Arts & Entertainment
First Baptist unveils new organ
Massive new instrument debuts at D.C. gay-friendly church
Lon Schreiber at the console of the new organ at First Baptist Church. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
It was a big day at First Baptist Church of Washington. The church — at 1328 16th Street, N.W. — welcomed its massive new Austin pipe organ today with a recital by Lawrence “Lon” Schreiber, the church’s organist and choirmaster and a legend in D.C. church music circles having served four decades at National City Christian Church in Thomas Circle.
The multi-million-dollar project — in the works for years — has been in partial use for the past several months. Schreiber has used it in worship services while installation, which started in January, continued. Those involved say it was a mad dash to have it ready for today’s program and though some tweaking is all but sure to continue, the heavy lifting is done. The church has wanted to install a decent instrument since it moved to its current location in the 1950s, but the Herculean amount of money needed for such a beast never materialized until now. Schreiber, having overseen a similar installation at National City decades ago, was the man of the hour today. In fine form, he delivered a roughly 90-minute program designed to show off many facets of the organ. Music nerds can check out details of the instrument here.
Lon Schreiber in recital today at First Baptist. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
So how was the sound? Organ enthusiasts are obviously salivating to compare it to the new (but smaller) Rubenstein Family Organ at the Kennedy Center and the other major instruments in the city such as the organs at National Cathedral and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (both larger in rank, even though First Baptist now joins National City’s organ as the only five-manual organs in town).
It’s hard to say — having only heard the Kennedy Center organ in rehearsal, I’m not the best person to judge. I can say there was a staggeringly delicious array of sound color exhibited this afternoon, especially on the softer selections such as Seth Bingham’s “Twilight At Fiesole” and Maurice Durufle’s “Meditation,” which showcased the pedal organ’s soft 32-foot pipes.
Several of the gay organ queens — and they’re legion in these parts — said at a post-performance reception downstairs, there was a noticeable difference in tuning between the pipe ranks and the digital ones (about a third of the organ is digital). My ear isn’t savvy enough to have heard any clash, but it wasn’t just one person saying this. Keeping pipes in tune is a constant effort, so the powers that be will undoubtedly address this as the organ “settles.”
Schreiber showed his usual exquisite taste in the selections which ran the gamut from Bach to several selections from 20th Century composers. If there was any disappointment in the afternoon, it was only that there were too few moments to hear the instrument in all its “full organ” glory. Only the final selection — Cesar Frank’s “Choral in E Major” featured any lengthy fortissimo sections. A few others popped up once or twice, but were over before the sound could fully be savored.
Virtuosos Ken Cowan (Oct. 20) and Christopher Houlihan (Nov. 24) are likely to do more on that front. The organ will officially be dedicated at the church’s usual service on Nov. 3. Go here for details.
Couldn’t make it today? The church has CDs and DVDs of the performance available for nominal fees.
The set list was:
1. Fanfare and March (Archer)
2. Nef No. 1 (Mulet)
3. Liebster Jesu (Bach)
4. Let Heaven and Earth Rejoice (Bach)
5. Prelude and Fugue in B Minor (Bach)
6. Twilight at Fiesole (Bingham)
7. Meditation (Durufle)
8. Nimrod (Elgar)
9. A Solemn Melody (Davies)
10. Choral in E Major (Frank)
The 2026 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition was held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on Sunday. Seven contestants vied for the title and Gage Ryder was named the winner.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Theater
Voiceless ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ a spectacle of operatic proportions
Synetic production pulls audience into grips of doomed lovers’ passion
‘Antony & Cleopatra’
Through Jan. 25
Synetic Theater at
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre
450 7th St., N.W.
Synetictheater.org
A spectacle of operatic proportions, Synetic Theater’s “Antony & Cleopatra” is performed entirely voiceless. An adaptation of the Bard’s original (a play bursting with wordplay, metaphors, and poetic language), the celebrated company’s production doesn’t flinch before the challenge.
