Arts & Entertainment
Gays on the Fringe
Several LGBT themes among summer festival offerings
D. Grant Cloyd, front, and DC Cathro in ‘Bareback Ink.’ (Photo by Bob Bartlett)
The Capital Fringe Festival opens this week (thru July 29) with about 130 shows in 15 venues. Among the eclectic mix of independent companies and performers, many are of special interest to LGBT audiences. Here are a few.
“A Fringe production’s success is greatly determined by its title,” says playwright Bob Bartlett. In past Fringe festivals, he says, his work has definitely been upstaged by more provocatively named pieces. So this year the gay playwright and director isn’t taking any chances: Bartlett has titled his entry “Bareback Ink.”
A lean two-hander especially tailored for Fringe, Bartlett’s darkly erotic play explores the unlikely relationship between a hypersexual young man called Canvas (Grant Cloyd) and a 40-something, asexual tattoo artist (DC Cathro). Bartlett describes it as a contemporary reimagining of the Ganymede myth in which Zeus violently snatches a beautiful young shepherd to join him on Mount Olympus as his lover. In Bartlett’s version, the unseen Zeus character has ordered Canvas to have an image of the rape of Ganymede tattooed on his back against his will. While most of Bartlett’s past plays have been about healing, he says, this one isn’t going in that direction.
Bartlett, who teaches theater at Bowie State University, has three tattoos of his own, two of which commemorate the death of his brother in 1991. He’s intrigued by the experience of marking one’s skin with art that can’t easily be removed, as well as the relationship that develops between the artist and customer, particularly during the arduous and week-long task of creating a full back tattoo.
The development process surrounding “Bareback Ink” (which runs at Gear Box, an intimate and appropriately grungy space above the Passenger Bar and Restaurant at 1021 7th Street, NW.), has been a little nerve wracking, Bartlett says. Do-it-yourself theater comes quickly and there’s inherent risk in that. But that’s part of Fringe’s charm. In mid-August, Bartlett and the actors are taking “Bareback Ink” to the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
Chelsea Norment in ‘Medieval Story Land.’
Advance buzz says Chelsea Norment is hilarious as Graglore the troll in Red Knight Production’s comedy play “Medieval Story Land” (Studio Theatre, 1501 14th Street, NW). A familiar face at open mic nights around town, Norment (who’s gay) is also experienced in improvisation and sketch comedy, but Fringe will be her first try at a fully realized, non-sketch theatrical production.
“I thought it was time to challenge myself by learning a script and putting meaning into my character’s dialogue,” she says. “My character is a troll, so it’s surprisingly that he’s a bit of a loner. But as the action unfolds, he ends up being the glue that holds the other characters together. It’s a great part. I’m having a lot fun with it.”
Red Knight’s website describes the show as “‘Lord of the Rings’ meets Forrest Gump meets Monty Python in this fast paced parody of the medieval fantasy genre … featuring furious swordplay and a gripping plot, the show appeals not only to hobbit-loving fantasy appreciators but to anyone who likes a good story or likes to laugh.” Its 12-person cast plays more than 40 parts.
Norment, who lives in D.C. and walks dogs by day, says her stand-up act takes on her childhood and skewed vision of the world. She riffs on the differences between gender roles, specifically how growing up she never really defined her own gender. Related horror stories include tales of the gender non-specific bowl haircut she sported throughout puberty.
Jonathan W. Colby (front) and openly gay actor Michael Litchfield in ‘Stopgap.’ (submitted photo)
The newly formed Field Trip Theatre presents “Stopgap” at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church (800 Mass Ave., NW). Written by Danielle Mohlman and staged by Jamila Reddy (both straight and both recent graduates of Studio Theatre’s prestigious apprenticeship program), the two-hour comedy drama follows the growth of a prospective single mother and her best friend and his husband who strive to create family in the heteronormative clime of Chino Hills, Calif. The six-person cast includes gay actor Michael Litchfield.
“‘Stopgap’ is about young adults coming of age,” Reddy says. “They’re learning a lot about who they are and the lives they want.” Similarly, Fringe has been an incredible learning experience for Reddy. “It’s been an exercise in self-producing. For the first time I’ve assembled a design team from all over the city.”
Also, the play’s subject matter was new for Reddy too: “I learned a lot about same-sex unions and the privilege that straight people enjoy, and take for granted.”
For schedules and tickets go to shows.capfringe.org.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington perform “The Holiday Show” at Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.). Visit gmcw.org for tickets and showtimes.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Santa will be very relieved.
