Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: May 11
Parties, concerts, exhibits and more through May 17
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy performs with the National Symphony Orchestra tonight at the Kennedy Center. (Photo courtesy Big Voodoo Daddy)
TODAY (Friday)
The HIV Working Group will be doing outreach tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) during Bear Happy Hour starting at 7 p.m. and continuing throughout the night until midnight. Volunteers are needed. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The National Symphony Orchestra presents Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Steven Reineke tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) at 8 p.m. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will be performing its brand of retro-swing with the NSO Pops and principal conductor, Reineke. Tickets range from $20 to $85 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org. There will also be a performance on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) is hosting the welcome and registration event for Police Week 2012 today from 2 to 6 p.m.
Busboys & Poets presents “The 11th Hour” poetry slam hosted by “2Deep” the Poetess, tonight at 11 p.m. in the Langston room at its 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.). There is a $5 admission at the door.
Comedian Will Durst is at Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) tonight at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $18 and are available online at riotactcomedy.com. Durst will also be performing on Saturday at 8 and 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 12
Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) and 495 Bears presents “Bears Can Dance” tonight at 9 p.m. There is no cover for this event.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) presents Funkytown, a retro dance party on the main floor with DJ Ed Bailey playing music from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Doors open at 10 p.m. There is an $8 cover before 11 p.m. and $12 afterward. All attendees must be 21 or older.
Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) Superhero Pub Crawl is tonight at 10 p.m.
Busboys & Poets is hosting a Zumba block party with Vida Fitness tonight at its 5th and K location (1025 5th St., N.W.) from 5 to 7 p.m.
Mixtape D.C. is tonight at the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.), a dance party for queer music lovers and their pals that features DJs Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer playing an eclectic mix of electro, alt-pop, indie rock, house, disco, new wave and anything else danceable. There is a $10 cover for this event. Doors open at 9:30 p.m.
The Washington Ballet presents “¡Noche Latina!” today at 2:30 and 8 p.m. The show celebrates Latina American music, dance and culture. It includes two world premieres by Edwaard Liang and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and the company premiere of Trey McIntyre’s “Like a Samba.” The tickets range from $20 and $125 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
Sunday, May 13
D.C.’s LGBT anti-violence task force GLOV (Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence) is hosting a two hour introduction to self-defense class at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) today at 5 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $10. For more information and to register for the class, visit thedccenter.org.
Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) is having its first Guil-Tea dance party of the season today at 3 p.m.
LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror group Lambda Sci-Fi is having its monthly meeting today at 1425 S St., N.W., at 1:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring a snack or a non-alcoholic drink to share. For more information contact James at 202-232-3141 or Peter and Rob at 202-483-6369, email to [email protected], or visit the group’s website at lambdascifi.org.
Monday, May 14
Busboys & Poets presents Monday Night Open Mic Poetry hosted by Beny Blaq in the Robeson Room of its Shirlington location (4251 S. Campbell Ave., Arlington) at 8 p.m. Wristbands are $4 and will be sold in the Global Exchange store beginning at 10 a.m. They are also available for purchase online at busboysandpoets.com starting at midnight before the event.
Tuesday, May 15
The Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) is hosting a launch party for “The New Professional: Issue Three” tonight at 8 p.m. The event will feature live performances from Tray Chaney of HBO’s “The Wire” and more special guests. Admission is $12. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.
Busboys & Poets presents “Louder Than a Bomb” fundraiser and film screening tonight at its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104) at 7:30 p.m. hosted by the D.C. Youth Slam Team. “Louder Than a Bomb” is a documentary about the poets of Chicago’s city-wide youth slam. There is a suggested $10 donation. For more information, visit busboysandpoets.com.
Wednesday, May 16
The D.C. Crystal Meth Working Group meets tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. The group, which has been dormant for about a year, is dedicated to education and treatment advocacy around methamphetamine. For more information, visit thedccenter.org or letstalkaboutmeth.org.
Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) presents “The Big Meal” by Dan LeFranc tonight. The show follows a young couple through their life, from their first date to having kids and more at a single restaurant table. Tickets range from $46 to $59. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit studiotheatre.org.
Thursday, May 17
Professionals in the City and the D.C. Center are hosting a speed dating event for gay men in their 30s and 40s 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.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra SuperPops presents “The Beat Goes On!: The Music of the Baby Boomers” tonight at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckermane Lane, North Bethesda) at 8 p.m. featuring music from television, movie themes and popular hits including music by Burt Bacharach and Frankie Valli.
