Arts & Entertainment
Bold but vague
Out playwright explores political speech in new satire
Playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s new play is in the midst of a multi-city rollout premiere. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
‘The Totalitarians’
Through June 29
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
641 D St., N.W.
$45-75
202-393-3939
In Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s new political comedy “The Totalitarians,” it takes three words — “freedom from fear” — to turn a lopsided election around.
Former roller derby queen and all-around loose cannon Penelope Easter has political aspirations. Though she has zero knowledge of the issues and stands for nothing, Penny is undeterred. She’s rightfully confident that her big hair and her gay husband’s enormous fortune will open doors. But still, she needs help connecting with voters, low information and otherwise. That’s where Francine Jefferson comes in. Francine is a wannabe political operative with a talent for words. She believes that one killer speech with a catchy slogan repeatedly delivered by an appropriately passionate Penny could put this unlikely candidate on the path to becoming Nebraska’s lieutenant governor.
Meanwhile Francine’s doctor husband Jeffrey wants her to have a baby and stay at home. Besides, he doesn’t trust Penelope — even less when his young terminally ill patient Ben warns him of Penelope’s connection with a nefarious 1 percent cabal seeking to control all American politics. He joins militant Ben in trying to snuff out Penelope’s campaign.
Nachtrieb is tall (6’6”) and rangy. At 39, the gay playwright retains boyish charm and exudes a quiet intelligence. The inspiration for the “The Totalitarians,” he explains, came from a frustration with the language of politics and rhetoric; and whether anyone is actually saying anything or is it all just sound bites? He felt a need to dive into that.
“Penelope is very seductive cipher,” he says. “Whether she is left or right is uncertain. Seems like she’s fighting for something but you can’t pin down on what she stands for on any issue. Still Francine’s dream gets married to Penny’s. She writes some soaring, beautiful imagery reminiscent of early Obama’s — inspirational but with few specific references.”
And though Nachtrieb purports Penelope is not a commentary on any single party or person, her over-the-top vulgarity definitely come off more like Sarah Palin than Elizabeth Warren. Penelope is so outrageous, says the playwright, that in a different production she could easily be played by a male actor in drag.
“There is an attraction between Francine and Penelope. And the dynamic between Jeffrey and Ben is just shy of being a gay relationship. There are those clandestine meetings in cruisy parks. And the long hernia examination that Jeffrey gives to Ben is interesting.”
Commissioned by the New Play National Network, “The Totalitarians” is currently undergoing a year-long rolling premiere that kicked off at Southern Rep in New Orleans and is now playing at Woolly Mammoth. Later this year it will play at Z Space in San Francisco where Nachtrieb is playwright in residence.
Woolly’s production is staged by talented gay playwright and director Robert O’Hara. The cast features local actors Emily Townley and Dawn Ursula as Penelope and Francine, respectively. Jeffrey is played by Sean Meehan who played Morton in HBO’s production of “The Normal Heart,” gay dramatist Larry Kramer’s seminal AIDS play. Chicago actor Nick Loumos plays Ben. It’s Nachtrieb’s second collaboration with Woolly Mammoth. The first was his dark, apocalyptic comedy, “boom.”
Growing up in affluent Marin County, the suburb across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Nachtrieb who’d been bullied in middle school, found a safe haven participating in musical theater. He majored in theater and biology at Brown University. While there, he came out during a production of “West Side Story.” (“All the other Jets were gay. I thought I must be too.”) He returned to the Bay Area where he entered the San Francisco State MFA Playwriting program, and earned his MFA in creative writing in 2005.
Today Nachtrieb lives in San Francisco’s Mission District with his partner of 13 years, Mark Marino, a nurse. Sometimes his relationship and feelings are reflected in his work, sometimes through straight characters: “Francine and Jeffrey talk about having children and the challenges of busy work schedules. Those are discussions my partner and I have, too.
“And for instance, Ben, the young activist, has a monologue that isn’t just about wanting equality but sometimes you want a little vengeance as well for being treated badly.”
Next up, Nachtrieb is working on a new play concerning house tours. “It’s all about shame,” he says, “and the pleasures of hiding things.”
Galleries
BMA celebrates enduring influence of Henri Matisse
Exhibit features iconic works juxtaposed with gay artist’s paintings inspired by French legend
The Baltimore Museum of Art is on a roll.
