Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
14 WIFELY DEVOTION
Glenn Close and Christian Slater on The Wife, as
well as the controversy surrounding Hollywood and
the transgender community.
By Randy Shulman
DAVE PERRUZZA’S
HOME RUN
In a city desperate for more LGBTQ spaces, the
former manager of JR.’s stepped up to the plate.
With Pitchers and A League of Her Own, he’s
knocked it out of the park.
24
35
Interview by John Riley
Photography by Todd Franson
DIVINE DIVA
subhed, subhed subhed subhed subhed subhed
subhed subhed subhed subhed subhed
By Craig Seymour
Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830
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Romeo & Juliet runs to Sept. 2 at Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW. Tickets are free, distributed through a daily
online lottery as well as in-person on a first-come, first-serve basis two hours before each day’s curtain.
Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org/ffa.
CYRUS CHESTNUT
“The best jazz pianist of his generation,” Time music critic Josh
Tyrangiel has said about about Baltimore’s versatile virtuoso Chestnut,
who two decades ago portrayed a Count Basie-inspired pianist in Robert
Altman’s film Kansas City. He returns to D.C.’s leading jazz venue for a
CYRUSCHESTNUT.NET
NEW ORDER
Five years ago, this seminal synth-pop/dance-rock band from Manchester performed under the stars at Merriweather a
captivating concert that was in many ways a showcase for bassist Tom Chapman, two years after replacing quintessential
original Peter Hook. If anything, the band’s return should be even more of an all-out, four-on-the-floor dance party, which
kicks off with DJ Whitney Fierce reprising her role from the last Merriweather date. Next week’s debut at the Anthem is
also New Order’s first chance to truly showcase its post-Hook style and sound for local fans, chiefly by performing select
dancefloor-primed tracks from the group’s remarkable 2015 set Music Complete. More than a return to form, this tour-de-
force studio album saw the band venturing beyond the dance-rock path it pioneered, taking playful and satisfying excur-
sions to campy disco (“Tutti Frutti”) as well as deep house (“Plastic,” “Unlearn This Hatred”). Tuesday, Aug. 28. Doors at
6:30 p.m. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. Tickets are $55 to $95. Call 202-888-0020 or visit theanthemdc.com.
Compiled by Doug Rule the opportunity to see the seminal the biblical story of Cain and Abel, METRIC: DREAMS SO REAL
film on the largest possible screen.” loosely based on the John Steinbeck This meticulously conceived and
The Smithsonian offers two screen- novel of the same name. As such, constructed feature-length con-
FILM ings per evening starting Thursday, legendary filmmaker Elia Kazan cert documentary focuses on the
Aug. 23, at 7 and 9:55 p.m. To Aug. gave Dean his first starring vehicle Toronto-based synth-pop/rock
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 29. Independence Ave at 6th St. — and the 1955 drama also ended up quartet Metric, led by singer-song-
Two prominent local arts orga- SW. Tickets are $13.50 to $15. Call the only one the actor actually got writer Emily Haines, stadium-filling
nizations are screening Stanley 202-633-2214 or visit si.edu/imax. to see, released mere months before rock stars in Canada. Filmmakers
Kubrick’s 1968 visionary saga in a Meanwhile, the AFI Silver Theatre his death. (Both Rebel Without A T. Edward Martin and Jeff Rogers
nod to its 50th anniversary. A bril- offers its week-long run of the sci-fi Cause and Giant were released post- exhaustively captured a 2016 con-
liant meditation on man, machine, odyssey as part of a two-month- humously.) East of Eden, also star- cert at Vancouver’s Thunderbird
and the mysterious universe, long series honoring the late, great ring Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Arena through the use of a whop-
2001 features a script by Kubrick filmmaker. Screenings start Friday, Richard Davalos, and Burl Ives, ping 26 4K cameras. Intended as a
and Arthur C. Clarke, as well as Aug. 24, at 7:30 p.m. To Aug. 30. returns to the big screen as part stunning recreation of the concert,
Oscar-winning special effects by 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. of Landmark’s West End Cinema Dreams So Real screens once next
pioneer Douglas Trumbull (Close Tickets are $15 general admission. Capital Classics series. Wednesday, week at the AFI per its “Canada
Encounters of the Third Kind). You’ll Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/ Aug. 30, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m., Now” series of films, presented in
be able to appreciate every detail, Silver. 2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from a partnership with the Embassy of
up close and immersive, on the six- 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to Canada. Friday, Aug. 24, at 7:20 p.m.
stories-tall screens of the Lockheed EAST OF EDEN $12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville
Martin IMAX Theater at the Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, landmarktheatres.com. Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $13.
