Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Feb. 17
Concerts, parties, exhibits and more through Feb. 23
Romantic Italian pop singe Patrizio Buanne, who’s been comparied to Harry Connick Jr. and Michael Buble, plays Wolf Trap next week. Tickets are $32 and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.
TODAY (Friday)
Green Lantern (1335 Green Court) hosts Mama’s Trailer Park Dance Party tonight upstairs from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. and “Pop Goes the World: International Dance Party,” starting at 10 p.m. with DJs Aaron Riggins, Della Volla and AVM. Cover is $5 for the Pop. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.
A quartet of Wolf Trap Opera Company alumni will be joining pianist Kim Witman tonight for a musical multimedia showcase, “America’s National Parks: Through the Artist’s Lens,” featuring the photography of Terre Jones, tonight at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd., Vienna) at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.
The NiteCamp Dancers will be at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $10 all night for those 18 to 20 years old, $5 before 11 p.m. for those 21 and older and $10 afterward.
Red Eye Gravy Theatre Company presents a same-sex version of “Romeo and Juliet,” a benefit for the Trevor Project at the Fridge (516 1/2 8th St., S.E.), tonight at 8 p.m. This production will feature the title roles as a lesbian couple and the show will be followed by a discussion. The show will run through Feb. 18. Tickets are $20. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit thefridgedc.com.
Lesbian comedian Judy Gold plays the Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) tonight at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $25 and can be purchased online atriotactcomedy.com She will also perform twice on Saturday.
D.C. Women in Their Thirties meets tonight at 8 p.m. at Remington’s (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.). Women in their Thirties is a group for lesbian, bi, trans and queer women in their 30s looking to build community.
Saturday, Feb. 18
The Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) has two events going on backstage today. First up is the free event Hellmouth Happy Hour featuring an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and drinks specials at 7 p.m. This week’s episode is “Bad Girls.” Then DJ lil’e takes over the space for her ‘80s Alt-Pop Dance night, Right Round. Tickets are $7 and doors open at 9:30 p.m.
Spunk-E Productions presents “Ink” at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. featuring music by DJ T-one and a “Show Your Tats” contest.
Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) presents “SeXXhibition: Through the Eyes of Deaf Women II” tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. The night, a fundraiser for the deaf lesbian community and Deaf Abused Women Network, will feature steamy ASL stories, ABC stories and performances by Nasty Moment, Buttalicious, Valentino, Silus and more. There is a $10 cover.
Team D.C. presents “Casino Night” tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight at Buffalo Billards (1330 19th St., N.W.). The event will feature poker and blackjack with dealers from D.C. various LGBT sports teams. There is a $10 entry for chips to play and food and drink specials all night. For more information, visit teamdc.org.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has its second show of the season tonight with “The Kids Are All Right” at the Lisner Auditorium (730 21st St., N.W.) at 8 p.m. The show will feature the chorus as well as author and activist Candace Gingrich-Jones and the performing arts troupe, Dreams of Hope. Tickets range from $20 to $50. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit gmcw.org.
Sunday, Feb. 19
Busboys & Poets presents “Borderlines: A Bilingual Spanish-English Open Mic” tonight at 5 p.m. in the Zinn room of its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104) hosted by Henry Mills. This is the pilot run of the event. The sign-up sheet opens at 4 p.m.
Town’s (2009 8th St., N.W.) “WTF” dance party returns with the Magic edition tonight at 10 p.m. The night will feature drag queens, go go boys, performance artists, DJs, food and more. Cover is $5 and all attendees must be 21 or older.
Nice Jewish Girls is a local community, now over 200-strong, of LBTQ Jewish women 21 and older, from secular to orthodox, who meet up for recreational, social, charitable and religious community events. If you’re 45ish or older, join us for a chill dinner at Marrakesh (Silver Spring/GA Ave location) at 6pm. For more info and to RSVP, visit http://www.nicejewishgirlsdc.com/events/owj or email: [email protected].
Monday, Feb. 20
Busboys & Poets presents author Doron Petersan discussing and signing her book,“Sticky Fingers’ Sweets: 100 Super-Secret Vegan Recipes,” tonight at its 14th and V location (2021 14th St., N.W.) at 6:30 p.m. This is a free event.
The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) presents the National President’s Day Choral Festival today at 2 p.m. featuring performances of Howard Hanson’s “Song of Democracy,” John Rutter’s “Gloria” and more. This is a free event. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) presents its weekly trivia night hosted by Ashley Linder and Lauren Zoltick tonight at 8 p.m. in the upstairs bar. There is also a bonus question worth three extra points online at riotactcomedy.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) is celebrating Mardi Gras with DJ Chris Cox tonight starting at 10 p.m. There will also be live performances by Jessica Spaulding and the Dance Camp. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 afterward. All attendees must be 21 or older.
Wednesday, Feb. 22
The Strathmore presents its artist in residence ellen cherry tonight at the Mansion (10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda) at 7:30 p.m. in the second of two performances. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online at strathmore.org.
Busboys & Poets presents Sparkle Open Mic Poetry, a queer-friendly reading series hosted by Regie Cabico and Danielle Evennou in the Cullen room of its 5th and K location (1025 5th St., N.W.) at 9 p.m. Wristbands are $4 and will be sold in the Global Exchange store beginning at 11 a.m.
The Ladies of Mova present “VanityGirl,” a weekly ladies night at Mova (2204 14th St., N.W.) with happy hour from 5 to 8 p.m. and various drink specials hosted by Nikisha.
Thursday, Feb. 23
Italian pop crooner Patrizio Buanne plays Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd., Vienna) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32 and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.
Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) holds its monthly meeting tonight in the main room at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The Washington Ballet honoring choreographer Twyla Tharp is at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m., in a program showcasing her work spanning two decades. It will include performance of Tharp’s “Nine Sinatra Songs,” “Push Comes to Shove” and “Surfer at the Styx River.” Tickets range from $20 to $125 and can be purchased online atkennedy-center.org. The show will run through Feb. 26.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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