Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Oct. 4-10
Parties, exhibits, concerts and more for the week ahead
‘The Privilege Series: Pests’ by Anthony Dortch demonstrates what it means to be socially and financially advantaged. The work is on display now at Touchstone Gallery (Image courtesy Touchstone)
Friday, Oct. 4
Local gay singer/songwriter Stewart Lewis performs this evening at 6 p.m. at Sky Bar at Beacon Hotel (1615 Rhode Island Ave. N.W.). Visit stewartlewis.com for details.
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) opens three new exhibitions tonight from 6-8:30 p.m. “Falling for Art,” “The Privileged Series: Pests” and “Blessings of This Life,” feature different artists in a variety of mediums from mixed media to oil painting on canvas. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.
Temple Emmanuel (10101 Connecticut Ave., Kensington, Md.,) hosts “Jewish Values and Transgender Equality” tonight at 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker Dana Beyer discusses transgender equality in Maryland. Admission is free. For more details, email [email protected].
Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) hosts the East Coast premiere of “Matthew Shepard Is A Friend of Mine” tonight at 7:30 p.m. The documentary explores Shepard’s life through interviews with family and friends. Tickets are $16. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit nationalcathedral.org.
Gay District, a community-based organization focused on building understanding of gay culture and personal identity for gay, bi, trans, queer, questioning and intersexed men, hosts a facilitated group discussion tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 8:30-9:30 p.m. The group will go for dinner in the neighborhood after the meeting. For more details, visit gaydistrict.org.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts “SIREN: The BRITNEY BASH 2.0” tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Celebrate Britney’s new single “Work Bitch.” DJs MAJR and DELLA VOLLA spin a playlist featuring Britney’s greatest hits along with other artists. There is also a performances by Pu$$y Noir. $5 Smirnoff specials until 3 a.m. For more details, visit greenlanterndc.com.
Saturday, Oct. 5
Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC) host its “5K & Fun Run/Walk” near the Bethesda Row complex (4950 Elm St., Bethesda, Md.,) today from 8:30 a.m.-noon. Wear pink and blue to support women in their fight against breast cancer. There will be music by DJ Whitham. Tickets for the 5K are $30 and $25 for the Fun Run. For more information and to register visit menagainstbreastcancer.org.
Natalia Kills performs at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $8 from 10-11 p.m. and $12 after 11 p.m. Drinks are $3 before 11 p.m. Drag show begins at 10:30 p.m. Admission is 21 and over. For more details, visit towndc.com.
Sunday, Oct. 6
Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) hosts “Tula’s Drag Cabaret show,” a lip-synching drag performance, from 8-11 p.m. tonight. No cover charge. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com or call 202-482-1723.
Creative Cauldron (410 S Maple Ave., Falls Church, Va.,) hosts “LGBT Night” with “Marry Me a Little: Songs by Stephen Sondheim” at 7 p.m. tonight. A special reception for the LGBT community follows. Nicholas Benton will also be signing copies of his book “Extraordinary Hearts: Reclaiming Gay Sensibility’s Central Role in the Progress of Civilization.” Tickets are $25 general admission and $22 for students and seniors. For more information, visit creativecauldron.org.
Perry’s (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Sunday Drag Brunch” today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buffet. For more details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.
Monday, Oct. 7
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts free and confidential HIV testing drop-in hours from 3-5 p.m. today. For more details, visit smyal.org.
Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts “Poker Night” at 8 p.m. tonight. Free to play and winners receive prizes. For details, visit nellissportsbar.com.
Hope Operas begins its month-long serialized run tonight at 8 p.m. at Comedy Spot on the third floor of Ballston Mall (4238 Wilson Blvd.) in Arlington. This year’s theme is “Cartoons for Adults.” Shows run each week through Oct. 28 at the same time and place. Each of the five new shows are presented in 10-15-minute segments each week and promise to take viewers from “one hilarious cliffhanger to the next.” Founder Chris Griffin is gay, two of the shows have gay themes and several of the actors are gay as well. Tickets are $15 per show or $40 for all four weeks. For details, visit hopeoperas.com.
