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SPRING ARTS PREVIEW TELEVISION: ‘One Big Happy’ lineup

Lily and Jane team up, ‘Looking’ and ‘Orange’ return while ‘Mad Men’ signs off

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television, gay news, Washington Blade
television, gay news, Washington Blade

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in ‘House of Cards’ (Photo by David Giesbrecht; courtesy Netflix)

Produced by Ellen DeGeneres, “One Big Happy” stars Elisha Cuthbert as a lesbian who carries her best friend’s (Nick Zano) baby. The show premieres March 17 on NBC at 9:30 p.m.

Empire,” created by Danny Strong and Lee Daniels, who is openly gay, airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox. Taraji P. Henson steals the show as Cookie, the ex-wife of Terrance Howard’s character, a music mogul pitting his three sons, one of whom is gay, against each other for control of the company. The show, which is based partly on Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” is enjoying extremely high ratings and has been renewed for a second season.

The third season of Netflix hit “House of Cards” was released Feb. 27 (all 13 episodes) and continues Frank Underwood’s (Kevin Spacey’s) shady dealings.

Ellie Kemper and Jane Krakowski star in “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” available on Netflix today (March 6). The show, created by Tina Fey, also stars Titus Burgess (D’Fwan, “30 Rock”) as a gay singer working as a Times Square robot.

television, gay news, Washington Blade

A scene from ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.’ (Photo by Eric Liebowitz; courtesy Netflix)

Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda star in “Grace and Frankie,” a new Netflix show about two long-time rivals who come together when their husbands announce they plan to marry each other.

Season four of “Girls” continues on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. and has been picked up for a fifth season. The season finale will air on March 22.

Looking” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO. Daniel Franzese (Damien, “Mean Girls”) joined the cast for season two. The show focuses on a group of gay friends living in San Francisco.

Winter is coming in the middle of spring when season five of “Game of Thrones” premieres April 12 at 9 p.m. on HBO. Catch all of the drama, dragons and unexpected deaths of your favorite characters (probably).

“Orange is the New Black” returns to Netflix on June 12. The website’s juggernaut show has been praised for its groundbreaking representation of LBT women of color.

Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block and his boyfriend Harley Rodriguez are contestants on Season 26 of “The Amazing Race.” All teams this season are couples, including five teams meeting for the first time on the show as blind dates. One such team is composed of two young men named Bergen and Kurt. The show airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on CBS.

Season 20 of “Dancing with the Stars” premieres March 16 at 8 p.m. Contestants include out athlete Michael Sam, actress Suzanne Somers and soul legend Patti LaBelle, who recently appeared in “American Horror Story: Freak Show.”

Zachary Quinto and Uma Thurman star in “The Slap,” narrated by Victor Garber. Quinto plays a man dealing with the aftermath of slapping someone else’s misbehaved child. The miniseries currently airs Thursdays on NBC at 8 p.m.

Reign” airs on the CW at 9 p.m. on Thursdays. The historical fiction focuses on the early years of Mary, Queen of Scots. It features several intimate scenes between female characters. Caitlin Stasey, a star of the show, describes herself as “mostly gay.”

The Last Man On Earth” premiered last weekend on Fox. The show stars Will Forte searching the country for signs of other living humans after earth’s entire population is wiped out. The cast includes Kristen Schaal and Mary Steenburgen. It airs Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m.

The Walking Dead” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC. A recent episode of the show featured its first gay male character, Aaron, kissing his boyfriend Eric. The 90-minute season finale will air March 29.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as President Selina Meyer, following her character’s political ascension at the end of the previous season of “Veep.” Season four premieres on HBO April 12 at 10:30 p.m.

Penny Dreadful” returns to Showtime for season two on May 3 at 10 p.m. Season one of the show featured a kiss between star Reeve Carney’s character Dorian Gray (yes, that Dorian Gray) and Josh Hartnett’s character.

Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” continue to dominate Twitter on Thursday nights on ABC at 8 and 9 p.m., respectively. Both shows feature racially diverse casts and several queer characters, as does “How To Get Away With Murder,” the third Thursday night Shondaland show, which recently ended its first season.

The second half of the final season of “Mad Men” premieres April 5 at 10 p.m. on AMC. Throughout its run, the show has featured several gay characters. The series finale will air May 17.

The sixth season of “Community,” a consistently doomed show with a cult following, will premiere April 17 on Yahoo! Screen, which will fulfill half of fans’ rallying cry of “six seasons and a movie.” Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren (“Clue” co-stars) will reunite when they appear as the parents of Gillian Jacobs’s character Britta.

A Netflix Show, “Marvel’s Daredevil,” premieres April 10. The show stars Charlie Cox as the titular blind superhero as well as “True Blood’s” Deborah Ann Woll and PFLAG supporter Rosario Dawson.

television, gay news, Washington Blade

A scene from ‘Marvel’s Daredevil.’ (Photo by Barry Wetcher; courtesy Netflix)

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Theater

Talented pair of local queer actors tackles ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Ford’s production features terrific score

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Chani Wereley (Audrey) and Derrick D. Truby Jr. (Seymour) in the 2024 Ford’s Theatre production of Little Shop of Horrors. (Photo by Scott Suchman)

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ 
Through May 18
Ford’s Theatre
511 10th St., N.W.
$33-$95
Fords.org 

Ever since premiering off-Broadway in 1982, “Little Shop of Horrors” has drawn a devoted following of avid audiences as well as performers eager to act in the show. Now playing at Ford’s Theatre, the doo-wop, dark comedy features a terrific cast including a wildly talented pair of local queer actors who’ve longed to appear in the show since they were kids. 

Set in the urban 1960s, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s hit show with a terrific score follows the wacky rise of Seymour, a nebbishy florist in a Skid Row shop who changes his fortunes by unintentionally marketing an exotic, human eating plant.  

Chani Wereley, 28, who plays Seymour’s love interest Audrey, a hyper femme downtowner with an edge, has had her on eye the role for years. Wereley says, “Audrey’s been around the block more than once, but I approach her as a person who moves through the world with love and hope.”

The queer D.C. native adds, “On long trips to visit family in Canada or Florida, the first thing we’d do is pop a ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ video [film version] into the car’s VHS player. I’ve watched is so many times, I could quote the whole movie to you.”

After auditioning to play Audrey in director Kevin S. McAllister’s production at Ford’s, Wereley never thought she’d book the part, and when they said she got it, she cried.  

Similarly, Tobias A. Young, 34, the pansexual actor who voices the part of the bloodthirsty plant affectionately dubbed Audrey II, explains his intense interest in the work: “I started watching the film in ’86. Growing up as a little gay boy in Calvert County, Md., I wanted to be blonde Audrey [played by Ellen Green in the movie]. I didn’t know much about musicals at the time, but I was absorbed.” 

When asked by Ford’s to play the voracious plant Audrey II without auditioning, his reply was an unhesitant “yes.” 

Voicing a role requires Young to sing from backstage in a black box rigged with monitors and a mixing board. He says, “people ask if I’m singing from inside of the ever-growing, scary plant. No, I’m not, and that’s fine. But let’s face it, actors love to be seen on stage, but I don’t feel entirely unseen as Audrey II.”

He’s worked hard and successfully with formidable puppeteers Ryan Sellers and Jay Frisby to bring parts of himself to the carnivorous plant — his sassiness, own movements, and even a tilt of his head; their efforts have drawn the actual Young into the show. 

Both Wereley and Young possess gorgeous, emotive voices as evidenced by Wereley’s striking rendition of Audrey’s “Suddenly Seymour,” and Young’s soulful “Feed Me (Git It).” Additionally, both actors are also big on queer representation in theater. 

