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Drives and desires

War-injured photojournalist ponders work vs. domesticity in new Studio production

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‘Time Stands Still’
Through Feb. 12
The Studio Theatre
1501 14th  Street, NW
$35-$69
202-332-3300

 

In “Time Stands Still” (now at Studio Theatre) playwright Donald Margulies takes us to war zones without ever leaving his characters’ Brooklyn loft.

After being seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, photojournalist Sarah (Holly Twyford) goes home to New York to heal. The angry red scars on her face aren’t her main worry. She’s more concerned about getting back on her feet and returning to the Middle East where she can continue bearing witness with her Nikon. But when Sarah’s reporter boyfriend James (Greg McFadden) asks her to join him in a quieter, safer life (a potential novelty for both), she is forced to consider doing things differently.

Holly Twyford and Greg McFadden in Studio Theatre’s production of ‘Time Stands Still.’ (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy Studio)

While Sarah is unparalleled at capturing the difficult images of war, she is less adept at navigating emotional battles on the home front. For years she and James traveled to the world’s most dangerous conflict zones chronicling atrocities, but after James saw one too many civilians blown up in Iraq, he suffered a sort of breakdown and called it quits. Weeks later Sarah was injured.

At home, she resists James’ coddling and feels trapped and bored by domesticity. But she loves him and is in her way very invested in the relationship. She owes it to herself to try and make things work despite having never signed on for a normal life.

Like Margulies’ Pulitzer-winning play “Dinner with Friends,” this newer work’s cast is also comprised of two straight couples. James and Sarah are visited by their worldly editor Richard (Dan Illian) and his much younger new girlfriend Mandy (a delightful Laura C. Harris) who mistakenly thinks jaded, grouchy Sarah might appreciate a tacky bunch of “get well” balloons and a barrage of small talk. An unlikely addition to the sophisticated friends’ longtime circle, Mandy acknowledges that she’s an intellectual lightweight while making it clear that she’s a lot more than Richard’s mid-life crisis.

Mandy also questions Sarah on the ethics of her profession. How can she stand by and photograph death and destruction without somehow intervening or offering some kind of assistance? Sarah responds rather mechanically that photojournalists are there to record life and not to change it; but later in the play, Sarah reconsiders her reply more emotionally, wondering if it’s somehow indecent to make a living from the suffering of others.

Timely, thought provoking and entertaining, Margulies’ nuanced script is wonderfully written. Sarah and James’ pitch-perfect dialogue is subtly infused with affecting and sometimes disturbing references to people they’ve encountered in Iraq, most especially Sarah’s translator and sometime lover Tarek. The play gives a bit of humanity to the tens of thousands of faceless civilian Iraqi casualties about whom Americans seldom hear anything.

Helmed by New York director Susan Fenichell, the thoughtful production is smartly staged and well acted by a splendid cast. On Broadway, Laura Linney created the part of Sarah. At Studio, Twyford (openly gay) makes the role of the brave, witty, complicated woman her own. Twyford’s approach to Sarah’s physicality is particularly memorable — whether she’s walking tentatively on her painfully broken leg or clenching her good hand from the intense anxiety brought on by being away from the action.

Sarah and James’ loft — realistically rendered by John McDermott from its fully functioning kitchen sink to raindrops hitting the skylight — serves as both refuge and starting gate. It’s up to Sarah whether to stay or go.

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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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