Arts & Entertainment
Katy, Gaga, Janet, Kesha, Bruno for starters
Be ready to cough up hundreds for good seats at A-lister shows
Gay broadway heartthrob Cheyenne Jackson plays the Barns at Wolf Trap on Sunday, Oct. 15. (Photo by Karl Simone; courtesy Wolf Trap)
This fall brings a massive wealth of talent to the Washington area. There are many shows to choose from with every imaginable genre represented. Here is but a small sampling.
The fall season begins with a bang as pop/R&B superstar the Weeknd brings his “Starboy Legend of the Fall 2017 World Tour” to Capital One Arena, formerly the Verizon Center (601 F Street, N.W.), on Friday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $39-276 and up. For more information, visit capitalonearena.
MGM National Harbor (101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, Md.) has an impressive lineup of talent slated including famed Bollywood vocalist Shreya Ghoshal. She performs on Friday, Sept. 15 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets range from $80-281 and up, and details are available mgmnationalharbor.com.
Acclaimed Canadian alternative collective Arcade Fire and their “Infinite Content 2017 Tour” will play Capital One Arena on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $26-230 and up.
Popular up and coming alternative popsters Young the Giant appears with Cold War Kids at Merriweather Post Pavilion (10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md.) on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35-100. Details at merriweathermusic.com.
On Sept. 19-20, English pop heartthrob Ed Sheeran stops by the Capital One Arena for two sold-out shows.
R&B singer Brandy will appear at the Fillmore Silver Spring (8656 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.) on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. The general admission tickets are priced at $45 with more information available at fillmoresilverspring.com.
Celebrating their 25th anniversary with their “Middle of Everywhere Tour,” pop trio Hanson will play at the Fillmore Silver Spring on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. for a sold-out show.
Pop diva Katy Perry brings “WITNESS: the Tour” to Capital One Arena on Monday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $50-427 and up.
Veteran British popsters Saint Etienne perform at U Street Music Hall (1115 U St., N.W.) on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30. Details at ustreetmusichall.com.
As expected, the 9:30 Club (815 V Street, N.W.) has an impressive array of talent lined up for its hallowed stage this fall. The versatile electronic hip-hop visionary Thundercat plays a highly anticipated show on Friday, Sept. 29 at 9:30 p.m., with tickets at $25. More information is available at 930.com.
R&B/pop superstar Bruno Mars brings his electrifying “24K Magic World Tour” to Capital One Arena for two shows Sept. 29-30 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $188 to as much as $1,180 and higher to see one of the biggest names in music.
One of the most acclaimed electronic groups around Crystal Castles return to the 9:30 Club for a Saturday, Sept. 30 show that begins at 9:30 p.m.Tickets are $30.
DAR Constitution Hall (18th and C streets N.W.) welcomes former One Direction star Harry Styles for a show on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $57.70-97.50. For more details, visit dar.org/constitution-hall.
At the Kennedy Center (2700 F Street, N.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 1 is an intriguing show called “Orion’s Rise: A Special Performance” with Solange and the Sun Ra Arkestra. The show begins at 7 p.m. and tickets range from $49-169. More information is available at kennedy-center.org.
Mashrou’ Leila, a gay-led rock band from Lebanon, plays the Flex Stage room at the Birchmere on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35. Details at birchmere.com.
Latino stars Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull team up for a show at Capital One Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $39-309 and up.
Hot off a stellar new album, Kesha is back and better than ever with her “Rainbow Tour 2017.” She performs at the Fillmore Silver Spring on Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. It’s sold out.
Half of the Indigo Girls, lesbian folk-pop icon Emily Saliers brings her solo “Murmuration Nation Tour” to The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $29.50. Details at birchmere.com.
Foster the People, Young Thug and Galantis headline the 2017 All Things Go Fall Classic music and food festival at Union Market Oct. 6-8. Details at allthingsgofallclassic.com.
