Arts & Entertainment

Faith in flux

Serio-comic ‘Calvary’ is finely played murder mystery

Published

12 years ago

August 13, 2014

Brian T. Carney

Calvary, Brendon Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, gay news, Washington Blade

Brendan Gleeson, left, and Chris O’Dowd in ‘Calvary.’ (Photo courtesy Fox Searchlight)

“Calvary” opens with a bombshell.

“I first tasted semen when I was 7 years old,” is the rather shocking opening line of this fine new film by Irish writer and director John Michael McDonagh, a darkly comic existential murder mystery that delves into the riddles of faith, sexuality, revenge and ultimately forgiveness. It opens today (Friday) at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring and continues its run at the Angelika Film Center Mosaic and the Landmark E Street and Bethesda Row Cinemas.

The line is spoken to Father James (the magnificent Brendan Gleeson) in the confessional. An unseen male parishioner reveals that he was raped repeatedly by a priest (now dead) when he was a child. He also reveals that he has developed a monstrous plan for vengeance. “I’m going to kill you, Father,” the man announces calmly. “There’s no point in killing a bad priest. I’m going to kill you because you’re innocent.”

He gives Father James until the following Sunday to settle his affairs. In the week he has left, the priest tends to his tattered flock and family while stoically facing escalating acts of resentment and violence against him. The tiny Irish village on the coast of County Sligo is full of hidden secrets and desires and the townspeople slowly turn against Father James despite (or possibly because of) his innate goodness.

The movie is anchored by Gleeson’s powerful performance. The barrel-chested actor (perhaps best known to American audiences as “Mad Dog” Moody in the Harry Potter movies) is a commanding screen presence whether he’s quietly listening to his troubled parishioners or striding across a windy beach. His craggy face is incredibly expressive; his subtle responses to the horrific revelations of child abuse and the terrifying threat against his own life during the opening scene in the confessional are a master class in cinematic acting.

He is given strong back-up from a solid supporting cast, each character providing a fresh set of challenges for the overwhelmed cleric. His troubled daughter Fiona (played by rising British star Kelly Reilly) arrives for a visit with her wrists wrapped in bandages from a botched suicide attempt. (She ruefully observes that she should have sliced down instead of across.)

Her arrival forces the priest to address his conflicting roles as Father and father, especially Fiona’s feelings of abandonment from when Father James entered the priesthood following the death of his wife. As the two slowly explore and tentatively begin to rebuild their relationship, he visits his other parishioners, who are also now suspects in his impending murder.

They include the troubled triangle of Jack, Veronica and Simon. Veronica is the bored unfaithful wife of Jack, the local butcher, played by Chris O’Dowd (known for his breakout role in the comedy “Bridesmaids” and his Tony-nominated performance opposite James Franco in “Of Mice and Men”). Her latest lover is the African mechanic Simon Asamoah. The tangled trio sneer at Father James while still reaching out to him for guidance and attention.

There’s also the decadent banker Michel Fitzgerald, who tries to buy the respect of the priest; cynical surgeon Frank Harte, who debates the existence of God with Father James; lovelorn Milo; and disgruntled pub owner Brendan Lynch, who remembers Father James’ drinking days all too clearly. Finally, there’s Father James’ chilling prison meeting with local serial killer Freddie Joyce (played by Gleeson’s real-life son, Domhnall) who is unrepentant for his brutal crimes.

Father James turns to other authority figures for help with his crisis, but to no avail. He dismisses his fellow priest Father Leary as a man with the soul of an accountant. His oily superior Bishop Montgomery declares that Father James can break the seal of the confessional, but offers no further help. The corrupt Detective Inspector Gerry Stanton rails against the sexual immorality of others, but hides his relationship with rent boy “Good Time Leo,” another victim of clerical abuse who has adopted a Brooklyn accent and other affected mannerisms from American mobster movies.

Finally, Father James befriends two visitors to the village who welcome the kindly advances of the compassionate priest. Teresa Robert is a French woman who meets Father James when he administers last rites to her husband who has been killed in a car crash. She engages the priest in a moving conversation about faith and death. Gerald Ryan (played by American character actor M. Emmet Walsh) is an elderly expatriate American author who worries that he will not finish his final novel before his death.

Despite a few missteps (some awkward shifts in tone and some self-indulgent cinematic tricks), McDonagh deftly weaves these stories together as Father James travels inexorably to his meeting with the man who has threatened to murder him. Each of the characters is part of a complex tapestry that brings together the specific impact of the clerical abuse scandal and the collapse of the Irish economy with the universal themes of forgiveness, mortality, guilt, sexuality and the countless casual cruelties human inflict on each other, consciously and unconsciously. Calvary is a thoughtful and provocative film that tackles challenging issues with compassion and searing wit.

