8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
1/48
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
2/48
2 MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
3/48
3METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
4/48
4 MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRandy Shulman
ART DIRECTORTodd Franson
POLITICAL EDITORJustin Snow
NEWS & BUSINESS EDITORJohn Riley
ASSISTANT EDITORRhuaridh Marr
CONTRIBUTING EDITORDoug Rule
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERSWard Morrison, Julian Vankim
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORScott G. Brooks
CONTRIBUTING WRITERSChristian Gerard, Troy Petenbrink,
Kate Wingfield
WEBMASTERDavid Uy
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTJulian Vankim
SALES & MARKETING
PUBLISHERRandy Shulman
BRAND STRATEGY & MARKETINGChristopher Cunetto
Cunetto Creative
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVERivendell Media Co.
212-242-6863
DISTRIBUTION MANAGERDennis Havrilla
PATRON SAINTChanel No. 5
COVER PHOTOGRAPHYLuke Gilford
METRO WEEKLY1425 K St. NW, Suite 350Washington, DC 20005
202-638-6830
MetroWeekly.com
All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be
reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes noresponsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject
to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims
made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or
their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles oradvertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of
such person or organization.
© 2015 Jansi LLC.
4
MARCH 5, 2015Volume 21 / Issue 43
NEWS 6
NEW STUDIES ON PR EP AND HIVR EASSURE AND UNSETTLE
by Rhuaridh Marr
10 THE R IGHT’S DEAFENING SILENCE
by Justin Snow
11 TIDYING UP EQUALITY STATUTES
by John Riley
12 SMYAL LAUNCHES
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
by John Riley
14 COMMUNITY CALENDAR
FEATURE 16 PERFUME GENIUS
by Randy Shulman
OUT ON THE TOWN 22 AMP AT STRATHMORE
by Doug Rule
24 KID V ICTORY
by Doug Rule
26 DIALOUGES OF THE CARMELITES
by Kate Wingfield
28 R ICHMOND TRIANGLE PLAYERS
by Doug Rule
SPREE 29 I. GORMAN’S WEDDING R ING E VENT
by Doug Rule
GAMES 31 THE ORDER : 1886
by Rhuaridh Marr
TECH 33 MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS
by Rhuaridh Marr
NIGHTLIFE 37 TEAM DC FASHION SHOW AT TOWN
photography by Ward Morrison
CLUBLIFE 44 FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR CELEBRATES
15 Y EARS
by Doug Rule
46 LAST WORD
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
5/48
5METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
6/48
6 MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
New Studies on PrEP and HIVReassure and Unsettle
Reports from CROI look at the effectiveness of PrEP on-demand as well as therise in HIV infection in young gay men
Scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1 budding (in green) from cultured lymphocyte
by Rhuaridh Marr
IT CAN BE ALL TOO EASY TOturn a blind eye to HIV. For those
born after the crisis peaked in the’80s, the development of power-
ful new drugs and simple, once-a-daymedication regimes have turned a death
sentence into something manageable.Indeed, men who adhere religiously to
their medication can expect to live as long
as those without the disease — they’remore likely to succumb to an age-related
C . G O L D S M I T H - T H E C E N T E R S F O R D I S E A S E C O N T R O L A N D P R E V E N T I O N ’ S P U B L I C H E A L T H I M A G E L I B R A R Y ( P H I L )
illness such as heart disease than die from
complications due to HIV/AIDS.Still, there remains a complacency —
even a willful ignorance — surroundingHIV, particularly amongst the younger
members of the community. That’s whatmakes current research into prevent-
ing transmission all the more important.There are those who refuse to use con-
doms, those who have the occasional
mishap, those who make the mistakeonce and must live with the consequenc-
es, and those in serodiscordant relation-ships who wish to remove that last bar-
rier. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP),
for instance, may be controversial, but apill that can be taken to help prevent HIV
transmission — in conjunction with other
safe sex practices — is a powerful aid inthe fight against the spread of the disease.
