Documente Academic
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By Doug Rule
By André Hereford
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Miss Saigon
W
HEN ONE OF SIR CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S physical, dimensional, and actors were able to interact with it.
signature productions hits the quarter-century mark, We strived to deliver that again, but in a new way, inherently
he likes to dust it off and breathe new life into it, using technology that didn’t exist 30 years ago, when the origi-
reinventing it in the process. He did it with Les Miserables. He nal production was first conceived and designed.
did it with the tour of Phantom of the Opera. “He feels it’s an “The technology that acts as the foundation on which every-
opportunity to look at the material again with a new creative thing can now be produced on a stage is almost beyond what
team,” says Seth Sklar-Heyn, executive producer for Camera anyone could have conceived of when these shows were first
Mackintosh Incorporated, the North America arm of the pro- coming out,” he continues. “Which goes to show how remark-
ducer’s U.K.-based company. able they were the first time around.” But he notes Miss Saigon
Recently, Macintosh did it with the 30-year-old Miss had to “evolve from the original into something new that does
Saigon, the sweeping musical by Les Miz scribes Claude- take advantage of how machinery comes to life onstage and
Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, set during the Vietnam supports the story.”
War. With a tragic, romance-drenched plot based on Puccini’s Sklar-Heyn dismisses critics who might call such scenic
Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon is a full-on weeper, filled with tactics crowd-pleasing stunts. He prefers to think of them as
lush ballads and big, bold production numbers. It also has, as immersive.
is the case with most modern-day theater, a breathtaking set- “Ideally, an audience is enveloped in the storytelling as a
piece in the form of a massive evac helicopter that lands during result of the scale of what we present onstage,” he says. “I do
the fall of Saigon. think we strive, in these productions, to immerse an audience,
“In the original production, it was a large piece that flew and to bring them into the action through a slice of life that we
in,” says Sklar-Heyn, who serves as the current touring pro- represent onstage as dimensionally as possible.”
duction’s associate director and executive producer. “It was —Randy Shulman
Miss Saigon runs through January 13 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $49 to $175.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
ALEXANDER PALEY
An internationally acclaimed concert soloist, the
American pianist, born and raised in Moldova, per-
forms Chopin preludes and Prokofiev’s Romeo and
Juliet. Presented by the Washington Conservatory of
Music, the concert will be followed by a Wine & Words
session with the musician along with complimentary
beverages. Saturday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. Westmoreland
Congregational Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle,
Bethesda. Tickets are free, donations welcome. Call
301-320-2770 or visit washingtonconservatory.org.
JAY PHAROAH
The six-season alum from Saturday Night Live, well known especially
for his impressions of President Obama, Jay Z, and Kanye West, has
more recently shown his dramatic abilities via Showtime’s White
Famous and Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane. He’s currently working on
his second stand-up special by trying out and perfecting his material
performing at nightclubs and college auditoriums around the coun-
try. Friday, Jan. 11. Doors at 8 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets
are $30 for this seated show. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.
Compiled by Doug Rule Nashville fame and Dom Flemons, Classics series at Landmark’s fodder, but should also hopefully
as well as their late mentor, fid- West End Cinema. Screenings are make for compelling viewing —
FILM dler Joe Thompson. A discussion
with Whitehead and journalist
Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 1:30, 4:30, and
7:30 p.m., 2301 M St. NW. Happy
Ginsburg’s incredible life achieve-
ments deserve it. Now playing. Area
Jordannah Elizabeth will follow hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)
DON’T GET TROUBLE next week’s screening in Baltimore. $12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit
IN YOUR MIND Thursday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m. landmarktheatres.com. THE ROCKY HORROR
The little-known, long-standing Creative Alliance at the Patterson, PICTURE SHOW
tradition of the bluegrass tradition 3134 Eastern Ave. Tickets are $10 ON THE BASIS OF SEX Landmark’s E Street Cinema pres-
in African-American communi- in advance, or $13 at the door. Call Notorious RBG makes her big ents its monthly run of Richard
ties, as well as the untold story of 410-276-1651 or visit creativealli- screen debut. Felicity Jones is a O’Brien’s camp classic, billed as the
how blacks and whites collaborat- ance.org. young Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a bril- longest-running midnight movie
ed to create the earliest forms of liant lawyer fighting for equal rights in history. Landmark’s showings
American popular music, is the sub- LOGAN’S RUN for women, including in arguments come with a live shadow cast from
ject of John Whitehead’s latest doc- In the 23rd century, life is utopic before the Supreme Court that she the Sonic Transducers, meaning
umentary, Don’t Get Trouble in Your — until you reach the age of 30. At would eventually come to have a it’s even more interactive than
Mind: The Carolina Chocolate Drops that point you’re put down in this seat on. Armie Hammer co-stars usual. Friday, Jan 10, and Saturday,
Story. The focus is on three young 1976 thriller starring Michael York, as Ginsburg’s husband, Martin, Jan. 11, at midnight. Landmark’s
string musicians who achieved fame Peter Ustinov, Jenny Agutter, and and Emmy-winning director Mimi E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW.
