Arts & Entertainment
Kennedy Center unveils new season
Several gay entertainers among roster for upcoming shows
The Kennedy Center
This week Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser announced the Center’s 2012-2013 season, a rich celebration of the arts with an international flair.
Some of the highlights include Nordic Cool 2013, a festival of the Scandinavian arts and cuisine, a holiday performance of “Hansel and Gretel” with performers from the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, and Election Night Jam, a non-partisan evening of jazz music and dancing with the incoming results broadcast on a large screen (no word yet on which network the revelers will be watching).
The Theater Season includes touring production of “The Book of Mormon,” “Anything Goes,” “War Horse” and “Jekyll & Hyde” starring “American Idol” Constantine Maroulis, as well as the sixth season of Barbara Cook’s Spotlight series with cabaret performances by such Broadway stalwarts as Donna Murphy, Terri White (“Follies”), Judy Kuhn, Adam Pascal and Maureen McGovern. “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane joins the NSO Pops for “The Songs of Sammy Cahn,” and the Pops series also includes “The Wizard and I: the Music of Stephen Schwartz” with “Wicked” alumni Julia Murney and Jennifer Laura Thompson.
In addition, the 2012-2013 season combines returning favorites (Opera in the Outfield, A Jazz New Year’s Eve and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre) with new and unconventional programming such as the regional premiere of John Adams’ City Noir, the Kennedy Center debut of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, a new production of “Show Boat,” the Songs of Conscience concerts exploring the socially conscious music of Bob Marley and Woody Guthrie, and the inauguration of Beyond the Score, a multi-media exploration of key symphonic works.
Other programming of special interest to the LGBT community include the return of openly lesbian opera singer Patricia Racette in the title role of “Manon Lescaut,” the Fats Waller Dance Party featuring Meshell Ndegeocello at the new Supersized Jazz Club, and performances by openly gay artists such as jazz great Fred Hersch and classical pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Complete information on the Kennedy Center’s 2012-2013 season can be found at kennedy-center.org.
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)
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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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