Tuesday, Oct. 8
The Arlington Employment Center of Arlington County Government hosts its “Arlington Employment Center Fall Career Fair” at the Founders Hall-Arlington Campus of George Mason University (3351 Fairfax Dr., Arlington, Va.,) today from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be 50 employers and hundreds of jobs for jobseekers throughout the DMV area. Free admission but must register at aecjobfair2013.eventbrite.com. For more details, email [email protected].
D.C. Bi Women hosts its monthly meeting in the upstairs room of Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) from 7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) hosts its meeting at the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) in the Hearing Room tonight at 7 p.m. GLAA’s October schedule is “Implementing Our Successful Accomplishments.” There is no charge and the meeting is open to everyone. For more details, email [email protected].
Wednesday, Oct. 9
Lambda Bridge Club hosts duplicate bridge at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) at 7:30 p.m. tonight. No reservations needed and new comers welcome. If you need a partner, call 703-407-6540.
Rainbow Response holds its monthly meeting from 6-7 p.m. today in the third floor conference room at 5 Thomas Circle N.W. The meeting is for individuals and agencies to collaborate and address intimate partner violence in the LGBT community in the D.C. area. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Thursday, Oct. 10
Anne Arundel Community College (101 College Pkwy., Arnold, Md.,) screens “Small Town Gay Bar” as part of its Fall Film Series “LGBT-Themes and Issues” today at 12:30 p.m. in the Florestano Building Room 122. The documentary tells the story of two gay bars in the rural south and the oppression they face. Admission is free. For more details, visit aacc.edu/events.
Women’s Leadership Institute hosts its weekly meeting for LGBT women and their allies tonight at SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) from 5-7 p.m. The meeting is for those ages 13-21 to discuss female sexuality, relationships and women’s rights. For more information, visit smyal.org.
Brightest Young Things hosts “The Bentzen Ball Comedy Festival” opening at the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Comedians performing include Doug Benson, Tig Notaro, Wyatt Cenac and more. The festival continues through Oct. 13. Tickets are $25. For more details and to purchase tickets visit 930.com.
Rude Boi Entertainment hosts “Tempted 2 Touch,” a ladies dance party, at the Fab Lounge (2022 Florida Ave., N.W.). Doors open at 10 p.m. Drink specials $5 and vodka shots $3 all night. No cover charge. Admission limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit rudeboientertainment.wordpress.com.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Ripped-Hot Body Contest” tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Win up to $200 in prizes. $2 rail drinks from 9-11 p.m. Admission is 18 and up and is free.
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch was held at Salamander Washington DC on Sunday, April 19. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) was presented with the Allyship Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The umbrella LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C. held its annual Night of Champions Gala at the Georgetown Marriott on Saturday, April 18. Team D.C. presented scholarships to local student athletes and presented awards to Adam Peck, Manuel Montelongo (a.k.a. Mari Con Carne), Dr. Sara Varghai, Dan Martin and the Centaur Motorcycle Club. Sean Bartel was posthumously honored with the Most Valuable Person Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Television
‘Big Mistakes’ an uneven – but worthy – comedic showcase
In the years since “Schitt’s Creek” wrapped up its six season Emmy-winning run, nostalgia for it has grown deep – especially since the still painfully recent loss of its iconic leading lady, Catherine O’Hara, whose sudden passing prompted a social media wave of clips and tributes featuring her fan-favorite performance as the deliciously daft Moira Rose. Revisiting so many favorite scenes and funny moments from the show naturally reminded us of just how much we loved it, even needed it during the time it was on the air; it also reminded us of how much we miss it, and how much it feels now like something we need more than ever.
That, perhaps more than anything else, is why the arrival of “Big Mistakes” – the new Netflix series starring, co-created and co-written by Dan Levy – felt so welcome. We knew it wouldn’t be the Roses, but it seemed cut from the same cloth, and it had David Rose (or at least someone who seemed a lot like him) in the middle of a comically dysfunctional family dynamic, complete with a mother who gets involved in town politics and a catty sibling rivalry with his sister, and still nebbish-ly uncomfortable in his own gay shoes. Only this time, instead of running a charmingly pretentious boutique, he’s the pastor of the local church, and instead of a collection of kooky small town neighbors to contend with, there are gangsters.
