Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: July 29
Parties, events, meetings and more through Aug. 4


Tom Story in ‘Pop!’ at Studio 2nd Stage. This Andy Warhol-themed show has been extended. Visit studiotheatre.org for details. (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Studio)
TODAY
Ziegfeld’s/Secrets (1824 Half St., S.W.) presents Badlands/Apex Appreciation Night tonight hosted by Kristina Kelly with Apex’s own DJ Joey O. Doors open at 9 p.m. There is a $5 cover until 10:30 and a $10 afterward.
Busboys & Poets will be having an American Sign Language open mic night tonight at 11 p.m. in the Langston room at its 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.). Anyone with sign language knowledge may sign up by e-mailing [email protected]. There is a $5 admission at the door.
This week’s Bear Happy Hour at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) will feature Johnny Scruff, the creator of the Scruff app. For more information on the app, visit scruffapp.com. Happy hour begins at 6 p.m.
The Blackberry Belles are having a record release party at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight to benefit Girls Rock! D.C., an organization aimed to create a space for girls to develop self-confidence and more. Ugly and Spoonboy and the Papas will be performing. Doors open at 9 p.m. and tickets are $10.
D.C. Lambda Squares, an LGBT square dancing group, will be dancing at Thoreau Middle School (2505 State Route 698) in Vienna, tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. Ett McAtee will be calling.
The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro presents Araya Sparxx’s All American Drag Off with specials guests Monica Moore and India Ferrah. Seven contestants will be competing for a prize package worth more than $1,000 including six guaranteed bookings at The Lodge, promo photo shoot by RAB2 Imaging and $500 cash prize. For more information, visit thelodgeMD.com/dragoff.
Saturday, July 30
The Black Eyed Peas will be performing at Merriweather Post Pavilion (10475 Little Patuxent Parkway) in Columbia, Md., tonight. Tickets range from $45 to $125 and can be purchased online at merriweathermusic.com. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna, presents “Casablanca” tonight at 8:30 at the Filene Center with the National Symphony Orchestra playing the score live as the movie plays on large screens. Tickets range from $20 to $52 and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.
This season’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Raga will be performing live at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight at 10:30 p.m. There is an $8 cover from 10 to 11 p.m. which then goes up to $12. All attendees must be 21 or older.
Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) presents “Venus in Fur” a play by David Ives which tells the story of an actress who arrives unscheduled for an audition and ends up in a battle for power, today at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $46 to $57 and can be purchased online. The play’s run has been extended through July 31. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit studiotheatre.org.
“Shear Madness,” a comedy whodunit, will be performed twice tonight at the Kennedy Center Theater Lab (2700 F St., N.W.) at 3 and 7 p.m. “Madness” takes place in present-day Georgetown, in the Shear Madness Hair Styling Salon. Tickets are $42. Visit kennedy-center.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
Sunday, July 31
Britney Spears brings her “Femme Fatale North American Summer Tour” to D.C. at tonight at the Verizon Center (601 F St., N.W.) with special guests Nicki Minaj and opening acts Jesse and the Toy Boys and Nervo. Tickets range from $29.50 to $350 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Dolly Parton brings her “Better Days World Tour” to Wolf Trap tonight at 8 p.m. at the Filene Center (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna, Va. Tickets are $35 for the lawn, $60 for in-house and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.
Red Palace (1212 H St., N.E.) presents Tall Tales, a series of cocktail classes that delve into the stories behind the cocktails, tonight at 8 p.m. This week’s featured cocktail is the martini. Tickets are $25 and include three cocktails. All attendees must be 21 or older. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit redpalacedc.com.
Monday, Aug. 1
Bears do Yoga at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court N.W.) tonight at 6:30 p.m. Class lasts for an hour and serves as an introduction to yoga for people of all different body types and physical abilities. It’s taught by Michael Brazell. For more information, visit dccenter.org.
Tuesday, Aug. 2
The musical “Wicked” will be performed at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. “Wicked” tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, before Dorothy landed in Oz. Tickets range from $37 to $250 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.).
Wednesday, Aug. 3
Citizen Effect is having its second annual Yoga Challenge’s free yoga in the park today at Meridian Hill Park (2500 16th St., N.W.) from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The organization has partner with yoga studios around the city to give deals to anyone who signs up to raise $250 for Becky’s Fund, a nonprofit organization addressing domestic violence in the District. For more information, visit citizeneffect.org.
“From the Back of the Room,” a documentary that chronicles the last 30 years of female involvement in DIY punk, will have its D.C. premiere at the E Street Cinema (555 11th St., N.W.) at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online. For more information, visit fromthebackoftheroom.com.
Thursday, Aug. 4
Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) is hosting a happy hour tonight at 6 p.m. for Team Red Bowl, an organization created to help feed children in Africa. For more information, visit teamredbowl.com.
Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) presents “Pop!” a musical murder-mystery by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Anna K. Jacobs which peeks inside the artistic revelry of Andy Warhol’s infamous Factory, today at 8:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35 to $50 and can be purchased online. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit studiotheatre.org.
Books
A boy-meets-boy, family-mess story with heat
New book offers a stunning, satisfying love story