National Air and Space Museum, and Paul Newman all lost out to Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/
with screenings billed as the “first James Dean to play the central Silver.
time ever that moviegoers will have drifter in this cinematic retelling of
SCREEN QUEEN:
THE LIVING END
Joshua Vogelsong, aka drag per-
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
WIFELY DEVOTION
and directed by Gregg Araki, whom
Vogelsong calls “one of my favor-
ite directors.” The 1992 dramedy,
he continues, “was a really shock-
ing movie when it came out, part
Glenn Close and Christian Slater on The Wife, as well as the controversy of the New Queer Cinema move-
surrounding Hollywood and the transgender community. ment. It had a very unapologetic
view of HIV and the way that they
W
handled that subject.” Patrons can
HEN SPEAKING WITH GLENN CLOSE, WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T MAKE THE enjoy snacks, including fresh offer-
mistake of calling Albert Nobbs a lesbian. “Albert wasn’t a lesbian,” she says, under- ings from Suns’ vintage popcorn
machine, as well as drinks from the
standably annoyed. “Grethe Cammermeyer was a lesbian. Albert didn’t know what she full-service bar, which will remain
was.” Close, nominated for an Oscar for her astonishing turn in 2012’s Albert Nobbs and an Emmy- open afterwards to encourage
winner for her portrayal of Cammermeyer in the 1995 television movie Serving in Silence, was in post-show discussion. 3107 Mount
Pleasant St. NW. Tickets are $5.
Washington with Christian Slater for a special screening of The Wife. Visit sunscinema.com.
Critics are already hailing Close’s portrayal of the steely, long-suffering Joan Castleman, who
dutifully stands in the shadow of her legendary novelist husband, Joe, as a sure bet come Oscar THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS
nomination time. The film, directed with a deliberate dramatic simmer by Björn Runge, unfurls at Twenty years after Family Guy
crossed Sesame Street with
the Nobel Prize ceremony, where unsavory proddings by a journalist, played with slippery unctu- Homicide: Life on the Street (por-
ousness by Slater, bring the story to overboiling point. traying Bert as a hard-drinking
“I think women give up a lot for men,” says Close of the relationship between Joan and Joe. detective and Ernie as his lover),
The Happytime Murders is here to
“The thing is, there has to be a balance, right? There has to be some sort of a balance. This is about flesh that idea out to feature length.
a relationship that’s become terribly unbalanced and yet, somebody has been fulfilled. Set in a world where puppets live
“One of my favorite scenes was when we arrive in Stockholm and I’m just holding the coat in alongside humans as second-class
the background,” she continues. “I’ve been around men who make women feel invisible, and it’s citizens, Muppets puppeteer Bill
Barretta plays private eye Phil
not a nice place to be in.” Phillips, a disgraced former cop try-
In conversation with Close and Slater, the topic moves away from The Wife and onto one of ing to track down a serial killer who
Hollywood’s more pressing issues of the day — outcry from memebers of the LGBTQ community is murdering the cast of ’80s TV
show The Happytime Gang. Melissa
that Hollywood should only cast transgender actors in transgender roles. Slater, who recently McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya
played gay in King Cobra, as the porn director who gave Brent Corrigan his start, weighs in first. Rudolph, Joel McHale, and Leslie
“Of course, you want to give everybody an opportunity,” says Slater. “But the whole point of David Baker all star, and it’s being
[being an actor] is to be able to immerse yourself in somebody else’s life and then wear the clothes directed by Brian Henson — son of
puppet genius Jim Henson. Opens
of that person. It’s to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone. But I understand the Friday, Aug. 24. Area theaters. Visit
conflict and the need for the real people to be playing these roles — I get it. It is something that we fandango.com (RM)
need to figure out. I don’t think we’re at the answer yet.”