At the annual Conference onRetroviruses and Opportunistic
Infections (CROI), held last week, vari-ous scientific groups and government
bodies presented the findings of research
into HIV, from both a societal and medi-cal perspective. Two separate European
studies of PrEP examined its effective-
L G B TNews Now online at MetroWeekly.comNebraska’s Gay Marriage Ban OverturnedVP Biden to Address HRC
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
7/48
7METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
8/48
LGBTNews
8
that the study was stopped after two
years and more than 400 participantsenrolled, with those in the placebo group
recommended to be put on PrEP.The director of the CDC’s National
Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis,STD & TB Prevention, Dr. Jonathan
Mermin, was quick to caution the find-
ings of the IPERGAY study.“The IPERGAY trial provides the first
evidence that an event-driven regimen iseffective among high-risk MSM with fre-
quent sex,” he said. “Since available datasuggest that men in this study were tak-
ing PrEP an average of three to four daysper week, CDC cautions that research-
ers do not yet know if this regimen will
work among MSM who have sex lessfrequently and would therefore be taking
PrEP less often.“It is not known whether the regimen
will work if taken only a few hours or
days before sex, without any buildup ofthe drug from prior use,” he continued.
“Studies suggest that it may take days,depending on the type of sexual expo-
sure, for the active drug in PrEP to buildup to an optimal level for preventing HIV
infection.”Dr. Mermin also highlighted that the
study was specific to the control groupand could not be extrapolated to cover
heterosexual people, nor users of intra-
venous drugs. As such, the CDC standsby its recommendation of PrEP taken as a
daily dose. Still, Mermin hailed the find-ings of the IPERGAY study, and others
that are seeking ways to provide PrEP topeople without the need for a daily pill.
“We applaud ongoing efforts like
IPERGAY to identify PrEP dosing strate-gies that may be more acceptable than
oral daily dosing for some individuals atrisk, and could potentially lower costs,”
Mermin stated. “In addition, researchersare working to identify alternative delivery
vehicles, including injectable PrEP andinsertable products such as a vaginal ring.
These are exciting avenues for research.”
As for anyone considering PrEP,which is recommended by the CDC, FDA
and the World Health Organization as aneffective additional barrier against HIV
infection when combined with condomsand other safe-sex measures, the CDC
has a simple message: speak with your
doctor. If you think PrEP would be ben-eficial, do your research and take action.
That advice is particularly prudentin light of the latest statistics on HIV
diagnosis rates. New research from theCDC confirms that gay and bisexual men
ness in reducing the rate of HIV infection
in men who have sex with men (MSM).One study matched the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommended dosing strategy of one pill,taken daily, while the other tried a more
novel approach, with participants takingthe pill on-demand, depending on when
they had sex.In the British study, conducted by
the U.K. Medical Research Group in anopen-label study called PROUD, MSM
were split into two groups, with one
given a daily dose of Truvada (the brandname for PrEP, also known as tenofovir
plus emtricitabine). The findings con-firmed those of multiple other studies
around the world: that a daily regimen ofPrEP can reduce the rate of HIV infec-
tion — in this case, by 86 percent among
study participants.The CDC’s current guidelines for
PrEP — covered by many health insur-ance policies — state that it can “reduce
the risk of HIV infection... by up to 92percent.” In a press release, the CDC
welcomed the findings of the PROUDstudy, stating it “adds to the substantial
evidence regarding the efficacy of daily
oral PrEP.”In the more controversial French
IPERGAY study, undertaken by France’snational HIV research agency ANRS, the
men provided with PrEP were instructedto take the drug as needed based on when
they were having sex. It prescribed athree-day regimen of Truvada to be takenbefore and after sex.
Two pills were to be taken betweentwo and twenty-four hours before they
had sex (or one pill, if they’d had sexin the last six days). One pill was then
taken twenty-four hours after the firstdose, with a final pill to be taken another
twenty-four hours after that. Should par-
ticipants engage in further sex beforethey finished the three-day regimen, they
were to continue taking one pill daily,until two days after they last had sex.
As a result, the number of days PrEPwas taken by participants varied depend-
ing on their level of sexual activity —
according to the findings, some partici-pants achieved near daily use, almost
matching the regimen recommended bythe CDC.
