Arts & Entertainment

‘Live as you are’

Joplin bio-musical recreates rock legend concert experience

Published

13 years ago

September 27, 2012

Joey DiGuglielmo

‘One Night With Janis Joplin’
Arena Stage
1101 6th Street, SW
Through Nov. 4
Tickets: $45-$94

Mary Bridget Davis as Janis Joplin in the Arena Stage production of ‘One Night with Janis Joplin.’ (photo by Janet Macoska; courtesy Arena)

Classic rock fans love pondering what might have become of the greats had they lived. If you really know the history and their personalities, informed prognosticating on what might have been likely makes for great barstool conversation.

For Janis Joplin, it’s hard to say. With a woman so known for her give-it-everything — detractors called it histrionic — delivery, what kind of singer and performer would she have become had she not ODed in 1970?

Mary Bridget Davies has a few thoughts and having researched Joplin’s life for two different stage productions and fronted a rock band herself, she’s in a pretty good position to imagine.

“It’s really a shame she died when she did, not just because it’s sad she died of course, but I really do think she was onto something musically just then,” the 34-year-old Cleveland resident says. “When you think about what came along in music just after that with the Allman Brothers and that whole southern rock thing, it’s a shame she missed that whole movement because I really think she could have been the mama of that. You hear some of that on ‘Pearl,’ like with ‘Bobby McGee.’ I definitely think she would have stayed in music as long as she could because it absolutely was her passion.”

Davies reprises her role as Joplin in “One Night With Janis Joplin” which had a successful summer run in Cleveland and is at Arena Stage in Washington through Nov. 4.

During a lengthy phone chat last week, Davies says several scenarios for what might have been Joplin’s fate in a parallel universe are feasible — the legendary singer might have blown out her voice irreparably in time, gone more heavily into the blues she loved, mellowed out some vocally to pace herself or become a southern rock headliner. Part of the mystique, of course, is that we’ll never know.

The “One Night” show — which its creators say is as much a concert as a play — doesn’t pretend to guess. Rather it recreates Joplin’s live concerts — in a way — while including her influences and thoughts.

Playwright Randy Johnson, who’s written successful shows on other late music icons such as Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty and Patsy Cline, says the show sidesteps the pratfall of possibly becoming a cheesy tribute band-type production because he had access to Joplin’s art, letters and diaries.

Randy Johnson, One Night with Janis Joplin

Playwright Randy Johnson. (photo by Eric La Cour; courtesy Arena)

“Most of those types of shows are created more from a fan perspective as opposed to a true biographical perspective,” the gay, Los Angeles-based playwright says. “I’ve never done a show that didn’t have the support of the family. I wouldn’t do it. Because if you read a biography without the family’s input, what you’re really reading is an opinion.”

The two-hour show, which finds Davies and a live band tearing through 22 Joplin classics, is pared down from its original length. Johnson opened the show in Portland and found he could streamline the piece after seeing how audiences absorbed it. Any overlap in what was being said versus sung was cut.

Davies was an understudy for the Cleveland production at first, but eventually took over when actress Cat Stephani, who got good reviews as Janis in the Portland production, bowed out just before the Cleveland opening.

Davies says she thinks her predecessor “seemed really run down.” She understands to a point — reproducing Joplin’s no-holds-barred vocal fire eight shows a week could ruin almost anyone’s voice. Even Joplin herself didn’t do that — shows in the classic rock era weren’t the two-hour-or-more marathons they became later with acts like Bruce Springsteen. Neither was Joplin playing eight shows a week.

Davies says while donning the Joplin stage garb can yield a feeling of invincibility — “You step out in those beads and velvet pants and that little waist band thing might as well have guns in it. It’s like you’re totally the sheriff in these parts.” — she does have to pace herself. Being a singer herself, she travels and records with her own blues/rock eponymous outfit, helps. She also played Joplin in the show “Love Janis” in 2005 and tours sometimes with Joplin’s old band Big Brother and the Holding Company.

“I take very good care of myself from a health standpoint,” she says. “Sure, there’s a part of me that would love to go out after the show and have 10 drinks and smoke a pack of cigarettes, but you just can’t do that when you have to do it six more times that week.”

Johnson says he knew Davies would be great in the part.

“You really can’t approach this from a musical theater background,” he says. “You can’t just kind of wink at the audience and fake your way through it. Mary Bridget has Janice in her DNA. … The ones who came in (to audition) with the boas and so on usually don’t make it past 16 notes. She came in in a nice shirt and jeans, opened her mouth and just blew the whole table away.”

Oddly, Davies remembers Liza Minnelli being at the table during her audition.

“I think a lot of the girls buckled under her presence,” she says. “She and Randy are friends. She was sitting there, leaning in at the stage table, all smiles like the best stage mom you could ever ask for.”

For Johnson, who was approached by Joplin’s two siblings (who manage her estate) in 2009 about the possibility of doing a show, Joplin still has something to say even all these decades later.

While he fully acknowledges she had “demons,” he says the “drugs and craziness were only about 10 percent” of her life. When studying her writings, he discovered a “very gentle spirit with a great sense of humor who was not bullshitting anybody.”

A 1950s conformist hangover made it a lot tougher to do so in that era, he says.

“It wasn’t easy but she simply spoke and sung her own truth and audiences were drawn to that.”

Though the show doesn’t address Joplin’s bisexuality, Johnson says her story has a message for gays today.

“If you listen very carefully to the show, she’s telling you to be yourself,” he says. “Don’t bullshit yourself, don’t bullshit anybody else and live it while you can. You can lie but eventually it comes out, so I think her message is to simply live as you are.”

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FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

Published

3 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer)

You’ve done your share of marching.

You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.

You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.

Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.

You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.

Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.

If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.

Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.

Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.

Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

The Indigo Girls are back in the area next week. (Photo courtesy of Vanguard Records)

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall.

The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts.

Calendar

Calendar: June 13-19

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, June 13

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. at Wundergarten. An update will be posted the night of the event on where to find WiTT’s table. There’ll be a Pride flag to help people find the group. For more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group.

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, June 14

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Rainbow History Project will host “Behind the Scenes With the Senior Curator of ‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’” at 7:30p.m. at Freedom Plaza. This behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind this groundbreaking showcase of DC’s LGBTQ+ history. Learn about the bold design decisions that shaped the Quote Wall and Hero Cubes and the powerful stories that almost made the cut. Tickets cost $82 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Monday, June 16

“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit their website at www.genderqueerdc.org or check us out on Facebook.

Tuesday, June 17

Bi+ Roundtable and Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Check out Facebook or Meetup for more information.

Wednesday, June 18

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

“Legends Live Loud: A Queer Karaoke Experience” will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a dynamic, Center-wide karaoke event celebrating the brilliance and cultural impact of some of our most colorful queer icons. The Center will honor legends through music, pop culture, dance, and inextinguishable liberation. For more details and to sign up, visit the DC Center’s website.

Thursday, June 19

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Book Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. This book club is co-hosted by EQUALITY NoVa and is another opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding activity. The group doesn’t discriminate when it comes to genres it reads – from classic literature to best selling novels to biographies to histories to gay fiction. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Cultivating Change Foundation will host “Cultivating Pride Happy Hour” at 5:30 p.m. at Dacha Beer Garden. This Pride month, the organization is inviting LGBTQ+ people and allies in food and agriculture to come together in communities nationwide. These informal gatherings are a chance to connect, celebrate, and build community, whether it’s over coffee, a cocktail, or a conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.