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Out actors shine in area productions ‘Anastasia,’ ‘As You Like It’

Jade Jones, Stephen Brower overcame insecurities to forge successful stage careers

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Jade Jones, gay news, Washington Blade

Lila Coogan with Stephen Brower in the national tour of ‘Anastasia.’ (Photo by Evan Zimmerman)

Anastasia
 
Through Nov. 25
 
The Kennedy Center
 
2700 F St., N.W.
 
$59-179
 
202-467-4600

Jade Jones in ‘As You Like It,’ at Keegan Theatre. (Photo by Cameron Whitman)

‘As You Like It’
 
Through Dec. 2
 
Keegan Theatre
 
1742 Church St., N.W.
 
$62
 
202-265-3767

Untraditional casting and breaking gender stereotypes on stage aren’t new concepts. And for younger out actors like Broadway vet Stephen Brower and local up-and-comer Jade Jones, it’s all part of the job. In recent interviews, the talented pair share their respective experiences.

As Dmitry, the young con man turned princely love interest in the national tour of “Anastasianow at the Kennedy Center, Brower adds an unexpected vulnerability to the part that other actors might not.  Still, as the leading man in the Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Aherns’ musical about the mystery surrounding the last tsar’s fabled daughter, Brower brings the chemistry and romance.

In his program bio, Brower, 25, thanks the production’s producers and creative team for their trust and open-mindedness.

“The guys who played Dmitri before me, Derek Clena and Zach Adkins, are traditional leading men — masculine, tall strapping guys,” he says. “Unlike them, I’m tall and skinny with bad posture. So when I auditioned for the part, I went in with my bag tricks. I was quirky and making jokes, but unafraid to show sensitivity. And they trusted my take on the role.”

Traditionally actors have been taught that leading men need to be sexually appealing to be successful, Brower says. “I’ve seen a lot of naturally sexy people get cast over more talented actors. I guess it has to do with ticket sales. As an actor, you face a challenge in being marketable while trying to be honest with yourself. My upbringing and background — being an opening gay man raised in conservative Tulsa, Oklahoma — has a lot do with what I bring to the part.”

Fortunately for actors who might come across as somewhat less than butch, things are changing Brower says. “We are currently in an age where can challenge those perceptions and I feel great to be a part of that. I honestly don’t think I would have been cast as Dimitri 10 years ago.

“Still,” he adds, “there remains a lingering fear that when you walk into an audition room that you have to put on that swagger to make them fall in love with you and casting directors only fall in love with guys who are hypermasculine. Most actors are plagued by insecurities. It’s important to me that stereotypes of leading men are changed.”

Growing up in Tulsa, Brower came out at 15.

“My family was very supportive and I think I knew they would be. What’s more I attended a diverse school. Magnet school for general education that created a loving and supportive environment.”

He went on to earn a degree in musical theater at Texas State University in three years before heading to New York City. Soon after, he landed a professional gig and has been employed ever since. 

Prior to playing Dmitry, Brower toured with “Pippin” and “An American in Paris.” Luckily, he enjoys life on the road. His boyfriend, an actor/dancer, is touring with “Wicked.”

“We get together when our schedules permit. It’s tough but we manage. It’s part of what actors have to do.”

Jade Jones, 28, has played a hippy in “Hair” at Keegan Theatre, a munchkin in Ford’s Theatre “The Wiz” and recently that notorious meat piemaker Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Sweeney Todd” at Rep Stage in Howard County, an experience Jones describes as her principal accomplishment to date.

Currently Jones is playing Senior Duke in Keegan Theatre’s “As You Like It,” a pop/rock musical take on the Bard’s romantic comedy by New York singer/songwriter Shaina Taub. It’s the third time Jones has been cast in a role written for a man.

“It’s really interesting casting and makes me realize that the sky is the limit,” says Jones, who sums up her attitude in a quote attributed to African-American ballet dancer Lauren Anderson: “Do I fit this mold? No. There is no mold in art.”

In the spring, Jones tackles Little Red Ridinghood in Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” at Ford’s. Her future working wish list includes playing Tennessee William’s iconic creations Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski (though not in the same production).