After landing the coveted Amy Sherald “American Sublime” exhibit (through April 5) when the National Portrait Gallery attempted to censor her work, the BMA is debuting a breathtaking and thought-provoking new exhibit, “To See This Light Again” featuring master works by Henri Matisse paired with new paintings by Louis Fratino, who is inspired by the French modernist legend.
Fratino, who’s gay, was born in Annapolis and studied at Baltimore’s Maryland Institute College of Art. As an art student, he found himself spending lots of time in the BMA’s Matisse galleries, the largest collection of his works in the world, encompassing more than 1,600 paintings, drawings, and illustrations. At just 33, Fratino has enjoyed a “meteoric” rise in the art world, according to BMA Director Asma Naeem, who introduced Fratino at an event previewing the exhibit last week. This is Fratino’s first major U.S. exhibition, but he was featured in the 2024 Venice Biennale and his paintings can be found at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and elsewhere.
The exhibit aims to explore Matisse’s lasting influence by juxtaposing his works with Fratino’s.
“It’s the idea that art manifests a kind of attention or a vision for your life, that it can be a beautiful life despite certain circumstances that may be happening around you,” Fratino said in a statement released by the BMA. “In Matisse’s case, he lived through the First and Second World Wars. Painting can confirm that life is beautiful and that it’s worth looking at.”
The influences are apparent, from the use of light and pattern to the choice to focus on everyday objects and subjects. And the exhibit is unabashedly queer with male couples depicted in a couple of paintings. Fratino told the Blade that as an out gay man, it was important to embrace that visibility.
He describes a “joy of looking” at the male form, just as Matisse portrayed female figures that often celebrated the tradition of painting nudes.
In “Tom,” Fratino captured his subject in casual repose that includes a bowl and spoon in the foreground. It is presented alongside Matisse’s iconic “Large Reclining Nude.” Tom’s checkered shirt echoes the blue and white grid background of the Matisse work and both figures are holding casual, relaxed poses.
“Fratino and Matisse: To See This Light Again” runs through Sept. 6 at the Baltimore Museum of Art (artbma.org.)
For Matisse lovers, the BMA has another exhibit debuting March 29 titled, “Matisse in Vence: The Stations of the Cross” featuring more than 80 drawings revealing how the artist “shaped his late‑career masterpiece, the Stations of the Cross mural, for the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, France.”
Books
Laverne Cox, Liza Minnelli among authors with new books
A tome for every taste this reading season
Spring is a great time to think about vacations, spring break, lunch on the patio, or an afternoon in the park. You’ll want to bring one (or all!) of these great new books.
So let’s start here: What are you up for? How about a great new novel?
If you’re a mystery fan, you’ll want to make reservations to visit “Disaster Gay Detective Agency” by Lev AC Rosen (Poisoned Pen Press, June 2). It’s a whodunit featuring a group of gay roommates, one of whom is a swoony romantic. Add a mysterious man who disappears and a murder, of course, and you’ve got the novel you need for the beach.
Don’t discount young adult books, if you want something light to read this spring. “What Happened to Those Girls” by Carlyn Greenwald (Sourcebooks Fire, June 30) is a thriller about mean girls and a camping trip that goes terribly, bloodily wrong. Meant for teens ages 14 and up, young adult books are breezier and lighter fare for the busy grown-up reader.
If you loved “Boyfriend Material” and “Husband Material,” you’ll be eager for the next installment from author Alexis Hall. “Father Material” (Sourcebooks Casablanca, June 2) takes Luc and Oliver to the next step. First was dating. Then was marriage. Is it time for the sound of pitter-patter on the kitchen floor?
Maybe something even lighter? Then how about a book of essays – like “The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay” bycomedian and writer Eliot Glazer (Gallery Books, Aug. 11). It’s a book of essays on being gay today, the irritations, the joys, and fitting in. Be aware that these essays may contain a bit of spice – but isn’t that what you want for your reading pleasure anyhow, hmmm?
But okay, let’s say you want something with a little more heft to it. How about a biography?
Look for “Transcendant” by Laverne Cox (Gallery Books, June 9), or “Kids, Wait Till You Hear This” by Liza Minnelli (Grand Central Publishing, March 10), and “Every Inch a Lady” by Audrey Smaltz with Alina Mitchell (Amistad, July 14). Keep your eyes open for “Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge” by Harvey Brownstone (ECW Press, May 26) or “The Double Dutch Fuss” by Phill Branch (Amistad, June 2).
