a&e features
Touring productions of ‘Hedwig,’ ‘Rent’ arrive in Washington
‘90s hits broke ground on stage with frank, funny portrayals of queer lives

‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’
Through July 2
The Kennedy Center
Tickets start at $59
202-467-4600
‘Rent’
June 20-25
National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Tickets start at $48
800-514-3849
Two of the best musicals to come out of the 1990s were “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” memoir meets rock concert, and “Rent,” a modern take on Puccini’s “La Bohème” exploring a year in the life of bohemian friends living in New York’s Alphabet City. Both enduring works feature unforgettable genderqueer characters. And now tours of both shows are overlapping in D.C.
Out actor/writer/director John Cameron Mitchell wrote “Hedwig’s” book and created the title role off Broadway in 1998. Composer Stephen Trask supplied the hard-driving score. Hedwig’s back story is riveting: Wannabe glam rock star undergoes botched gender reassignment surgery to escape East Germany for America. And that’s not that half of it. In a night, Hedwig reminisces via songs backed by the hard-rocking band the Angry Inch, and inimitably fills in the gaps.
Mitchell developed the Hedwig character in downtown New York clubs. He’s said that Hedwig is not a trans woman, but a genderqueer character. “She’s more than a woman or a man. She’s a gender of one and that is accidentally so beautiful.”
A successful revival of “Hedwig” opened on Broadway in 2014 and currently acclaimed actor Euan Morton is playing the title role in that production’s national tour. With his gorgeous soaring tenor, Morton arguably has the finest voice of the actors who’ve donned Hedwig’s wild blonde wig (a heady roster that in addition to Mitchell includes Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rennells, Darren Criss, Taye Diggs and D.C.’s own Rick Hammerly who won a Helen Hayes Award for his efforts).
“The score is definitely an odd combo and ballads and rock songs and requires some serious vocal acrobatics,” Morton says. “The day following a performance, I can barely speak which means I can no longer sing in the shower which is one of my favorite things. I really have to be careful, but it’s worth it — anything for the pleasure of performing this role.”
It’s fair to say he’s fallen in love with part.
“To be honest, I first really got a handle on the part when I was cast and sent to the script,” he says. “When I sat down and actually read the script, I wasn’t sure this was something for me, but I’m up for a challenge. We’re brought up being told where our box end. It’s good to go outside that box every now and then.”
Morton received a Tony Award nomination for his sensational portrayal of ‘80s icon Boy George in “Taboo.” And while playing Boy George prepared Morton to wear a lot of makeup and some wild outfits, he says that’s where it ends. No past part or any other actor’s interpretation of the role has influenced his take on the part.
“She is strong, aggressive, sexy and has led a very large life. Hedwig takes the actors who play her and molds them and uses them for her ends and not the other way around. It’s a not a character you can force. I’ve taken my cues from Hedwig.”
Morton, 39, didn’t do extensive research prior to joining the tour in November.
“My entire life has been an investigation into all things transgender. I was lucky enough to leave home when I was very young. And have been living and working with cisgender, transgender, non-binary gays and straights ever since. I’ve experienced this story through life. I’ve seen and can empathize but never really know what this is — the years of questioning and the pain. But I hope our tour can be for those on the journey to see people like themselves on stage.”
Born in Scotland, Morton left home early to study theater in London. Career highlights include Broadway’s “Taboo” and the lead in Ford’s Theatre production of “Parade” for which he deservedly snagged a Helen Hayes Award. Morton is married to theater producer Lee Armitage and their son is Iain Armitage the adorable boy theater critic who’s currently embarking on a big acting career. In March, CBS announced that it had ordered to series “Young Sheldon,” a prequel to the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” starring young Armitage as the title character.
Morton says “Hedwig’s” concert feel is part of what makes it work.
“She spends an hour and forty minutes talking directly to the audience. She’s doing her thing present day which allows me to bring in some Trump jokes. There’s no division between what’s happening and the audience. If you want to be part of the art rather than just an observer than come see the show.”
Out actor David Merino is currently making his professional debut playing Angel in the 20th anniversary tour of “Rent.” Merino was born in 1995 just months before “Rent” opened on Broadway in the spring of 1996.
“It’s meaningful for me to be part of this particular tour. To play this character and be part of this story and show at this time in this country is incredible. I’m happy that this is my job. The fact that the show and I are the same age is not lost on me. This story and the characters still resonate strongly.”
Angel is a drag queen and talented drummer who makes her money performing on the street. She and her partner Tom Collins are both dealing with having HIV and very little resources. Angel’s spotlight moment is the high energy number “Today For You Tomorrow For Me” which she sings costumed in a saucy Santa suit.
The tour is Merino’s third time playing Angel. Originally he assayed the role with a group of high school friends who formed their own company in his native Los Angeles. More recently he played Angel in college production at New York University where he was noticed by Broadway casting agents. He’s interrupted his studies to go on the road with the tour.
Merino took time to understand an era when people were dying from AIDS-related complications at a terrifying rate.
“I had to fill the gap with research and dive in,” he says. “I had to watch documentaries about covering pop culture and AIDS to figure out it. It wasn’t difficult to modernize Angel. But it was important for me to get across that’s she’s not a frivolous party person. She emanates a lot of love and light. She wasn’t a frivolous person.”
“I’ve never known a person like Angel in my own life. To portray her I had to discover her on my own. Now I work to bring her to the stage and show her to people.”
Coming out was difficult for Merino. His family didn’t understand his sexuality or his love for theater. In his teen years, he spent hours secretly watching the screen version of “Rent” again and again. Within the last several years his family has grown proud and supportive, he says. And for that Merino is very grateful.
Not everyone is comfortable with the material “Rent” or “Hedwig.” For Merino, touring with “Rent” through red states during campaign season was poignant. He felt an obligation to bring the musicals stories to those who valued them and those who had never heard them before.
“And it’s not just subject matter,” Morton says. “Hedwig’s score is very punk rock. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. One audience member who left midway famously commented, ‘I thought this was a show about Harry Potter’s owl.’”
Both Morton and Merino leave their respective tours after Washington. Merino plans to finish up his degree at New York University. And Morton says he’s eager to get back to singing Whitney Houston songs in the shower again.
a&e features
James Baldwin bio shows how much of his life is revealed in his work
‘A Love Story’ is first major book on acclaimed author’s life in 30 years

