Arts & Entertainment
Weight of the world
New ‘Speedo’ explores high stakes of Olympic competition
Frank Boyd as Ray in ‘Red Speedo.’ (Photo by Teddy Wolff; courtesy Studio Theatre)
‘Red Speedo’
Through Oct. 13
Studio Theatre
14th & P Streets, NW
$20
202-332-3300
Did he, or didn’t he? Will he, or won’t he? There’s a lot riding on Olympic swimming hopeful Ray’s actions. His every move ripples with ramifications for those closest to him. “Red Speedo,” Lucas Hnath’s new play at Studio Theatre, considers the high stakes of elite athletics and the pressure to win.
Tightly drawn, the 80-minute play takes place over a tense 24 hours. It starts on the eve of Ray’s Olympic qualifying meet. Performance-enhancing drugs have been discovered in the swim club’s refrigerator. Whose they are is unclear (at this point), but even the taint of mere association with the verboten synesthetic testosterone could put the kibosh on Ray’s swimming future and kill the lucrative endorsement deal he has pending with Speedo.
Not just Ray is invested in his future. Though not altogether clear on his argument, Ray’s older brother Peter (Thomas Jay Ryan) definitely has an agenda. As a lawyer and Ray’s self-appointed manager, he’s determined for Ray to succeed at all costs. Peter is intent on becoming a sports manager and that rests on Ray making it to the Olympics. Then there’s Ray’s longtime unnamed coach (Harry Winter). At first, coach seems judiciously disinterested, but it soon becomes clear that he’s counting heavily on his best swimmer to take them to the Olympics without juicing (or at least without anybody knowing about it).
Behind the blank stare and slightly agape mouth, Ray (the excellent Frank Boyd) is in fact dim — but not entirely so. When it comes to getting his way, Ray possesses a formidable single-mindedness, prompting him to fiercely go after what he wants, though he’s not always successful. This tenacious drive is revealed when he meets with ex-girlfriend Lydia (Laura C. Harris), a former sports therapist with a history involving selling illegal drugs.
The four-person cast is top notch with each actor effectively conveying both their characters’ unlikable aspects and vulnerabilities. They handle the work’s darker and lighter moments with equal skill, particularly Ryan as the almost likable but somewhat sleazy Peter, and Boyd as stolid Ray (who, by the way, looks great in the red Speedo that wears throughout the play).
Presented by the Studio Lab, “Red Speedo” is a stripped-down world premiere production with affordable tickets (just $20). The program allows playwrights in residence to experiment and collaborate on the work. Though already thought provoking and witty, Hnath’s play could benefit from a subtler more nuanced ending, and likely the author will make changes during the process. But even at this stage nothing looks or feels low budget about the production thanks to Lila Neugebauer’s able staging, the impressive cast and a terrific design team including Mimi Lien whose brightly lit set boasts real tiles, authentic pool ceiling lights, a big pace clock and working showers. She’s even managed to make Studio’s upstairs space smell like chlorine.
“We all do things that are sort of good and sort of not so good,” says Ray munching away at a bag of baby carrots. This sort of sums it all up. And along the way, Hnath asks the audience how far we might go in doing some “not so good” things in pursuit of fame, glory or just a modicum of security. It’s hard to say.
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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