VENUS
“I think it’s really limiting to say, ‘You can only play who you are,’” echoes Close. “That goes A trans woman’s life is thrown for
against what it means to be a creative artist. But one way that would help is to have directors and another, wholly unexpected loop
producers make a real effort to find people, to have [more transgender actors audition], because when a 14-year-old boy, seeking to
you have to find the best person. And if the best person doesn’t happen to be transgender, that’s connect with his biological father,
shows up on her doorstep proclaim-
the nature of the business.” —Randy Shulman ing to be her son. Eisha Marjara’s
gender-shifting, heartwarming
The Wife opens Friday, August 24, at Landmark’s E Street and Bethesda Row cinemas, and the comedy focuses on the immediate
aftermath of this bombshell devel-
AMC Shirlington 7, Angelika Mosaic, and Cinema Arts in Fairfax. opment and the multi-faceted fam-
STAGE
IN THE CLOSET
Rainbow Theatre Project opens its
sixth season with its first full pro-
duction of a new play — a joint
world premiere with Cleveland’s
Convergence-Continuum. A meta-
physical comedy from Siegmund
Fuchs, a native of Cleveland who
lives and works in D.C. as a lawyer
for the U.S. Department of Justice,
In The Closet follows an 18-year-old
boy guided by three older gay men
acting as his “fairy godmothers” to
DJ COREY
ALMOND JOY
Janson, and Patrick Joy. To Sept.
15. District of Columbia Arts Center
(DCAC), 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets
are $35. Call 202-462-7833 or visit
Nick Martin cracks open the nutty farce Melancholy Play rainbowtheatreproject.org.
S
More than 60 D.C.-area theater
ARAH RUHL’S MELANCHOLY PLAY: A CONTEMPORARY FARCE companies offer free readings,
is nutty by design. “I’m sure the show sounds really odd,” says Nick workshops, open rehearsals, and
Martin. “But the theme of it is everyone coming together to save Francis, previews of developing plays and
musicals as part of this 17th annu-
a character who turns into an almond.”
al event over Labor Day weekend.
Martin, who directed the current production at Constellation Theatre, calls LGBTQ highlights among the full
Ruhl’s 2002 work “a perfect over-the-top exploration of what melancholy is. At day of offerings on Saturday, Sept. 1
the end of the day, it’s just a lovely little play about people coming together to include I’ve Been A Woman, Jordan
Ealey’s time-traveling play follow-
take care of the ones that they love.... Hopefully you walk out with a renewed ing two souls reincarnated in black
sense of optimism and hope about the human connection.” women’s bodies in three distinct
Last fall, Martin recommended the play for the company’s upcoming season, time periods; Glimmer/Jellyfish
Summer, a reading of two plays by
without any expectation he would actually get the chance to direct it. “I was
Darcy Parker Bruce and Natalie
asked specifically for any smaller-cast comedies that I thought might be a good Ann Valentine focused on what pre-
fit for Constellation,” he says. I’ve loved Melancholy Play for a very long time, senting organization Bridge Club
so I brought that to the table.” calls “young, queer, heart-wander-
ers” looking for “whatever magic
Ultimately, the stars aligned for the 27-year-old Virginia native to step up there is beneath the water”; The
and take the show’s helm. He’s in charge of just five actors, plus cellist Kate Springfield Boys, Anthony E. Gallo’s
Rears Burgman. Billie Krishawn leads the cast as Tilly, a beautifully sad char- two-act dramedy about the close
relationships between Abraham
acter whom everyone falls for — some, such as lesbian Francis, to the point of
Lincoln, his closest friend Joshua
becoming an almond, or “so small that you could curl up into the palm of your Fry Speed, and law partner Billy
lover’s hand.” Herndon; Life Lines, a collection
As it happens, Martin directed Krishawn in the starring role of a commis- of theatrical works written, per-
formed, and directed by black
sioned production at this year’s Capital Fringe. Inspired by Greek mythology, LGBTQ artists; Montgomery, a
Stephen Spotswood’s Andromeda Breaks was “vaguely Southern Gothic and blues/rock musical by Britt Bonney
very full of tension and very little language and just big, bold, magical story- set in Alabama during the birth
of the civil rights movement; A
telling.”
Butterfly’s Eyes, a series of short
Krishawn, he notes, went from that production “to this roller coaster of scenes and monologues by partici-
broad emotional exploration and really specific physical comedy. I’m convinced pants in GALA’s Paso Nuevo Youth
she can do anything.” —Doug Rule Performance Group touching on
their experiences with love, racism,
coming out, bullying, self-esteem,
and immigration; Unprotected Sex,
Melancholy Play runs to Sept. 2 at the Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. an edgy collection of short plays
Tickets are $19 to $45. Call 202-204-7741 or visit constellationtheatre.org. about contemporary black LGBTQ
SHEILA E.