and acclaim, including a Grammy, Peter Farrah Fawcett. Logan Run Leder is at the helm. This is about Call 202-452-7672 or visit land-
as the Carolina Chocolate Drops, is the next in the weekly Capital as close as it gets to perfect Oscar- marktheatres.com.
including Rhiannon Giddens of
GETTING BENT
night. Fortunately, the actors killed
it, as it were, when The Play That
Goes Wrong debuted in London and
New York, earning the 2015 Olivier
Award for Best New Comedy and
This Saturday, the 9:30 Club is launching a new, quarterly LGBTQ dance event garnering critical praise. To Jan.
6. Kennedy Center Eisenhower
with DJ Steve Lemmerman at the helm. Theater. Tickets are $49 to $149.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kenne-
T
dy-center.org.
WO DECADES AGO, LOCAL NIGHTLIFE PROMOTER ED BAILEY GOT THE BALL
rolling, launching a weekly Saturday night Millennium party. Since then, the 9:30 Club has MUSIC
hosted its share of LGBTQ dance parties — from Cherry to Blowoff, from MAL Reaction
Dance to Mixtape. This Saturday, Jan. 5, add one more to the club’s estimable roster: Bent. ARNAUD SUSSMANN,
PAUL NEUBAUER,
“We’re launching Bent because D.C.’s gay community kind of needs a big platform, and 9:30 AND DAVID FINCKEL TRIO
Club is the place to do it,” says Steve Lemmerman, who is overseeing the event. “You know you can A violinist, a violist, and a cellist step
be safe at 9:30 as a person in the queer community, and as just a fan of any specific kind of music. into the Barns at Wolf Trap to per-
It’s a perfect opportunity to showcase our queer community to a larger audience, and have a large form three chamber masterworks
written for their combination of
home for our community at the same time. That was the inspiration: to just give so much more to stringed instruments: Beethoven’s
our queer community.” Opus 9, No. 1 Trio in G Major,
Over the past few years, the 29-year-old Baltimore native has carved out a name for himself as Dohnányi’s romantic Serenade in C
Major, and Mozart’s quintessential
“Lemz,” originally as a resident DJ at Nellie’s and more recently with Sleaze, the monthly party he classical Viennese Divertimento in
started at Wonderland Ballroom with DJ Keenan Orr. Orr is also on board with Bent, along with E-flat Major. Friday, Jan. 11, at 7:30
DJ the Barber Streisand and DJ Jack Jill in the basement Back Bar, but the party won’t just be a p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635
larger version of Sleaze. Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $40.
Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolf-
“Sleaze focuses on dark techno and disco,” says Lemmerman. “We stick to a certain sound. trap.org.
Bent, musically, is going to be a lot of feel-good fun dance music. A little more free-form. A lot of
indie pop. And some mainstream pop remix.” BALTIMORE SYMPHONY:
LEON FLEISHER’S BIRTHDAY
Bent, which is intended as a quarterly event, will offer up a broad range of performers, with the CELEBRATION
first outing hosted by Pussy Noir, and featuring Bombalicious Eklaver, Donna Slash, and “a few The renowned American pianist, a
surprises.” Lemmerman stresses that Bent will highlight the performers over the DJs. “I want the 2007 Kennedy Center Honoree, will
light to be on the performers, who don’t always get a stage of this magnitude,” he says. toast his birthday by performing
a specialty of his, Mozart’s Piano
Lemmerman, who works in the 9:30 Club box office by day, says the club’s production team Concerto No. 12 in A Major. Led
has been working hard to help him make “some dreams a reality with the stage area.” They’re by conductor Peter Oundjian, the
planning to employ “some pretty cool stage magic” to ensure that “the focus is on the actual dance BSO will also perform Brahms’
Symphony No. 2, full of beauti-
floor” itself. ful melodies and an exuberant-
“I want everyone to feel like a family, and feel close to each other,” he says. “My goal is to bring ly joyful finale. Friday, Jan. 4, at
together different parts of our community that don’t always interact.... Times have been so tough 8 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 6, at 3
lately, everyone just needs an escape right now. And 9:30 is helping me provide just that.” p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony
Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore.
