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.”
Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ-friendly sports teams and leagues in the D.C. area, held its annual Night of Champions Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20 at the Hilton National Mall. The organization gave out scholarships to area LGBTQ student athletes as well as awards to the Different Drummers, Kelly Laczko of Duplex Diner, Stacy Smith of the Edmund Burke School, Bryan Frank of Triout, JC Adams of DCG Basketball and the DC Gay Flag Football League.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The 2024 National Cannabis Festival was held at the Fields at RFK Stadium on April 19-20.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering the @NatlCannaFest at RFK Stadium for @WashBlade . Stop by the LGBTQ+ booth and pick up a paper if you are here. pic.twitter.com/is7hnsaPns
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) April 20, 2024
Theater
‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith
A ‘fully autobiographical’ work from out artist Adil Mansoor
‘Amm(i)gone’
Thorough May 12
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
641 D St., N.W.
$60-$70
Woollymammoth.net
“Fully and utterly autobiographical.” That’s how Adil Mansoor describes “Amm(i)gone,” his one-man work currently playing at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.
Both created and performed by out artist Mansoor, it’s his story about inviting his Pakistani mother to translate Sophocles’s Greek tragedy “Antigone” into Urdu. Throughout the journey, there’s an exploration of family, queerness, and faith,as well as references to teachings from the Quran, and audio conversations with his Muslim mother.
Mansoor, 38, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and is now based in Pittsburgh where he’s a busy theater maker. He’s also the founding member of Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective and the former artistic director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQ youth arts organization.
WASHINGTON BLADE: What spurred you to create “Amm(i)gone”?
ADIL MANSOOR: I was reading a translation of “Antigone” a few years back and found myself emotionally overwhelmed. A Theban princess buries her brother knowing it will cost her, her own life. It’s about a person for whom all aspirations are in the afterlife. And what does that do to the living when all of your hopes and dreams have to be reserved for the afterlife?
I found grant funding to pay my mom to do the translation. I wanted to engage in learning. I wanted to share theater but especially this ancient tragedy. My mother appreciated the characters were struggling between loving one another and their beliefs.
BLADE: Are you more director than actor?
MANSOOR: I’m primarily a director with an MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon. I wrote, directed, and performed in this show, and had been working on it for four years. I’ve done different versions including Zoom. Woolly’s is a new production with the same team who’ve been involved since the beginning.
I love solo performance. I’ve produced and now teach solo performance and believe in its power. And I definitely lean toward “performance” and I haven’t “acted” since I was in college. I feel good on stage. I was a tour guide and do a lot of public speaking. I enjoy the attention.
BLADE: Describe your mom.
MANSOOR: My mom is a wonderfully devout Muslim, single mother, social worker who discovered my queerness on Google. And she prays for me.
She and I are similar, the way we look at things, the way we laugh. But different too. And those are among the questions I ask in this show. Our relationship is both beautiful and complicated.
BLADE: So, you weren’t exactly hiding your sexuality?
MANSOOR: In my mid-20s, I took time to talk with friends about our being queer with relation to our careers. My sexuality is essential to the work. As the artistic director at Dreams of Hope, part of the work was to model what it means to be public. If I’m in a room with queer and trans teenagers, part of what I’m doing is modeling queer adulthood. The way they see me in the world is part of what I’m putting out there. And I want that to be expansive and full.
So much of my work involves fundraising and being a face in schools. Being out is about making safe space for queer young folks.
BLADE: Have you encountered much Islamophobia?
MANSOOR: When 9/11 happened, I was a sophomore in high school, so yes. I faced a lot then and now. I’ve been egged on the street in the last four months. I see it in the classroom. It shows up in all sorts of ways.
BLADE: What prompted you to lead your creative life in Pittsburgh?
MANSOOR: I’ve been here for 14 years. I breathe with ease in Pittsburgh. The hills and the valleys and the rust of the city do something to me. It’s beautiful, it’ affordable, and there is support for local artists. There’s a lot of opportunity.
Still, the plan was to move to New York in September of 2020 but that was cancelled. Then the pandemic showed me that I could live in Pittsburgh and still have a nationally viable career.
BLADE: What are you trying to achieve with “Amm(i)gone”?
MANSOOR: What I’m sharing in the show is so very specific but I hear people from other backgrounds say I totally see my mom in that. My partner is Catholic and we share so much in relation to this.
I hope the work is embracing the fullness of queerness and how means so many things. And I hope the show makes audiences want to call their parents or squeeze their partners.
After Biden signs TikTok ban its CEO vows federal court battle
Malcolm Kenyatta could become the first LGBTQ statewide elected official in Pa.
Bowser budget proposal calls for $5.25 million for 2025 World Pride
White House debuts action plan targeting pollutants in drinking water
Health care for Marylanders with HIV is facing huge cuts this summer
Daniel Zamudio murderer’s parole request denied
State Department releases annual human rights report
‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith
Joe Vogel campaign holds ‘Big Gay Canvass Kickoff’