When her young pals were listening to Britney Spears, Wereley was dancing to retro tunes like “Mashed Potato Time,” and her favorite song to this day, the Shirelle’s girl group anthem “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” As Audrey, Wereley eschews the character’s usual platinum hair for a bouncy brunette, cherry-streaked wig, tight pencil skirts, swing coats, and her very own half-sleeve tattoo. 

“It’s important for people to see themselves on stage,” she says. “Seeing me or someone like me is inherently interesting. Being that person on Instagram or with the institution, cast, or audiences is meaningful. It’s important.”

In 2011, a couple years after finishing high school, Young landed a part in “Dream Girls” at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, and he’s been working professionally ever since. Growing up, he didn’t see a lot of himself – Black and queer – on social media. He now wants to be open and honest for those out there who might not feel seen, he says

An introvert who lets everything loose on the stage, Young says, “theater is a safe space for queer people. That’s the first place we feel safe, particularly in school. And this is why we need theaters in schools, now more than ever.”

He adds, “What’s great about Ford’s is its surprises, especially when they switch up casting. It’s meaningful to see the shows you love, but why not see them with a twist? Using unexpected actors and incorporating queer people just makes it that much better.”

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Nightlife

D.C.’s gay DJ collective CTRL returns

Electropop group resurfaces at Trade on March 30

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CTRL is back after a six-year absence.

Finger lasers, confetti cannons, drag shows, photo booths, throwback tunes, and a touch nerdy: after a long break, D.C.’s gay DJ collective CTRL is throwing its first party in six years.

Born in an Eritrean restaurant more than a decade ago, this longstanding gay nightlife electropop group is resurfacing with a comeback event at Trade on March 30.

Gay DJs Adam Koussari-Amin, Jeff Prior, Devon Trotter, and Brett Andreisen hosted the first CTRL party at now-closed restaurant Dahlak, on the corner of 18th and U Streets. After a year of hosting pop-ups in that restaurant’s dining room, they upgraded down 18th Street to now-closed gay club Cobalt. There, the parties grew: drag shows, a pop-up photo booth from David Claypool, and quirky activations like throwing hot dogs into print-outs of Putin’s mouth. Their productions grew as well, like producing the now-defunct Brightest Young Gays (BYG) Pride events at Wonderbread Factory and Union Market and the ‘Get Wet’ pool party with David Brown’s Otter Crossing at the Capitol Skyline Hotel.

CTRL wasn’t done. The group received its biggest stage yet after a call from Ed Bailey, the owner of now-closed gay club Town, as well as current gay bars Number 9 and Trade. At Town, the opportunity “allowed our creativity to flourish with even bigger performances, bigger photo experiences, crazier hand-outs, and the same electropop dance vibes our fans had come to know us for,” says Koussari-Amin.

CTRL pressed pause when Town shut down, which “was a huge loss to the LGBTQIA+ community and D.C. nightlife in general,” says Koussari-Amin. After that, it hosted an occasional spinoff called QWERTY. Post-pandemic, Koussari-Amin has spent a few nights solo as DJ at Trade and other venues.

After connecting with Jesse Jackson, the Trade general manager, as well as with Bailey, who agreed to host the inaugural event, Koussari-Amin was determined to shift CTRL back to life.

However, getting the old band back together proved to be a challenge. While the rest of the group have either left Washington, D.C., or are pursuing other projects, Koussari-Amin received their blessing to stay on and find new members. 

“When it came to finding new partners, both DJ Dez [Desmond Jordan] and DJ Lemz [Steve Lemmerman] were obvious choices,” he says, noting that “they also have distinct styles and interests.” Dez has a residency at Pitchers and Kiki as well as pop-ups, and Lemz throws events like Sleaze and BENT.

 “It seemed important to come back to the nightlife table with an experience that could complement all the amazing experiences that have even built up since CTRL threw its last event at Town. Bringing back both the DJ collective and the CTRL event with Dez and Lemz means new voices, perspectives, sounds, and excitement.”