Sheila Escovedo came to fame more
than three decades ago as Prince’s
drummer, songwriter, musical
director, and paramour. In recent THE INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON: INNSTOCK
years, Sheila E. has toured through The region’s most celebrated high-end dining destination, located roughly 90 minutes
the area with her electrifying solo
show featuring her Latin-flavored south of D.C., turned 40 years old earlier this year, but has been keeping the celebration
soul/pop hits (“The Glamorous going with a few key events throughout the year. The penultimate celebratory event
Life,” “Love Bizarre”) as well as the- happens Labor Day Sunday, Sept. 2, with a daylong culinary food and music festival that
hits-that-should-have-been — with
a focus on songs from 2013’s Icon.
is open to the public. Patrick O’Connell, the complex’s co-founder and patron chef, has
Her first studio album in 13 years, invited more than 20 former employees and chefs to come back to make a signature dish
Icon fully displays the artist’s skill as part of a “culinary family reunion,” complemented by the participation of premiere
at songcraft and prowess in per- Virginia winemakers and brewmasters, live bands, bonfires, hot air balloon rides, “roam-
cussion, even the vocal kind known
as beatboxing, per the impressive, ing impersonators,” and a grand finale fireworks display. Tickets are $250, or $1,500 for a
all-vocal track “Don’t Make Me VIP Package for 2 including access and additional complimentary food and beverages in
(Bring My Timbales Out).” Her the Inn’s Tavern Ballroom as well as VIP seating and parking. Call 540-675-3800 or visit
timbales will definitely be out and
used to full effect in her return to
theinnat40.com/innstock.
the Howard Theatre next weekend.
Saturday, Aug. 25, at 8 p.m. 620 T St.
NW. Tickets are $49.50 to $79.50,
Steve Coll, Jennifer Egan, Dave Tickets are $15. Visit dupontunder- playful New York studio whose
plus $10 minimum per person for
Eggers, Jeffrey Eugenides, Doris ground.org. work straddles the divide between
all tables. Call 202-588-5595 or visit
Kearns Goodwin, Robert Hass, art and architecture, Fun House
thehowardtheatre.com.
Tayari Jones, Joe Meacham, ALCHEMY: DANNY GREEN & includes a sequence of interactive
Celeste Ng, Annie Proulx, Amy Tan, KATHERINE PLOURDE rooms featuring new as well as sev-
THE SWEETBACK SISTERS and Luis Alberto Urrea. Saturday, Green, a local mosaic artist, and eral environments and objects the
Vocalists Emily Miller and Zara
Sept. 1, from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Plourde, a New York-based painter, organization has become known
Bode are the centerpiece of this
Walter E. Washington Convention team up this weekend for a special for. Presented inside the museum
Brooklyn-based band that blends
Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Pl. Call 202- art show celebrating the magical as well as outside on the grounds,
Americana with lovely hints of
249-3000 or visit loc.gov/bookfest. and mystical power of nature. The the series also sees the return of
jazz and ragtime. The Sweetback
artists will display new works as Hill Country Backyard Barbecue,
Sisters, supported by powerhouse
well as share details about their cre- serving food and drink and pre-
musicians, perform a free special
outdoor concert to conclude the
MUSEUMS ative processes as part of a reception senting additional activities and live
at the Potter’s House, the recent- performances from the West Lawn
free Live from the Lawn weekly
summer series outside the Mansion & GALLERIES ly renovated, nearly 60-year-old on Wednesdays through Sundays.
nonprofit venue in Adams Morgan To Sept. 3. 401 F St. NW. Tickets are
at Strathmore. Wednesday, Aug. 29,
20/20: DOUBLE VISION that serves as a cafe, bookstore, and $16, or free for museum members.
at 7 p.m. Gudelsky Gazebo, 10701
In partnership with the Corcoran community space. Sunday, Aug. 26, Call 202-272-2448 or visit nbm.org.
Rockville Pike, North Bethesda.
School of Design, Dupont from 3 to 5 p.m. 1658 Columbia
Tickets are free. Call 301-581-5100
Underground presents an eye-open- Road NW. Call 202-232-5483 or ILLUMINATE
or visit strathmore.org.