Like Stephen Brower, Jones is familiar with insecurities.

“I never believed I had what it took to be a musical theater actor. I initially felt that I needed to separate my acting and vocal careers,” says Jones who’s often singled out for her magnetic stage presence and powerful, soulful voice. “But then fellow actors explained to me how I could, and really should, do both together. I also had a fear of dancing. Fellow actors helped me with that too. I’ve been fortunate to work with some very supportive people. I consider them my mentors.”

On Monday at Keegan Theatre’s annual gala held in their charming performance space on Church Street in Dupont, Jones will receive the company’s Emerging Artist Award given to younger artists who have performed on the Keegan stage and shown particular promise and demonstrated a collaborative spirit, a dedication to their craft, an exceptional work ethic and an ever-deepening love for the art form.  Keegan Theatre Associate Artistic Director Susan Marie Rhea says, “Jade is a true triple threat, a performer of the highest caliber. But she’s more than that — she has passion, vision for her career and a love for life and her fellow artists that makes her a true joy to be around.”

Jones, who is single and lives in Dupont, says receiving the award is like “coming full circle.” As a Fairfax County high school student, Jones was introduced to the works of Tennessee Williams with Keegan’s “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

“I was blown away. It’s the reason why I’m an actor. After graduating from Ferrum College in Virginia, my first professional acting job was at Keegan in ‘Hair.’ That they’re celebrating my work is very exciting.”

Coming out to her religious parents wasn’t easy. Being gay was condemned from the pulpit and her parents agreed with that.

“But they’ve changed since then. When I look at them now and the way they have accepted me and other family members and my friends, it makes be believe that there is positive light in this world despite everything. It’s not hard to be LGBTQ in the theater community,” she says. “I don’t think there’s any profession that’s more accepting. It’s where I’m most comfortable.”

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Theater

‘one in two’ lets audience choose which parts actors must play

‘Pose’ actor Ryan Jamaal Swain says approach ‘keeps you on your toes’

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Ryan Jamaal Swain (Photo by Matt Doyle)

‘one in two’ 
June 1-25 
Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas Performing Arts Center
1333 H St., N.E.
$29-$64
Mosaictheatre.org

Out actor Ryan Jamaal Swain is best known for having played homeless dancer Damon, on FX’s “Pose,” the popular queer series revolving around ball culture in late 1980s New York. Along with television, Swain has a great love for theater. And now in a homecoming of sorts, the Howard University graduate is at Mosaic Theater for the area premiere of “one in two,” playwright Donja R. Love’s play inspired by his own HIV diagnosis and the resilience of the LGBTQ community. 

In addition to Swain, 29, the cast features queer actors Justin Weaks and Michael Kevin Darnall (both of whom recently a finished Arena’s production of “Angels in America”). Raymond O. Caldwell directs. 

The audience is invited to choose which of three parts each actor must play for each performance. 

WASHINGTON BLADE: A different part every night! That’s a lot. 

SWAIN: Yes, honey. But learning three tracks keeps you on your toes. It’s one of those things. When I first sawthe world premiere in New York, I thought it was a gimmick but it’s not. For me, I’m always looking for the next challenge. What will expand my prowess. With “one in two,” the work kept coming across my desk so when the opportunity came up to come back to D.C. [Swain’s currently based in New York] with a director I knew, I took it. 

BLADE: Where and when does “one in two” take place?

SWAIN: Different places: bar, home, doctor’s waiting room. Time wise, it’s set in “now/until.” The central character is a gay man who anchors the play and the others are various characters he finds on his hero journey. I won’t tell you who they are, you’ll need to come to the show to learn that. 

BLADE: With “Pose,” the time and place were very specific. 

SWAIN: Yes, the end of the ‘80s in New York.With any type of queer stories, especially when you want to tell them with love and integrity there’s a lot of conversation when you acknowledge a generation of unsung heroes. I stand on their shoulders to be able to do what I do. 

BLADE: After graduating from Howard, your journey out of D.C. was swift. 

