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‘Greatest Showman’ songstress gears up for ‘Rent: Live’ broadcast Sunday
Shakespearean-trained actress Keala Settle found fame after 2018 Oscar performance
“I am brave/I am bruised/I am who I’m meant to be/This is me”
In December 2017, singer and actress Keala Settle leapt into international prominence when she sang those words in the proudly defiant anthem “This Is Me” in the movie “The Greatest Showman” about entrepreneur and entertainer P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman). The movie got mixed reviews but Settle received rave reviews for her searing performance as one of Barnum’s performers, Lettie Lutz the Bearded Lady.
On Sunday, Jan. 27, audiences around the world can again cheer Settle as she sings the inspirational ballad “Seasons Of Love” in Fox’s live television broadcast of “Rent.”
A Tony-nominated performer, Settle says it was important for her to circle back to her theatrical training.
“It’s been a really intense year,” she says. “I wanted to go back to my roots and work in a live situation. I missed that a lot.”
The original production of “Rent” debuted on Broadway in 1996. Directed by Michael Greif, the musical tells the story of a ragtag group of impoverished young artists living in New York City’s East Village during the early days of the AIDS epidemic.
Greif is also directing Fox’s live television version, which features an all-star cast. Vanessa Hudgens (“Grease Live” and Broadway’s “Gigi”) will play the flamboyant performance artist Maureen Johnson and out actress Kiersey Clemens (“Hearts Beat Loud”) will play her sometimes girlfriend, the uptight lawyer Joanne Jefferson.
Brandon Victor Dixon (“Hamilton” on Broadway and “Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert”) will play Tom Collins and Valentina (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”) will appear as his love interest Angel Dumont Schunard, a young drag queen and street percussionist. The principle cast is rounded out by recording artists Jordan Fisher as Mark Cohen, Brennin Hunt as Roger Davis, Mario as Benjamin Coffin III and Tinashe as Mimi.
When Settle heard that a live television production of “Rent” was in the works, she knew she wanted to be part of it.
“I heard through the grapevine that Michael was doing ‘Rent.’ I didn’t remember a lot about it, but I knew there was a ‘Seasons of Love’ solo. I didn’t remember all of the lyrics, but I knew I wanted to do it,” she says.
Settle emailed Greif (the two had worked together on a 2014 concert version of the musical “Bright Lights, Big City”) to ask if she could do the number and “he immediately called me back and said, ‘Of course you can.’”
Settle says the song “is a small but impactful number and I am very proud to be part of it. The moment is kind of volatile. The production itself is a reminder that any of us could go at any minute. We only have one life and all we can do is make the most of it.”
Settle, a straight LGBT ally, studied at Southern Utah University and after graduation moved to Las Vegas where she worked both backstage and as a performer, doing studio work and appearing as a backup singer for artists like Gladys Knight.
In 2005, Settle was cast as Tracy Turnblad in the national tour of “Hairspray” and then won rave reviews for her performance as Bloody Mary in the national tour of the Lincoln Center production of “South Pacific.”
Following the tours, Settle created (or recreated) roles in several iconic Broadway productions including “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert;” “Hands on a Hardbody,” for which she earned a Tony nomination; the second Broadway revival of “Les Misérables;” and “Waitress.”
Then Hollywood called. Pre-production was underway for “The Greatest Showman” and actors were needed to perform the developing script. A casting agent called Settle and asked her to play the Bearded Lady. By the next round of drafts, a song was added for the character.
“It was a fair enough song, but it didn’t really have the impact they wanted,” Settle says. “At the final reading, they showed me ‘This Is Me’ and said you have to sing this. I was petrified, but I reluctantly sang it and it changed my life.”
“This Is Me” won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Although Settle and her colleagues did not win the Oscar, their stunning live performance earned them a standing ovation from the audience and helped remind Settle of the song’s message.
“To see everyone in that room come to their feet was amazing. When you open yourself up and you realize there are so many other people who are afraid. We’re all afraid. When you connect with that feeling in the room and everybody knows we’re on the same page no matter what. We’re all on the same page. That’s how we’re connected.”
After she performs the classic “Seasons of Love” on “Rent: Live,” Settle will return to the recording studio to work on a new album.
After that, she has some dream roles in mind.
“A lot of them are Shakespeare,” she says, “because I was trained in Shakespeare. I would love to play the Fool in ‘King Lear.’ I would love to play Hamlet. I’d love to play Macbeth — any of those roles.”
Challenge is what inspires her.
“I love challenges, I love challenging what everybody thinks is the norm because I’m not the norm. I have to work on it every day, but I love who I am and I’m so secure in who I am and where my life is now.”
