Arts & Entertainment
STAYCATION: Step back in time
Washington region rich with historical sites
The Octagon House was the former residence of President James Madison during the War of 1812. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
D.C. boasts a burgeoning music, arts and nightlife scene for all generations to step back in time. But the city is also known for its rich history, spanning nearly three centuries. This summer, visit some of the District’s most colorful and time-tested landmarks.
Start at the Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.) along the Anacostia River, open every day from dawn to dusk for tourists. There’s also a popular dog-walking club but there’s a waiting list to join. Call ahead and schedule a visit to the 30-acre cemetery, established in 1807 and named a National Historic Landmark in 2011. When you get there, scout out the tombstones of J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI long rumored to be gay, and Leonard Matlovich, the first gay soldier to publicly out himself in protest of the military’s ban on gay members. For more information, visit congressionalcemetery.org
If you live in the area, chances are you’ve already visited Arlington Cemetery. But this time, make sure you take a tour of the Arlington House (321 Sherman Dr., Fort Myer, Va.), the former residence of Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Schedule some time to tour the house, built by slaves between 1802 and 1818, as well as the flower garden and the slave quarters on the plantation grounds. For more information, visit nps.gov.
If one Civil War-themed outing isn’t enough, head to Ford’s Theatre (511 10th St., N.W.), the site of former President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination shortly after the conclusion of the war. Book tickets in advance for “One Destiny,” a 35-minute reconstruction of the sequences of events the night Lincoln was shot, showing at various times this summer. Walk across the street to the Petersen House, which showcases Lincoln’s deathbed. For details about show times and museum hours, visit fords.org.
For a step even further back in time, visit the Octagon House (1799 New York Ave., N.W.) the temporary residence of President James Madison and his wife during the War of 1812 where they sought refuge after the White House was burned to the ground by British soldiers. The home, designed by the original architect of the U.S. Capitol, now serves as the home of the American Institute of Architects. To schedule a private or group tour, visit theoctagon.org.
Christ Church (620 G St., S.E.), built in the late 1700s, is where presidents including James Madison and Thomas Jefferson and renowned American composer John Philip Sousa spent their Sunday mornings. And you can too: the District’s first Episcopal church hosts Sunday services at 9 and 11 a.m. To learn more about one of the oldest places of worship in the city, visit washingtonparish.org.
The recently renovated Howard Theatre (620 T St. N.W.) has been a Mecca for D.C. black theatergoers for decades. Recently, the performance hall has hosted renowned celebrities including Wanda Sykes and Chaka Khan. The venue has been a community mainstay through the ages, featuring jazz age performers like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington and Motown legends like Stevie Wonder and the Supremes. Originally built in 1910, the theatre has a jam-packed list of shows and events to choose from, including R&B singer Carl Thomas and weekly Sunday soul food brunch featuring the Harlem Gospel Choir. For information about events and ticket prices, visit thehowardtheatre.com.
Stop by the Heuric House (1307 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.), a Victorian-style house and museum built in the late 1890s by German immigrant Christian Heuric, who ran his own brewing company. Tours of the building are offered Thursdays through Saturday. The house and museum also hosts History and Hops featuring beer from local brewery Devil’s Backbone, Thursday (July 17) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Guests must be at least 21 years old. Tickets are $30. Sign up at heurichhouse.org.
While we’re on the subject of beer, don’t forget to grab a drink at local historic bars, including the Round Robin and Scotch Bar (1401 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.), where civil rights activist Martin Luther King scripted his “I Have a Dream Speech,” and Off The Record (800 16th St., N.W.), the stomping grounds for famous politicians and journalists, located just one block away from the White House. For a slightly younger crowd, visit The Tombs (1226 36th St., N.W.), popular among Georgetown University students since its construction in the 1960s. The dark interior features pictures from the World War I era. The bar is located in the basement of Restaurant 1789, a classier spot with a more expensive menu.
People looking to escape the Beltway for an afternoon should visit former President George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate in Mount Vernon, Va., a 500-acre expanse along the Potomac River. To sign up for a small tour, which also stops in Old Town Alexandria, visit dctours.us.