The 2025 Silver Pride Resource Fair and Tea Dance was held at the Eaton Hotel on Wednesday, May 21.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Out & About
Queer film festival comes to D.C.
DC/DOX to showcase LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers
DC/DOX will host a film festival beginning on Thursday, June 12, at the Regal Gallery Place, Eaton Cinema, and the U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theatre.
This festival will premier LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers. Each screening will be followed by in-person Q&As with the filmmakers.
For more details, visit dcdoxfest.com
Movies
Gay director on revealing the authentic Pee-wee Herman
New HBO doc positions Reubens as ‘groundbreaking’ performance artist
In the new HBO two-part documentary, “Pee-wee as Himself,” director Matt Wolf gives viewers a never-before-seen look into the personal life of Paul Reubens, the comedic actor behind the much loved television persona, Pee-wee Herman.
Filmed before Reubens passed away in 2023 from cancer, Wolf and his creative team created the riveting documentary, interspersing several interviews, more than 1,000 hours of archival footage, and tens of thousands of personal photos.
Determined to set the record straight about what really happened, Reubens discussed his diverse influences, growing up in the circus town of Sarasota, Fla., and his avant-garde theater training at the California Institute of the Arts.
Ruebens joined the Groundlings improv group, where he created the charismatic Pee-wee Herman. He played the quirky character during the Saturday morning show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and in numerous movies, like “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Big Top Pee-wee.” He also brought Pee-wee to Broadway, with “The Pee-wee Herman Show.”
To get an enigma such as Reubens to open up was no easy task for Wolf.
“I felt determined to get Paul to open up and to be his authentic self,” acknowledged Wolf at a recent press conference. “And I was being tested and I wanted to meet my match in a way so I didn’t feel frustrated or exhausted, I felt determined but I also, it was thrilling to go this deep. I’ve never been able, or I don’t know if I ever will, go this deep with another human being to interview them in an intimate way for over 40 hours.”
Wolf described the collaborative interview experience as a dream, “like we were in a bubble where time didn’t matter.” he also felt a deep connection to the material, having come of age watching “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to put words to it at the time, but I think it was my first encounter with art that I felt emotionally involved in,” noted Wolf.
“He continued: “I recognize that that show created a space for a certain kind of radical acceptance where creativity thrives. And as a gay filmmaker, I also recognize things like Pee-wee Herman marrying a bowl of fruit salad at a slumber party or dancing in high heels to the song, ‘Fever.’ That stuff spoke to me. So that was my connection to it.”
During the documentary, Reubens comes out as a gay man.
“Paul went into this process wanting to come out,” said Wolf. “That was a decision he had made. He was aware that I was a gay filmmaker and had made portraits of other gay artists. That was the work of mine he was attracted to, as I understood. And I wanted, as a younger person, to support him in that process, but he also was intensely sensitive that the film would overly emphasize that; or, focused entirely from the lens of sexuality when looking at his story.”
Their complicated dynamic had an aspect of “push and pull” between them.
“I think that generational difference was both a source of connection and affinity and tension. And I do think that the level to which Paul discusses his relationships and intimacy and vulnerability and the poignant decision he made to go back into the closet. I do have to believe to some extent he shared that because of our connection.”
Wolf hopes that the “Pee-wee as Himself” positions Reubens as one of the most “groundbreaking” performance artists of his generation who in a singular way broke through into mainstream pop culture.
“I know he transformed me. He transformed how I see the world and where I went as a creative person. And it’s so clear that I am not alone in that feeling. For me, it was fairly abstract. I couldn’t necessarily put words to it. I think people who grew up on Pee-wee or were big fans of Pee-wee, seeing the film, I hope, will help them tap into intangible and specific ways how transformative his work was for them. It really is a gift to revisit early seminal experiences you had and to see how they reverberate in you.”
He added: “So, to me, this isn’t so much about saying Paul Reubens is a genius. I mean, that’s overly idealizing and I don’t like hero worship. It’s more about understanding why many of us have connected to his work and understanding where he lives within a legacy of performance art, television, and also, broader pop culture.”
PHOTOS: Silver Pride
Queer film festival comes to D.C.
Pride, patriotism, and prosperity
Gay director on revealing the authentic Pee-wee Herman
Sinners and Saints bar vandalized in suspected anti-LGBTQ hate crime
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Wes Moore signs HIV decriminalization bill
D.C. Black Pride 2025: Events, parties, and empowerment
Frank Kameny’s legacy lives on
