Arts & Entertainment
D.C. arts briefs: Aug. 3
Idina Menzel at Wolf Trap, ‘Psycho’ on the Mall and more
A still from ‘Married in Spandex,’ featuring rapper Leslie Hall. (Photo courtesy Allison Kole)
Lesbian wedding adventure documentary screens
The gay-themed documentary “Married in Spandex” screens Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Source Theater (1835 14th St., N.W.).
The film is a comedy that delves into issues surrounding gay matrimony, love, relationships and spandex. It was voted audience favorite at QFest in Philadelphia and won “Best Documentary” at Out in the Desert Film Festival.
“Married in Spandex” follows lesbian couple Amanda and Rachel as they travel from Philadelphia to the small town of Ames, Iowa for their wedding. A Q&A with filmmakers Allison Kole and Devin Gallagher will follow the screening.
All proceeds from the event go to the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community. For more information, call Allison Kole at 561-889-2275 or visit marriedinspandex.com.
Signature Theater holds open house
Signature Theater (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, V.A.) holds its annual open house from noon-10 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free and patrons can also get half-price tickets for select Signature Theater performances during the 2012-13 season.
The open house will feature live performances, family events, master classes, the “Signature Idol” competition and a grand finale concert. Tony Award nominees Emily Skinner, Heidi Blickenstaff, Rob Britton Lyons, Chuck Mead and Natascia Diaz are among the event’s performers.
For more details, contact Peter Eramo at Signature Theater at 571-527-1833 or visit signature-theater.org.
‘Psycho’ screens on National Mall
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller “Psycho” screens Monday night on the National Mall after dusk (usually between 8:30-9 p.m.).
“Psycho” will be the last film featured in this summer’s Screen On the Green series. Screen On the Green has been a city pastime since 1999, allowing Washingtonians to see great films for free on a gigantic screen outside on the National Mall. People often start claiming spots on the lawn as early as 5 p.m.
This week’s film is a highly celebrated forerunner to the slasher movie genre, with a cross-dressing murderer played by late gay actor Anthony Perkins.
For more information on the screening, visit friendsofscreenonthegreen.org.
Idina Menzel performs at Wolf Trap
Tony Award-winning Broadway actress Idina Menzel performs at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna, Va.) on Friday night at 8:15 with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Steven Reineke.
Menzel is best known for her Broadway roles as Elphaba in “Wicked” and Maureen in “Rent,” but she has also appeared in movies and TV shows such as “Enchanted” and “Glee.” The performance is part of her summer tour in which she has been performing with the symphonies of the cities she has visited. It will be her only night in the D.C. area.
The set list will be similar to that featured on Menzel’s recently released DVD “Idina Menzel: Barefoot at the Symphony,” but she will also be singing some material audience members may not expect.
Tickets for the show range from $20-65 and can be purchased on wolftrap.org.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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