You’ve taken most of the burden off him by making a list and checking it twice on his behalf. The gift-buying in your house is almost done – except for those few people who are just so darn hard to buy for. So what do you give to the person who has (almost) everything? You give them a good book, like maybe one of these.
Memoir and biography
The person who loves digging into a multi-level memoir will be happy unwrapping “Blessings and Disasters: A Story of Alabama” by Alexis Okeowo (Henry Holt). It’s a memoir about growing up Black in what was once practically ground zero for the Confederacy. It’s about inequality, it busts stereotypes, and yet it still oozes love of place. You can’t go wrong if you wrap it up with “Queen Mother: Black Nationalism, Reparations, and the Untold Story of Audley Moore” by Ashley D. Farmer (Pantheon). It’s a chunky book with a memoir with meaning and plenty of thought.
For the giftee on your list who loves to laugh, wrap up “In My Remaining Years” by Jean Grae (Flatiron Books). It’s part memoir, part comedy, a look back at the late-last-century, part how-did-you-get-to-middle-age-already? and all fun. Wrap it up with “Here We Go: Lessons for Living Fearlessly from Two Traveling Nanas” by Eleanor Hamby and Dr. Sandra Hazellip with Elisa Petrini (Viking). It’s about the adventures of two 80-something best friends who seize life by the horns – something your giftee should do, too.
If there’ll be someone at your holiday table who’s finally coming home this year, wrap up “How I Found Myself in the Midwest” by Steve Grove (Simon & Schuster). It’s the story of a Silicon Valley worker who gives up his job and moves with his family to Minnesota, which was once home to him. That was around the time the pandemic hit, George Floyd was murdered, and life in general had been thrown into chaos. How does someone reconcile what was with what is now? Pair it with “Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America” by Will Bardenwerper (Doubleday). It’s set in New York and but isn’t that small-town feel universal, no matter where it comes from?
Won’t the adventurer on your list be happy when they unwrap “I Live Underwater” by Max Gene Nohl (University of Wisconsin Press)? They will, when they realize that this book is by a former deep-sea diver, treasure hunter, and all-around daredevil who changed the way we look for things under water. Nohl died more than 60 years ago, but his never-before-published memoir is fresh and relevant and will be a fun read for the right person.
If celeb bios are your giftee’s thing, then look for “The Luckiest” by Kelly Cervantes (BenBella Books). It’s the Midwest-to-New-York-City story of an actress and her life, her marriage, and what she did when tragedy hit. Filled with grace, it’s a winner.
Your music lover won’t want to open any other gifts if you give “Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur” by Jeff Pearlman (Mariner Books). It’s the story of the life, death, and everything in-between about this iconic performer, including the mythology that he left behind. Has it been three decades since Tupac died? It has, but your music lover never forgets. Wrap it up with “Point Blank (Quick Studies)” by Bob Dylan, text by Eddie Gorodetsky, Lucy Sante, and Jackie Hamilton (Simon & Schuster), a book of Dylan’s drawings and artwork. This is a very nice coffee-table size book that will be absolutely perfect for fans of the great singer and for folks who love art.
For the giftee who’s concerned with their fellow man, “The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family and Second Chances” by Kevin Fagan (One Signal / Atria) may be the book to give. It’s a story of two “unhoused” people in San Francisco, one of the country’s wealthiest cities, and their struggles. There’s hope in this book, but also trouble and your giftee will love it.
For the person on your list who suffered loss this year, give “Pine Melody” by Stacey Meadows (Independently Published), a memoir of loss, grief, and healing while remembering the person gone.
LGBTQ fiction
For the mystery lover who wants something different, try “Crime Ink: Iconic,” edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West (Bywater Books), a collection of short stories inspired by “queer legends” and allies you know. Psychological thrillers, creepy crime, cozies, they’re here.
Novel lovers will want to curl up this winter with “Middle Spoon” by Alejandro Varela (Viking), a book about a man who appears to have it all, until his heart is broken and the fix for it is one he doesn’t quite understand and neither does anyone he loves.
LGBTQ studies – nonfiction
For the young man who’s struggling with issues of gender, “Before They Were Men” by Jacob Tobia (Harmony Books) might be a good gift this year. These essays on manhood in today’s world works to widen our conversations on the role politics and feminism play in understanding masculinity and how it’s time we open our minds.
If there’s someone on your gift list who had a tough growing-up (didn’t we all?), then wrap up “I’m Prancing as Fast as I Can” by Jon Kinnally (Permuted Press / Simon & Schuster). Kinnally was once an awkward kid but he grew up to be a writer for TV shows you’ll recognize. You can’t go wrong gifting a story like that. Better idea: wrap it up with “So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, & The Show That Started It All” by Leisha Hailey & Kate Moennig (St. Martin’s Press), a book about a little TV show that launched a BFF-ship.
