Arts & Entertainment
‘Fair Haven’ subtle, effective
‘Reparative’ therapy drama screens April 23 at HRC
Actor Tom Wopat in ‘Fair Haven.’ (Photo courtesy Reel Affirmations)
“Fair Haven” is a thoroughly engaging movie that tackles a difficult topic (the devastating impact of “reparative” therapy) with a surprisingly light hand and admirable subtlety.
The film tells the story of James Grant (Michael Grant), a promising young pianist who has been sent to reparative therapy by his concerned conservative parents. He returns home to work in the family apple orchard run by his gruff father Richard (Tom Wopat) and starts dating Suzy Thomas (Lily Anne Harrison), the preacher’s daughter. An unexpected and unwelcome encounter with his ex-boyfriend Charlie (Josh Green) forces him to reassess his dreams and desires. (Washington Blade interviews Wopat here.)
Director Kerstin Karlhuber handles her first feature-length narrative film with considerable assurance. Her sense of timing is confident and firm. The deeply emotional story is given room to breathe and unfold at its own pace. Several wordless sequences are beautiful duets between the director and her actors, allowing the characters (and the audience) to sort out their conflicted feelings.
Her visual style is also compelling. Working with cinematographer Jason Beasley, Karlhuber captures both the lush beauty of the Vermont countryside and the cramped confines of small town rural life. The recurring overhead shots of James in his childhood bedroom, for example, help to define the character and give the film momentum.
The script by Jack Bryant is generally strong. Bryant and Karlhuber wisely show James’ conversion therapy sessions in a series of flashbacks. This shows how the lingering effects of the deep psychic trauma inflicted on the young man continue to haunt him while allowing the present-day story to move along more quickly. The dialogue is natural and unforced and captures the rhythms of New England speech well.
Unfortunately, the resolution, while ultimately believable, comes a little quickly. While the scenes of Richard wandering the orchard by himself and James sitting alone in a pasture are lovely, more dialogue would make the final scenes flow more smoothly. Likewise, the backstory is not entirely clear. James’ relationship with his late mother is not well-defined and the sequence of events before and after his involuntary commitment is confusing. Likewise, the original music by Christopher Farrell often doesn’t seem to match the mood of the scenes or the personality of the characters.
Despite these challenges, Karlhuber gets strong performances from her lead actors. Tom Wopat’s stern performance may be a revelation to fans who remember him as Luke Duke or know him as a suave singer. Wopat sympathetically captures a laconic New England farmer unsure of how to handle rapidly changing circumstances. He also sings on the soundtrack during the final credits. In a similar manner, television and theatre actor Gregory Harrison is calmly effective as the sincere (and sincerely homophobic) doctor who tries to return James to the straight and narrow based on a very narrow reading of the Bible.
Michael Grant, who already has a string of impressive credits, turns in a strong performance as the troubled teenager. He is also, apparently, a talented pianist who performs his own keyboard work. Green and Harrison are both fine as unintentional rivals for James’ affections.
“Fair Haven” is a moving film that deserves great success on the LGBT festival circuit and in theaters after its world premiere here in D.C. Director Kerstin Karlhuber and her cast and crew tell a timely tale with appropriate style and simple grace.
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.
Unconventional homes becoming more popular
Out dancer on Alvin Ailey’s stint at Warner Theatre
This queer comedy show will warm you up
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
AIDS Healthcare Foundation sues Fla. over ‘illegal’ HIV drug program cuts
Two gay men face deportation to Iran
Defunding LGBTQ groups is a warning sign for democracy
Blade welcomes spring intern
Van Sant returns with gripping ‘Dead Man’s Wire’
