Arts & Entertainment
Booze and boos
The Zoo, Distrkt C, Synetic among main Halloween area events
The region is teeming with LGBT-friendly Halloween parties and costume contests this weekend. (Washington Blade photo by Damien Salas)
With Halloween falling mid-week this year, all the big partying is this weekend. Here are some regional highlights, many with a gay twist.
Friday, Oct. 27
Camp Variety Cabaret presents the “Scary Tales: A Grimm Night of Burlesque” tonight at 8 p.m. Burlesque and variety performers will bring to life Washington’s scary fairy tales. Performers include Ophelia Zayna Hart, Danny Cavalier, Queen Nefertittie, Ginger Jameson, Delilah Dentata (Rocky), Cherie Sweetbottom, Carlita Caliente, Phoenix King. Buster Britches hosts the show. Zamora the Torture King will be the special guest.Tickets are $15 in advance and $17 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. For more details, search “Camp Variety Cabaret” on Facebook.
Night of the Living Zoo is at Smithsonian’s National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-10 p.m. There will be live entertainment, performance artists, a bar and food trucks. There will also be a costume contest, rides on the Speedwell Conservation Carousel and snowless tubing. Guests will receive after-hours access to the Small Mammal House, Reptile Discovery Center and Great Cats Circle. General admission tickets are $30 for members of FONZ and $40 for non-members. It includes two drink tickets and complimentary soda and water. VIP tickets are $65 for FONZ members and $90 for non-members. It includes three drink tickets, VIP express check-in, a souvenir tumbler, one ticket for snowless tubing, private access to the VIP bar and lounge, complimentary food tastings, animal demonstrations and a private dance party. For more details, visit national zoo.si.edu/events/night-living
D.C. Bear Crue hosts its annual Halloween contest at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight from 6-11 p.m. Prizes include drink tickets and bottles of alcohol. Line up starts at 9 p.m. and contest starts at 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/bearhappyhour.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Stranger Queens Halloween Party, for guests 18 and older, tonight at 10 p.m. Drag show starts at 10:30 p.m. GoGo boys perform after 11 p.m. DJ West and DJ Back2back will play music. There will be a costume contest at midnight with cash prizes of $500, $250 and $150. Cover is $15.
Burlesque-a-pades presents a two-night Halloween show featuring Angie Pontani, the Main Attraction, Mr. Gorgeous, Ginger Leigh, Cherry Bomb, Peek-a-Boo Revue and Rosalee Sweet and other special guests. Albert Cadabra hosts. The show will take place at the Creative Alliance (3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, Md.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. On Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., the show takes place at Rams Head On-Stage (33 West St., Annapolis, Md.). Tickets are $22.50. For more information, visit creativealliance.org and ramsheadonstage.com.
Synetic Theater (1800 S Bell St., Arlington, Va.) hosts its 11th annual Vampire’s Ball tonight at 8 p.m. The party will follow the theater’s performance of “Peter Pan.” There will be an open bar and costume content. DJ Konstantine Lortkipandidze will play music. Tickets include the 8 p.m. performance of “Peter Pan.” Tickets range from $25-75.
Saturday, Oct. 28
Ghosttown, Town’s 21-and-over Halloween party, is tonight at 10 p.m. There will be a costume contest at midnight with $1,000, $500 and $250 cash prizes. DJ Ed Bailey and DJ West will play music. Drag show starts at 10:30 p.m. Cover is $15. For more details, visit towndc.com.
Synetic Theater hosts its new Pirate’s Ball, a family friendly party, today at 2 p.m. Tickets include the 2 p.m. performance of “Peter Pan,” family activities, light appetizers and a meet-and-greet with some of the cast. Guests are encouraged to come in costume and to bring a trick-or-treat bag. Tickets range from $50-70. For more details, visit synetictheater.org.
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) hosts Eighties Mayhem: ‘80s Halloween Dance Party tonight at 9 p.m. DJ Missguided, DJ Steve EP and DJ Killa K will spin tracks. Costumes are encouraged. Cover is $15. For more details, blackcatdc.com.
Mamajuana Edibles hosts “Tree or Treat,” a Halloween cannabis event, today from noon-4 p.m. Costumes are encouraged but not required. There will be music, vendors, special edition edibles and more. Smoking is permitted. A $5 donation is required. The address will be given with RSVP. For more information, visit facebook.com/mamuanaedibles.
Uproar Lounge and Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts House of Horror Costume Party tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. The party is open theme and all costume types are allowed. For more details, visit facebook.com/uproarloungedc.
Skintight USA hosts Hot Horror Halloween at Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) tonight from 8 p.m.- 2 a.m. There will be a costume contest and raffle with $1,000 in prizes including porn, comics, toys and games. Shirley U. Jest will perform. DJ David Merrill will spin tracks. Tickets are $10 at the door. For more information, visit facebook.com/skintightusa.