Tourists who can’t settle on just one historic site should sign up for a walking ghost tour, a historic, theatrical and slightly scary guided trip through D.C. To sign up for a 90-minute Capitol Hill tour, visit scarydc.com. For a tour along Georgetown’s historic cobblestone sidewalks, sign up for a walking tour, starting at the Old Stone House (3051 M St. N.W.) and concluding at the famed steps featured in “The Exorcist” at freetoursbyfoot.com.
Theater
Out dancer on Alvin Ailey’s stint at Warner Theatre
10-day production marks kickoff of national tour
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Through Feb. 8
Warner Theatre
513 12th St., N.W.
Tickets start at $75
ailey.org
The legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is coming to Washington’s Warner Theatre, and one of its principal veterans couldn’t be more pleased. Out dancer Renaldo Maurice is eager to be a part of the company’s 10-day stint, the kickoff of a national tour that extends through early May.
“I love the respectful D.C. crowd and they love us,” says Maurice, a member of esteemed modern dance company for 15 years. The traveling tour is made of two programs and different casting with Ailey’s masterwork “Revelations” in both programs.
Recently, we caught up with Maurice via phone. He called from one of the quiet rooms in his New York City gym where he’s getting his body ready for the long Ailey tour.
Based in North Newark, N.J., where he recently bought a house, Maurice looks forward to being on the road: “I enjoy the rigorous performance schedule, classes, shows, gym, and travel. It’s all part of carving out a lane for myself and my future and what that looks like.”
Raised by a single mother of three in Gary, Ind., Maurice, 33, first saw Alvin Ailey as a young kid in the Auditorium Theatre in downtown Chicago, the same venue where he’s performed with the company as a professional dancer.
He credits his mother with his success: “She’s a real dance mom. I would not be the man or artist I am today if it weren’t for the grooming and discipline of my mom. Support and encouragement. It’s impacted my artistry and my adulthood.”
Maurice is also part of the New York Ballroom scene, an African-American and Latin underground LGBTQ+ subculture where ball attendees “walk” in a variety of categories (like “realness,” “fashion,” and “sex siren”) for big prizes. He’s known as the Legendary Overall Father of the Haus of Alpha Omega.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Like many gay men of his era, Ailey lived a largely closeted public life before his death from AIDS-related complications in 1989.
RENALDO MAURICE Not unusual for a Black gay man born during the Depression in Rogers, Texas, who’s striving to break out in the industry to be a creative. You want to be respected and heard. Black man, and Black man who dances, and you may be same-sex gender loving too. It was a lot, especially at that time.
BLADE: Ailey has been described as intellectual, humble, and graceful. He possessed strength. He knew who he was and what stories he wanted to tell.
MAURICE: Definitely, he wanted to concentrate on sharing and telling stories. What kept him going was his art. Ailey wanted dancers to live their lives and express that experience on stage. That way people in the audience could connect with them. It’s incredibly powerful that you can touch people by moving your body.
That’s partly what’s so special about “Revelations,” his longest running ballet and a fan favorite that’s part of the upcoming tour. Choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1960, it’s a modern dance work that honors African-American cultural heritage through themes of grief, joy, and faith.
BLADE: Is “Revelation” a meaningful piece for you?
MAURICE: It’s my favorite piece. I saw it as a kid and now perform it as a professional dance artist. I’ve grown into the role since I was 20 years old.
BLADE: How can a dancer in a prestigious company also be a ballroom house father?
MAURICE: I’ve made it work. I learned how to navigate and separate. I’m a principal dancer with Ailey. And I take that seriously. But I’m also a house father and I take that seriously as well.
I’m about positivity, unity, and hard work. In ballroom you compete and if you’re not good, you can get chopped. You got to work on your craft and come back harder. It’s the same with dance.
BLADE: Any message for queer audiences?
MAURICE: I know my queer brothers and sisters love to leave with something good. If you come to any Ailey performance you’ll be touched, your spirit will be uplifted. There’s laughter, thoughtful and tender moments. And it’s all delivered by artists who are passionate about what they do.
BLADE: Alvin Ailey has been a huge part of your life. Thoughts on that?
MAURICE: I’m a believer in it takes a village. Hard work and discipline. I take it seriously and I love what I do. Ailey has provided me with a lot: world travel, a livelihood, and working with talented people here and internationally. Alvin Ailey has been a huge part of my life from boyhood to now. It’s been great.
Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.
Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Arts & Entertainment
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’
Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.
O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.
In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.
In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”
Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.
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