—Doug Rule Also Saturday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Bent launches Saturday, Jan. 5, at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Doors at 10 p.m. Tickets are $15. Call Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Tickets are $25 to $90. Call 877-
202-265-0930 or visit 930.com. 276-1444 or visit bsomusic.org.
STORY DISTRICT
DANIEL H. PINK Every second Tuesday, Story
Why are parole-eligible prisoners District presents a program featur-
more likely to get a favorable ruling ing everyday people sharing per-
earlier in the day? Why are ado-
PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRIS
S
Visit artechouse.com.
O MUCH OF WHAT DRIVES CRYS MATTHEWS STEMS FROM HER TUMULTUOUS
REMEMBERING VIETNAM:
experience growing up gay as a black preacher’s kid in North Carolina. “Coming out was 12 CRITICAL EPISODES
definitely...not my favorite chapter by any stretch of the imagination,” Matthews says. “It IN THE VIETNAM WAR
was super tough. I pretty much didn’t live at home my entire senior year of high school.” Two The National Archives offers a
decades later, Matthews and her mother “have a fantastic relationship now. It’s definitely a story framework for understanding the
decisions that led to the Vietnam
that I wish I could tell more people. People always say it’ll get better, and it actually does.” War, its consequences and lega-
As a soul-fired folk singer-songwriter, Matthews has been able to tell her story — most notably cy. More than 40 years since its
on The Imagineers, her “full-length album of love and life songs.” But the social justice-minded end, the complexity of the conflict
is still being unraveled — in part
artist seems to get more charge out of weighing in on the pressing issues of our era — chiefly, the by historians pouring over newly
#MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements. In addition to her six-song EP Battle Hymn for an declassified documents, some of
Army of Lovers — which includes “We Must Be Free,” her updated, Black Lives Matter-referencing which factor into this exhibition of
take on a Civil Rights Era anthem — Matthews says, “I have another batch of social justice songs more than 80 original records. To
Jan. 6. Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery,
that I’m really, really, really itching to get out.... The social justice songs are so important to me, Constitution Avenue between 7th
sometimes it’s hard for me to not just wanna do that. and 9th Streets NW. NW. Call 202-
“Some of this stuff is just so heavy and so overwhelming, I want [those affected] to understand 357-5000 or visit archivesfounda-
tion.org.
and know they’re not alone,” says Matthews. “There are people in their corner who hear them and
respect them and appreciate and value what they’ve been through and [don’t] dismiss that. Also, ROOPKOTHA PHOTO EXHIBIT
I want to inspire other people who...maybe don’t understand it...to do some soul searching, and Vibrant images captured by various
inspire some action on their part.” photographers, along with histor-
ical artifacts and personal mem-
Next weekend, Matthews will perform a concert alongside two other area singer-songwriters, orabilia, tell the story of Xulhaz
Louisa Hall and Heather Mae, a fellow queer-identified artist who is a regular traveling performer Mannan and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy,
with Matthews on their joint Pride-season “Singing Out Tour.” two Bangladeshi LGBTQ activists
and artists who were savagely mur-
“We’re actually going to perform in the round,” Matthews says of the upcoming concert, part dered in their home two years ago.
of Creative Cauldron’s Passport to the World cabaret series. “We get to sing with each other on The Center Arts Gallery in the DC
things, harmonize here and there, and just interact with one another. In the round is always fun — Center for the LGBT Community
and is my favorite way to perform.” —Doug Rule has set up this powerful installa-
tion as part of an ongoing cam-
paign to protest the inaction of the
Crys Matthews appears with Louisa Hall and Heather Mae on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at Bangladeshi government to inves-
tigate the murders. 2000 14th St.
ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. Tickets are $18 to $22, or $60 for tables of two with NW. Call 202-682-2245 or visit
wine, $120 for tables of four with wine. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org. thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
AIDS HEALTHCARE
FOUNDATION offers free walk-
in HIV testing by appointment
from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m.
at its Blair Underwood Wellness
Center, 2141 K St. NW, and
its AHF Healthcare Center,
4302 St. Barnabas Rd., Suite B,
Temple Hills, Md., and from 9
a.m.-5 p.m. at its Benning Road
location, 1647 Benning Rd. NE,
PROSTOCKSTUDIO
ANDROMEDA
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing and HIV
services (by appointment). 9
FACE TIME
a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center,
1400 Decatur St. NW. To
arrange an appointment, call
202-291-4707, or visit androm-
edatransculturalhealth.org.
DC Fray hosts bimonthly same-sex speed dating events
that get rid of the swipes and put people face-to-face. DC AQUATICS CLUB practice
session at Takoma Aquatic
D
Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van
Buren St. NW. For more infor-
C FRAY STARTED OUT AS A SOCIAL SPORTS COMPANY,” SAYS mation, visit swimdcac.org.
senior marketing manager Tanisha Kanini. “Over the years, we realized
that there was so much more we could do with the company. So we began DC FRONT RUNNERS run-
developing other events.” ning/walking/social club
welcomes runners of all ability
While DC Fray is largely known for its sports leagues, including dodgeball, kick- levels for exercise in a fun and
ball, and flag football, expanded offerings now include ski trips, late night glow snow supportive environment, with
tubing, underwear runs, and even speed dating. socializing afterward. Route
distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at
“People are tired of swiping right or left on apps and getting into the dating 7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
world, and then when you meet that person you’ve been talking to, they don’t match For more information, visit
the picture on their profile,” says event manager Sandrika Berthias. “Or you talk, dcfrontrunners.org.
text, get ghosted. It can be a nightmare. People are looking to go back to basics and
DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s
meet someone face-to-face.” gay and lesbian square-dancing
The speed dating involves a mingling period before participants rotate through group, features mainstream
their four-minute conversations, allowing them to meet about 7-10 people in total. through advanced square
dancing at the National City
Registration fees are $25 per person, and DC Fray typically holds speed dating on Christian Church. Please dress
Wednesdays from 7-10 p.m., with nights for men seeking men and women seeking casually. 7-9:30 p.m. 5 Thomas
women alternating every other month. (Events for opposite-sex couples are held Circle NW. 202-930-1058,
monthly.) The next two men’s events are Jan. 9 and Mar. 6, and the next women’s dclambdasquares.org.
event is Feb. 6. DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
“What’s different about our events is that we help people with a set of questions practice. The team is always
they can use to break the ice, because not everyone is as easy-going with small talk,” looking for new members.
All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry
says Berthias. “So we give them support they can use. Thomas Recreation Center,
“Also, we don’t have a specific dress code. Most people come in business casual, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more
as the event is after work on a Wednesday, but some people come in sneakers and information, visit scandalsrfc.
pants. But if you want to look good in front of your potential date, do dress up.” org or dcscandals@gmail.com.
—John Riley THE DULLES TRIANGLES
Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at
DC Fray’s Men Seeking Men Speed Dating is on Wednesday, Jan. 9 from 7-10 p.m. Sheraton in Reston. All wel-
at Grand Central, 2447 18th St. NW. To register, or for more information about DC come. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise
Fray’s sports leagues or regularly occurring events, visit dcfray.com. Valley Drive, second-floor bar.
For more information, visit
dullestriangles.com.
A
SEISMIC SHIFT IS UNDERWAY IN AMERICAN POLITICS. AFTER TWO Democratic House, there should be real
years of total Republican dominance at the top of the federal government, all and legitimate oversight of the actions
headlined by the roller-coaster antics of the Trump administration, a moment of of the Trump administration. Will the
respite beckons: Democrats are taking control of the House of Representatives. Whether administration respect the proper role
Nancy Pelosi and the pro-LGBTQ polticians around her can become the miracle cure-all of Congress? With the Senate still under
our democracy desperately needs remains to be seen — and that uncertainty is reflected Republican control, we are likely to see an
in our forum, “The Year Ahead.” ongoing effort by Trump to confirm judges
Asked how they feel going into 2019, trepidation was a common theme among respon- who are not independent and fair-minded.
