Arts & Entertainment
Emmylou Harris on her LGBT support, love of animals
Country legend to play D.C. show next week
Emmylou Harris came to prominence in the Washington, D.C. music scene. (Photo by Jack Spencer)
Emmylou Harris
Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m.
The Hamilton, 600 14th St., N.W.
Tickets $94 and $104
202-787-1000;
Those that assume country, bluegrass and Americana artists aren’t supportive of LGBT rights may not realize that many routinely work to further the cause.
Consider 12-time Grammy Award-winning artist Emmylou Harris, who came to prominence in the Washington, D.C. music scene, and will soon perform here. Harris has performed and donated auction items to the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Dinners in Nashville and has otherwise lent her voice to furthering LGBT rights.
“You know, Nashville still has a ways to go there, but we’re on the move,” the legendary artist said in an interview with the Blade. Harris lives in Nashville in Davidson County and says that, “Davidson is a little blue county in a sea of red in the State of Tennessee.”
Harris lent her name to hasten that move just this past May when she joined fellow musicians Big & Rich’s William “Big Kenny” Alphin, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Rodney Crowell in co-signing an open letter in support of the now successful marriage equality push in Illinois.
“Traditionally speaking, country music, arguably more than any other genre, draws its inspiration from that inexplicable conundrum known as the human condition,” the letter reads. “Songs and stories of love, family, joy, and human imperfection are the root of its appeal. To deny our gay brothers and sisters the right to legally ritualize their love – to marry – is to deny that they too experience the complexity of human emotion that make a song like Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ the shared phenomenon that it is.”
Harris doesn’t recall a particular turning point that heightened her awareness of LGBT issues when she lived in the D.C. area but was caught up in the urgency of it in recent years.
“I was totally not aware of that at all,” she says of the discrimination faced by the LGBT community, especially in the 1970s when she lived in the D.C. area. “Really it just sort of came to me later in life, the urgency of the situation. You broaden your horizons as you meet people and more people come into your fold as friends. I just believe in equal rights for everyone. Everyone has the right to happiness — to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And, you know, it shouldn’t be different for anyone.”
She was quick to add that she would welcome the opportunity to perform at Capital Pride and other LGBT events. For now, fans can support Harris by attending her upcoming show to benefit Bonaparte’s Retreat, which she operates from her Nashville home. Named after her beloved dog Bonaparte who died nearly 10 years ago, Harris takes in dogs whose time has run out at Nashville’s Metro Animal Control and houses them in a bunk house in the corner of her small backyard. She relies on support from the greater Nashville community, which pitches in to foster the dogs. “We keep them, socialize them and love them until we find homes for them,” Harris said.
Key to the success of the retreat are the many fundraising efforts Harris undertakes around the country on top of her regular – and busy – touring schedule. The show next week is another homecoming for Harris who fondly recalls her years in D.C. and often returns. “I was kind of a staple there at Clyde’s and my mother and I used to shop there at Garfinckles,” she says of the famed department store that was at the site currently occupied by the Hamilton. Harris says she hopes the Hamilton benefit becomes an annual tradition.
She also fondly recalls performing at the now defunct Childe Harold bar and restaurant in Dupont Circle, which saw early performances by Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones, Al Jarreau and Bonnie Raitt. Harris laughed when told her name was used for a sandwich at the Childe Harold. “Right, well, you know, you get publicity any way you can, a sandwich, or whatever,” she said.
Now, of course, Harris receives publicity everywhere she goes, and everywhere almost always includes her dogs. During her March show in the D.C. area with Rodney Crowell in support of their album “Old Yellow Moon,” she welcomed a special canine guest appearance by her yellow rescue dog Keeta. “I love it when I can travel with the dogs,” she says. “They make life so much richer, especially when you’re on the road and away from home.” She recalls that Bonaparte was an incredible travel dog and went everywhere with her. Her one regret during her many years on the road was that she spent many of those years without a dog. When Bonaparte died and Harris eventually adopted Keeta and then Bella, “the big black dog that came into my life, they were just great!”