‘Baldwin: A Love Story’
By Nicholas Boggs
c.2025, FSG
$35/704 pages
“Baldwin: A Love Story” is a sympathetic biography, the first major one in 30 years, of acclaimed Black gay writer James Baldwin. Drawing on Baldwin’s fiction, essays, and letters, Nicolas Boggs, a white writer who rediscovered and co-edited a new edition of a long-lost Baldwin book, explores Baldwin’s life and work through focusing on his lovers, mentors, and inspirations.
The book begins with a quick look at Baldwin’s childhood in Harlem, and his difficult relationship with his religious, angry stepfather. Baldwin’s experience with Orilla Miller, a white teacher who encouraged the boy’s writing and took him to plays and movies, even against his father’s wishes, helped shape his life and tempered his feelings toward white people. When Baldwin later joined a church and became a child preacher, though, he felt conflicted between academic success and religious demands, even denouncing Miller at one point. In a fascinating late essay, Baldwin also described his teenage sexual relationship with a mobster, who showed him off in public.
Baldwin’s romantic life was complicated, as he preferred men who were not outwardly gay. Indeed, many would marry women and have children while also involved with Baldwin. Still, they would often remain friends and enabled Baldwin’s work. Lucien Happersberger, who met Baldwin while both were living in Paris, sent him to a Swiss village, where he wrote his first novel, “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” as well as an essay, “Stranger in the Village,” about the oddness of being the first Black person many villagers had ever seen. Baldwin met Turkish actor Engin Cezzar in New York at the Actors’ Studio; Baldwin later spent time in Istanbul with Cezzar and his wife, finishing “Another Country” and directing a controversial play about Turkish prisoners that depicted sexuality and gender.
Baldwin collaborated with French artist Yoran Cazac on a children’s book, which later vanished. Boggs writes of his excitement about coming across this book while a student at Yale and how he later interviewed Cazac and his wife while also republishing the book. Baldwin also had many tumultuous sexual relationships with young men whom he tried to mentor and shape, most of which led to drama and despair.
The book carefully examines Baldwin’s development as a writer. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” draws heavily on his early life, giving subtle signs of the main character John’s sexuality, while “Giovanni’s Room” bravely and openly shows a homosexual relationship, highly controversial at the time. “If Beale Street Could Talk” features a woman as its main character and narrator, the first time Baldwin wrote fully through a woman’s perspective. His essays feel deeply personal, even if they do not reveal everything; Lucian is the unnamed visiting friend in one who the police briefly detained along with Baldwin. He found New York too distracting to write, spending his time there with friends and family or on business. He was close friends with modernist painter Beauford Delaney, also gay, who helped Baldwin see that a Black man could thrive as an artist. Delaney would later move to France, staying near Baldwin’s home.
An epilogue has Boggs writing about encountering Baldwin’s work as one of the few white students in a majority-Black school. It helpfully reminds us that Baldwin connects to all who feel different, no matter their race, sexuality, gender, or class. A well-written, easy-flowing biography, with many excerpts from Baldwin’s writing, it shows how much of his life is revealed in his work. Let’s hope it encourages reading the work, either again or for the first time.
a&e features
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.