ing collection of video artwork that visit pottershousedc.org. The Target Gallery in Alexandria’s
challenges what and how we see. A Torpedo Factory Art Center pres-
READINGS play on the both the literal and met- FUN HOUSE
This year’s offering in the National
ents a special glow-in-the-dark
exhibition, for which it will turn
aphorical notion of visual acuity and
NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL clarity, 20/20 features work from Building Museum’s imaginative off its lights to put the focus on
This year’s annual Library of Corcoran alumni and area artists Summer Block Party series of tem- exhibited artwork, artificially illu-
Congress event features more than with ties to the school, including porary structures inside its historic minated in various ways — some
100 best-selling authors and illus- Larry Cook, Maps Glover, Alexis Great Hall is a freestanding struc- by video, some by light installa-
trators participating in this year’s Gomez, Pamela Hadley, and Jason ture that recalls and re-imagines tion and sculpture, some by black
festival, including Madeleine Zimmerman. To Aug. 28. Dupont the idea of the traditional home. light. Emily Smith of Richmond’s
Albright, Isabel Allende, Kai Bird, Underground, 1500 19th St. NW. Designed by Snarkitecture, the 1708 Gallery served as juror for
O
no place to go.’”
Jo McDaniel, ALOHO’s manager, says Perruzza has wel-
VER THE PAST TWO DECADES, DAVE comed feedback from the community and has provided her
Perruzza carved out a niche for himself in autonomy so that the space can grow and flourish.
the LGBTQ community as the public face “It’s pretty great working with Dave,” McDaniel says. “I felt
of one of the city’s longest-running night- that from the start, my voice was important. I just dig that he
life spots, JR.’s Bar and Grill. Still, as much likes my face to be around Pitchers as well. He likes people to
as he loved being the general manager of know about downstairs, how welcome women are throughout
JR.’s, he regretted not being able to have this space.”
the final say over how the bar was run. “Dave goes a mile a minute, he never rests,” says Perruzza’s
“The first 15 years at JR.’s were amazing,” says the youthful husband, Richard Paules, who temporarily put aside his own
43-year-old. “Over the last five years, the landscape has changed landscaping business to help renovate Pitcher’s. “He is the hard-
a lot. I held on, thinking maybe [owner Eric Little] will sell me est working person I have ever known. When he gets something
the bar.” in his head that he wants to accomplish, he does it. Everyone
The offer never came. One night, a mutual acquaintance told loves him. I love him. And I really admire him, greatly.”
Perruzza that his father had a bar in Adams Morgan and was Raised in a typically rambunctious Italian family in
seeking a manager. Perruzza checked it out and immediately fell Westchester, New York, Perruzza is unapologetically blunt,
in love. “The first time I saw this place, I thought, ‘This is amaz- which has left him with some enemies, who frequently malign
ing,” he recalls. “This is a gorgeous space. It needs a lot of love, him on social media. Yet, anyone who genuinely knows Perruzza,
and it smells really bad, but it’s got a lot of potential.’” comes to quickly realize that he is a people pleaser with a pro-
Perruzza agreed to take it on but only as an owner. And verbial heart of gold. Funny, outspoken, and a deeply warm
so, the buildings that once housed Adams Morgan mainstays person, with an entrenched caring of his friends, patrons, and
Spaghetti Garden, Brass Monkey, Roxanne Restaurant, and community, he’s one of what was called, in an era gone by, “the
Peyote Karaoke Cafe, begat Pitchers, an LGBTQ sports bar, good guys.”
which opened in June, and A League of Her Own, a lesbian and
queer sports bar that caters primarily to female-bodied individ-
uals, which opened earlier in August. METRO WEEKLY: Let’s start by talking about your childhood.
Two months in, Pitchers is home run, with the bases loaded. DAVE PERRUZZA: I grew up in Mahopac, New York, a little town
On weeknights, there’s a steady hum of business from early eve- outside of New York City in Westchester County. I grew up a
ning until closing. And on weekends, you can barely push your young, confused gay boy with nobody in town that was gay or
way through the crowds. Downstairs, patrons enjoy food from a like me. My mom’s Sicilian, my dad was from Rome. So I’m half
simple yet excellent menu that includes a kick-ass burger, gar- Sicilian, technically. I say I get my bitchiness from the Sicilian
den-fresh salads, pizza, and all manner of finger foods. part and my easygoingness from the Roman part.
