rising composers Adam Gwon and Matt Conner respectively, and not the latest offerings from a pair of household names.

As part of Signature’s American Musical Voices Project: The Next Generation, Conner and Gwon (both gay) were each commissioned to develop full length musicals.  Not long after receiving his commission, New York-based Gwon met with Eric Schaeffer (Signature’s gay artistic director) to discuss project ideas: “I was determined to do ‘The Boy Detective Fails.,’” Gwon says. “When I’d read it several years earlier, I knew instantly that it was something I had to make into a musical.”

Adapted from the same-titled popular novel by Joe Meno (also the musical’s librettist), “The Boy Detective Fails” tells the story of famed kid sleuth Billy Argo who returns to his hometown after 10 years in a mental institution to solve the mystery of his sister’s death. Hardly the stuff of the Nancy Drew series, but still Gwon says he approached his contemporary musical theater score in childlike way, “trying to create a world full of wonder that is at times earnest and heartfelt and then changes to scary.”

Conner’s story is different. He says Schaeffer suggested he develop a chilling musical reinterpretation of Washington Irving’s classic “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”: “My first thought was I better re-read this,” says Conner, 41. “All I could remember was it had a guy without a head, but of course there a lot more including themes of country vs. city and what it likes to be an outsider.”

After selecting Hunter Foster (librettist and Broadway actor) to write the book for “The Hollow,” Conner concentrated on the show’s score, which he describes as having a classical feel.

“It begins very structured and grounded and then soars off into my own ethereal world,” he says.

Conner successfully mined Irving’s text for lyrics, finding both vivid imagery and beautifully expressed phrases. He also uses the townsfolk’s Dutch language to accentuate city boy, English speaker Ichabod Crane’s otherness.

Growing up on a dairy farm in Stephens City, Va., Conner learned to play piano by ear and became involved in his church choir. He attended the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester. After graduating he began doing musical theater in the D.C. area and eventually found an artistic home at Signature.

As a boy in Baltimore, Gwon displayed an affinity for music. At 3, he was climbing up on the bench and plunking out tunes on the family piano. His parents smartly fostered his interest.

“I experienced music and theater on different tracks: drama club and after school classical piano lessons” says Gwon, 31. Eventually it came together in college (NYU’s undergraduate drama program) where he first wrote music for student productions. Inspired by that experience and the work of a freshman year musical theater professor who unexpectedly died mid-semester, Gwon was hooked.

Both composers have known success. Gwon’s musical about young New Yorkers “Ordinary Days” enjoyed a successful Off-Broadway run, and Conner’s Edgar Allen Poe musical paean “Nevermore” was popularly produced at Signature five seasons ago. More recently Conner completed a yet-to-be-produced musical adaptation of “Night of the Living Dead” in collaboration with local actor Stephen Gregory Smith (who plays the title role in “The Boy Detective Fails”). Apparently Conner isn’t concerned about becoming the go-to guy for spooky musicals: “I may be a poor composer most of the year, but hopefully every October when Halloween rolls around, I’ll earn a lot of royalties.”

Among possible future projects, Gwon is considering composing a show based on Harvard University’s “Secret Court” of 1920. Spurred by the suicide of a gay undergraduate, the university created a disciplinary tribunal responsible for investigating a wide circle of sexually adventurous gays on campus. Those found guilty were punished with suspension or expulsion.

Conner is also interested in setting the LGBT experience to music with something related to Stonewall.

But for the moment, Conner and Gwon remain focused on succeeding at Signature.

 

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Out & About

This queer comedy show will warm you up

Catfish Comedy to feature LGBTQ lineup

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(Promotional image via Eventbrite)

Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.

Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

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Arts & Entertainment

Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71

Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’

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(Photo courtesy of Pop TV)

Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.

O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.

In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.

In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”

Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.

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Calendar

Calendar: January 30-February 5

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, January 30

Friday Tea Time will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Bring your beverage of choice. For more information, contact Mac ([email protected]).

Spark Social will host “RuPaul’s Drag Race S18 Watch Party” at 8 p.m. This event will be hosted by local drag queens TrevHER and Grey, who will provide hilarious commentary and make live predictions on who’s staying and who’s going home. Stick around after the show for a live drag performance. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Saturday, January 31

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.

Sunday, February 1

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community and Conversation” at noon at As You Are. This event is for those looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ+ community. Look for the Go Gay DC sign on the long table near the front window. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, February 2

“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 (adamheller@thedccenter.org).

Tuesday, February 3

Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more information, email [email protected]

Wednesday, February 4

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.

Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website

Thursday, February 5

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 5:00 pm 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, breath work 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.  

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