Who doesn’t have a giftee who loves music? You sure do, so wrap up “The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture from the Margins to the Mainstream” by Jon Savage (Liveright). Nobody has to tell your giftee that queer folk left their mark on music, but they’ll love reading the stories in this book and knowing what they didn’t know.
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Theater
Studio’s ‘Mother Play’ draws from lesbian playwright’s past
A poignant memory piece laced with sadness and wry laughs
‘The Mother Play’
Through Jan. 4
Studio Theatre
1501 14th St., N.W.
$42 – $112
Studiotheatre.org
“The Mother Play” isn’t the first work by Pulitzer Prize-winning lesbian playwright Paula Vogel that draws from her past. It’s just the most recent.
Currently enjoying an extended run at Studio Theatre, “The Mother Play,” (also known as “The Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions,” or more simply, “Mother Play”) is a 90-minute powerful and poignant memory piece laced with sadness and wry laughs.
The mother in question is Phyllis Herman (played exquisitely by Kate Eastwood Norris), a divorced government secretary bringing up two children under difficult circumstances. When we meet them it’s 1964 and the family is living in a depressing subterranean apartment adjacent to the building’s trash room.
Phyllis isn’t exactly cut out for single motherhood; an alcoholic chain-smoker with two gay offspring, Carl and Martha, both in their early teens, she seems beyond her depth.
In spite (or because of) the challenges, things are never dull in the Herman home. Phyllis is warring with landlords, drinking, or involved in some other domestic intrigue. At the same time, Carl is glued to books by authors like Jane Austen, and queer novelist Lytton Strachey, while Martha is charged with topping off mother’s drinks, not a mean feat.
Despite having an emotionally and physically withholding parent, adolescent Martha is finding her way. Fortunately, she has nurturing older brother Carl (the excellent Stanley Bahorek) who introduces her to queer classics like “The Well of Loneliness” by Radclyffe Hall, and encourages Martha to pursue lofty learning goals.
Zoe Mann’s Martha is just how you might imagine the young Vogel – bright, searching, and a tad awkward.
As the play moves through the decades, Martha becomes an increasingly confident young lesbian before sliding comfortably into early middle age. Over time, her attitude toward her mother becomes more sympathetic. It’s a convincing and pleasing performance.
Phyllis is big on appearances, mainly her own. She has good taste and a sharp eye for thrift store and Goodwill finds including Chanel or a Von Furstenberg wrap dress (which looks smashing on Eastwood Norris, by the way), crowned with the blonde wig of the moment.
Time and place figure heavily into Vogel’s play. The setting is specific: “A series of apartments in Prince George’s and Montgomery County from 1964 to the 21st century, from subbasement custodial units that would now be Section 8 housing to 3-bedroom units.”
Krit Robinson’s cunning set allows for quick costume and prop changes as decades seamlessly move from one to the next. And if by magic, projection designer Shawn Boyle periodically covers the walls with scurrying roaches, a persistent problem for these renters.
Margot Bordelon directs with sensitivity and nuance. Her take on Vogel’s tragicomedy hits all the marks.
Near the play’s end, there’s a scene sometimes referred to as “The Phyllis Ballet.” Here, mother sits onstage silently in front of her dressing table mirror. She is removed of artifice and oozes a mixture of vulnerability but not without some strength. It’s longish for a wordless scene, but Bordelon has paced it perfectly.
When Martha arranges a night of family fun with mom and now out and proud brother at Lost and Found (the legendary D.C. gay disco), the plan backfires spectacularly. Not long after, Phyllis’ desire for outside approval resurfaces tenfold, evidenced by extreme discomfort when Carl, her favorite child, becomes visibly ill with HIV/AIDS symptoms.
Other semi-autobiographical plays from the DMV native’s oeuvre include “The Baltimore Waltz,” a darkly funny, yet moving piece written in memory of her brother (Carl Vogel), who died of AIDS in 1988. The playwright additionally wrote “How I Learned to Drive,” an acclaimed play heavily inspired by her own experiences with sexual abuse as a teenager.
“The Mother Play” made its debut on Broadway in 2024, featuring Jessica Lange in the eponymous role, earning her a Tony Award nomination.
Like other real-life matriarch inspired characters (Mary Tyrone, Amanda Wingfield, Violet Weston to name a few) Phyllis Herman seems poised to join that pantheon of complicated, women.
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