On the upper floor, you’d be hard pressed not to be amused We were middle class. My dad worked two jobs. He was a
by the bannisters fashioned from unfinished Louisville sluggers. musician and wedding singer on weekends, and did construc-
There are two patios, a gaming room, a multitude of TV screens, tion during the week. My mom was a hairdresser. I have two
some showing sporting events, others designated for video wonderful sisters — can you put wonderful in capitals? [Laughs.]
games — a particular love of Perruzza’s. Last week, Pitchers I’m the youngest. We had a crazy Italian upbringing — pasta five
opened its final element, a sizable dance floor complete with a days a week and stuff like that. Just a good, loud Italian family.
corner DJ booth. Downstairs resides A League of Her Own, a MW: When did you come out to your parents?
cozy and notably beautiful space that boasts its own entryway PERRUZZA: My sister came out to them for me. I’m on the phone
W
don’t want to be told what the theme is. They just want to have
Photography by Todd Franson a space they can come into and do whatever they want. They
want to know that they have a safe space at 6:30 on a Wednesday
night. I think that’s what we’ve been lacking, the ability to cater
to all ages of queer women. The more grown-up lesbians and
queer women aren’t going to come out to a 10 p.m. party once a
month. They want to be able to have friends in town and go out
for drinks earlier, or have something that doesn’t feel so much
like a club.
MW: There’s been some criticism of A League of Her Own’s space,
such as “They’re relegating us to the downstairs. They’re making
us go through a separate entrance.”
MCDANIEL: I fight against that all the time. The ground level was
chosen because it has a separate entrance, and because there is a
marginalized group of queer D.C. that does not feel safe in what
would stereotypically be a gay men’s bar. I’ve had a couple of
customers who specifically waited for A League of Her Own to
open, because they felt safer in spaces where there aren’t a large
group of cis men. I had one customer in particular who told me
WHEN JO MCDANIEL FIRST MET DAVID PERRUZZA, IT she followed us on social media because the fact that we had a
was at a rally to support D.C.’s bid for the 2022 Gay Games. As separate entrance made her feel safe. At some point, she may feel
an employee of Cobalt, the sister bar of JR.’s, she knew Perruzza safe enough to move throughout the building, but that is why
by name, but had never spent time with him. Earlier this year, Dave chose that location with a separate entrance and a separate
Perruzza approached McDaniel about becoming full-time man- security guard, for that percentage of the population in queer
ager of A League of Her Own, the queer women’s bar that he D.C. who have had bad experiences and do feel safer in that way.
planned to open on the lower level of Pitchers MW: How successful do you think you have been in making people
For McDaniel, a veteran bartender who’s worked at Apex, of diverse orientations and gender identities feel welcome?
Phase One of Dupont Circle, Freddie’s Beach Bar, and Cobalt MCDANIEL: I really want to make sure we’re labeling ALOHO as
since the early 2000s, Perruzza’s vision for A League of Her not just a lesbian bar, but a lesbian and queer bar. I want to make
Own matched what McDaniel saw as a need within D.C.’s queer sure that we include our pansexual brothers and sisters, and
female community for their own safe space. She agreed to come non-binary or genderfluid people, and make sure they recognize
on board as the new bar’s manager. that this is their space. That’s why the first line on the sign at the
McDaniel says A League of Her Own’s casual atmosphere, as staircase leading to ALOHO says, “This is a space for people who
well as the ability to access parts of Pitchers, such as the mezza- have not found their space anywhere else.”
nine-level dance floor, via internal stairwells, allows patrons to MW: Have you had any hostile encounters that you’ve had to deal
pick and choose their own unique experience. with since opening?
“I’m seeing some of the most adorable date nights happen MCDANIEL: There has been some negative catcalling on the street
over our video games,” she says. “And then, on Sunday, I had that some of our patrons have experienced, and that has been
these two gorgeous girls sitting at a table over by the windows addressed with MPD. The weeks before ALOHO opened, I was
in ALOHO, holding hands across the table, while another two or bartending at Pitchers and had an experience where someone
three groups were at the bar.” posted a negative Yelp review where I got called a “dyke cunt.”
While she praises the party promoters that stepped in to hold It was this guy who I just wouldn’t serve told me I was discrim-
pop-up events at straight bars following Phase One’s closing, she inating against him because he had an Ole Miss shirt on. I was
notes a lot of women are looking for a casual atmosphere where like, “No, I just said you could have some water and come back
they can grab a drink after work, without having to worry about in 20 minutes.”
getting dolled up. She hopes both Pitchers and A League of Her MW: How did it feel to be called a “dyke cunt”?
Own can provide that space for those people. MCDANIEL: I have been a bartender for 13 years. I have dealt with
“Especially for feminine presenting queer women, and every level of horrible drunk you can, so I have a pretty thick skin
non-binary people, having a space that they can come into where when I’m behind the bar. So that didn’t really affect me so much.
their presentation isn’t questioned is all they’re really looking What bothered me was the number of people from my community
for. Straight bars can’t offer that.” who were here that he could possibly have said something to next.
