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Family drama

Tender Roundhouse show well paced, acted

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How to Write a New Book for the Bible, theater, MaryBeth Wise, gay news, Washington Blade
How to Write a New Book for the Bible, theater, MaryBeth Wise, gay news, Washington Blade

MaryBeth Wise as Mary and Ray Ficca as Bill in Roundhouse Theatre’s production of ‘How to Write a New Book for the Bible.’ (Photo by Danisha Crosby)

‘How to Write a New Book for the Bible’
Through May 5
Roundhouse Theatre
4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda
$10-$61
240-644-1100
roundhousetheatre.org

When his elderly mother Mary learns she has just six months to live, middle-aged Bill is forced to make a big decision: Go back to his life as a writer and Jesuit priest in the city or do what he thinks is the right thing — move in with mom and see her through to the end. Being the consummate dutiful son, Bill opts for the latter and during this cathartic time filled with scary pain, stretches of welcomed mundaneness and glimmers of joy, he grows even more appreciative of the stalwart mother he already loves.

In his latest work, the intensely autobiographical “How to Write a New Book for the Bible” (now at Roundhouse Theatre), playwright Bill Cain recounts the wide-ranging details of his 82-year-old mother’s death from liver cancer while also celebrating his life spent as the younger son in a mostly functional family.

The story takes place in Mary’s upstate New York apartment with frequent flashbacks 40 years prior to the Cain’s apartment in Queens. Speaking to the audience, Ray Ficca as Bill, warmly draws us into the world of his family, assuring everyone that the unfolding tale — at turns sentimental, funny, touching and occasionally starkly real (bring a hanky) — is true.

During development, the playwright dubbed this work “The Mom and Dad Play.” Yes, the lifelong love affair between sensible Mary (MaryBeth Wise) and her easier going spouse Pete (Mitchell Hébert) who could cut a rug and enjoyed a three scotch night out, is important to “Bible,” but a more apt working title might have been “The Cain Family Play.” In addition to the parents, both Bill (the play’s protagonist) and his older, athletic brother Paul (Danny Gavigan) are integral to the story. While Paul is deemed more physically capable by the parents, his clumsy but bright little brother Bill is still perceived as the favorite, setting the boys up for a mild, long ongoing rivalry. Nonetheless, the playwright’s respect and affection for his barely flawed characters is clear. Cain loves his family dearly.

Mary’s mantra is simple: life is tough, but if you work very hard it gets better. When Paul was a little boy he saved his pennies to buy a model from the hobby shop. At the register, he came up a nickel short. Mary refused to front him the five cents. She wanted to teach her son a lesson. She did — as soon as he comes of age, he’s off to Vietnam (a transformational military experience, compellingly played by Gavigan) and later raises a family faraway in Texas. But like all Cain family fights, Mary and Paul’s is eventually sorted out and put to rest.

Out actor MaryBeth Wise is extraordinary as Mary, fast forwarding 40 years, shifting from middle to late years, uncannily acquiring the rheumy eyes and slow gait that come with old age and sickness. As Bill, Ficca effectively portrays the frustrations and satisfactions concomitant with end-of-life caregiving. The remainder of the cast is equally good. Besides playing father and son, Hébert and Gavigan also effectively fill in as various annoying health professionals. Hébert additionally takes on a pair of smaller female roles, playing a recently bereaved hairstylist and Mary’s thoughtful, best friend Paulette.

With “Bible,” producing artistic director Ryan Rilette makes his Roundhouse directing debut. His smooth staging along with Daniel Conway’s deceptively simple, moving set; Colin K. Bills’ smart lighting design; and superb sound by Eric Shimelonis come together beautifully to support Cain’s time-travelling, quick scene-changing script.

Though Cain’s play is amusing and endearing, its center is about loss and pain. Ever the good son, Cain the playwright instructs that a bad situation can be made better- definitely a lesson worth sharing. His mother would be proud.

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PHOTOS: Baltimore Pride Parade

Thousands attend city’s 50th annual LGBTQ celebration

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Baltimore Pride Parade (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2025 Baltimore Pride Parade was held on Saturday, June 14. 

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

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(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.

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Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

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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. 

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