“CTRL is an opportunity for the community to come together, enjoy music, drinks, and good vibes,” adds Jordan, noting that for him, it’s an event that celebrates queer identity.

And after months of planning, CTRL will kick off its monthly party series at Trade on March 30 for the first gig after its glow-up.

The trio says that its core inspiration “is driven by the indie and electropop favorites of new and old, like Goldfrapp, Ava Max, Charli XCX, … We’re also all huge fans of slut and trash pop music like Kim Petras, Slayyyter, Cupcakke,” as well as pop diva remixes, new bops, and songs that reside inside and far beyond the expanse of Top 40.

CTRL is also bringing back its activations that complement the tunes. Summer Camp is set for drag performances, David Claypool is back with his photo booth, and Koussari-Amin promises “to have all sorts of weird and wacky handouts like we used to.”

After the March premiere, April’s party is “CTRLella”, a Coachella send-up. Future events will feature various different themes, and they plan to throw a party during Capital Pride; they’re also looking to be a central part of Trade’s expansion into the adjacent space.

 Koussari-Amin says that “the event’s signature experience [is] a lynchpin in connecting D.C.’s expanding generations of queer folks, giving everyone a safe space to let loose and feel a rush no matter who they are.” 

For his part, Bailey continues to support CTRL and its collective intention, expressing its essential nature as a party for partiers by partiers. “CTRL is the kind of party that represents what people want. It’s just a real party by real people that just want to hear good music and dance with their friends.”

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Celebrity News

HRC releases ‘Queer Renaissance Syllabus’

Beyoncé’s hit album inspired curriculum

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Beyoncé performs at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Aug. 6, 2023. The Human Rights Campaign has released a curriculum that her "Renaissance" album inspired. (Washington Blade photo by Isabelle Kravis)

In a move aimed at celebrating the beauty, brilliance and resilience of the LGBTQ community, the Human Rights Campaign unveiled the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” that Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album inspired. 

Curated by Justin Calhoun, Leslie Hall and Chauna Lawson of the HRC’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program, the syllabus includes a variety of academic articles, essays, films and other media rooted in Black queer and feminist studies. Each piece is directly inspired by the tracks on Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping dance album, “Renaissance.”

Beyoncé’s album “Renaissance” stands as a cultural milestone, celebrating the Black queer roots of dance music while shedding light on overlooked Black queer artists. Inspired by her late-Uncle Johnny, the album not only garnered critical acclaim but also shed light on the often marginalized contributions of Black queer artists. Winning four Grammys and yielding chart-topping hits like “Break My Soul” and “Cuff It,” the album sparked discussions about economic impact and cultural representation.

Amid its success, legislative challenges arose, with Florida and Texas enacting bans on DEI initiatives in public colleges. Recognizing the album’s transformative potential, HRC developed the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” to leverage its impact for education and activism.

Tailored for educators, youth-serving professionals, DEI practitioners, higher education leaders and admirers of Beyoncé’s artistry, the syllabus aims to encourage meaningful discussions, enrich lesson plans, and explore innovative ways to honor the vibrancy and significance of LGBTQ individuals and their culture.

With six themes anchoring the syllabus, ranging from “intersectionality and inclusivity” to “social justice and activism,” it provides a comprehensive exploration of various facets of LGBTQ experiences and expressions. Fan-favorite tracks from the album are paired with scholarly readings, offering insights into empowerment, self-acceptance and the transformative power of artistic expression. The syllabus also reinforces HRC’s efforts to highlight, amplify and re-center Black and queer voices.

By providing links to articles, books, podcasts and interviews, each associated with a song from the album, it celebrates the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the Black queer community.

The concluding section of the syllabus includes Beyoncé’s tribute to O’Shea Sibley, a young Black queer person who was murdered in Brooklyn, N.Y., last July while voguing to “Renaissance” songs at a gas station. HRC also includes a statement that condemns hate crimes.

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