Arts & Entertainment
Out & About: Jan. 27
Galactica at the Fox, Ho gets ‘Gaylarious’ and more
Galactica’s revue continues to expand — she plays her first shows with ‘the Comettes’ this weekend at gay-owned Black Fox Lounge. (Photo courtesy Jeffrey Johnson)
Galactica returns to Black Fox
Special Agent Galactica returns with her band Captain Satellite and the Escape Pods for a new show at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Galactica will also be joined by two new “crew members,” the Comettes.
The show will features songs by Pat Benatar, Cee Lo Green, Jeffrey Johnson (Galactica’s alter ego), the late Etta James and more. Galactica is continuing her live singing approach after making a name for herself as a first-rate lip synch artist.
Tickets are $15 and are available online at pinkhairedone.com.
Brother Help Thyself doles out grants, awards
Brother, Help Thyself is holding its 34th annual grant reception and awards ceremony on Saturday at Remington’s (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) at 2 p.m.
The ceremony will include performances by Potomac Fever Ensemble, Tom Goss and D.C. Different Drummers’ Mad Hatters.
Over the past 30 years, Brother, Help Thyself has raised about $2.1 million and distributed it to more than 130 groups in the community.
Capital Pride hosts volunteer kick off Tuesday
The Capital Pride planning committee invites the community to join its organizers Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a volunteer kick-off meeting at Redwood Century 21 (1701 Q St., N.W.) off the Dupont Circle Metro stop.
Those interested in helping with this year’s festivities — which culminate the weekend of June 9 — are encouraged to attend and learn more about all facets of the process from the festival, parade, entertainment, marketing and more. The meeting will last about one hour. Light refreshments will be served. Visit capitalpride.org for more information.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Raunchy Ho to play Gaylarious
Wendy Ho, the raunchy rapper whose “Bitch, I Stole Yo Purse” video was a 2008 favorite on Logo, plays Riot Act Comedy Theatre’s Gaylarious, a monthly queer comedy night, Wednesday. Gays Zach Toczynskiris and Chris Doucette host.
Raunchy rapper/comedian Wendy Ho plays D.C. next week. (Photo courtesy Wendy Ho)
“A lot of what you see onstage is me,” says Ho, who’s straight. “My material is mostly about life as a woman and breaking out of the mold that men have cast for us. Of course, I don’t be sittin’ around my house in my wigs all day like Lady Gaga claims she does. I can’t wait to rip off the costume when I get off stage.”
Initially, Ho (born Wendy Jo Smith) was unsure if introducing the persona was a wise career move. Putting herself out there as a trash talking bad girl and revealing thornier issues from her own past had obvious drawbacks; but after she first took the act to A-list comedy clubs and gay bars in New York City it clicked immediately: “The audience embraced what I was doing. For me, performing as Wendy Ho was like coming out of the closet.”
The L.A.-based performer describes her act as part standup/part concert. Her sound, she says, is like Lil’ Kim but dirty like Peaches and funny like Lonely Island. For her, Wendy Ho’s over-the-top femininity is empowering. By using humor and blurring the lines of sexuality and cultures, Ho says she brings people together with her unapologetically raw material.
The theater is at 801 E Street, N.W. Tickets are $15. Call 202-697-4900 or visit riotactcomedy.com for details.
PATRICK FOLLIARD
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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Comings & Goings
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Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