The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.

The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.





a&e features
In stressful times, escape to Rehoboth Beach
Here’s what’s new in D.C.’s favorite beach town for 2025

At last, after an uncharacteristically cold and snowy winter, another Rehoboth Beach season is upon us. I have been going to Rehoboth Beach since 1984, and it was the first place I went where people only knew me as a gay man. It was the year I came out. It was a summer community back then. Today it really is an exciting year-round community. But it’s still the summer season when Rehoboth shines, and when the businesses make most of their money.
The summer brings out tens of thousands of tourists, from day-trippers, to those with second homes at the beach. Everyone comes to the beach for the sun and sand, food, and drink. Some like to relax, others to party, and you can do both in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Stop by CAMP Rehoboth, the LGBTQ community center on Baltimore Avenue, to get the latest updates on what is happening. CAMP sponsors Sunfestival each Labor Day weekend, and a huge block party on Baltimore Avenue in October. They train the Rehoboth Beach police on how to work with the LGBTQ community, and have all kinds of special and regularly scheduled events. Pick up a copy of their publication, Letters, which is distributed around town.
I asked Kim Leisey, CAMP’s executive director, for her thoughts, and she said, “CAMP Rehoboth looks forward to welcoming our friends and visitors to Rehoboth Beach. We are a safe space for our community and will be sponsoring social opportunities, art receptions, concerts, and art exhibits, throughout the summer. If you are planning a wedding, shower, reception, or business meeting, our beautiful atrium is available for rental. We look forward to a summer of solidarity and fun.” While at CAMP stop in the courtyard at a favorite place of mine, Lori’s Oy Vey! Café, and tryher famous chicken salad.
There’s something for everyone at the beach, from walking the boardwalk and eating Thrasher’s fries, to visiting Funland, or playing a game of miniature golf. Or head to some of the world-class restaurants like Drift, Eden, Blue Moon, or Back Porch.
Some random bits on the summer 2025 season. Prices are going up like everywhere else. Your parking meter will cost you $4 an hour. Meters are in effect May 15-Sept. 15. Parking permits for all the non-metered spaces in town are also expensive. Transferable permits are $365,non-transferable $295, or after Aug. 1 if you only come for the end of summer, it’s $165. Detailed information is available on the town’s website.
Rehoboth lost one of its best restaurant this off-season, JAM, but Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant is open for its fourth season. Owner Freddie Lutz told the Blade, “We are looking forward to a fabulous season. Freddie’s has a dance floor and is the only music video bar in town.” There is also live entertainment, karaoke, and Freddie’s Follies drag show Friday nights.