Even with variations between par-ticipants in how often they required
PrEP, the study’s findings are conclusive:On-demand PrEP reduced the rate of
HIV infection by 86 percent. The rate
of efficacy was deemed sufficiently high
remain the group most affected by HIV,
with the rate of infection in young menincreasing in recent years.
The CDC presented two studies atCROI specifically dealing with HIV and
its impact on MSM, as well as break-
ing that group down into other factorssuch as age and race. To what extent are
gay and bisexual men contracting HIV?
Each year, they account for two-thirds ofnewly diagnosed cases.
While the overall number of HIV
diagnoses decreased between 2003 and2012, between 2008 and 2012 the rate
of diagnosis increased in certain regions
of the United States, particularly amongMSM. The CDC analyzed data from
the National HIV Surveillance System(NHSS), which collated information
from what the NHSS calls MetropolitanStatistical Areas (MSA). These MSAs are
typically large cities with populations
over 500,000, such as Washington, D.C.,Miami, Dallas and New York.
We’re going to get granular, so keepon top of your acronyms. Of the 105 MSAs
analyzed, the overall rate of HIV diagno-sis decreased on average 3.7 percent —
with a significant decrease observed inalmost two-thirds of MSAs.
However, among gay and bisexual
men in these MSAs, the rate of HIVdiagnosis increased between 2003 and
2007 by over 10 percent, before levellingoff and subsequently declining between
2008 and 2012 — but at a rate less thanthat of the national average. Over that lat-
ter four year period, rates of HIV diagno-
sis declined a mere 2.2 percent for MSM.Dig deeper and a startling statistic
becomes apparent. Over that same periodbetween 2008 and 2012, the rate of HIV
diagnosis increased by 15 percent amongMSM aged just 13 to 24. Among older
generations, particularly those over 55who lived through the HIV/AIDS crisis
of the ‘80s, the number of diagnoses
remained constant over the same period.The authors of the CDC’s study noted
that “the results are consistent with otherdata, including past estimates on new
HIV infections, finding troubling signsof recent increasing infections among
young gay and bisexual men.”
So, younger gay and bisexual menare becoming infected with HIV at rates
higher than both their peers and thenational average, but the CDC didn’t just
examine age as a factor in HIV diagnosisrates. A separate study examined the cor-
relation between ethnicity and diagnosisrates among MSM. They discovered that
MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
9/48
marketplace
9METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
10/48
LGBTNews
10
and four percent, respectively, of white
MSM reported being HIV-infected overthat time period.
HIV awareness and infection ratesshows a glaring disparity between
African-American and white MSM.
African American MSM under 40 were“significantly more likely to be HIV-
positive compared to all other racial/
ethnic groups.” What’s more, African-American MSM were less likely to beaware of their infection than their white
counterparts. All of this, despite African-
African-American men were being diag-nosed at rates higher than other racial/
ethnic groups.Using National HIV Behavioral
Surveillance data from 20 U.S. cities,the CDC discovered that, between 2008
and 2011, African-American MSM were
infected with HIV at higher rates thantheir peers. Overall, in that time peri-
od, thirty percent of African-AmericanMSM were HIV-infected, with twenty
percent of those aged 18 to 24 infected.Comparatively, only fourteen percent
American MSM not reporting higher lev-
els of condomless sex.For the CDC, the data is clear. HIV
prevention efforts need to be focusedmore on young gay and bisexual men.
Beyond that, efforts must be redoubledto reach young, black gay and bisexual
men. At a time when access to sexual
health information is more available than
ever, it seems incredulous that young gayand bisexual men are seemingly becom-ing blind to the need to be vigilant about
safe sex. l
MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
The Right’sDeafening Silence
At CPAC, Republican politicians go quiet onmarriage equality
Jeb Bush G A G E S K I D M O R E
by Justin Snow
CANDIDATES FOR THE
Republican presidentialnomination tossed out lots of
red meat to conservatives atthis year’s Conservative Political Action
Conference, but largely absent from the
menu was any discussion of same-sexmarriage.