Local favorite Dave Grohl and his powerhouse rockers Foo Fighters have the honor of opening the new venue on the Waterfront, The Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.), for a historic show on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets begin at $100 although it may take some good fortune to find one for this sold-out show. More information is available at theanthemdc.com.
The inspirational transgender vocalist Laura Jane Grace and her cohorts in Against Me! perform Friday, Oct. 13 at the 9:30 Club for a 9:30 p.m.show, with tickets at $25.
The always hilarious and thought-provoking Margaret Cho is back for a performance at Warner Theatre (513 13th Street, N.W.) on Saturday, Oct. 14 for her “Fresh Off The Bloat Tour.” Tickets are $27-58. Details at warnertheatredc.com.
Openly gay singer/actor Cheyenne Jackson will be at the Barns at Wolf Trap (1635 Trap Road, Vienna, Va.) on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45-55. Details at wolftrap.org.
The return of LCD Soundsystem is one of the big musical stories of 2017, and they perform two nights at the Anthem Oct. 17-18 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $61.75-81.75.
Queens of the Stone Age and British rockers Royal Blood team up for an exciting show at the Anthem on Friday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $49.50-75.
The popular DJ and electronic producer Zedd is slated for a show at the Anthem on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $41-76.
One of the most important bands currently recording is undoubtedly the War on Drugs, and they return to D.C. for a show at the Anthem on Monday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $75-125.
Out comedian Suzanne Westenhoeffer plays the Birchmere on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45.
Shawn Colvin is celebrating her classic album “A Few Small Repairs” with a 20th Anniversary Tour that will stop at the Birchmere for two highly anticipated shows Oct. 30-31 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $62.50.
Maynard James Keenan and A Perfect Circle bring their dark and heavy rock to EagleBank Arena (4500 Patriot Cir., Fairfax, Va.) on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $40-276 and up with more information available at eaglebankarena.com.
The following night Fall Out Boy will also rock out EagleBank Arena. The emo rockers bring their “MANIA Tour” for Thursday, Nov. 2 show that begins at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $30-245 and up.
A cappella wonders Straight No Chaser bring their dynamic harmonies to DAR Constitution Hall for a Thursday, Nov. 2 show that begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $62 and up.
Legendary singer/songwriter/pianist Tori Amos is always spectacular live and her latest tour in support of new album “Native Invader” should be no different. She’s playing at MGM National Harbor on Friday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m., with tickets ranging from $54-216 and up.
Popular ‘90s-era alternative rockers the Breeders are back, and will play Lincoln Theatre (1215 U Street, N.W.) on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35. Details at thelincolndc.com.
One of the more intriguing shows of the season promises to be the eclectic and uber-talented Flying Lotus in 3D at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.) on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 and more information is available at echostage.com.
Seattle-based rapper Macklemore, known for his smash “Thrift Shop” and his touching “Same Love” with Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert is appearing solo on “The Gemini Tour” at the Fillmore Silver Spring. The Saturday, Nov. 11 show begins at 8 p.m. and is sold out.
The always entertaining duo of openly gay sisters Tegan and Sara bring their “10th Anniversary Acoustic Tour” celebrating their album “The Con” to the Anthem on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. Tickets are in the $50.50-76 range.
Legendary dance/pop/R&B icon Janet Jackson is back after delaying her previously scheduled show to have her baby. The new mother brings her “State of the World Tour” to Capital One Arena on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m., with tickets ranging from $37-337 and higher. She plays Baltimore on Saturday, Nov. 18.
The musically gifted St. Vincent is a must-see when she appears at the Anthem on Monday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $44-60.
R&B songstress Erykah Badu brings her chill groove to the Anthem on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $76-126.
One of the most anticipated shows of the fall is undoubtedly the one and only Lady Gaga, who brings her “Joanne World Tour” to Capital One Arena on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $74-587 or more.
Diva extraordinaire Chaka Khan graces the stage of Warner Theatre on Friday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $69-130.
Electro-wizard Diplo is at Echostage for a Saturday, Nov. 25 for a 9 p.m. show. Tickets are in the $40-50 range for what is certain to be an electrifying performance.
