Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: April 27

Parties, support groups, concerts and more through May 3

Published

14 years ago

April 26, 2012

Sunday is the last chance to see ‘Spirit and Engima’ featuring ceramic sculptures by Bill Mould including ‘Morning’ and ‘String theory’ featuring works by Elena Tchernomazova at Touchstone Gallery. (Photo courtesy Touchstone Gallery)

TODAY (Friday)

D.C. Women4Women presents “Tryst,” a monthly professional lesbian happy hour, tonight at Topaz Bar (1733 N St., N.W.) from 7 to 10 p.m. with exclusive food and drink specials from 7 to 9 p.m.

Positive Force D.C. presents Trophy Wife, War on Women, Fell Types and Fires in a benefit concert for D.C. Trans Coalition tonight at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church (1525 Newton St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation. For more information, visit dctranscoalition.wordpress.com.

Beat City, a queer lounge night, is tonight at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room (1725 Columbia Rd., N.W.) from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Town’s (2009 8th St., N.W.) Bear Happy Hour presents “Bearaoke” tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. on the first floor, with mistress of ceremonies Tre. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists play Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 9 p.m. with Mary Christ and The Tender Thrill. Tickets are $15 and available online atblackcatdc.com.

The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) presents “Come Fly Away,” Twyla Tharp’s Broadway musical featuring Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits. Tickets range from $69 to $125 and are available online at kennedy-center.org.

Tonight is LGBT Night at ArtSpring (7014B Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park) from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit artspringsilverspring.com.

Saturday, April 28

Girlyman with Edie Carey plays the Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available online at birchmere.com.

Bill Cosby performs at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $54.50 to $79.50 and are available online kennedy-center.org.

The D.C. Center Women present an evening at CulinAerie (1131 14th St., N.W.) tonight 6:30 p.m. Attendees will make warm asparagus salad, seared salmon with black pepper crust and a chocolate tart with espresso anglaise. Tickets are $85 each and $10 from each ticket goes to the D.C. Center. For more information, visit thedccenter.org orculinaerie.com.

Tom From Prague brings “Tainted Love: An International ‘80s Dance Party” at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There is a $5 cover.

The stars of collegedudes.com, AJ Monroe and Devin Adams, perform live tonight as well as sign autographs and pose for photos at Town, (2009 8th St., N.W.). DJ Drew G will be spinning. Cover is $8 before 11 and $12 afterward. All attendees must be 21 or older. Doors open at 10 p.m.

Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents Hellmouth Happy Hour where every week an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” will be screened and drink specials will be offered. This week the episode is “Living Conditions.” Doors open at 7 p.m.

Sunday, April 29

Suzanne Vega and Duncan Sheik play the Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 and available online at birchmere.com.

Classically trained musicians Black Violin play the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) today at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Tickets are $18 and available online at kennedy-center.org.

Today’s the last day to see Touchstone Gallery’s (901 New York Ave., N.W.) exhibits “Spirit and Enigma” featuring ceramic sculptures by Bill Mould and “String theory” featuring works by Elena Tchernomazova. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.

Monday, April 30

Nickelback plays Verizon Center (601 F St., N.W.) tonight with Bush, Seether and My Darkest Days at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $75 to $89.50 and are available online atticketmaster.com. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Whitman-Walker Health is having a series of Community Conversations this year and the next Conversation is “Improving Health of LGBT Elders” tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. For more information and a complete list of the series conversations, visit whitman-walker.org.

Tuesday, May 1

The Chesapeake Squares, a gay square dancing group, is having a mainstream-through-advanced club night tonight at the Waxter Center (1000 Cathedral St.) in Baltimore from 8 to 10 p.m. For more information, visit chesapeakesquares.org.

Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at FUK!T’s packing location, Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.

Wednesday, May 2

Riot Act Comedy Theater’s (801 E St., N.W.) monthly gay and gay-friendly comedy show “Gay-larious” returns tonight at 8 p.m. with Lori Sommer, Emma Willmann, Sampson McCormick and co-founders Chris Doucette and Zach Toczynski. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at riotactcomedy.com.

Professionals in the City and the D.C. Center are hosting a speed dating event for lesbian and bisexual women at Chi-Cha Lounge (1624 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight. Attendees will date for about an hour and then be able to mingle with everyone. After the event, matches can be made online. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Thursday, May 3

Log Cabin Republicans holds its monthly happy hour at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the roof deck featuring a new drink, The Pink Elephant.

Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.) presents “Jock U” a men’s college night hosted by Secrets. Doors open at 9 p.m. No cover before 11 p.m. with college ID.

Photos

PHOTOS: Denali at Pitchers

‘Drag Race’ alum performs at Thirst Trap

Published

4 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Michael Key

Denali performs at the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show at Pitchers DC on April 9. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI

‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Last year, Baltimore Center Stage refused to give up its DEI focus in the face of losing federal funding. They've tripled down. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz of the Baltimore Banner)

By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.

Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.

“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

Books

Susan Lucci on love, loss, and ‘All My Children’

New book chronicles life of iconic soap star

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy of Blackstone Publishing)

‘La Lucci’
By Susan Lucci with Laura Morton
c.2026, Blackstone Publishing
$29.99/196 pages

They’re among the world’s greatest love stories.

You know them well: Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Abelard and Heloise. Phoebe and Langley. Cliff and Nina. Jesse and Angie, Opal and Palmer, Palmer and Daisy, Tad and Dixie. Now read “La Lucci” by Susan Lucci, with Laura Morton, and you might also think of Susan and Helmut.

When she was a very small girl, Susan Lucci loved to perform. Also when she was young, she learned that words have power. She vowed to use them for good for the rest of her life.

Her parents, she says, were supportive and her family, loving. Because of her Italian heritage, she was “ethnic looking” but Lucci’s mother was careful to point out dark-haired beauties on TV and elsewhere, giving Lucci a foundation of confidence.

That’s just one of the things for which Lucci says she’s grateful. In fact, she says, “Prayers of gratitude are how I begin and end each day.”

She is particularly grateful for becoming a mother to her two adult children, and to the doctors who saved her son’s life when he was a newborn.

Lucci writes about gratitude for her long career. She was a keystone character on TV’s “All My Children,” and she learned a lot from older actors on the show, and from Agnes Nixon, the creator of it. She says she still keeps in touch with many of her former costars.

She is thankful for her mother’s caretakers, who stepped in when dementia struck. Grateful for more doctors, who did heart-saving work when Lucci had a clogged artery. Grateful for friends, opportunities, life, grandchildren, and a career that continues.

And she’s grateful for the love she shared with her husband, Helmut Huber, who died nearly four years ago. Grateful for the chance to grieve, to heal, and to continue.

And yet, she says of her husband: “He was never timid, but I know he was afraid at the end, and that kills me down to my soul.”

“It’s been 15 years since Erica Kane and I parted ways,” says author Susan Lucci (with Laura Morton), and she says that people still approach her to confirm or deny rumors of the show’s resurrection. There’s still no answer to that here (sorry, fans), but what you’ll find inside “La Lucci” is still exceptionally generous.

If this book were just filled with stories, you’d like it just fine. If it was only about Lucci’s faith and her gratitude – words that happen to appear very frequently here – you’d still like reading it. But Lucci tells her stories of family, children and “All My Children,” while also offering help to couples who’ve endured miscarriage, women who’ve had heart problems, and widow(ers) who are spinning and need the kindness of someone who’s lived loss, too.

These are the other things you’ll find in “La Lucci,” in a voice you’ll hear in your head, if you spent your lunch hours glued to the TV back in the day. It’s a comfortable, fun read for fans. It’s a story you’ll love.

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