SWAIN:  Yes, it was. I left D.C. immediately following my graduation from Howard. I graduated May 7, 2016, went back home to Birmingham, Ala., exhausted my graduation money, and decided to make my own hero’s journey and moved to New York. After three or four months, “Pose” came knocking on my door. I booked it and pretty much got started. 

BLADE Did TV change your life? 

SWAIN TV and film ask you to juggle more than just being a good actor. Publicity, image, etc. There are so many more eyes on you. 

BLADE: And how did you handle it? 

SWAIN: I come from a family that’s not afraid to show when you’ve made a mistake. I was brought up to look at failures as lessons. It was a lot. I was just 22 at that time. Taught me a lot about who I am and who I will become. How to focus and work under duress.

I like TV and film but I will always make space for theater in my career. Makes me anchor back into self. 

BLADE:  When did you come out?

SWAIN:  I came out to a friend at Howard. I sat her down in the cafeteria and invited her into my life. I don’t believe in coming out per se. I think it’s your right to fully welcome people into your life. She already knew, of course. 

Also, while studying acting in Britain, I did a one-man show about queer poet Langston Hughes. Moving through his journey gave me the strength to have my own voice. Finding other queer folks gave me the strength to live my own story. 

BLADE: How has your experience at Mosaic been?

SWAIN: Great. When deciding to do the part I had deep conversation with Reginald Douglas and Serge Seiden [Mosaic’s artistic and managing directors, respectively]. I’m hungry about communication, collaboration and community. Mosaic does that. And they do it wrapped up in integrity and love. 

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Theater

A preview of this year’s Helen Hayes Awards

Strong queer representation among diverse nominees

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Fran Tapia (center) in ‘On Your Feet!’ (Photo by Daniel Martinez)

2023 Helen Hayes Awards
May 22, 2023
For tickets go to theatrewashington.org

After three years of varying and virtual approaches, this year’s Helen Hayes Awards will be more familiar with the honors being doled out live and in person on Monday night at the Anthem. 

Integral in making the 37th awards both fun and sufficiently formal is delightful actor/director Holly Twyford who’s been tapped to both co-host and co-direct the annual ceremony. “For me, it’s not as hard as it sounds,” she explains modestly. “Will Gartshore [co-director and celebrated Washington actor] has done the lion’s share of the work. He’d already written an entire script by the time I stepped in. He’s really smart and knows music.”

Undeniably, Twyford brings a lot of experience to the gig. She’s been attending the awards since the early ‘90s, and remembers meeting the late “first lady of American theater” for whom the Awards are named, and shaking her hand. She’s also the recipient of multiple Helen Hayes Awards and so many nominations it’s been written into Monday night’s show. And while Twyford understands the show’s inherent excitement and spontaneity, she’s also aware of the challenges involved in creating a successful evening. 

“I was just saying to my wife, these kinds of things are not easy to orchestrate,” Twyford continues. “It’s great and amazing to celebrate our community and its artistry, but it’s tricky to have everyone heard and appreciated. It’s a lot to do in one night, but we have to remember it’s more than giving out awards, it’s an opportunity to stop and look at the community.

“For instance, we have non-gendered acting categories. When you divide between men and women, some members of the theater community are left out. It’s that simple.” 

This year, the music-filled awards ceremony is divided into two parts. Twyford shares hosting duties with local favorites Naomi Jacobson, Erika Rose, and Christopher Michael Richardson. Also on board in a guest spot is Broadway star Michael Urie who’s currently finishing up a run of “Spamalot” at the Kennedy Center. Urie enjoys a long connection to Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre Company where he played the title prince in Michael Kahn’s 2018 “Hamlet,” and last summer co-starred with husband Ryan Spahn in Talene Monahon’s wonderful plague-set comedy “Jane Anger.”

The awards selection process is arduous. Recognizing work from 131 eligible productions presented in the 2022 calendar year, nominations were made in 41 categories and grouped in “Helen” or “Hayes” cohorts, depending on the number of Equity members involved in the production with Hayes counting more. 