In speech after speech at CPAC lastweek, Republican politicians sold their
conservative bonafides to grassrootssupporters as the movement tries to
solidify behind one candidate for presi-
dent, but few seemed willing to dwellon a losing battle.New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R)
only spoke about his opposition to abor-tion when asked how he might appeal to
social conservatives. Although Christiehas said he personally opposes same-
sex marriage, he ceased fighting a courtdecision legalizing same-sex marriage in
New Jersey, has said he does not believe
being gay is a choice, and banned “ex-gaytherapy” for minors in the state.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was one ofthe few to willingly address his oppo-
sition to same-sex marriage, arguingthe movement must stand for “life and
marriage.”
“Marriage is a question for the statesand it is wrong for the federal government
or unelected judges to tear down the mar-riage laws of the states,” said Cruz, who
has vowed to introduce a constitutional
amendment later this year to make explic-it that marriage is a policy question for thelegislatures of each state.
Greeted the most skeptically of all,
however, was former Florida Gov. JebBush (R), who touted his conservative
credentials Friday before an unconvincedaudience, at one point reiterating his
opposition to same-sex marriage.During a nearly 30-minute question-
and-answer session conducted by Fox
News and radio talk show host SeanHannity, the presumed frontrunner for
the Republican presidential nominationwas asked to respond to a recent report
by McKay Coppins of BuzzFeed Newsthat his views on same-sex marriage are
evolving.“No, I believe in traditional marriage,”
the former governor of Florida said before
quickly moving on to other topics. Bush’sbrief statement on marriage equality came
when the majority of his remarks focusedon his views on immigration reform and
Common Core, which many conservativeshave criticized for being too moderate.
The report published one day prior byBuzzFeed News noted Bush is shapingup to be 2016’s gay-friendly Republican.
When he officially launches his presi-dential campaign later this year, Bush is
expected to be surrounded by a campaignstaff that consists of a number of pro-gay
Republicans, including a campaign man-ager, chief strategist, and a communica-
tions director who is openly gay. (A Bush
spokesperson said that should he run forpresident, his campaign will be based on
his views and agenda.)“Three Republican supporters who
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
11/48
LGBTNews
11
Council President Tony Perkins.
Nevertheless, during an event afterhis CPAC appearance with supporters
of his Right to Rise PAC, Bush said a2016 presidential campaign must focus
on outreach to those that often would not
consider voting for the Republican ticket.“The campaign needs to be about
hopeful, optimistic ideas that will allow
us to rise up again,” he told a largelyyoung crowd, many of whom swarmedBush for selfies after his remarks. “And
a campaign should be about getting to
50, not trying to tear down the differ-ences between the 35 or 40. Last time I
checked in a two-person race you gottaget to 50. And that means we need to
not just unite a conservative party, wealso need to reach out to people that
haven’t been asked in awhile: Young peo-ple, Hispanics, African-Americans, those
who want to rise up like the rest of us. All
of us want to have a chance to rise up.”When Bush last appeared at CPAC,
in 2013, he chided the Republican Partyfor not being more welcoming. “Way
too many people believe Republicans areanti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-sci-
ence, anti-gay, anti-worker,” Bush said at
the time. “And the list goes on and on andon. Many voters are simply unwilling to
choose our candidates even though theyshare our core beliefs because those vot-
ers feel unloved, unwanted and unwel-come in our party.”
CPAC has sought to take a moreinclusive tone compared to past years.
Gregory T. Angelo, executive director of
Log Cabin Republicans, spoke on a panel
have recently spoken with Bush as he’sblitzed the GOP fundraising circuit told
BuzzFeed News they came away with theimpression that on the question of mar-
riage equality, he was supportive at bestand agnostic at worst,” Coppins wrote.
Indeed, Bush has appeared to soften
his tone on whether same-sex couplesshould be allowed to marry, particularly
after marriage equality arrived in Floridalast month.