My favorite happy hour bar is Aqua Grill, which has reopened for the season. I recommend taking advantage of their great Tuesday Taco night, and Thursday burger night. Then there is The Pines and Top of the Pines. Bob Suppies of Second Block Hospitality told me, “Come, relax, and play. We are ready! I have been spending summers here since the mid-90’s, and Rehoboth Beach seems to age like a fine wine. Between the new, and favorite restaurants opening back up, the shops bursting with incredible finds, and all the great LGBTQ+ bars to entertain everyone, nowhere beats the Delaware beaches this summer.”
Head down the block on Baltimore Avenue and you get to La Fable restaurant. Go all the way to the beach and you will see the new lifeguard station, which is slated to open later this month. Also, demolition of the old hotel and north boardwalk Grotto Pizza has happened. The site will become a new four-story, 60-room hotel, with ground level retail space.
Then join me at my favorite morning place at the beach, The Coffee Mill, in the mews between Rehoboth and Baltimore Avenues, open every morning at 7 a.m. Owners Mel and Bob also have the Mill Creamery, the ice cream parlor in the mews, and Brashhh! on 1st street, where Mel sells his own clothing line, called FEARLESS! Then there is the ever-popular Purple Parrot, celebrating its 26th year, now with new owners Tyler Townsend and Drew Mitchell, who welcome you to their iconic place. It has only gotten better. If you head farther down Rehoboth Avenue you will find the Summer House with its upscale Libation Room, and a nice garden looking out on Rehoboth Avenue. Also on Rehoboth Avenue is Gidget’s Gadgets owned by the fabulous Steve Fallon. With the renewed interest in vinyl records you may want to stop in at Extended Play.
Then there is the always busy and fun, Diego’s Bar and Nightclub. Joe Zuber of Diego’s told the Blade, “Get ready for a great gay ole time in Rehoboth Beach. Plenty of entertainment, dancing and fun as we seem to be the next Stonewall generation with this newest administration. Each election brings its concerns about how our gay community will be affected. Come to Rehoboth Beach to escape this summer season!”
If you are in town for Sunday happy hour, make sure to stop there to hear the talented Pamala Stanley who is celebrating her 20th season entertaining in Rehoboth.And on Mondays, Stanley plays Broadway and other classics on the piano at Diego’s.
If you are looking for culture Rehoboth has some of that as well. There is the Clear Space Theatre on Baltimore Avenue. Rumors abound that Clear Space will move out of town. But I can’t believe the commissioners and mayor would be dumb enough to let that happen. This year’s shows include “Spring Awakening,” “Buyer + Cellar,” “Hairspray,” “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” and “RENT.”Tickets sell fast so I suggest you book early and they are available online. Then mark your calendars for Saturday, July 19 for Rehoboth Beach Pride 2025 at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the other fine restaurants and clubs in town. Just a reminder, during season you often need dinner reservations. Come to the beach often enough, and you can try them all: Café Azafran, Dos Locos, Goolee’s Grille, Rigby’s, Frank and Louie’s, Above the Dunes, Mariachi, and Henlopen City Oyster House, and Red, White & Basil. And take a short drive to Dewey for breakfast or lunch at the Starboard; popular bartender Doug Moore (winner of the Blade’s Best Rehoboth-Area Bartender 2024 award) holds court at one of the inside bars, which has become a de facto gay bar on Saturdays.
One major development in the local dining scene last summer was the purchase of the Big Fish Restaurant Group by Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group. Nearly a year later, not much has changed at the many Big Fish restaurants, although many locals are hoping for a renovation of Obie’s along with a gay night at the ocean-front bar/restaurant.
These are only a few of the fantastic places to eat and drink at the beach. Remember, book your reservations for hotels and restaurants, early. Rehoboth is a happening place and gets very busy.
We are living in stressful times. A visit to Rehoboth is a nice way to escape them for a while. Take the time to destress, enjoy the sun and sand. Take a stroll on the boardwalk and listen to the sound of the ocean, and people having fun. Enjoy good times, good food, good friends, and remember that life can still be good. Recharge your batteries for the rest of the year, by enjoying some summer fun in Rehoboth Beach.