Nominations are the result of 40 carefully vetted judges considering 2,146 individual pieces of work, such as design, direction, choreography, performances, and more. Productions under consideration in 2022 included 39 musicals, 97 plays, and 38 world premieres.

Many of this year’s sensational nominees (actors, designers, directors, writers, etc.) come from the queer community. Here’s a sampling. 

Rising director Henery Wyand is nominated for Outstanding Direction in a Play for Perisphere Theater’s production of Tanya Barfield’s “Blue Door,” the striking tale of a contemporary black professional who comes face to face with 19th century ancestors.  In addition to directing, Wyand also designed the lighting, set, and costumes.  

After graduating from Vassar, he came to D.C. for Shakespeare Theatre Company’s prestigious fellowship program.  About directing, Wyand says, “there aren’t a lot of specifically young queer Black directors out there. It gives me a sense of urgency to make sure underrepresented stories are shared. And if I don’t do that who will?” 

And regarding his nomination, his sentiment is sweet: “Awards are a way to give flowers to people who are creating things. Living artists don’t always receive appreciation for their work.”

When Emily Sucher learned she’d been nominated for a Helen Hayes Award (Outstanding Choreography in a Play) for “To Fall in Love” with Nu Sass Productions, she seriously thought she was being punked. 

“I got the news in a text from an unfamiliar number. I didn’t believe it at first,” she says. As an intimacy choreographer, Sucher is called on to stage stories with content of an intimate nature, and she just wasn’t sure it was something that Helen Hayes’ judges were looking to recognize. Clearly, they were. 

Sucher adds, “Being queer shapes who I am as an intimacy choreographer and fuels my passion to tell all kinds of stories, and to show what sex and intimacy can look like. It’s not always the same.”

Out Chilean actor Fran Tapia is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical for her work in GALA Hispanic Theatre’s world premiere Spanish-language production of “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan en Español” (the production leads the nominee pack with fifteen nods including Outstanding Ensemble for a Musical). 

As Gloria Fajardo, pop star Gloria Estefan’s embittered mother, Tapia garnered rave reviews.  

“Singing my character’s song — ‘If I Never Got to Tell You — breaks my heart, and that it was translated into Spanish by Gloria Estefan and her daughter Emily Estefan who is gay makes it ever more significant to me. I had the honor of introducing this version of the song to the world.”  

Tapia left her native Santiago, Chile, for Washington when her wife was posted at the Chilean Embassy.  It was in the thick of the pandemic, and there weren’t a lot of theater opportunities, so she thew herself into Divino Tesoro, a podcast where children and adolescents can discuss gender identity, and she also worked as director of GALA’s youth program. It was the GALA job that led to an audition to play Gloria.

She’s currently touring as Gloria Fajardo in the original English version of “On Your Feet!” During its June and July break, she’ll appear in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights” at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and then in August it’s back to playing Gloria at the pretty seaside Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine. 

Despite her intense work schedule, Tapia isn’t missing Monday’s event: ““I’m honored to be nominated, yes. But I definitely want to win!” 

Talented local actor Michael Kevin Darnall is vying for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Play for his memorable comic turn as wonderfully flamboyant Isom in Studio Theatre’s production of Katori Hall’s “The Hot Wing King,” a layered dramedy about Black men loving Black men, and yes, a hot wing competition. 

This is Darnall’s seventh Helen Hayes Award nomination prompting him to dub himself the DMV’s Susan Lucci, (after the soap star who was nominated 19 times before finally winning an Emmy). Typically cast as the brooding young man, the biracial and bisexual actor fought hard to play Isom. “There’s a lot of my mom in the character,” he says, “so in part, all of this is a tribute to her.”

The first time Darnall read for a Black role was five or six years into his professional career: “Playing Black men has been few and far between for me, so to play Isom as part of a cast of Black men whose skin tone ran the spectrum was very reaffirming, and those other actors became my brothers.” 

The cast became a tight-knit group on and offstage, collectively spending a lot of money at Le Diplomate, a trendy bistro a few blocks from Studio, where they indulged in escargot and gimlets. That close camaraderie and sense of fun was reflected in the work. They’re now nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Play. 

