Arts & Entertainment
Tiffany’s treasures
‘80s icon-turned-country singer plays free Cobalt show Tuesday
Tiffany
Cobalt
1639 R Street, NW
Tuesday, April 10
9 p.m.-1 a.m.
No cover
Divasanddjs.com
Pop singer Tiffany says she likes a wide array of musical styles, not just the pop style for which she’s best known. (Photo courtesy Divas and DJs)
Cobalt is on a roll — after snagging big-name DJs like Junior Vasquez and Ralphi Rosario last month, pop singer Tiffany appears Tuesday night. Doors open at 9 p.m. There’s no cover.
Born Tiffany Renee Darwish, the pop singer has been busy promoting her latest album, “Rose Tattoo,” her eighth studio album.
“For me, this album represents returning to my country roots,” Tiffany says from her new home in Tennessee. What makes this album different is Tiffany managed and produced it under her own record label.
“I stepped out on my own. It took three months to write the music and 10 days to record, all while dealing with the stresses of managing my business.” Tiffany is considering re-releasing “Rose Tattoo” outside the U.S. later this year
In 1981, Tiffany debuted with country music singer Jack Reeves at a country and western spot called Narods in Chino, Calif. In 1987, Tiffany released “I Think We’re Alone Now,” a pop song that became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
“My music talents cannot be defined by one type of music. I love the ‘60s and ‘70s disco music, I love country music, and that love helped me write my music in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and today.” Most recently, Tiffany has been at the top of the charts with her feel-good dance hit “Higher,” which features a mix by famed remixer Josh Harris.
Tiffany’s diversified music is a reflection of her fans. She’s been a supporter of the LGBT community by performing at various gay-friendly venues.
“I feel like there is a connection between the gay community and myself,” Tiffany says. “You can’t really place people into categories, but others sometimes treat people different if they don’t fit into a particular category … It’s a struggle for acceptance and some of my music is about struggle.”
She briefly dated Jonathan Knight, a member of New Kids on the Block, who later came out as gay.
“Obviously I didn’t know he was gay when I was dating him. We were just two young kids that were not born wealthy and suddenly seemed to have the world at our feet. Our friendship continued even after we broke up,” she says.
Tiffany revealed Knight was gay in a January 2011 interview. She says it wasn’t a big deal because Knight’s sexual orientation had been widely discussed publicly before.
Tiffany’s talents go beyond just singing and writing music. Her first acting job was providing the voice of Judy Jetson for “Jetsons: The Movie,” from 1990. She also contributed three songs to the soundtrack. In her most recent movie, Tiffany teamed up with Deborah Gibson and filmed their campy SyFy original movie called “Mega Python v. Gatoroid.” The movie featured a protracted catfight waged between Tiffany and Gibson.
The pop star is married with one son and takes care of her stepfather, who’s suffering from cancer.
“I am a family person first,” she says. “I am very grateful to have a wonderful family.”
Her next challenge? She plans to open a vintage boutique shop this fall.
“I’ve learned to live in the moment and never be scared to try something new.”
Theater
A hilarious ‘Twelfth Night’ at Folger full of ‘elegant kink’
Nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan stars as Duke Orsino
‘Twelfth Night’
Through June 22
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol St., S.E.
$20-$84
Folger.edu
Nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan (they/them)loves tapping into the multitudes within.
Currently Keegan plays the melancholic Duke Orsino in Folger Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “Twelfth Night.” Director Mei Ann Teo describes the production as “sexy, hilarious, and devastating” and full of “elegant kink.”
Washington-based, Keegan enjoys a busy and celebrated career. Her vast biography includes Come From Away at Ford’s Theatre; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Helen Hayes Award, Best Actress) and Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive, both at Round House Theatre; Diana Son’s Stop Kiss directedby Holly Twyford for No Rules Theatre Company; and Contractions at Studio Theatre, to name just a few.
In addition to acting, Keegan works as a polyamory and ethical non-monogamy life and relationship coach, an area of interest that grew out of personal exploration. For them, coaching seems to work hand in hand with acting.
WASHINGTON BLADE: You’re playing the lovesick Orsino in Twelfth Night. How did that come about?
ALYSSA KEEGAN: The director was looking to cast a group of actors with diverse identities; throughout auditions, there were no constraints regarding anyone’s assigned sex at birth. It was really a free for all.
BLADE: What’s your approach to the fetching, cod-piece clad nobleman?
KEEGAN: Offstage I identify as completely nonbinary; I love riding in this neutral middle space. But I also love cosplay. The ability to do that in the play gives me permission to dive completely into maleness.
So, when I made that decision to play Orsino as a bio male, suddenly the part really cracked open for me. I began looking for clues about his thoughts and opinions about things like his past relationships and his decision not to date older women.
Underneath his mask of bravura and sexuality, and his firmness of feelings, he’s quite lonely and has never really felt loved. It makes sense to me why his love for Olivia is so misguided and why he might fall in love with the Cesario/Viola character.
BLADE: As an actor, do you ever risk taking on the feelings of your characters?
KEEGAN: Prior to my mental health education, yes, and that could be toxic for me. I’ve since learned that the nervous system can’t tell the difference between real emotional distress and a that of a fully embodied character.
So, I created and share the Empowered Performer Project. [a holistic approach to performance that emphasizes the mental and emotional well-being of performing artists]. It utilizes somatic tools that help enormously when stepping into a character.
BLADE: Has changing the way you work affected your performances?
KEEGAN: I think I’m much better now. I used to have nearly debilitating stage fright. I’d spend all day dreading going onstage. I thought that was just part of the job. Now, I’ve learned to talk to my body. Prior to a performance, I can now spend my offstage time calmly gardening, working with my mental health clients, or playing with my kid. I’m just present in my life in a different way.
BLADE: Is Orsino your first time playing a male role?
KEEGAN: No. In fact, the very first time I played a male role was at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va. I played Hipolito in Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy.
As Hipolito, I felt utterly male in the moment, so much so that I had audience members see me later after the show and they were surprised that I was female. They thought I was a young guy in the role. There’s something very powerful in that.
BLADE: Do you have a favorite part? Male or female?
KEEGAN: That’s tough but I think it’s Maggie the Cat. I played the hyper-female Maggie in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Round House. In the first act she didn’t stop talking for 51 minutes opposite Gregory Wooddell as Brick who barely had to speak. That lift was probably the heaviest I’ve ever been asked to do in acting.
BLADE: What about Folger’s Twelfth Night might be especially appealing to queer audiences?
KEEGAN: First and foremost is presentation. 99% of the cast identify as queer in some way.
The approach to Shakespeare’s text is one of the most bold and playful that I have ever seen. It’s unabashedly queer. The actors are here to celebrate and be loud and colorful and to advocate. It’s a powerful production, especially to do so close to the Capitol building, and that’s not lost on any of us.
The Washington Blade hosted the inaugural WorldPride Boat Parade at The Wharf DC on Friday, June 6. NBC4’s Tommy McFly served as the emcee.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The 2025 Capital Pride Honors awards ceremony and gala reception was held at the National Building Museum on Thursday, June 5. Honorees included Cathy Renna, Jerry St. Louis, Ernest Hopkins, Lamar Braithwaite, Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Kriston Pumphrey, Gia Martinez, Kraig Williams and SMYAL. Presenters and speakers included U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Amber Ruffin, Raven-Symoné and Paul Wharton.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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