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May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

16 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP

Theater

National tour of ‘Gatsby’ comes to National Theatre

Out actor Edward Staudenmayer talks playing the show’s gangster

Published

2 days ago

May 10, 2026

Patrick Folliard

Edward Staudenmayer plays Meyer Wolfsheim in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ (Photo courtesy National Theatre)

‘The Great Gatsby’
May 12-24
The National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
$59-$196
Thenationaldc.com

Often dubbed “The Great American Novel” for its depiction of ambition and self-invention alongside the reversals of success, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” says it all in a fast read.

Set against the excesses and energy of the Roaring Twenties, “The Great Gatsby,” novel and now the same-titled hit Broadway musical with a jazz/pop original score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, tells the story of Nick Carraway and his friendship with Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic millionaire intent on reuniting with ex-lover, Daisy Buchanan.

It was during a four-month 2025 run in Seoul, South Korea, that out actor Edward Staudenmayer first played the show’s heavy, Meyer Wolfsheim, a gangster who helped Gatsby make his murkily acquired fortune. As Meyer, Staudenmayer opens the second act with, appropriately enough, “Shady.”

Now three months into a year-long North American tour, the show is poised to enjoy a brief run at Washington’s National Theatre (5/12-5/24).

While putting on his eyeliner prior to a recent Wednesday matinee at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, the upstate New York-based actor shared about Gatsby and a life in theater.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Despite your good looks and terrific voice, you’re rarely the leading the man. How is that?

EDWARD STAUDENMAYER: I’m definitely a character man. I’ve been painting lines on my face to play old men since I was in high school. I was the youngest freshman in college playing old Uncle Sorin [in Chekhov’s “The Seagull”].

There have been many villains. Some darker than others. Meyer Wolfsheim is a very bad guy, but he doesn’t haunt me once I’m offstage. I play a lot of pickleball.

BLADE: Is it true that like so many of Fitzgerald’s characters, Wolfsheim is famously based on someone the writer encountered in life.

STAUDENMEYER: That’s true, Wolfsheim is pretty much a direct portrayal of real-life mobster and 1919 World Series fixer [Arnold Rothstein].

BLADE: When did the 1925 novel first surface on your radar?

STAUDENMAYER: Like many of us, I was assigned “The Great Gatsby” in high school. It was short, and filled with sex and illicit activities. I thought it was great. Definitely wasn’t a Judy Blume novel.

Interestingly, the book wasn’t originally a huge a success for Fitzgerald, but because it was about war and having the girl at home, they gave it to GIs leaving for WWII. After returning, a lot of those guys went on the GI Bill and became English teachers. They assigned the book to their students.

BLADE The idea that the book’s first-person narrator, Nick Carraway, is gay and enamored with Jay Gatsby is long discussed among readers and scholars. Does the musical touch on that?

STAUDENMAYER: Yes, there’s conjecture about Jay and Nick, and it’s implied in our show. It’s also implied about Jordan Baker, Jay’s fleeting romantic interest. Ultimately, she’s a confirmed bachelor, and a professional golfer who only wears pants.

Our performers are really good. Josh Grasso who plays Nick is fantastic. I’ve had to stop watching him in his last scene; it’s not good for Meyer Wolfsheim to take his curtain call crying. Our Gatsby, Jake David Smith, is good too. He’s gorgeous like Superman and sings like an angel.

BLADE: Do you ever imagine backstory for your characters whose sexuality is undefined?

STAUDENMAYER: I do, but not with Wolfsheim. I don’t see it. I’m trying to be as butch as possible with this ruthless killer.

BLADE: Have you had to do that in your career?

STAUDENMAYER: For a long time, I wore a mask to hide my gayness. I worked hard on being believable, that I was into the girl or that I was a tough guy.

It’s a different world now, and it’s so refreshing to be around the younger actors today; they’re remarkably open and comfortable.

BLADE: What was your coming of age like?

STAUDENMAYER: I played high school football in Palm Springs [he chuckles, alluding to the arid gay mecca], and I was pretty good too. But much to the chagrin of my parents and coaches, I quit the team to act in our senior year play. My super butch dad played semi-pro football and he was an ex-cop. I’m named after him. While I didn’t become my dad, I’ve played him often on stage. He was a true Gaston [the bumptious rival in “Beauty and the Beast”]. And like Gaston, he used antlers in all his interior decorating.

BLADE: Did he live to see your success in theater?

STAUDENMAYER: He did. Life was challenging growing up but the last 10 years of his life we couldn’t get off the phone with each other [his voice catches with emotion]. He accepted me entirely, and we became very close.

BLADE: Looking ahead, is there a part you’d especially like to play?

STAUDENMAYER: Like all baritones I’d love to play Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd.” I’ve come close but it hasn’t happened yet. There’s still time.