Work of Art
Boy25 — real name Leo. It’s here that Hard
Paint, which meanders through its first
20 minutes or so, kicks things up a gear.
Bruno Fernandes is a revelation as Leo.
Hard Paint is a vivid, beautiful exploration of a troubled, He is the antithesis of Pedro — unreserved,
isolated mind. By Rhuaridh Marr unashamedly erotic, in touch with his
body, and a free-spirited performer. Pedro
S
witnesses this firsthand when he leaves
LOW-BURNING, EMOTIONAL, AND UNASHAMEDLY EROTIC, HARD PAINT the webcam room, instructing Pedro not
( ) — or Tinta Bruta in its native Brazilian Portuguese — at times feels to give anything away for free to the wait-
more like an art installation than a film. Through pulsating techno music, spare ing audience. Then the lights go out, the
dialogue, and the expressions of its lead actor, it weaves a story that, while narratively music kicks in, and we return to see Leo in
speaking lasts around a month, feels both intensely compact and also unendingly long. his full glory.
As viewers we watch, unsure of its motives, while being treated to some of the most While highlighting neon paint with
sumptuous visuals ever witnessed in queer cinema. As an experience, it polarizes — like black lights isn’t anything new, Reolon
the best art always does — leaving an uncertainty as to whether 118 minutes of exposure and Matzembacher’s use of the visual in
was entirely worth it. Hard Paint is masterful. As music pulsates
At its core, Hard Paint, from Brazilian writer-director team Marcio Reolon and in the background, Leo writhes and con-
Filipe Matzembacher (Seashore), is the story of a troubled young adult who shuns the torts, swathing his body in paint in a way
real world in favor of performing on a webcam for internet strangers. Pedro, played far more sensual than Pedro’s reserved
with waifish, semi-androgynous intensity by Shico Menegat, is introduced at a court nature will allow. It is perhaps the film’s
hearing for some unknown act of violence. Ushered home by his sister, this shy, awk- standout scene — and there are more than
ward man, with his long hair and blank face, transforms into NeonBoy, a webcam star a few — and an eye-opening moment for
who attracts his audience by painting his body in neon paints made gloriously lumines- both Pedro and the audience.
cent by the black lights placed next to his laptop. Hard Paint’s narrative opens up as
Pedro’s already isolated world quickly crumbles when his sister moves away for Pedro and Leo quickly become dual per-
a new job, leaving him completely alone. She urges that he leave the house for five formers, and Leo gradually draws Pedro
minutes a day, moments that give glimpses into Pedro’s psyche as every glance from out of his shell. While their burgeon-
a stranger, every sideways look, every unknown face leering from a window is given ing feelings for one another could have
added menace, or implied disapproval. Whether it’s truly real or merely imagined, reduced the film to sentimental nothing-
we don’t know, but it’s enough to send Pedro scuttling back inside to the safety of his ness, Reolon and Matzembacher instead
internet bubble. use the romance to lend sympathy and
That is until he learns that another webcam performer, Boy25, has stolen his depth to Pedro. We learn why he was
act, and is similarly painting himself on camera Pedro, faced with decreased audi- in court, his history of homophobia, the
Reel Affirmations Xtra screens Hard Paint on Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave NW.
For tickets and more information, visit reelaffirmations.org.
Divine Diva
Billy Preston, who would score solo hits
and play with the Rolling Stones in the
’70s. Together with the Angelic Choir,
they recorded the faith-in-troubled-times
Aretha Franklin’s gospel roots were partly shaped by the gays anthem “Peace Be Still,” which sold nearly
and lesbians in her life. By Craig Seymour a million copies.
For Aretha, Cleveland was, as she
I
expressed in a statement upon his death
N THE DAYS SINCE ARETHA FRANKLIN, THE QUEEN OF SOUL, PASSED — in 1991, “my earliest musical influence
or, as the “saints” say was “called home” — there have been numerous obituaries and musical mentor.” A twenty-something
crediting the power of her music to her gospel foundation. The New York Times Cleveland, after being hired as Minister of
wrote that she “brought the righteous fervor of gospel music to secular songs. And The Music at her Rev. C.L. Franklin’s church,
Washington Post asserted that Aretha explored “the sweet spot between sultry rhythm moved in with the Franklin family. Aretha,
and blues and the explosive gospel she’d grown up singing in her pastor father’s Baptist who was in her teens, would sit with
church.” Cleveland side-by-side at the piano work-
There has also been a lot attention given to her role as a lesbian and gay ally. She ing on choral arrangements. In 1972,
organized a concert to raise money for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in 1993. And, more when Aretha decided to do a live gospel
recently, in 2011, she played wedding singer at the marriage ceremony of a male cou- recording, she chose Cleveland to over-
ple. But what few, if any, have done in praising this preternaturally talented musician see the proceedings. The resulting album,
and longtime LGBTQ advocate is explore how the two are linked, to show how fun- Amazing Grace, became one of the most
damental lesbians and gay men are to shaping the gospel aesthetic that is the basis of celebrated and best selling gospel albums
Franklin’s soul. of all time.