dents. “Anxious,” “worried,” “nervous” — many aren’t sure if 2019 will truly be a better
year for the LGBTQ community, or if we’re going to face even more assaults on our rights DARRELL JOHNSON, 55, D.C.: My biggest
and freedoms. But dig deeper and some optimism shines through, particularly after last concern is how the public is dealing with
year’s midterm elections. With Democrats sweeping to power across the nation, many LGBTQ health care issues, educating gay
LGBTQ people are quietly optimistic about our prospects now that there’s an even bigger men on the purpose of taking HIV med-
buffer against hate and bigotry. ications when HIV positive, as well as
As for what to expect? More of everything. More battles against discrimination, the misleading concerns of using PrEP
Trump’s transgender military ban, and the religious freedom movement. More 2020 elec- as a preventive medicine when having
tion speculation — as of press time, we have Sen. Elizabeth Warren confirmed. And more unprotected sex, especially among African
endless waiting for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to finish his investigation. American gay/bisexual men.
For now, let’s check-in with LGBTQ people and some allies from D.C., Maryland,
Virginia, and across the nation, to learn what the community thinks about the year ahead. NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST: The plan-
et is heating up. The impending climate
What are your biggest concerns for 2019? Trump Administration will continue to catastrophe will dwarf and/or intensify all
seek ways to “erase” Transgender. other social and political problems. We’ve
NICHOLAS BENTON, VIRGINIA: My biggest waited too long, and even now, when we
concern is the damage that Donald Trump, DALE CORVINO, 54, NY: The people of don’t have any excuses, we’re barely doing
his Russian overlords, and their authoritar- the United States are hostage to a corrupt anything. My biggest concern is that 2019
ian and New Right nationalist allies will do party, the GOP. That party lies, cheats, and will bring us one year closer to inevitable
to America and to institutions of democra- steals to hold power, and has itself been catastrophe.
cy, human rights, and progressive values compromised by corrupting forces, from
worldwide. While a growing resistance to within and without. This is a soft war for NAME WITHHELD: My biggest concern
this is encouraging, these forces remain in our self-determination and our freedom. is the Trump Presidency and its GOP
a position to do an incredible amount of enablers. They’re a sewer.
destruction. KEVIN DIETZ, 44, D.C.: My concern is
for Ruth Bader Ginsburg staying healthy FREDDIE LUTZ, VIRGINA: My biggest
DANA BEYER, 66, MARYLAND: My main and alive. We don’t need another Trump- concerns are political for the gay com-
concern is that we will lose sight of the appointed Supreme Court justice. It sick- munity. I feel like the rights we fought
most important challenge before us — ens me that long after Trump is gone, his so hard for are being threatened by the
removing Trump and his mob family, and court picks will remain for decades. current administration. The Trump
continuing the global effort to shut down administration has done a lot of good, but
the criminal fascist uprising threatening STATE SENATOR ADAM EBBIN, 55, when it comes to the LGBTQ rights we
the planet. To do so we need to build VIRGINIA: My biggest concerns are the seem to be taking a big step backwards.
and rebuild relationships, and not allow damage that the Trump administration is
ourselves to impose purity tests, which doing to our core Democratic institutions, BRUCE MAJORS, 58, D.C.: As a libertarian,
are rarely a problem for our adversar- as well as the reputation and credibili- I’m always concerned about the growth of
ies. No more Trans vs. Gay, and Lesbian ty of the U.S. government at home and government — spending, taxes, restrictions
vs. Trans, no more Bernie vs. everyone abroad; the collapse of public discourse on choices, and about the huge amount
not Bernie, no more bigotry — and that and understanding, specifically as it relates of government debt and the asset bubbles
includes anti-Semitism — in the effort to to the escalation of hate and hate-related created by fiat credit financing of that
build a truly intersectional movement. violence; and the rise in violence against debt, that are never addressed, and that
transgender people, immigrants, and reli- could collapse on us at any moment. We
EARLINE BUDD, 40, D.C.: One of my big- gious minorities. It’s frightening. are basically always waiting for a complete
gest concerns for 2019 is that the current collapse.