St. Vincent, who eschews labels but believes in gender and sexual “fluidity,” plays Anthem on Monday, Nov. 27. Tickets are $44-149.
Rap mogul JAY-Z is set to rock the Capital One Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. on his “4:44 Tour.” Tickets range from $50-356 and higher.
The influential duo of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione, the Dresden Dolls, are back for a show at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, Nov. 31 at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35.
Longtime favorite pop-folk troubadour Dar Williams is back at the Birchmere Dec. 8-9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for a concert that will also include readings and discussions from her new book, “What I Found in a Thousand Towns.”
As fall winds to an end, there are worse ways to get into the holiday mood than by seeing the A Pentatonix Christmas Tour at the Anthem on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $59.50-149.50 for a chance to see the a cappella supergroup.
And as has become an annual event, gay shock- and schlockmeister John Waters returns to the Birchmere for his Christmas show on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $55.
Sports
English soccer bans transgender women from women’s teams
British Supreme Court last month ruled legal definition of woman limited to ‘biological women’
The organization that governs English soccer on Thursday announced it will no longer allow transgender women to play on women’s teams.
The British Supreme Court on April 16 ruled the legal definition of a woman is limited to “biological women” and does not include trans women. The Football Association’s announcement, which cites the ruling, notes its new policy will take effect on June 1.
“As the governing body of the national sport, our role is to make football accessible to as many people as possible, operating within the law and international football policy defined by UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) and FIFA,” said the Football Association in a statement that announced the policy change. “Our current policy, which allows transgender women to participate in the women’s game, was based on this principle and supported by expert legal advice.”
“This is a complex subject, and our position has always been that if there was a material change in law, science, or the operation of the policy in grassroots football then we would review it and change it if necessary,” added the Football Association.
The Football Association also acknowledged the new policy “will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify.”
“We are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game,” it said.
The Football Association told the BBC there were “fewer than 30 transgender women registered among millions of amateur players” and there are “no registered transgender women in the professional game” in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The Scottish Football Association, which governs soccer in Scotland, is expected to also ban trans women from women’s teams.
Theater
Theatre Prometheus spreads queer joy with ‘Galatea’
Two girls dressed as boys who find love despite the odds
‘Galatea’
Through May 10
Theatre Prometheus
Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center
7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, Md.
$27
Theatreprometheus.org
In a timely move, Theatre Prometheus thought it would be a beneficial thing to spread a little queer joy. And since the company’s mission includes engaging audiences and artists in queer and feminist art, there was nothing to stop them.
Co-artistic directors Tracey Erbacher and Lauren Patton Villegas, both queer, agree they’ve found that joy in John Lyly’s “Galatea,” an Elizabethan-era comedy about Galatea and Phillida, two girls dressed as boys who find love despite some rather slim odds.
Now playing at Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus, the upbeat offering is a mix of contemporary and period, and strives to make audiences happy. Galatea’s cast includes Amber Coleman and Cate Ginsberg as the besotted pair.
Erbacher, also the production’s director, adds “queer joy is something that I prioritized in casting actors and interviewing production people. I asked them what it means to them, and resoundingly the reply — from both them and the play — is that queer joy is the freedom to be yourself without having to think about it.
“Galatea” was first brought to Prometheus’s attention by Caitlin Partridge, the company’s literary director. Erbacher recalls, “she strongly suggested I read this very queer play. I read it and fell absolutely in love. And because it’s a comedy — I really like directing comedy — I knew that I could lean into that while not neglecting its universal themes of young love.”
Villegas, who’s not ordinarily drawn to the classics, was also instantly smitten with Galatea.
“Usually with classics, the language doesn’t jump out at me the way modern works do,” she says. “But not so with ‘Galatea.’ The first time I heard it read aloud, I found it easy to follow and entirely accessible in the best way.”
Whether Lyly deliberately wrote a queer play isn’t known. What’s definitely known is the play was written with an all-boy performing troupe in mind; that’s partly why there are so many young female roles, the parts 10-year-old boys were playing at the time.