In a statement released the same daysame-sex marriages began in Florida, Bush
made no mention of his personal oppo-
sition to same-sex marriage and insteadexpressed a sympathetic understanding of
not just those who believe marriage shouldbe between a man and a woman, but of
same-sex couples seeking equality.“We live in a democracy, and regard-
less of our disagreements, we have torespect the rule of law,” Bush said. “I
hope that we can show respect for thegood people on all sides of the gay andlesbian marriage issue — including cou-
ples making lifetime commitments toeach other who are seeking greater legal
protections and those of us who believemarriage is a sacrament and want to safe-
guard religious liberty.”
Bush endorsing same-sex marriageanytime soon seems unlikely, particularly
as he tries to court conservatives whoview the son and brother of two former
presidents as the establishment candi-
date. His brief statement Friday in sup-port of “traditional marriage” appearedto confirm that, as did a meeting he
held the same day with Family Research
addressing Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s LGBT human rights abuses. Andduring an interview before the confer-
ence, Matt Schlapp, chairman of theAmerican Conservative Union, which
organizes CPAC, told Metro Weekly gay
conservatives are welcome at the confer-ence. “To be absolutely crystal clear, if
you are a conservative who is gay, you
should come to CPAC — you are welcometo come to CPAC,” he said.
Bush reiterated Friday that the con-
servative movement must start being for things, not against. But even as many in
the GOP have gone silent on their opposi-
tion or indifference to marriage equality(not even former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick
Santorum mentioned same-sex marriageduring his CPAC speech), skirting the
issue is unlikely to garner much supportfrom the LGBT community, particularly
if Hillary Clinton leads the Democratic
ticket.“At the end of the day, it isn’t rhetoric
or hiring practices that count, it’s what acandidates stands for,” said Fred Sainz,
vice president of the Human RightsCampaign, in a statement. “A candidate
who is truly committed to LGBT equalitywill support marriage equality and sup-
port protecting all LGBT Americans from
discrimination. While the tone of JebBush’s language and word choice may
have changed, he hasn’t yet articulateddifferent policies from when he opposed
marriage equality and opposed discrimi-nation protections as governor. There are
more questions than answers on whereBush stands today.” l
METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
Tidying Up Equality Statutes Maryland General Assembly to consider trio of bills that would fix unresolved issues
related to LGBT rights
by John Riley
MARYLAND ALREADYenjoys marriage equality
and is one of a minority ofstates with legal protec-
tions for transgender people.
For lawmakers, that’s not enough.Annapolis will consider a trio of bills
during the month of March that couldprove beneficial to LGBT families or indi-
viduals, which will effectively “clean up”Maryland’s statutes regarding same-sex
parenting or gender identity to better
reflect the state’s existing laws.The first bill, known as the De Facto
Parent Law, would authorize a court todetermine whether an individual has
been acting as a caregiver to the child inquestion and is thus the de facto parent.
The bill would require a judge to issue,in writing, a finding that a person is a de
facto parent and would require that dis-
putes over child custody and visitation beresolved in the best interests of the child.
While this would apply to a multitude of
family law situations, most of them notinvolving LGBT people, it would also
apply to same-sex couples where one par-ent has been involved in child-rearing but
does not have a biological link to the childor children in question.
The second bill deals with insurancecoverage for artificial insemination or
in vitro fertilization, and would prohibit
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
12/48
LGBTNews
12
bill is slated to be heard by the House
Committee on Health and GovernmentOperations on March 12.
Despite expected opposition fromsocial conservatives and religious lobby-
ing groups, the first two bills may havean easier time of passing, as they do
not exclusively apply to LGBT people.
But the third, regarding birth certifi-
cates, may be the toughest, not onlyto pass in the General Assembly, butto earn the approval of newly-elected
Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who must signit into law. While Hogan did allow a
regulation prohibiting Medicaid provid-ers from discriminating based on sex-
ual orientation or gender identity, and
included protections for transgenderstate employees in an executive order,
he also said during the 2014 campaignthat he did not support the transgender
rights law approved by his predecessor,
Martin O’Malley (D). Other governorshave also expressed opposition to such
bills: in 2014, Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.)
insurers from refusing to cover costsassociated with either procedure. It also
includes a provision for cases in which
both of the intended parents are of thesame sex.