Then again, maybe you want some history, or something different.
So here: look for “Queer Saints: A Radical Guide to Magic, Miracles, and Modern Intercession” by Antonio Pagliarulo (Weiser, June 1) for a little bit of faith-based gay. Music lovers will want “Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000” by Barry Walters (Viking, May 12). Activists will want “In the Arms of Mountains: A Memoir of Land, Love, and Queer Resistance in Red America” byformer Idaho state Sen. Cole Nicole LeFavour (Beacon Press, May 26).
And if these books aren’t enough, then be sure to check with your favorite bookseller or librarian. They’ll have exactly what you’re in the mood to read. They’ll find what you need for that patio, beach towel, or easy chair.
Music & Concerts
Gaga, Cardi B, and more to grace D.C. stages this spring
Shake off your winter doldrums at a local concert
D.C. shakes off its winter blues this spring as the music scene pops off. We all know the big star is coming: Lady Gaga will perform at Capital One Arena on March 23. But plenty of other stars, big and small, will grace D.C. stages, including many LGBTQ and ally artists.
March
3/15, 9:30 Club, St. Lucia – Indie electronic music project known for its synth-pop sound, which blends ‘80s influences with electronic and indie rock elements.
3/31, Lincoln Theatre, Perfume Genius – Indie/pop singer/songwriter Mike Hadreas, also known as Perfume Genius, has toured with a full band, but he is stripping things back for this tour.
April
4/8, Capital One, Cardi B. Cardi B, from New York, unapologetic and proud, is the first solo female artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. This year, she’s on her Little Miss Drama Tour, in support of her second studio album, “Am I the Drama?”
4/13, Lincoln Theatre, The Naked Magicians. Australia’s The Naked Magicians are two performers who deliver live magic and laughs while wearing nothing but a top hat and a smile.
4/18, Capital One, Florence and the Machine. Longstanding indie rock back from Great Britain, much-loved for lead singer Florence’s powerful vocals. On their Everybody Scream Tour.
4/16, Capital One, Demi Lovato. Singer/songwriter from Texas, who came out as nonbinary, is traveling on her “It’s Not That Deep Tour.”
4/21, The Anthem, Calum Scott. Platinum-selling gay singer/songwriter Calum Scott released his latest project, Avenoir, last year. Scott rose to fame in 2015 after competing on Britain’s Got Talent, where he performed a cover of Robyn’s hit “Dancing on My Own“.
4/26, Atlantis, Caroline Kingsbury. American queer pop musician from Los Angeles. She released her debut album in 2021, and has two additional EPs. She’s played Lollapalooza 2025 and All Things Go 2025, as well as gone on a co-headlining U.S. tour with MARIS. Shock Treatment is her latest EP.
4/26, Anthem, Raye. This bisexual artist, known for her current chart-topping “”Where Is My Husband!” single, blends pop, jazz, R&B, and more.
4/30, Union Stage, Daya. This bisexual singer/songwriter is on her “Til Every Petal Drops Tour,” touring the album of the same name that was released last year.
May
5/1, The Anthem, Joost Klein. Eurovision comes to D.C. in Joost Klein: Originally a Youtuber, he was selected to represent the Netherlands at Eurovision in 2024 with his song “Europapa.” He released a new album on New Year’s Day.
5/1, Fillmore, MIKA. MIKA is on his Spinning Out Tour. Born in Beirut and raised in both Paris and London, MIKA sings in multiple languages and has co-hosted Eurovision.
5/7, 9:30 Club, COBRAH. Clara Christensen, is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and club queen, making electronic dance music.
5/19, Atlantis, Grace Ives. New York-born singer/songwriter, known for her high-energy synth/electronic, bedroom-pop-style music.
June
6/2, The Anthem, James Blake. English crooner got big from his self-titled debut album in 2011. He won two Grammys and just released his 7th album,Trying Times, in March.
BMA celebrates enduring influence of Henri Matisse
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Adolescentes trans en Ecuador podrán cambiar datos en su cédula, pero con condicionamientos
Gay Cameroonian immigrant will be freed from ICE detention — for now
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Man stuck in Lebanon as Iran war escalates
Owner of D.C. gay bar Green Lantern John Colameco dies at 79
PHOTOS: ‘Defrosted’