Staged by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili, this worthy remount is currently playing at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre, the same venue where it premiered 10 years ago. Much is changed, including players, but the usual inimitable Synectic energy and ingenuity remain intact.
As audiences file into the Klein, they’re met with a monumental pyramid bathed in mist on a dimly lit stage. As the lights rise, the struggle kicks off: Cleopatra (Irina Kavsadze) and brother Ptolemy (Natan-Maël Gray) are each vying for the crown of Egypt. Alas, he wins and she’s banished from Alexandria along with her ethereal black-clad sidekick Mardian (Stella Bunch); but as history tells us, Cleopatra soon makes a triumphant return rolled in a carpet.
Meanwhile, in the increasingly dangerous Rome, Caesar (memorably played by Tony Amante) is assassinated by a group of senators. Here, his legendary Ides of March murder is rather elegantly achieved by silver masked politicians, leaving the epic storytelling to focus on the titular lovers.
The fabled couple is intense. As the Roman general Antony, Vato Tsikurishvili comes across as equal parts warrior, careerist, and beguiled lover. And despite a dose of earthiness, it’s clear that Kavsadze’s Cleopatra was born to be queen.
Phil Charlwood’s scenic design along with Colin K. Bills’ lighting cleverly morph the huge pyramidic structure into the throne of Egypt, the Roman Senate, and most astonishingly as a battle galley crashing across the seas with Tsikurishvili’s Antony ferociously at the helm.
There are some less subtle suggestions of location and empire building in the form of outsized cardboard puzzle pieces depicting the Mediterranean and a royal throne broken into jagged halves, and the back-and-forth of missives.
Of course, going wordless has its challenges. Kindly, Synectic provides a compact synopsis of the story. I’d recommend coming early and studying that page. With changing locations, lots of who’s who, shifting alliances, numerous war skirmishes, and lack of dialogue, it helps to get a jump on plot and characters.
Erik Teague’s terrific costume design is not only inspired but also helpful. Crimson red, silver, and white say Rome; while all things Egyptian have a more exotic look with lots of gold and diaphanous veils, etc.
When Synetic’s voicelessness works, it’s masterful. Many hands create the magic: There’s the direction, choreography, design, and the outrageously committed, sinewy built players who bring it to life through movement, some acrobatics, and the remarkable sword dancing using (actual sparking sabers) while twirling to original music composed by Konstantine Lortkipanidze.
Amid the tumultuous relationships and frequent battling (fight choreography compliments of Ben Cunis), moments of whimsy and humor aren’t unwelcome. Ptolemy has a few clownish bits as Cleopatra’s lesser sibling. And Antony’s powerful rival Octavian (ageless out actor Philip Fletcher) engages in peppy propaganda featuring a faux Cleopatra (played by Maryam Najafzada) as a less than virtuous queen enthusiastically engaged in an all-out sex romp.
When Antony and Cleopatra reach their respective ends with sword and adder, it comes almost as a relief. They’ve been through so much. And from start to finish, without uttering a word, Kavsadze and Tsikurishvili share a chemistry that pulls the audience into the grips of the doomed lovers’ palpable passion.
Out & About
Love board games and looking for love?
Quirk Events will host “Board Game Speed Dating for Gay Men” on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at KBird DC.
Searching for a partner can be challenging. But board games are always fun. So what if you combined board games and finding a partner?
Picture this: You sit down for a night of games. A gaming concierge walks you through several games over the course of the night. You play classics you love and discover brand new games you’ve never heard of, playing each with a different group of fun singles. All while in a great establishment.
At the end of the night, you give your gaming concierge a list of the folks you met that you’d like to date and a list of those you met that you’d like to just hang out with as friends. If any two people put down the same name as each other in either column, then your gaming concierge will make sure you get each other’s e-mail address and you can coordinate a time to hang out.
Tickets cost $31.80 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
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