Good luck to all the nominees. 

A full list of award recipients will be available @theatrewashington.org on Tuesday, May 23. 

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Theater

Actors radiate chemistry in Constellation’s delightful ‘School for Lies’

Reinvigorating a revered work with lots of new laughs

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Drew Kopas and Natalie Cutcher (Photo by DJ Corey Photography)

‘The School for Lies’
Through May 28
Constellation Theatre Company in residence at Source
1835 14th St., N.W.
$20 – 55
Constellationtheatre.org

A lot can happen in a Parisian drawing room. 

With David Ives’ “The School for Lies” (now at Constellation Theatre Company), 100 minutes of nonstop amusement unfold solely in the busy salon of popular young society widow Célimène archly assayed by Natalie Cutcher.

Ives’s play is a “translaptation” (transaction + adaptation) of Molière’s 1666 “The Misanthrope,” a classic comedy of manners in verse. And while at the top of the show, the playwright credits Molière with having mixed “the batter for tonight’s soufflé,” he’s crammed his play with his own elegantly constructed, often funny, and sometimes raunchy verse, reinvigorating a revered work with lots of new laughs and contemporary references. 

Now back to Célimène’s crib. Rife with fops and frenemies, the widow’s posh playpen is ordinarily a whirlwind of gossip, fashion, and sometimes scandal, but on this day it’s a little different. 

Today, Frank (Constellation vet Drew Kopas), a dourly dressed Frenchman returning from England, finds his way to the party. And as his name suggests, Frank (all other characters retain the names that Molière originally gave them) is a stickler for candor and truth. Unlike le tout Paris, he’s averse to frivolous talk, bad poetry, and the vicissitudes of the demimonde. 

For kicks, Frank’s pal and crossdressing scenester Philinte (Dylan Arredondo) puts out a spicy rumor about Frank and Célimène involving romance and social status. Alas, even sharp-witted Frank, not immune to the prospect of true love, is taken in (as evidenced by a new dreamy demeanor and sartorial switch from bland duds to something infinitely snazzier). 

Others in the house, including the comely widow’s ragtag suitors: the aptly named Clitander (Jamil Joseph); Oronte (Jacob Yeh), a litigious poet; and Acaste, a leopard-print wearing, most contentedly self-involved aristo played by Ryan Sellers. Also darting about are Éliante (Ría Simpkins), Célimène’s cordial relation who’s both naïve and amorous, and Arsinoё (Gwen Grastorf), a hypocritical scold eager to assist in her friend’s ruin. 

And memorably, there’s Dubois (Matthew Pauli), Célimène’s poker-faced footman who’s assigned the thankless job of serving canapés to his boss’ bumptious and clumsy guests. Pauli doubles as Frank’s uncouth valet. 

Director Allison Arkell Stockman delivers a fast-paced, well-timed and delectably camp entertainment.  At times, the cast is at odds – while some actors are chewing the scenery, others allow Ives’ astonishing dialogue to do the heavy lifting. 

The best scenes are those featuring Cutcher and Kopas as Célimène and Frank. They are a well-matched pair seemingly equal in both barbs and curiosity. What’s more, the actors radiate chemistry. 

While Ives’ play might be set in the time of Louis XIV, Constellation’s delightfully designed production isn’t moored to an era.  The widow’s showy digs compliments of Sarah Reed are salmon-colored, festooned with outsized flying cranes and lit by a pink feathered fixture, simultaneously reading both Harlow than DuBarry. The minimal seating includes a purple chaise and big pink pouf. There are upstage nooks for the requisite vanity and bunches of floral tributes. Frank Labovitz’s wildly colorful, pitch perfect costumes give a nod to a period, but just a nod.

With its dizzying onslaught of clever rhyming couplets, Ives’ script is a marvel. (And it’s worth noting, the matinee I attended, the admirable cast didn’t flub a single line.) It makes you wonder about the writing process. Did the playwright wrack his brain in pursuit of the next smart rhyme or in a state of artistic fecundity, did the words readily flow? Whatever the case, it’s a good time. And it’s here to be enjoyed. 

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