Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Brian Crane
The ‘Country Girl’ actor answers 20 gay questions
(Photo by Johannes Markus; courtesy American Century Theater)
Brian Crane did some acting in high school and college but largely set it aside for several years while he pursued career and academia.
Since 2004 he’s been acting on a semi-pro level in various productions with American Century Theater, Washington Shakespeare Company and other local outfits. He opens tonight in a production of Clifford Odets’ “The Country Girl,” the play that was adapted into the film version that won Grace Kelly an Oscar in the title role, at American (meeting at the Gunston Arts Center Theater II, 2700 South Lang St. in Arlington) — visit americancentury.org for details).
Crane says his role, Frank, is an artistic challenge.
“It’s a very emotional part,” he says. “Frank goes through these really big swings and it’s got some interesting challenges. It’s harsh and there’s plenty not to like about Frank but you have to make him lovable or the play doesn’t work. There’s something lovable and vulnerable about this man I could identify with. He lies, he manipulates but at the same time he has this disarming charm, like a grown-up kid.”
Crane, a 47-year-old Pittsburgh native, came to Washington in 1992 to do a pre-doctoral fellowship in anthropology at the Smithsonian. He’d been in Philadelphia for college (grad and undergrad) for 10 years before that. By day, he’s director of Cultural Resources Division at Versar, a global project management company based in Springfield, Va.
Crane and his partner, Murray Scheel, an attorney, live together in Foggy Bottom and have been together for 16 years. Crane enjoys theater, backpacking and photography in his free time. He also loves to squeeze in Saturday afternoon naps when he can.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I’ve been out since graduate school, about 25 years. My mom was the hardest to tell because she and my dad took my brother’s coming out so hard.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
I’m not sure, maybe Walt Whitman, or Oscar Wilde for being so wonderfully flamboyant in their art. Among the living, maybe Stephen Fry; he has such a charming and gentle wit, and he had the guts to give Shakespeare in Klingon a try.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
I still have fond memories of Tracks: that was the first place I ever went dancing in D.C.
Describe your dream wedding.
I’m not sure Murray is the marrying type, but if we did, I would want it in our home church, St. Thomas Parish, with all our friends and family with us.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
The environment
What historical outcome would you change?
That’s hard. There are so many awful things, how could I choose? But in my own lifetime, the election of 2000 was such a rotten turning point for this country, and it left us so divided.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
I guess the advent of social media. It’s brought me back in touch with so many people that I had lost contact with.
On what do you insist?
Not nearly enough, I’m not very assertive. But I always make sure I get breakfast, a meal before shows and rehearsals, and a nap when I can get away with it. I get really grumpy if I don’t eat right. Just ask Murray.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
“Roosevelt was right when he said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” We have paid dearly for our paranoia.” It was about an article on slate.com about the true costs of 9-11.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“The Trials and Tribulations of Living Small in a Big World”
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Not a thing. “I was born this way” (thank you Lady Gaga)
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
That death does not have the last word, and that at the end of things, there will be wonderful surprises.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
I miss ACT-UP.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
To see my father again.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
Can’t think of one.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“Parting Glances” made a big impression on me coming out. So did “Torch Song Trilogy,” but that was because I had a big crush on Matthew Broderick.
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Valentines
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
I really admire the work of those actors I know who have won the Helen Hayes award.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
That it gets better.
Why Washington?
I came here to work at the Smithsonian as a pre-doctoral fellow, and just stayed. And I love the theater scene here.
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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Comings & Goings