As it turns out, it really does feel cut from the same cloth, but the design is distinctly different. Set in a fictional New Jersey suburb, it centers on Nicky (Levy) and his sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega) – he openly gay with an adoring boyfriend (Jacob Gutierrez), yet still obsessive about keeping it all invisible to his congregation, and she drudging aimlessly through life as an underpaid schoolteacher after failing to achieve her New York dreams of show biz success – who inadvertently become enmeshed in a shady underworld when a gesture for their dead grandmother’s funeral goes horribly awry.
They’re surrounded by a crew of equally compromised characters. There’s their mother Linda (Laurie Metcalf), whose campaign to become the town’s mayor only intensifies her tendency to micromanage her children’s lives; Yusuf (Boran Kuzum), the Turkish-American mini-mart operator who pulls them into the criminal conspiracy yet is himself a victim of it; Max (Jack Innanen), Morgan’s live-in boyfriend, who pushes her for a deeper commitment and is willing to go to couples’ therapy to prove it; Annette, his mother (Elizabeth Perkins), who lends her society standing toward helping Linda’s campaign against a misogynistic opponent (Darren Goldstein); and Ivan (Mark Ivanir), the seemingly ruthless crime boss who enslaves the siblings into his network but may really be just another slave himself. It’s a well-fleshed out assortment of characters that helps our own loyalties shift and adapt, generating at least a degree of empathy – if not always sympathy – that keeps everyone from coming off as a merely “black-and-white” caricature of expectations and typecasting.
To be sure, it’s an entertaining binge-watch, full of distinctive characters – all inhabiting familiar, even stereotypical roles in the narrative – who are each given a degree of validation, both in writing and performance, as the show unspools its narrative. At the same time, it makes for a fairly bleak overall view of humanity, in which it’s difficult to place our loyalties with anyone without also embracing a kind of “dog eat dog” morality in which nobody is truly innocent – but nobody is completely to blame for their sins, anyway.
In this way, it’s a show that lets us off the hook in the sense that it places the idea of ethical guilt within a framework of relative evils, as it permits us to forgive our own trespasses by accepting its “lovably” amoral characters, each of whom has their own reasons and justifications for what they do. We relate, but we can’t quite shake the notion that, if all these people hadn’t been so caught up in their own personal dramas, none of them would have ended up in the compromised morality that they’re in.
However, it’s not some bleak morality play that Levy and crew undertake; rather, it’s more an egalitarian fantasy in which even “bad” choices feel justified by inevitability. Everybody’s motivations make enough sense to us that it’s hard to judge any of the characters for making the choices – however unwise – that they do. In a system where everyone is forced to compromise themselves in order to achieve whatever dream of self-fulfillment they may have, how can anybody really blame themselves for doing what they have to do to survive?
Of course, all things considered, this is more a relatable comedy than it is a morality play. As a comedy of errors, it all works well enough on its own without imposing an ideology on it, no matter how much we may be tempted to do so. Indeed, what is ultimately more to the point is how well this pseudo-cynical exercise in the normalization of corruption – for that is what it really about, in the end – succeeds in letting us all off the hook for our compromises.
In the end, of course, maybe all that analysis is too deep a dive for a show that feels, in the end, like it’s meant to be mostly for fun. Indeed, despite its focus on being dragged into the shady side of life, the arc of its messaging seems to be less about a moralistic urge toward making the “right” choice than it is a candid recognition that all of us are compromised from the outset, often by choices we only force upon ourselves, and that’s a refreshing enough bit of honesty that we can easily get on board.
It helps that the performances are on point, especially the loony and wide-eyed fanaticism of Metcalf – surely the MVP of any project in which she is involved – and the directly focused moral malleability of Ortega; Levy, of course, is Levy – a now-familiar persona that can exist within any milieu without further justification than its own queer relatability – and, in this case, at least, that’s both the icing on the cake and substance that defines it. That’s enough to make it an essential view for fans, queer or otherwise, of his distinctive “brand,” even if he – or the show itself – doesn’t quite satisfy in the way that “Schitt’s Creek” was able to do.
Seriously, though, how could it?
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PHOTOS: National Champagne Brunch
PHOTOS: Night of Champions
‘Big Mistakes’ an uneven – but worthy – comedic showcase
Science said stop; the Supreme Court said no
Response to a personal attack against me
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Project GLOW celebrates LGBTQ acts
