Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Nov. 2-8, 2018
Reel Affirmations fest, HIPS anniversary, Wanda Sykes and more for the week ahead
Wanda Sykes plays the Strathmore this weekend. (Photo by Derek Wood)
Friday, Nov. 2
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) presents Exile Fridays featuring the D.C. Eagle’s Birds of Prey tonight at 10 p.m. This is the only 18-and-over weekly drag show in the District. Ba’Naka hosts the night with performances by Brooklyn Heights, Iyana Deschanel, Sasha Adams Sanchez and Gigi Paris Couture. Linda Lector will appear as a special guest. DJ Ryan Doubleyou will spin tracks. Showtime is at 10:30 p.m. For more information, visit dceagle.com.
Reel Affirmations Film Festival screens “Eva+Candela” at GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The film tells the story of two professional women who start a love affair. The Six-Pack Film Pass is $65 and includes entry to six films and priority and reserved seating. The Festival Pass is $150 and includes entry to 14 film screenings; the All Access Festival Pass is $175 and gives access to 14 film screenings and entry to the filmmaker reception; the MovieStar Pass is $225 and includes an All Access Pass and complimentary cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, popcorn and movie candy. The Moviemogul Pass is $350 and includes all MovieStar perks and a six-month pass to Reel Affirmations films. For more details, visit reelaffirmations.org.
HIPS celebrates its 25th anniversary at the Whittemore House (1526 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-9:30 p.m. “Pose” star and transgender rights advocate Angelica Ross will receive the Hero Award. There will be a reception, auction and a main program. Tickets are $75. For more information, visit hips25th.com.
Saturday, Nov. 3
Stonewall Kickballs’ District Jocks hosts Cornhole for a Cause, a tournament benefitting SMYAL, at Stead Park (1519 17th St., N.W.) today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Registration fee is $50 per team of two people. The fee includes tournament entry, 15 raffle tickets for each players, two drink tickets to JR.’s, a day pass to VIDA and a drink bracelet for specials at JR.’s and Nellie’s Sports Bar for the after party. Tournament prizes include three free months at Vida, three free training sessions at Vida, a $100 gift card to Aura Spa, Washington Capital tickets and more. Deadline for registration is midnight on Nov. 2.
Reel Affirmations Film Festival screens “Trans Youth” at GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The documentary follows seven transgender young adults as they deal with family, love, transition, hormone therapy and more. Tickets are $12. Film passes are also available. For more information, visit reelaffiramtions.org.
Reel Affirmations Film Festival Screening presents “Fun in Girls Shorts” at the Gala Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 6-8 p.m. The women’s short film showcase will include the films “Momo,” “Marguerite,” “Freedom,” “Foxy Trot,” Getting Started” and “Lesbehonest.” There will be a director talkback after the screenings. Tickets are $12. Film passes are also available. For more details, visit reelaffiramtions.org.
Wanda Sykes performs at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Ln., North Bethesda, Md.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets range from $35-115.VIP tickets are $215 and include a premium seat and a meet and greet with Sykes. For more information, visit strathmore.org.
Sunday, Nov. 4
Reel Affirmations Film Festival Screening presents “Genderqueer Shorts” at Gala Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) today from 4-5:30 p.m. The films focus on gender non-conforming/genderqueer subjects and include titles such as “Mrs. McCutcheon,” “Femme,” Mimicry” and more. Tickets are $12. Film passes are also available. For more details, visit reelaffiramtions.org.
New Orchestra of Washington celebrates Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a performance of “Mozart’s Requiem” at the Mexican Cultural Institute of D.C. (2829 16th St., N.W.) today at 4 p.m. New Orchestra of Washington will be joined by the Choral Arts Society of Washington and the Aeolus Quarter. Tickets are $95. For more information, visit neworchestraofwashington.org.
Monday, Nov. 5
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W..) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Tuesday, Nov. 6
Lesbian singer/songwriter Jennifer Knapp performs at the Wine Garden in City Winery (1350 Okie St., N.E.) tonight at 9 p.m. General admission tickets are $14.VIP tickets are $85 and include access to Knapp’s pre-show soundcheck, a pre-show meet and greet, one item of merchandise and reserved show seating. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit citywinery.com.
Rogue Cornhole hosts a drag bingo fundraiser at Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights hosts the show. Nellie’s will donate $1 for every Tito’s Vodka and soda or Nellie’s beer sold. All proceeds raised will benefit charities such as the Trevor Project, Casa Ruby, the D.C. Center, SMYAL and more. Nellie’s will also be airing the midterm election results.
18th & U Duplex Diner (2004 18th St., N.W.) hosts Election Night Drag Bingo tonight from 7-10 p.m. Goldie Grigio hosts the show. Guests can win prizes and shots playing bingo. The major news channels will be on the TVs all night. For more details, visit facebook.com/duplexdiner.
Wednesday, Nov. 7
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts karaoke tonight at 9 p.m. D&K Sounds will host the event. Drink specials include $3 rail cocktails and domestic drafts and $4 wine.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.
Thursday, Nov. 8
Bookmen D.C., an informal gay men’s literature group, discusses “Insult and the Making of the Gay Self” by Didier Eribon at Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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