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Memorial for groundbreaking bisexual activist set for May 2
Loraine Hutchins remembered as a ‘force of nature’
The Montgomery County Pride Center will host a celebration honoring the life and legacy of Loraine Hutchins, Ph.D., on May 2. People are invited to attend the onsite memorial or a livestream event. The on-site event will begin at 10 a.m. with a meet-and-greet mixer before moving into a memorial service around the theme “Loraine a Force of Nature!” at 11 a.m., a panel talk at 12 p.m., break out sessions for artists, academics, and activists to build on her legacy at 1 p.m. and a closing reception at 2 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to register for the on-site memorial gathering or the livestreamed memorial. The goal of this event is also to collect stories and memories of Loraine. Attendees and others can share their stories at padlet.com.
An obituary for Hutchins was published in the Bladelast Nov. 24, where people can learn more about her activism in the bisexual community. A private service for friends and family was held in December but this memorial service is open to all.
Alongside her groundbreaking work organizing for U.S. bisexual rights and liberation including co-editing “Bi Any Other Name: BIsexual People Speak Out” (1991), she also integrated faith into her sexual education and advocacy work. Her 2001 doctoral dissertation, “Erotic Rites: A Cultural Analysis of Contemporary U.S. Sacred Sexuality Traditions and Trends,” offered a pointed queer and feminist analysis to sex-neutral and sex-positive spiritual traditions in the United States. Her thesis was also groundbreaking in exploring the intersections between sex workers and those in caregiving professionals, including spiritual ones.
In an oral history interview conducted by Michelle Mueller back in August 2023, Hutchins described herself as a “priestess without a congregation.” While she has occasionally had a sense of community and feels part of a group of loving people, she admitted that “I don’t feel like we have the shape or the purpose that we need.”
“I’ve often experienced being the Cassandra in the room, the Cassandra in the community. Somebody who’s kind of way out there ahead, thinking through the strategic action points that my community hasn’t gotten to yet, and getting a lot of resistance and hostile responses from people who are frightened by dissent and conflict and not ready for the changes we have to make to survive,” she said.
“For somebody who’s bisexual in an out political way and who’s been a spokesperson for the polyamory movement in an out political way, it’s very exposing. And it’s very important to me to be able to try to explain and help other people understand the connection between spirituality and sexuality,” she explained citing how even as a graduate student she was “exploring how to feel erotic and spiritual, and not feel them in conflict with each other in my own spiritual contemplative life and my own sensual body awareness of being alive in the world.”
“Every religion has a sense of sacred sexuality. It’s just they put a lot of boundaries and regulations on it, and if we have a spiritual practice that is totally affirming of women’s priesthood and of gay people, queer people’s ability to minister to everyone and to be ministered to be everyone, what does that do to the gender of God, or our understanding of how we practice our spirituality and our sexuality in community and privately?”
“There’s no easy answer,” she concludes, and she continued to grapple with these questions throughout her life, co-editing another seminal text, “Sexuality, Religion and the Sacred: Bisexual, Pansexual, and Polysexual Perspectives,” published in 2012. Her work blending spiritual and queer liberation remains groundbreaking to this day.
Rev. Eric Eldritch, a local community organizer and ordained Pagan minister with Circle Sanctuary who has worked for decades with the DC Center’s Center Faith to organize the Pride Interfaith Service, is eager to highlight this element of her legacy at the memorial service next month.
a&e features
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Modern creative talks nightlife, coming out, and his personal queer heroes
John Levengood (he/him) describes himself as a modern creative with a wide‑ranging toolkit. He blends music, technology, civic duty, and a sharp sense of wit into a cohesive artistic identity. Known primarily as a recording artist and performer, he’s also a self‑taught music producer and software engineer who embodies a generation of creators who build their own lanes rather than wait for one to appear.
Levengood, 32, who is single and identifies as gay and queer, is best known as a recording artist who has performed at Pride festivals across the country, including the main stages of World Pride DC, Central Arkansas Pride, and Charlotte Pride.
“Locally in the DMV, I’m known for turning heads at nightlife venues with my eye-catching sense of style. When I go out, I don’t try to blend in. I hope I inspire people to be themselves and have the courage to stand out,” he says.
He’s also known for hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va., on Thursday nights. “I like to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, building community, and showcasing their talents.”
He also creates social media content from my performances and do interviews at LGBTQ+ bars and theatres in the DMV. Follow the Arlington resident @johnlevengood.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I have been fully out of the closet since 2019. My parents were the hardest people to tell because my family has always been my rock and at the time I couldn’t imagine a world without them. Their reactions were extremely positive and supportive so I had nothing to fear all along.
I remember sitting on the couch with my mom, dad, and sister in our hotel room in New Orleans during our winter vacation and being so nervous to tell them. After I finally mustered up the nerve and made the proclamation, I realized my dad had already fallen asleep on the couch. My mom promised to tell him when he woke up.
Who’s your LGBTQ hero?
