Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: Nov. 1

Parties, concerts, exhibits and more through Nov. 7

Published

12 years ago

October 31, 2013

Mariah Cooper

‘Forever Tango’ explores the history of the tango at the Strathmore. (Photo courtesy of the Strathmore)

Friday, Nov. 1

Adodi D.C., a black same-gender-loving men’s social/spiritual group, hosts its bi-monthly potluck discussion at Metropolitan Community Church of Washington (474 Ridge St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Please bring food to share. For details, call 202-360-1143 or email [email protected].

D.C. Aquatics Club hosts its “November Happy Hour” at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) from 6-9:30 p.m. The upstairs bar will be reserved and there will be drink specials. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. There is no cover charge and admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit towndc.com.

Saturday, Nov. 2

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today at Food and Friends (219 Riggs Rd., N.E.) from 8-10 a.m. Come help with food preparation and packing groceries. Coffee and donuts will be provided. For details, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Metro Cooking D.C. hosts “The Metropolitan Cooking and Entertainment Show” at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Pl., N.W.) today from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Enjoy samples and tastings from more than 40 chefs and restaurants, 300 vendors and cooking demonstrations from local chefs and workshops. Tickets range from $24.50-$63. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit metrocookingdc.com.

Run or Dye, a tie-dye 5k race, comes to Robert F. Kennedy Stadium (2400 East Capitol St., S.E.) today from 9 a.m.-noon. All ages and levels of fitness welcome. Team registration is $52 per person and individual registration is $57 per person. For registration, visit runordye.com.

JR.’s Bar and Grill (1519 17th St., N.W.) host a scavenger hunt and trivia challenge from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. today to raise money for Stonewall Kickball’s official charity The D.C. Center. Meet at JR.’s at 11 a.m. for instructions and teams have until 3 p.m. to earn points. At 3 p.m., meet at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) for an after party and prizes. Entry fees are $50 per two-person team. Registration includes one free drink at Cobalt, 25 percent off food at Level One (1639 R St., N.W.) and happy hour pricing. For registration, visit stonewallkickballscavengerhunt.eventbrite.com.

Jinkx Monsoon performs her cabaret show with Major Scales “The Vaudevillains” at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $20, open seating tickets $35 and open seating and meet-and-greet tickets are $50. For details and to purchase tickets visit flavorus.com.

fallFRINGE, a festival that brings back seven of the top shows from this summer’s Fringe Festival, kicks off this weekend. An opening party with an “all souls potluck” is tonight at 8 p.m. at Fort Fringe: The Shop, Redrum and Bedroom (607 New York Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $20 or $15 with a Fringe button. Visit capitalfringe.org for details on returning shows and more information on the opening party. The festival runs through Nov. 17.

Sunday, Nov. 3

Chick Chat, a singles group for lesbians ages 50 and over, meets at Brookside Gardens (1800 Glenallan Ave., Silver Spring, Md.) today at 2 p.m. for a walk rain or shine. Event is free. Please RSVP to [email protected].

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.

Converge D.C., a new LGBT-inclusive church, holds its official launch at First Congregational United Church of Christ D.C. (945 G St., N.W.) tonight from 6-7 p.m. For more information, visit convergedc.org.

SMYAL hosts its 16th annual “Fall Brunch” at the Mandarin Oriental (13300 Maryland Ave., S.W.) today at 11 a.m. There will be a cocktail reception and a silent auction. Ally Sheedy will be honored as a community advocate. Tickets are $150. For details, visit smyal.org.

Monday, Nov. 4

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.

The D.C Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts a volunteer night from 6:30-8:30 p.m. tonight. Come check out the new facilities, meet new people and give back to the local community center. Activities may include sorting through book donations, cleaning up around the center and taking inventory for FUK!T packets. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts poker night tonight at 8 p.m. Win prizes. Free to play. For more information, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

Tuesday, Nov. 5

Maryland Corporate Council hosts a look forward at 2014 legislative session with Michael Busch, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, at Ballard Spahr (300 East Lombard St., Baltimore) today from 8-10 a.m. A complimentary continental breakfast will be served. For details, visit marylandcorporate.org.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts its weekly ”FUK!T Packing Party” from 7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.

SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) holds free and confidential HIV testing drop-in hours from 3-5 p.m. today. For details, visit smyal.org.

Wednesday, Nov. 6

The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.

The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) hosts happy hour from 5-7:30 p.m. today. All drinks are half price. Enjoy pool, video games and cards. Admission is free. For more details, visit bachelorsmill.com.

Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) hosts a support group for black men living with HIV/AIDS tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit uhupil.org or call 202-446-1100.

Thursday, Nov. 7

Bookmen D.C., an informal men’s gay literature group, discusses “Tinderbox: How the West Sparked the AIDS Epidemic and How the World Can Finally Overcome It” by Craig Timberg and Daniel Halperin at Tenleytown Library (4450 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. All are welcome. For details, visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.

Sphinx Virtuosi, an ensemble comprised of alumni from the Sphinx Competition for young black and Latino string players, performs at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $32. For details, visit wpas.org or call 202-785-9727.

Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.) presents Luis Bravo’s “Forever Tango” tonight at 8 p.m. for one night only. The Tony-nominated show tells the history of tango with a cast of 14 Argentine dancers and an 11-piece orchestra. Tickets range from $36-$78. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit strathmore.org.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Denali at Pitchers

‘Drag Race’ alum performs at Thirst Trap

Published

8 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Michael Key

Denali performs at the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show at Pitchers DC on April 9. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI

‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Last year, Baltimore Center Stage refused to give up its DEI focus in the face of losing federal funding. They've tripled down. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz of the Baltimore Banner)

By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.

Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.

“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

Books

Susan Lucci on love, loss, and ‘All My Children’

New book chronicles life of iconic soap star

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy of Blackstone Publishing)

‘La Lucci’
By Susan Lucci with Laura Morton
c.2026, Blackstone Publishing
$29.99/196 pages

They’re among the world’s greatest love stories.

You know them well: Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Abelard and Heloise. Phoebe and Langley. Cliff and Nina. Jesse and Angie, Opal and Palmer, Palmer and Daisy, Tad and Dixie. Now read “La Lucci” by Susan Lucci, with Laura Morton, and you might also think of Susan and Helmut.

When she was a very small girl, Susan Lucci loved to perform. Also when she was young, she learned that words have power. She vowed to use them for good for the rest of her life.

Her parents, she says, were supportive and her family, loving. Because of her Italian heritage, she was “ethnic looking” but Lucci’s mother was careful to point out dark-haired beauties on TV and elsewhere, giving Lucci a foundation of confidence.

That’s just one of the things for which Lucci says she’s grateful. In fact, she says, “Prayers of gratitude are how I begin and end each day.”

She is particularly grateful for becoming a mother to her two adult children, and to the doctors who saved her son’s life when he was a newborn.

Lucci writes about gratitude for her long career. She was a keystone character on TV’s “All My Children,” and she learned a lot from older actors on the show, and from Agnes Nixon, the creator of it. She says she still keeps in touch with many of her former costars.

She is thankful for her mother’s caretakers, who stepped in when dementia struck. Grateful for more doctors, who did heart-saving work when Lucci had a clogged artery. Grateful for friends, opportunities, life, grandchildren, and a career that continues.

And she’s grateful for the love she shared with her husband, Helmut Huber, who died nearly four years ago. Grateful for the chance to grieve, to heal, and to continue.

And yet, she says of her husband: “He was never timid, but I know he was afraid at the end, and that kills me down to my soul.”

“It’s been 15 years since Erica Kane and I parted ways,” says author Susan Lucci (with Laura Morton), and she says that people still approach her to confirm or deny rumors of the show’s resurrection. There’s still no answer to that here (sorry, fans), but what you’ll find inside “La Lucci” is still exceptionally generous.

If this book were just filled with stories, you’d like it just fine. If it was only about Lucci’s faith and her gratitude – words that happen to appear very frequently here – you’d still like reading it. But Lucci tells her stories of family, children and “All My Children,” while also offering help to couples who’ve endured miscarriage, women who’ve had heart problems, and widow(ers) who are spinning and need the kindness of someone who’s lived loss, too.

These are the other things you’ll find in “La Lucci,” in a voice you’ll hear in your head, if you spent your lunch hours glued to the TV back in the day. It’s a comfortable, fun read for fans. It’s a story you’ll love.

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