Arts & Entertainment
Arts news in brief: Jan. 6
White House inside peek, wacky Elvis b-day party and more
Robert Mesnier, former White House pastry chef, will be giving a lecture on Saturday as part of the Washington Winter Show. (Photo courtesy of the Show)
A glimpse inside the White House
The Washington Winter Show at the Katzen Arts Center at American University (4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.) opens today and this year’s theme is “Celebrating the White House.”
The show features several events through the weekend including lunches, lectures and more. Today at 10:30 a.m. there will be a lecture and lunch with Nancy Clarke, former White House florist. Tickets are $125 per person or $1,000 for a table of 10. On Saturday, Roland Mesnier, former White House pastry chef, will give a lecture. Tickets are $40.
General admission tickets to the show are $20 and good for the run of the show.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit washingtonwintershow.com.
MORE IN THE BLADE: JAN. 6 CALENDAR
Celebrating the King’s b-day
Kittie Glitter and ‘Elvis’ host Elvis' Birthday Fight Club at Warehouse Theatre on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Stereo Vision Photography)
On Saturday, Elvis’ 77th birthday, ABJ Productions and L’il Dutch present “Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club” at the Warehouse Theatre (645 New York Ave., N.W.) at 8 and 11 p.m.
The show will feature six rounds of fighters duking it out in ridiculous costumes and burlesque performers Reverend Valentine, Candy del Rio and Maria Bella will entertain the crowd between rounds.
Tickets are $16 in advance and $20 the day of the show.
The show will also be performed in Baltimore at the Patterson on Jan. 14.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit fightclubshow.com.
40 days of free events
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop is marking its 40th anniversary this year and to celebrate, CHAW is putting on 40 free events in 40 days, culminating with a concert on Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church.
“This event is not only a thank you to the community and a celebration of 40 years of art-making, but a launching off point for future innovations in building community through the arts,” says Amy Moore, CHAW’s director of education and programs.
Featured events include concerts, jewelry making, gallery talks and more. On Saturday, there will be two events, animal mask making and performance for ages 6 and up at 10 a.m. and the opening on CHAW’s sixth annual contemporary photography exhibition from 5 to 7 p.m.
While all events are free, some do require pre-registration.
For more information and a complete list of events, visit chaw.org.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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