Fans know that Harris wrote the song “Big Black Dog” based on her experience meeting and then rescuing Bella from the pound. Listen for her to likely include that song in her upcoming concert. Although her show will take place after Thanksgiving, she says her heart is always full of thanks for the joys she has found in life. “As far as music, I think I’ve been able to do whatever I want. I’ve been able to play with extraordinary musicians, all of whom have remained friends,” she says. “You don’t work alone; it’s all sort of a group effort, whether in the studio or on the road. I’ve been so fortunate to work with so many wonderful musicians on my own records and then with so many of my heroes like Neil Young, Mark Knopfler and, of course, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton. It’s been like being at Disneyland, my whole career, you know, it never gets boring.”
Theater
D.C. theater scene has something for everyone this holiday season
‘Nutcracker,’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and much more
With its familiar music, yuletide imagery, and storytelling, theater can be a big part of the holidays. Add to that making memories and theater tickets wrapped as presents under the tree, and it’s a seasonal no brainer.
Folger Theatre presents “Resplendent Joy: Christmas Traditions from Spain and Portugal” (Dec. 5-14); the marvelous Folger Consort will perform early Spanish Christmas carols and traditional holiday music from early modern Spain and Portugal: folger.edu/resplendent
At Round House Theatre, playwright Sam Holcroft’s “Rules for Living” (Dec. 3-Jan. 4) makes its U.S. premiere. The darkly funny holiday comedy was a hit in London and is now hoping to repeat that success with a version tailored for the states. The seven-person cast includes versatile actors Naomi Jacobson and real-life spouse John Lescault. Ryan Rillette directs. roundhousetheatre.org
Theatre J presents “Chanukah in the Dark” (Dec. 6-21), an hour-long play ideal for ages five and up. “When the lights go out during Chanukah, Max and family begin sharing songs, stories, and traditions — only to discover the lights they needed and the miracles they searched for were in their midst all along.” edcjcc.org
The Cathedral Choral Society’s “Joy of Christmas” (Dec. 13-14) presents a wonderful program of carols and beloved holiday favorites at the festively decorated National Cathedral. The program features Seraph Brass, organist Edward Hewes, Carillonneur Edward M. Nassor, percussionist Mary La Blanc of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band, and the Eastern Concert Choir from Eastern Senior High School. Cathedralchoralsociety.org
With “The Holiday Show,” (Dec. 13, 14, and 20), the Gay Men’s Chorus returns to entertain audiences with its annual and most popular show.
This year the holiday extravaganza is bigger than ever at historic Lincoln Theatre with new, soulful arrangements of favorite holiday carols: “The reindeer will be high-kicking and the snowflakes will sparkle. Songs include “O Holy Night,” “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” “Let It Snow,” “We Wish You the Merriest,” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain.’” gmcw.org
At Olney’s intimate Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, out actor Michael Russotto is back for the holiday season in his solo show “Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas” (through Dec. 28). The talented Russotto portrays nearly 50 different characters from the Charles Dickens classic, that proves “funnier and far more relevant than you might imagine.” Olneytheatre.org
Also on holiday offer in the DMV are a jolly bunch of musical chestnuts as well as reliable Christmas crowd-pleasers.
Included on the roster is Olney Theatre’s production of Jerry Herman’s “Hello, Dolly!” (through Jan. 4) starring the mega-talented Nova Y. Payton. Based on the play “The Matchmaker” by famed gay playwright Thornton Wilder, the musical has proved a vehicle for many a diva including Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Bette Midler, and Barbra Streisand. Now Payton dons the mantle and the buzz is good.
Another beloved musical is “Fiddler on the Roof” (through Jan. 25), the story of Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, his family and their tight-knit community who honor tradition while contending with pogroms in Czarist Russia. Currently being performed intimately in the round at Signature Theatre in Arlington and directed by Joe Calarco, the large cast features actors Douglas Sills, Chrisopher Bloch, and terrific out actor Jake Loewenthal as the poor tailor Motel Kamzoil, all singing Broadway favorites like “Sunrise, Sunset” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker.” sigtheatre.org
At Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Harman Hall is Frank Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls” (through Jan. 4). Based on tales from famed American journalist Damon Runyon, the show focuses on two overlapping love stories set in Depression-era Times Square. The terrific score includes songs like “Luck Be a Lady,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” and more songs you’ll know. Directed by Francesca Zambello and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse.