There’s not a lot known about Lyly’s personal life, mostly because he wasn’t wildly famous. What’s known about the times is that there wasn’t a concept of “gay,” but there were sodomy laws regarding homosexual activity in England geared toward men having sex with men; it was all very phallocentric, Erbacher says.
She categorically adds, “Women’s sexuality wasn’t considered in the equation. In fact, it was often asked whether women were even capable of having sex with other women. It just was not part of the conversation. If there wasn’t a dick involved it didn’t count.
“Perhaps that’s how the playwright got around it. If there were two male characters in the play he could not have done it.”
Prometheus has done adaptations of ancient myths and some classics, but in this case it’s very faithful to the original text. Other than some cuts winnowing the work down to 90 minutes, “Galatea” is pretty much exactly as Lyly wrote it.
And that includes, “girls dressed as boys who fall in love thinking girls are boys,” says Erbacher. “And then they start to clock things: ‘I think he is as I am.’ And then they don’t care if the object of their affection is a boy or a girl, the quintessential bisexual iconic line.”
And without spoiling a thing, the director teases, “the ending is even queerer than the rest of the play.”
Erbacher and Villegas have worked together since Prometheus’s inception 11 years ago. More recently, they became co-artistic directors, splitting the work in myriad ways. It’s a good fit: They share values but not identical artistic sensibilities allow them to exchange objective feedback.
In past seasons, the collaborative pair have produced an all-women production of “Macbeth” and a queered take on [gay] “Cymbeline,” recreating it as a lesbian love story. And when roles aren’t specifically defined male or female, they take the best actor for the part.
With Galatea, Prometheus lightens the current mood. Erbacher says, “the hard stuff is important but exhausting. We deserve a queer rom-com, a romantic sweeping story that’s not focused on how hard it is to be queer, but rather the joy of it.”
Movies
Jacob Elordi rides high in ‘On Swift Horses’
Sony Pictures’ promotions avoid referencing queer sexuality of main characters
You might not know it from the publicity campaign, but the latest big-screen project for breakout “Euphoria” actor and sex symbol Jacob Elordi is 100% a gay love story.
Alright, perhaps that’s not entirely accurate. “On Swift Horses” – adapted from the novel by Shannon Pufahl and directed by Daniel Minahan from a screenplay by Bryce Kass – actually splits its focus between two characters, the other of which is played by “Normal People” star Daisy Edgar-Jones; but since that story arc is centered around her own journey toward lesbian self-acceptance, it’s unequivocally a “Queer Movie” anyway.
Set in 1950s America, at the end of the Korean War, it’s an unmistakably allegorical saga that stems from the marriage between Muriel (Edgar-Jones) and Lee (Will Poulter), a newly discharged serviceman with dreams of building a new life in California. His plans for the future include his brother Julius (Elordi), a fellow war vet whose restlessly adventurous spirit sparks a kindred connection and friendship with his sister-in-law despite a nebulously strained dynamic with Lee. Though the newlyweds follow through with the plan, Julius opts out in favor of the thrill of a hustler’s life in Las Vegas, where his skills as a card shark gain him employment in a casino. Nevertheless, he and Muriel maintain their friendship through correspondence, as he meets and falls in love with co-worker Henry (Diego Calva) and struggles to embrace the sexual identity he has long kept secret. Meanwhile, Muriel embarks on a secret life of her own, amassing a secret fortune by gambling on horse races and exploring a parallel path of self-acceptance with her boldly butch new neighbor, Sandra (Sasha Calle), as Lee clings obliviously to his dreams of building a suburban family life in the golden era of all-American post-war prosperity.