Music historian Anthony Heilbut writes: “During what I’ve defined as gospel’s In addition to Cleveland, there were
golden age (1945-1960), most of the male gospel stars were gay.” The one who had the two women — who sometimes engaged in
most impact on Aretha’s sound was Rev. James Cleveland. A prodigy of sorts, Cleveland same-sex relationships — who were just as
became a boy soprano in the Pilgrim Baptist Church choir directed by “Father of crucial to Aretha’s development. Gospel
Gospel” Thomas A. Dorsey. Once Cleveland’s voice went from clear and high to grav- singer Clara Ward, known for her shiny
elly and low, he moved to L.A. and developed a style where he would almost narrate metallic gowns and elephantine bouffants,
a song while a choir sang behind him. Cleveland became particularly successful when “found safety in several sexual relation-
Longtime music critic Craig Seymour is the author of the biography Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross,
the memoir All I Could Bare: My Life in the Strip Clubs of Gay Washington, D.C., and the novel Who’s Your Daddy.
His archived music writing can be found at RandBeing.com. Follow him on Twitter at @craigspoplife.
DJ CHORD
1. In My Feelings
Drake
2. Instruction
Jax Jones ft. Demi Lavato
5. Creepin’
CID
6. Boom
Tiesto
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Thursday, GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 7. Cola (Franky Rizardo Remix)
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, August 30 • Shirtless Thursday, Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, Camephat
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail 10-11pm • Men in $5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas 9 1/2 Underwear Drink Free, Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any 12-12:30am • DJs and Select Appetizers 8. We Get High from the Music
Piano Bar and Karaoke drink, 5-9pm • Multiple BacK2bACk • All-You-Can-Eat Ribs, Mark Knight
with Jill, 8pm TVs showing movies, $24.95, 5-10pm • $4
shows, sports • Expanded NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Heineken and Corona
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normally served in a cock- of Beer all night • Sports Doors open 5pm • Huge
tail glass served in a huge A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Leagues Night Happy Hour: Any drink 10. Free
glass for the same price, 2319 18th St. NW normally served in a cock-
5-10pm • Beer and wine Doors open, 5pm-2am • NUMBER NINE tail glass served in a huge
Third Party
only $4 • Women’s Crush Happy Hour: $2 off every- Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any glass for the same price,
Wednesday, 5-10pm thing until 9pm • Video drink, 5-9pm • No Cover 5-10pm • Beer and wine Chord Bezerra is the resident DJ
Games • Live televised only $4
sports PITCHERS at Number 9 (1435 P Street NW).
2317 18th St. NW ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS He also spins at the Electric
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Doors open, 5pm-2am All male, nude dancers •
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
Rainbow at Capo Deli and the
• Happy Hour: $2 off Open Dancers Audition
Karaoke, 9pm everything until 9pm • • Urban House Music by Thirsty party at Number 9. Follow
Video Games • Foosball DJ Tim-e • 9pm • Cover him on Twitter at @djchordb and
• Live televised sports • 21+ l
Full dining menu till 9pm
on Instagram at @chorduroy80.
• Special Late Night menu
till 1am • Visit pitchers- Listen to this playlist at
bardc.com
MetroWeekly.com.
“We know of the abuse that children suffered both physical and sexual.
I’m now talking about the mental and emotional
torture of children
which we may have overlooked.
”
— Former Irish President MARY MCALEESE, speaking at Trinity College in Dublin about the sexual abuse scandals plaguing the Catholic
Church worldwide. McAleese said that the church should be held accountable for its attitudes towards LGBTQ rights and its approach
to dealing with abuse. “I think in the past we presumed they would do everything right,” said McAleese. “We now know, of course,
that was a dangerous, dangerous presumption behind which dreadful appalling things happened to children.”