My LGBTQ heroes are Harvey Milk for paving the way for gays in politics and Elton John for being a pioneer for the fabulous and authentic. My local heroes in the DMV are Howard Hicks, manager of Green Lantern, and Tony Rivenbark, manager of Freddie’s Beach Bar. Both of them are essential to creating spaces where I’ve felt welcome and safe since moving to the DMV.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Trade tops the list for me because of the dance floor and outdoor space. It’s so nice to get a break from the music every once and a while to be able to have a conversation.
We live in challenging times. How do you cope?
I’m still figuring this out. What is working right now is writing music and spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been spending less time on social media going to the gym at least three times a week.
What streaming show are you binging?
After “Traitors” Season 4 ended, I was in a bit of a show hole, but “Stumble” has me in a laughing loop right now. The writing is so witty.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
At 18, I wish I would have known how liberating it is to come out of the closet. It would have been nice to know some winning lottery numbers as well.
What are your friends messaging about in your most recent group chat?
We are planning our next trip to New York City. If you can believe it, I visited NYC for the first time in 2025 for Pride and I’ve been back every quarter since. Growing up in the country, I was subconsciously primed to be scared of the city. But my mind has been blown. I can’t wait to go back.
Why Washington?
It’s the closest metropolitan area to my family, but not too close. I love the museums, the diversity, the history, and the proximity to the beach and mountains. It’s also nice to live in a city with public transportation.
Aging RFK Stadium has come down, but the RFK grounds are still getting lit up. Welcome back to the stage Project GLOW, D.C.’s homegrown electronic festival, on May 30-31. Back for its fifth year on these musically inclined acres, Project GLOW returns with an even more diverse lineup, and one that continues to celebrate LGBTQ antecedents, attendees, and acts.
Project GLOW 2026 headliners include house and techno star Mau P, progressive house legend Eric Prydz, hard-techno favorite Sara Landry, and bass acts Excision b2b Sullivan King, among the lineup of trance, bass, house, techno, dubstep, and others for the fifth anniversary year.
President & CEO Pete Kalamoutsos — born and raised in D.C. — founded Club GLOW in 1999. In 2020, GLOW entered into a partnership with global entertainment company Insomniac Events to produce live events like Project GLOW, which kicked off in 2022.
As in past years, Project GLOW not only makes space, but is intentionally inclusive of the LGBTQ community, one of its most dedicated fan bases. The festival’s LGBTQ-focused Secret Garden stage blooms again — a more intimate dance area that stands on the strength of DJs and musicians who draw from the LGBTQ community. D.C.’s LGBTQ nightlife mastermind Ed Bailey is the creative mind behind Secret Garden again. He joined Project GLOW in 2023.
“Kalamoustos says that “he’s proud of his partnership with Ed Bailey, along with Capital Pride and [nightlife producer] Jake Resnikow. It’s amazing to collaborate with Bailey at the Secret Garden stage, especially after the curated lineup we worked on at Pride last year.”
The Secret Garden will be a bit different from other stages: Eternal (“At the Eternal stage, time stands still. Lose yourself in the dance of past, present, and future, surrendering to the eternal rhythm of the universe”) and Pulse (“Feel the rhythm of the beat pulse through your veins as the heartbeat of the crowd synchronizes into one. Here, every moment vibrates with life as it guides you through a new dimension of euphoria”). The Secret Garden stage is in the round, surrounded by 16 shipping containers. The containers play canvas to muralists from around the world, who are coming in to paint them in a vibrant garden-style vibe. “We gave this stage some extra love with this layout,” K says, “ we finally cracked the code.”
K says that this will be the biggest lineup yet for the Secret Garden, featuring Nicole Moudaber b2b Chasewest, Riordan b2b Bullet Tooth, Ranger Trucco, Cassian, Eli & Fur, Cosmic Gate and Hayla. The stage is also the largest yet, featuring an expanded dance floor and 360-degree viewing.
Across all stages, K says that his goal for the fifth anniversary is “More art and fan interactive experience, more like a festival, strive to be like a Tomorrowland, as budget grows to add more experience.” Last year’s Project GLOW alone drew 40,000 attendees over two days.
K, however, was not satisfied with one festival this spring. GLOW recently announced a “pop-up” one-day event. Teaming up with Black Book Records, GLOW is set to throw a first-of-its-kind dance-music takeover of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., headlined by electronic music star Chris Lake. Set for April 18, this euphoric block party will feature bass and vibes blocks from the White House. Organizers expect as many as 10,000 fans to attend. Beyond music, there will be food, activations, and plenty of other activities taking place around 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW – a location familiar to many in the LGBTQ community, as this sits squarely inside the blocks of the Capital Pride party that takes place in DC every June.
Over the past two decades, Club GLOW has produced thousands of events, from club nights to large-scale festivals including Project GLOW, Moonrise Festival, and more. Club GLOW also operates Echostage.
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