Arts & Entertainment
A charming menagerie
WNO’s holiday opera a breath of fresh air despite uneven writing
Bass Soloman Howard plays a blustering king of the jungle in WNO’s new holiday opera, ‘The Lion, the Unicorn and Me.’ (Photo by Scott Suchman)
‘The Lion, The Unicorn and Me’
Through Dec. 22
Kennedy Center
2700 F St., NW
$44-$64
With the glut of saccharine holiday entertainment going around, it’s refreshing to catch a more genuine offering, and Washington National Opera’s newly commissioned holiday work, “The Lion, The Unicorn and Me,” gives us a delightful break from all the tinsel. While composer Jeanine Tesori’s opera doesn’t always rise to its promised heights, the story of a self-effacing donkey charged with carrying the Virgin Mary to Bethlehem is a go-to for anyone looking for holiday magic.
As director Francesca Zambello, a lesbian, announced on opening night, this was the first time in WNO’s 58 seasons that the company is premiering a new work composed by a woman. Tesori, a four-time Tony nominee for composition, often brought a light ironical touch to her score, yet the music also broke out into moments of stunning lyricism.
The Unicorn’s first act aria (ravishingly sung by Jacqueline Echols), as well as the Donkey’s introductory piece (in a great singing and acting performance by John Orduña), brought out the deeper tones of Tesori’s evocative skill. Too bad, then, that a lack of consistency nagged the work as a whole. The first act, featuring a child angel played by the sparkling Henry Wager, was almost perfect, but the one problem spot became a touchstone for the work’s greater inconsistencies.
In a troublesome sequence, the blustering Lion, brashly played by bass Soloman Howard, strides onto the stage in a jungle-motif militaristic costume accompanied by photographers and begins his appropriately arrogant aria. Suddenly, the piece takes flight with drums, a backup chorus (including the audience) and a melody that causes the heart to jump.
And then it dies on the vine.
Sadly, the same thing happened with act two. What started off with such promise in the first half lost its steam in the second. The opera seemed to suffer from a lack of focus in music and plot, becoming slightly redundant, before rallying for an inspiring end.
However the beauty of the story prevails overall, helped along by a moving libretto from gay poet J.D. “Sandy” McClatchy and an exciting production from Zambello. As told here and in Jeanette Winterson’s original book on which the opera is based, an angel needs to find the right animal for the holy job of getting Mary to that legendary stable, and all the creatures in the world apply. Costume designer Erik Teague smartly avoids the obvious, opting instead to mix animal characteristics with modern sartorial symbols — the glamorous Unicorn hoofs it in Lady Gaga’s famous heel-less boot and a ponderously slouchy hippo wears a hoodie and baseball hat.
The children’s chorus, beautifully on pitch and absolutely charming whether playing sheep or a menacing snake, rounded out a solid cast of adult ringers. Ian McEuen’s lyric tenor and Wei Wu’s incisive bass complemented their engaging performances in supporting roles, while mezzo-soprano Catherine Martin sang luxuriously as Mary (although her rough handling of the baby Jesus was enough to make one wince).
So if Tesori’s first crack at her opera needs some tweaking (as have countless premiered works before it), there’s still plenty of enchantment to engage audiences of all ages. The children present on opening night laughed loudly and clapped excitedly as various animals pranced across the stage or Mary gave birth to that oh-so-special child, but it wasn’t just the kids who were swept up in the story. In a season that often feels overblown and out of touch, the tale of a simple person discovering the gifts that lie within him feels like the best holiday present of all.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
Theater
National tour of ‘Gatsby’ comes to National Theatre
Out actor Edward Staudenmayer talks playing the show’s gangster
‘The Great Gatsby’
May 12-24
The National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
$59-$196
Thenationaldc.com
Often dubbed “The Great American Novel” for its depiction of ambition and self-invention alongside the reversals of success, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” says it all in a fast read.
Set against the excesses and energy of the Roaring Twenties, “The Great Gatsby,” novel and now the same-titled hit Broadway musical with a jazz/pop original score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, tells the story of Nick Carraway and his friendship with Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic millionaire intent on reuniting with ex-lover, Daisy Buchanan.
