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Journey to stardom

New MetroStage production follows a young Baker to early fame

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‘Josephine Tonight’
Through March 18
MetroStage
1201 North Royal Street
Alexandria
$45-$50, $25 students
703-548-9044

From left: James Alexander, James T. Lane, Zurin Villanueva, Aisha de Haas and Debra Walton in ‘Josephine Tonight.’ (Photo by C. Stanley Photography; courtesy MetroStage)

Before she was Josephine Baker, the toast of Jazz Age Paris wowing audiences at the Follies Bergère, she was Josie McDonald, a skinny kid doing the chicken dance for spare change in front of the Piggly Wiggly back in St. Louis. It’s this metamorphosis from girl to ravishing young star that’s portrayed in the musical “Josephine Tonight,” currently premiering at MetroStage.

Broadway vets Sherman Yellen (book and lyrics) and the late Wally Harper (music) frame Baker’s bio as a Cinderella story. (Lyrics mention the would-be princess and her pink silk ball gowns more than once.) And though young Josephine derives support from her no-nonsense washerwoman mother, besotted young husband, and assorted showbiz folks, there is definitely no fairy godmother in this tale. As presented here, the magic that transforms our heroine from Josie to Josephine comes from within. She’s her own creation.

It’s tough to cast the role of a legendary figure like Baker, whom most people know as the almost naked dancer portrayed in the iconic posters from “Le Revue Nègre” (the 1925 Parisian show that shot her to stardom). Happily, Zurin Villanueva portrays the young Baker with a natural confidence and effervescent energy that feels just right. She looks the part too: Tall and lithe with an expressive beauty.

Villanueva’s Josephine subtly matures during the show (aging from 14 to early 20s). Along with Josephine, we learn that she’s too big for segregated Post World War I America. We watch approvingly as she nonchalantly trades her increasingly boring husband for a French lover and alludes to her sexual experiences with women. It’s a juicy part and Villanueva has fun with it.

The four remaining top-notch cast members definitely earn their paychecks playing multiple roles (mostly key figures in Josephine’s early life to which the show is fairly faithful). Talented triple threat James T. Lane is terrific as Josephine’s husband Eddie Baker and as her French lover Paul. James Alexander and Debra Walton are delightfully versatile as corny vaudevillians, racist whites and other parts.

At a recent matinee, Roz White stepped in for an absent Aisha De Haas as Josephine’s wry mother Carrie and her boozy, blues-singing mentor Big Bertha Smith — both great roles. White’s take on “Bertha’s Blues,” a song that segues from blues to gospel was among the show’s highlights. With arrangements and orchestrations by musical director David Alan Bun, the lively score is packed (probably too much) with ragtime, blues and Broadway-style tunes.

“Josephine Tonight” is directed and choreographed by Maurice Hines (openly gay) who first gained fame long ago tap dancing with his late brother Gregory. He successfully mines the backstory for humor and keeps things moving at a brisk pace. His choreography — including Baker’s famous jungle dance — harks back to the era. Reggie Ray’s costumes are wonderfully evocative of the time as well, but one can’t help but wonder what he might have done with a bigger budget. Scenery/projection designer Klyph Stanford supplies a discreet art deco proscenium arch. Underneath hangs a translucent scrim on which he projects images pertinent to Baker’s life: a laundry line, the Cotton Club sign, the Eiffel Tower. Behind the scrim, the hot five-piece band can be seen playing.

The show ends just when Josephine achieves celebrity. We see her dance in the iconic skimpy banana skirt and walk the stage as a sequined and plumed main attraction. Baker went on to scale more performance peaks, work undercover for the French Resistance during World War II, and assemble a rainbow family of adopted children. And though she returned to the U.S. for work until her death in 1975, she was a citizen of France and made her home there. But those are details for another musical.

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Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

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(Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer)

You’ve done your share of marching.

You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.

You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.

Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.

You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.

Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.

If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.

Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.

Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.

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Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

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The Indigo Girls are back in the area next week. (Photo courtesy of Vanguard Records)

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall. 

The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts. 

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Calendar

Calendar: June 13-19

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, June 13

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected]

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. at Wundergarten. An update will be posted the night of the event on where to find WiTT’s table. There’ll be a Pride flag to help people find the group. For more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Saturday, June 14

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month 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.

Rainbow History Project will host “Behind the Scenes With the Senior Curator of ‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’” at 7:30p.m. at Freedom Plaza. This behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind this groundbreaking showcase of DC’s LGBTQ+ history. Learn about the bold design decisions that shaped the Quote Wall and Hero Cubes and the powerful stories that almost made the cut. Tickets cost $82 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

Monday, June 16

“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 details, email [email protected]

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit their website at www.genderqueerdc.org or check us out on Facebook

Tuesday, June 17

Bi+ Roundtable and Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Check out Facebook or Meetup for more information.

Wednesday, June 18

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. 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.

“Legends Live Loud: A Queer Karaoke Experience” will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a dynamic, Center-wide karaoke event celebrating the brilliance and cultural impact of some of our most colorful queer icons. The Center will honor legends through music, pop culture, dance, and inextinguishable liberation. For more details and to sign up, visit the DC Center’s website

Thursday, June 19

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Book Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. This book club is co-hosted by EQUALITY NoVa and is another opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding activity. The group doesn’t discriminate when it comes to genres it reads – from classic literature to best selling novels to biographies to histories to gay fiction. For more details, visit Eventbrite

Cultivating Change Foundation will host “Cultivating Pride Happy Hour” at 5:30 p.m. at Dacha Beer Garden. This Pride month, the organization is inviting LGBTQ+ people and allies in food and agriculture to come together in communities nationwide. These informal gatherings are a chance to connect, celebrate, and build community, whether it’s over coffee, a cocktail, or a conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

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