Leisurely, pensive, and deeply infused with a sense of impossible yearning, it’s the kind of movie that might easily, on the surface, be viewed as a nostalgia-tinged romantic triangle – albeit one with a distinctively queer twist. While it certainly functions on that level, one can’t help but be aware of a larger scope, a metaphoric conceit in which its three central characters serve as representatives of three conflicting experiences of the mid-century “American Dream” that still looms large in our national identity. With steadfast, good-hearted Lee as an anchor, sold on a vision of creating a better life for himself and his family than the one he grew up with, and the divergent threads of unfulfilled longing that thwart his fantasy with their irresistible pull on the wife and brother with whom he hoped to share it, it becomes a clear commentary on the bitter reality behind a past that doesn’t quite gel with the rose-colored memories still fetishized in the imagination of so many Americans.
Fortunately, it counterbalances that candidly expressed disharmony with an empathetic perspective in which none of its characters is framed as an antagonist; rather, each of them are presented in a way with which we can readily identify, each following a still-unsatisfied longing that draws them all inexorably apart despite the bonds – tenuous but emotionally genuine – they have formed with each other. To put it in a more politically-centered way, the staunch-but-naive conformity of Lee, in all his patriarchal tunnel vision, does not make him a villainous oppressor any more than the repressed queerness of Muriel and Julius make them idealized champions of freedom; all of them are simply following an inner call, and each can be forgiven – if not entirely excused – for the missteps they take in response to it
That’s not to say that Minahan’s movie doesn’t play into a tried-and-true formula; there’s a kind of “stock character” familiarity around those in the orbit of the three main characters, leading to an inevitably trope-ish feel to their involvement – despite the finely layered performances of Calva and Calle, which elevate their roles as lovers to the film’s two queer explorers and allow them both to contribute their own emotional textures – and occasionally pulls the movie into the territory of melodrama.
Yet that larger-than-life treatment, far from cheapening “On Swift Horses,” is a big part of its stylish appeal. Unapologetically lush in its gloriously photographed recreation of saturated 1950s cinema (courtesy of Director of Photography Luc Montpellier), it takes us willingly into its dream landscape of mid-century America – be it through the golden suburbs of still-uncrowded Southern California or the neon-lit flash of high-rolling Las Vegas, or even the macabre (but historically accurate) depiction of nuclear-age thrill-seekers convening for a party in the Nevada desert to watch an atom bomb detonate just a few short miles away. It’s a world remembered by most of us now only through the memories and artifacts of a former generation, rendered with an artful blend of romance and irony, and inhabited by people in whom we can see ourselves reflected while marveling at their beauty and charisma.
As lovely as the movie is to look at, and as effective as it is in evoking the mix of idealism and disillusionment that defines the America of our grandparents for many of us at the start of the second quarter of the 21st century, it’s that last factor that gives Minahan’s film the true “Hollywood” touch. His camera lovingly embraces the beauty of his stars. Edgar-Jones burns with an intelligence and self-determination that underscores the feminist struggle of the era, and the director makes sure to capture the journey she charts with full commitment; Poulter, who could have come off as something of a dumb brute, is allowed to emphasize the character’s nobility over his emotional cluelessness; Calle is a fiery presence, and Minahan lets her burn in a way that feels radical even today; Calva is both alluring and compelling, providing an unexpected depth of emotion that the film embraces as a chord of hope.
But it is Elordi who emerges to truly light up the screen. Handsome, charismatic, and palpably self-confident, he’s an actor who frankly needs to do little more than walk into the scene to grab our attention – but here he is given, perhaps for the first time, the chance to reveal an even greater depth of sensitivity and truth, making his Julius into the film’s beating heart and undisputed star. It’s an authenticity he brings into his much-touted love scenes with Calva, lighting up a chemistry that is ultimately as joyously queer-affirming as they are steamy.
Which is why Sony Pictures’ promotions for the film – which avoid directly referencing the sexuality of its two main characters, instead hinting at “secret desires” and implying a romantic connection between Elordi and Edgar-Jones – feels not just like a miscalculation, but a slap in the face. Though it’s an eloquent, quietly insightful look back at American cultural history, it incorporates those observations into a wistful, bittersweet, but somehow impossibly hopeful story that emphasizes the validity of queer love.
That’s something to be celebrated, not buried – which makes “On Swift Horses” a sure bet for your must-see movie list.
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