It was during a four-month 2025 run in Seoul, South Korea, that out actor Edward Staudenmayer first played the show’s heavy, Meyer Wolfsheim, a gangster who helped Gatsby make his murkily acquired fortune. As Meyer, Staudenmayer opens the second act with, appropriately enough, “Shady.”
Now three months into a year-long North American tour, the show is poised to enjoy a brief run at Washington’s National Theatre (5/12-5/24).
While putting on his eyeliner prior to a recent Wednesday matinee at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, the upstate New York-based actor shared about Gatsby and a life in theater.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Despite your good looks and terrific voice, you’re rarely the leading the man. How is that?
EDWARD STAUDENMAYER: I’m definitely a character man. I’ve been painting lines on my face to play old men since I was in high school. I was the youngest freshman in college playing old Uncle Sorin [in Chekhov’s “The Seagull”].
There have been many villains. Some darker than others. Meyer Wolfsheim is a very bad guy, but he doesn’t haunt me once I’m offstage. I play a lot of pickleball.
BLADE: Is it true that like so many of Fitzgerald’s characters, Wolfsheim is famously based on someone the writer encountered in life.
STAUDENMEYER: That’s true, Wolfsheim is pretty much a direct portrayal of real-life mobster and 1919 World Series fixer [Arnold Rothstein].
BLADE: When did the 1925 novel first surface on your radar?
STAUDENMAYER: Like many of us, I was assigned “The Great Gatsby” in high school. It was short, and filled with sex and illicit activities. I thought it was great. Definitely wasn’t a Judy Blume novel.
Interestingly, the book wasn’t originally a huge a success for Fitzgerald, but because it was about war and having the girl at home, they gave it to GIs leaving for WWII. After returning, a lot of those guys went on the GI Bill and became English teachers. They assigned the book to their students.
BLADE The idea that the book’s first-person narrator, Nick Carraway, is gay and enamored with Jay Gatsby is long discussed among readers and scholars. Does the musical touch on that?
STAUDENMAYER: Yes, there’s conjecture about Jay and Nick, and it’s implied in our show. It’s also implied about Jordan Baker, Jay’s fleeting romantic interest. Ultimately, she’s a confirmed bachelor, and a professional golfer who only wears pants.
Our performers are really good. Josh Grasso who plays Nick is fantastic. I’ve had to stop watching him in his last scene; it’s not good for Meyer Wolfsheim to take his curtain call crying. Our Gatsby, Jake David Smith, is good too. He’s gorgeous like Superman and sings like an angel.
BLADE: Do you ever imagine backstory for your characters whose sexuality is undefined?
STAUDENMAYER: I do, but not with Wolfsheim. I don’t see it. I’m trying to be as butch as possible with this ruthless killer.
BLADE: Have you had to do that in your career?
STAUDENMAYER: For a long time, I wore a mask to hide my gayness. I worked hard on being believable, that I was into the girl or that I was a tough guy.
It’s a different world now, and it’s so refreshing to be around the younger actors today; they’re remarkably open and comfortable.
BLADE: What was your coming of age like?
STAUDENMAYER: I played high school football in Palm Springs [he chuckles, alluding to the arid gay mecca], and I was pretty good too. But much to the chagrin of my parents and coaches, I quit the team to act in our senior year play. My super butch dad played semi-pro football and he was an ex-cop. I’m named after him. While I didn’t become my dad, I’ve played him often on stage. He was a true Gaston [the bumptious rival in “Beauty and the Beast”]. And like Gaston, he used antlers in all his interior decorating.
BLADE: Did he live to see your success in theater?
STAUDENMAYER: He did. Life was challenging growing up but the last 10 years of his life we couldn’t get off the phone with each other [his voice catches with emotion]. He accepted me entirely, and we became very close.
BLADE: Looking ahead, is there a part you’d especially like to play?
STAUDENMAYER: Like all baritones I’d love to play Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd.” I’ve come close but it hasn’t happened yet. There’s still time.
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