Free Love
Director Barry Jenkins deftly mingles romance with racial tension
other and a modest nest to go and start
their family? That’s the question that
bedevils their love story, and, in Baldwin’s
sage observation, it’s the question that
in the superb If Beale Street Could Talk. By André Hereford perpetually haunts promising, young black
lives, even in the post-Civil Rights-era
S
’70s?
WEEPING FROM GORGEOUS CLOSEUPS OF A YOUNG BLACK COUPLE IN Well, here in 2019, in the era of
love — 19-year old Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne) and her 22-year old fiancé Fonny #existingwhileblack, of BBQ Becky and
Hunt (Stephan James) — up to the glowing night sky over Manhattan, If Beale Permit Patty and Cornerstore Caroline
Street Could Talk (HHHHHH) ushers us gently into the orbit of two kids with eyes and Coupon Carl, and black folks get-
only for each other and the future they’ll share. They’ve declared themselves ready to ting harassed or arrested just for being
embark towards bliss, through challenges, assuredly and completely together. or Airbnb-ing, or getting shot and killed
Their romance might be any romance, were it not for the fact that their night full of for sitting inside their own apartments,
possibility and desire was the last night they spent together. In the urgent present of the question has taken on a treacherous
their lives, Fonny sits in jail, falsely accused of raping a woman, Victoria Rogers (Emily new expression. The meaning remains
Rios), clear across town that night the same, though, as Jenkins captures
Director Barry Jenkins has reassembled the key production team behind his Oscar- brilliantly in his screenplay and direction.
winning 2016 drama, Moonlight, to create a sublimely beautiful, bittersweet adaptation Perhaps the filmmaker’s masterstroke
of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel. Echoing the book’s elegant tempo, the film follows is in the casting. Layne is a wonder of
Tish’s increasingly desperate efforts to see Fonny exonerated before she bears the child strength and fragility as Tish, while James
she learns she’s carrying. The pregnancy is a development she greets warmly, yet with supplies moving currents of passion,
the trepidation that hers and Fonny’s complicated situation has become infinitely more whether Fonny’s in his element as a sculp-
complicated. tor in his studio, or devastatingly close to
As in Baldwin’s novel, the film proceeds with an uncomplicated belief in Fonny’s losing it while languishing in jail. In roles
innocence and in the innocence of his and Tish’s romance. Just as powerful is the con- that might have come off too idealized
viction that they deserve to fight their way through this mess to that bliss on the other or cute, Layne and James bring to the
side. From the warmly-lit cinematography, to the stirring score by Nicholas Britell, the screen a charged connection that keeps
movie inspires a solidarity with their union and their cause. the characters grounded, and should keep
If Beale Street Could Talk is rated R, and is now playing at Landmark’s E Street and Bethesda Row Cinemas.
Visit landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c.
Tricky Dick
unburdened by any lofty ideals or deeply
felt political ideology, Cheney is shown as
being instead extremely capable at boys’
club-style maneuvering for hegemony.
Vice delivers a scintillating satirical bio of the most influential second Buttonholing Rumsfeld in a White House
banana in White House history. By André Hereford hallway to ponder what ideals might actu-
ally inform their policies, he asks, “Don,
I
what do we believe?” Rumsfeld laughs like
N A BRACING EARLY SCENE OF THE CAUSTIC COMEDY VICE ( ), a hyena and shuts the door in his face.
a fired-up Lynne Vincent (Amy Adams) gives her floundering fiancé Dick Cheney Adam McKay, the Oscar-winning
(Christian Bale) a tough-love pep talk that stands as the make-or-break moment in director and screenwriter of The Big
the movie’s depiction of their powerful union. Short, clearly isn’t aiming for a totally “fair
It’s 1963, and 22-year old Cheney, thoroughly humbled by a recent DUI and expul- and balanced” portrayal of Dick Cheney.
sion from Yale, slumps before her like a wounded animal. But rather than soothe her And, given what the world now knows,
man, Lynne is determined to rile him into recovery, or rip him to shreds. Either way, that would seem to be a fair approach,
she simply won’t settle for the sad-sack souse he’s on his way to becoming, so he’d or certainly in the balance of things no
better shape up and fast. more harmful than Cheney’s past exploits.