‘When the Harvest Comes’
By Denne Michele Norris
c.2025, Random House
$28/304 pages
Happy is the bride the sun shines on.
Of all the clichés that exist about weddings, that’s the one that seems to make you smile the most. Just invoking good weather and bright sunshine feels like a cosmic blessing on the newlyweds and their future. It’s a happy omen for bride and groom or, as in the new book “When the Harvest Comes” by Denne Michele Norris, for groom and groom.

Davis Freeman never thought he could love or be loved like this.
He was wildly, wholeheartedly, mind-and-soul smitten with Everett Caldwell, and life was everything that Davis ever wanted. He was a successful symphony musician in New York. They had an apartment they enjoyed and friends they cherished. Now it was their wedding day, a day Davis had planned with the man he adored, the details almost down to the stitches in their attire. He’d even purchased a gorgeous wedding gown that he’d never risk wearing.
He knew that Everett’s family loved him a lot, but Davis didn’t dare tickle the fates with a white dress on their big day. Everett’s dad, just like Davis’s own father, had considerable reservations about his son marrying another man – although Everett’s father seemed to have come to terms with his son’s bisexuality. Davis’s father, whom Davis called the Reverend, never would. Years ago, father and son had a falling-out that destroyed any chance of peace between Davis and his dad; in fact, the door slammed shut to any reconciliation.
But Davis tried not to think about that. Not on his wedding day. Not, unbeknownst to him, as the Reverend was rushing toward the wedding venue, uninvited but not unrepentant. Not when there was an accident and the Reverend was killed, miles away and during the nuptials.
Davis didn’t know that, of course, as he was marrying the love of his life. Neither did Everett, who had familial problems of his own, including homophobic family members who tried (but failed) to pretend otherwise.
Happy is the groom the sun shines on. But when the storm comes, it can be impossible to remain sunny.
What can be said about “When the Harvest Comes?” It’s a romance with a bit of ghost-pepper-like heat that’s not there for the mere sake of titillation. It’s filled with drama, intrigue, hate, characters you want to just slap, and some in bad need of a hug.
In short, this book is quite stunning.
Author Denne Michele Norris offers a love story that’s everything you want in this genre, including partners you genuinely want to get to know, in situations that are real. This is done by putting readers inside the characters’ minds, letting Davis and Everett themselves explain why they acted as they did, mistakes and all. Don’t be surprised if you have to read the last few pages twice to best enjoy how things end. You won’t be sorry.
If you want a complicated, boy-meets-boy, family-mess kind of book with occasional heat, “When the Harvest Comes” is your book. Truly, this novel shines.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















Music & Concerts
Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’
Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.
Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.
For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.
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