The cast includes Julie Benko, Lamont Brown, and Holly Twyford as General Matilda B. Cartwright, which is reason enough to buy a ticket. shakespearetheatre.org
And for hardcore traditionalists there’s the Washington Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” (through Dec. 29) with its balletic magic at the charming gilded Warner Theatre. The beloved production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, here set in 1882 Georgetown, features a retinue of agile partiers, children, soldiers, rats, and notable figures from American history. washingtonballet.org
And last but hardly least, historic Ford’s Theatre presents “A Christmas Carol” (through Dec. 31), an enduring Washington tradition since I was youngish. Conceived by Michael Baron, this charming Dickens’ moneymaker again spotlights Craig Wallace as miserly Ebenezer Scrooge who after a night of ghostly visits, rediscovers Christmas joy. Fords.org
Drag
Pattie Gonia calls out Hegseth’s anti-LGBTQ policies — while doing better pull-ups
Drag queen Pattie Gonia uses a viral instagram video to call out Hegseth’s exclusionary policies while doubling down on activism for LGBTQ rights and the environment.
Drag queen and environmental activist Pattie Gonia has gone viral after posting a video last week calling out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — and doing so while knocking out a set of pull-ups with cleaner form than his own, all while in full drag. The clip is a direct response to a separate viral video Hegseth himself posted days earlier, in which he performed less-than-perfect pull-ups that drew widespread mockery online.
“Hi Pete Hegseth, Pattie Gonia here, while you’re busy trying to take away the rights of queer people, I’m over here advocating for the rights of all people, including my right to do better pull-ups than you all with my balls tucked inside of me,” she declares in the now-viral Instagram clip, delivering the message in full drag garb with the theatricality she’s known for.
The video lands at a moment when Hegseth’s record on LGBTQ rights continues to draw scrutiny. Since being appointed by President Trump to lead the Pentagon, the Defense Secretary has pushed the twice impeached president toward a series of exclusionary shifts inside the department.
Hegseth’s efforts have included pressing for the rollback of DEI measures, pausing all gender-affirming care for service members, and blocking promotions for personnel with “a history of gender dysphoria.” He has also openly stated that transgender people should not serve in the military and drew controversy for formally renaming a ship previously dedicated to Navy veteran and LGBTQ icon Harvey Milk to USNS Oscar V. Peterson. Hegseth has long criticized the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” framing the policy change as harmful to the armed forces. And in October, he courted further backlash after suggesting women could be barred from military service altogether, arguing that the government would hold personnel to the “highest male standard.”
Pattie’s viral moment is only the latest in her growing portfolio of environmental and queer activism. In August, she joined a team of climbers in Yosemite, helping raise a massive 66-foot-wide trans flag across the iconic El Capitan wall — a striking symbol of trans visibility in one of the most storied national parks in the country. Her drag name even riffs on Patagonia, the famed South American mountain range, blending outdoor culture with camp.
Last week, Pattie Gonia also made a bold statement at the Out 100 award celebration in Los Angeles, wearing a dress crafted from the same trans flag flown at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. She attended the event alongside non-binary NSP agent SJ Joslin who was fired for her role in helping put up the flag.
Since the beginning of her drag career, Pattie has steadily expanded her influence beyond the stage. She co-founded the Outdoorist Oath, a nonprofit dedicated to helping BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ people and femmes build community in the outdoors through education and shared stewardship. She also launched the Queer Outdoor and Environmental Job Board, a free resource that supports queer people seeking work in environmental and nature-based industries, with the aim of diversifying fields where LGBTQ representation remains limited. Her fundraising efforts have generated over $2.7 million for LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and environmental nonprofits, underscoring her ability to mobilize huge audiences toward collective action.
Her recent projects also include a national tour of her environmental drag show, “SAVE HER!”, which blends performance art with climate messaging, and the release of a documentary TV series, “Go Gently,” co-created with Harry Potter’s Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley). The series follows their journey from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, where they explore sustainable living and meet with communities protecting the Earth in innovative ways.
Photos
PHOTOS: Remove the Regime rally and march
Dropkick Murphys, Earth to Eve perform on steps of Lincoln Memorial
The Remove the Regime rally and march was held on Saturday, Nov. 22.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
D.C., Va., Md. to commemorate World AIDS Day
D.C. theater scene has something for everyone this holiday season
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