Arts & Entertainment

Cabaret explores D.C. intern life

‘Two Guys’ returns to Black Fox with new storyline

Published

15 years ago

September 15, 2011

Mikey Cafarelli (left) and Paul Scanlan in ‘Two Guys Become Interns,’ a gay-penned cabaret act at Black Fox. (Photo by Mark Braswell)

The cabaret show “Two Guys,” which premiered at Black Fox Lounge in June, is back but in a substantially different incarnation. Conceived as a musical revue, it now has a storyline and new players.

Gay composer/playwright Mark Braswell, a local attorney by day, came up with the premise while observing interns at his own federal office.

“I just realized it’s kind of a Washington institution,” he says. “It’s filled with potential humor and I don’t think that anyone has ever written about it.”

Going by their own first names in the show, local actors Mikey Cafarelli and Paul Scanlan, both straight, play interns who swap war stories at a bar. One is interning at the White House, the other on the Hill. The show is fleshed out with Braswell’s original compositions, which he began in 1995. Braswell saw Scanlan at a Signature Theatre open house this summer and offered him the part. The two actors are friends so once cast, Scanlan brought Cafarelli onboard.

“His songs, especially his ballads, are really heartfelt and come from a real place,” Cafarelli says. “And the more up-tempo ones are fun and light and provide good contrast to the more dramatic material. I think it’s pretty good musical theater.”

Pianist Jason Solounias will accompany. Braswell is self-financing the production and also directing. He’s also written several musicals that have been produced both here and in other cities such as “Love Notes,” “Private Love Notes,” “That Funny Kind of Feeling” and “Paying the Price.”

Braswell, 53, says his day job has given him the means to pursue his creative side in his spare time.

“People say all the time, ‘How do you have time for this,’” he says. “I just say, ‘While you’re out on the golf course or playing bridge, I’m writing musicals.’”

He enjoys theater and cabaret for its chance to gauge immediate reactions.

“It’s live and immediate and I guess if I were to write a short story or something like that instead, then I’m not around to see the impact of how it unfolds. Plus live theater is a little different every night. … There’s a closeness and a warmth that everybody seems to enjoy so much.”

Songs include some, such as “Before Tomorrow,” that the composer has used in other productions. Others are new and were written to propel the “Interns” storyline.

For more information or to reserve tickets, go to truenote.com.

BOX INFO:

‘Two Guys Become Interns’

Black Fox Lounge

1723 Conn. Ave., N.W.

Monday at 8 p.m. and the following three Mondays as well (Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10)

$15 in advance; $20 at door; $10 for interns

truenote.com

Related Topics:Black Fox Lounge Mark Braswell Out & About Two Guys

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Iran, Egypt play in World Cup ‘Pride Match’

FIFA allowed Pride flags inside Seattle stadium

Published

2 days ago

June 28, 2026

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(Screen capture via KOMO News/YouTube)

Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.

Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.

Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”

Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.

FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”

Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.

“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”

“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”

Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.

“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.