Amy Adams, as gifted as any actor currently working in cinema, turns in a virtuosic Rather, McKay and his cast seem ener-
performance, driving home one of the film’s many outward nods towards the idea of gized by the prospect of taking a hard
wielding steely power from behind an enfeebled figurehead. swing at Dick’s history, and at some of the
Of course, Cheney eventually will assume awesome powers and influence of his messes he would help engineer further
own, and, accordingly, Bale’s gripping performance evolves over the course of the film down the line.
to track that stunning rise to power. Adopting a credible version of Cheney’s sidelong Decades after the Nixon and Ford
snarl, and adding some girth to his face and frame, Bale blossoms into brutishness as camps were ushered out of the White
Cheney barrels upward from the disgrace of that DUI to the pinnacles of American House, in disgrace or defeat, Cheney
success. returned to the halls of power as vice
He first enters the shark tank of politics as an intern during the Nixon administra- president to No. 43, George W. Bush (Sam
tion, and, attaching himself remora-like to Nixon aide Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), Rockwell). The scene, featured promi-
soon finds himself ensconced inside the West Wing. His office might be the size of a nently in the film’s trailer, of Cheney and
closet, but it’s a promising start for the father of young daughters Liz and Mary. Bush negotiating what will be the distribu-
DrinksDragDJsEtc... You Can Eat Ribs, 5-10pm, FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Piano with Chris, 7:30pm • ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
$24.95 • $4 Corona and Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Rotating DJs, 9:30pm Men of Secrets, 9pm •
Heineken all night Karaoke, 9pm Guest dancers • Rotating
PITCHERS DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva
Thursday, NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
TRADE GREEN LANTERN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors
January 3 — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3
Rail and Domestic • $5
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
at 9pm, Shows at 11:30pm
and 1:45am • DJ Don T. in
$4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets
normally served in a cock- Svedka, all flavors all night • Foosball • Live televised Ziegfeld’s • Cover 21+
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN of Beer all night • Sports
tail glass served in a huge long • Davon Hamilton sports • Full dining menu
Open 5pm-2am • Happy Leagues Night
glass for the same price, presents District Fridays: till 9pm • Special Late
Hour: $2 off everything
5-10pm • Beer and wine 1st Friday Underwear Night menu till 2am • Visit
until 9pm • Video Games NUMBER NINE
• Live televised sports Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
only $4 Party, 10pm-close • Male
Go-Go Dancers • Drink
pitchersbardc.com
Saturday,
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS specials: $5 Margaritas, $8 SHAW’S TAVERN January 5
All male, nude dancers • Long Islands Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • PITCHERS
Open Dancers Audition • Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Karaoke, 9pm Open 5pm-2am • Happy
Urban House Music by DJ NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Open 2pm-3am • Video
Hour: $2 off everything
Tim-e • 9pm • Cover 21+ Open 3pm • Beat the Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas Games • Live televised
GREEN LANTERN until 9pm • Video Games
Clock Happy Hour — $2 and Select Appetizers sports
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Foosball • Live televised
(5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4
• Shirtless Thursday, sports • Full dining menu
(7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, TRADE FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
10-11pm • Men in till 9pm • Special Late
Underwear Drink Free, Night menu till 11pm • Friday, $15 • Weekend Kickoff
Dance Party, with Nellie’s
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
Saturday Breakfast Buffet,
10am-3pm • $14.99 with
12-12:30am • DJs
BacK2bACk
Visit pitchersbardc.com
January 4 DJs spinning bubbly pop normally served in a cock- one glass of champagne
music all night tail glass served in a huge or coffee, soda or juice •
SHAW’S TAVERN
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN glass for the same price, Additional champagne $2
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Open 5pm-3am • Happy NUMBER NINE 5-10pm • Beer and wine per glass • World Tavern
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
Hour: $2 off everything Open 5pm • Happy Hour: only $4 Poker Tournament, 1-3pm
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
until 9pm • Video Games 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
• Live televised sports • No Cover • Friday Night Freddie’s Follies Drag
and Select Appetizers • All
“People who will do or say anything to hang onto power point the finger at
anyone who looks, thinks, prays
or loves differently than they do.”
— SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, in a video announcing the launch of her exploratory committee for President. Warren decried the
“whole scam” of the Trump administration, saying it is “propped up by an echo chamber of fear and hate.” The four-and-a-half-
minute video, which touts Warren’s credentials and her progressive policies, also featured footage of the Massachusetts senator
dancing and greeting people at Boston Pride and a short clip of a same-sex wedding.