Distrkt C hosts Warlock, a Halloween party, at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) tonight from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. DJ Josh Whitaker will play an extended set. There will be a midnight costume contest with a $250 prize. Tickets are $25. For more details, visit distrktc.com.
Lindy Promotions hosts its 19th annual Nightmare on M Street bar crawl today from 2-8 p.m. There will be costume contests, prizes and drink specials. Participating bars are Barcode, the Big Hunt, Blackfinn, Decades, Dirty Bar, Dirty Martini, The Gryphon, Public Bar and D.C. Taphouse. Tickets range from $10-20. For more information, visit lindypromo.com.
Sunday, Oct. 29
Flash hosts a Halloween edition of Flashy After Hours this morning from 3:30-9 a.m. Tickets are $30. Guests with a wristband to the Cherry Fund party at Cobalt will receive $5 off. DJ Sean Morris and DJ Twin will play music. For more information, visit facebook.com/flashydc.
Tuesday, Oct. 31
D.C. Gaymers host a Halloween party at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from 7-10 p.m. The group will be playing classic games like “Smash Bros.,” “Mario Kart,” “Tekken,” “Pokken Tournament” and more. The game “Resident Evil” will also be screened. There will be a raffle for prizes and a costume contest with a grand prize of $500. For more details, visit facebook.com/dcgaymers.
D.C. Front Runners hosts a Halloween-themed run kicking off at Union Station (50 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. Costumes are encouraged. For more details, search “D.C. Front Runners” on Facebook.
Books
Thom Gunn bio explores joys, complexities of modern gay life
‘A Cool Queer Life’ presents author’s humanity, poetic genius
‘Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life’
By Michael Nott
c.2024, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
$40/720 pages
A confession: Until reading “Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life,” I hadn’t known much about the accomplished, controversial gay poet’s life or read many of his poems. But this first biography makes me feel like I know him and his large body of work intimately. Michael Nott, coeditor of “The Letters of Thom Gunn,” draws on interviews with friends and family, as well as Gunn’s letters, notebooks, and diaries, to tell the triumphs and tragedies of his life.
Born in England in 1929 to journalist parents, when he was 15, he and his younger brother Ander found their mother dead from suicide. He would not discuss this tragic event in his poetry for years, including one of his last poems “My Mother’s Pride.” He published his first book of poems, “Fighting Terms,” while still an undergraduate at Cambridge University.
At Cambridge, Gunn met his life-long partner, Mike Kitay, an American studying theater. Gunn followed Kitay to America, studying poetry under Yvor Winters at Stanford University. At one point, Kitay, doing his military service, was investigated as part of suspicion of homosexuality among his unit. Gunn wrote to friends of his worry both of what might happen to Kitay as well as to himself. While nothing happened, the event reminds us of the precarious state in which gay men lived until recently.
Eventually, they settled in San Francisco, which Gunn loved. Even when he became worldwide famous, he enjoyed the anonymity of the city’s gay bars, where he could pick up men. He taught at UC Berkeley for 40 years, one term every year so he could concentrate on his poetry. His and Kitay’s home was filled with friends and sex partners, usually of Gunn. This arrangement seems common for many gay men of the time, reminiscent of Dan Savage’s idea of “monogamish,” where committed gay couples might have other side partners.
In San Francisco, Gunn discovered leather and drugs, both of which he took to readily. He caused a stir by appearing in his British publisher’s conservative club in leather gear. Toward the end of his life, he became a crystal meth addict, frequently using with other addicts whom he also slept with. In 2004, his housemates found him dead from substance abuse.
He explored leather, drugs, and gay sexuality frequently in his poems. His collection “Moly” (named after the drug in The Odyssey protecting from the witch Circe’s magic), looked at the appeal and downfall of drugs. The Man with Night Sweats, perhaps his most famous collection, dealt with the AIDS epidemic, the painful death of so many friends and lovers. He won the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant afterwards.
The biography presents Gunn in all his humanity, from his poetic genius to his insecurities. After each book came out, he struggled with writer’s block, which led to hookups and drug use. As he aged, he worried about finding “gerontophiles” who would sleep with him. I hope this book encourages readers to discover or revisit his work, filled with the joys and complexities of modern gay life.
Out & About
Blade to mark 55 years, celebrate Best Of LGBTQ DC
The Washington Blade will celebrate 55 years of delivering LGBTQ news and also the best LGBTQ things in the city on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Crush Bar.
First drink courtesy of Absolut. Must be 21 to attend and the event’s sponsors are ABSOLUT, Crush, and Infinite Legacy.
Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at bestoflgbtqdc.com.
The Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Foundation is hosting a series of October events, starting with a free documentary, “The New Black,” on Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Branch Towson University in Bel Air, Md. Admission is free; visit ucbpride.com for details and to reserve a spot. There will also be a family-friendly Sunday stroll on Oct. 20, 5-6 p.m. at North Park Loop Trail; meet at the Lock House at 817 Conesteo St. in Havre de Grace, Md.
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