The last bill in the trio would allowtransgender or intersex individuals to
obtain a new, clean birth certificatereflecting their correct gender identity.
The bill mirrors many provisions thatwere passed in the District when formerMayor Vince Gray signed into law the
JaParker Deoni Jones Birth CertificateEquality Amendment Act in 2013. Under
the measure, a transgender or intersexperson could obtain a new birth cer-
tificate if they present a sworn state-ment from a licensed medical practitio-
ner attesting to the fact that the person
has undergone treatment appropriatefor a gender transition or an intersex
condition, which may include “surgical,
hormonal, or other treatment appropri-ate for the individual, based on gener-ally accepted medical standards.” That
vetoed a measure similar to that pro-
posed, citing concerns over the potentialfor “fraud, deception and abuse,” adding
that requests to change birth certificatesshould be “closely scrutinized and spar-
ingly approved.”All three bills have the support of
LGBT rights organization Equality
Maryland, which sent a fundraising
email to supporters touting the impor-tance of the three bills. The organi-zation is also opposing another mea-
sure that extends tax credits for pri-vate elementary and secondary schools,
because they are exempt from having
to follow the state’s laws prohibitingdiscrimination based on both sexual
orientation and gender identity.“We will continue to remain vigilant
and keep an eye on the new governor(and all of our elected officials) to ensure
that LGBT Marylanders and our equal-
ity are not forgotten or reversed,” RabbiStephanie Bernstein, the chair of Equality
Maryland, Inc., said in the email. l
MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
SMYAL LaunchesScholarship Program
Youth Leadership Awards will provide cash prizes to select high school graduates
by John Riley
SUPPORTING AND MENTORING
Youth Advocates and Leaders(SMYAL) announced March 5
that it is launching a scholar-ship program aimed at providing finan-
cial assistance to LGBT youth who arepursuing higher education.
The Youth Leadership Award schol-arship program will provide selected stu-
dents, who successfully complete high
school and enroll in college, cash awardsof up to $2,000 that can be used to defray
the costs associated with pursuing highereducation. The initial funding for the first
three years of awards was donated byNeil Starkey, a retired engineer who used
to work for IBM.
In a statement, Starkey said he donat-ed the funding for the awards to “encour-
age and embolden that young personwho, as a result of coming out, may have
had to deal with adversity or struggledwith their identity, family life or academ-
ics but has emerged as a leader and rolemodel to their peers.” He particularly
stressed the importance of taking into
account a person’s life experiences andsuccesses in the face of adversity, which
is as important as doing well academicallyor excelling in extracurricular activities.
“The SMYAL Youth LeadershipAward scholarships are a major new ini-
tiative for SMYAL to help launch thenext generation of leaders,” said Sultan
Shakir, SMYAL’s executive director. “We
are seeing an ever-expanding numberof LGBT youth with the self-confidence
and ability to lead across a wide range ofschool, civic and religious organizations.
With these awards, we can recognizetheir accomplishments and provide them
a boost toward their future as leaders in a
more open and equal society.”Applications for students who wish
to be eligible for the scholarship are due
by April 15. The winners announced inMay. The size of the prize and number
of awards will be determined by thestudent’s ability to demonstrate leader-
ship in school or in their community, but
Shakir expects to award anywhere fromtwo to three individuals.
SMYAL will also partner with TeamDC, the umbrella sports organization
that annually honors three out LGBTstudent-athletes with its own scholar-
ship. The partnership is aimed at increas-ing visibility for the scholarships among
LGBT youth in the D.C. area.
Brent Minor, the executive directorof Team DC, also issued his own state-
ment touting the partnership betweenthe two organizations: “With the addi-
tion of this scholarship, LGBT youth nowhave more support and opportunity to
reach their goals. Team DC and SMYAL
want to ensure that our youth know thereis a network of support available to help
them reach their goals.” l
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
13/48
13METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
14/48
14 MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
SUNDAY, MARCH 8BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer orga-nization, volunteers today for DC Central Kitchenand Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation in Potomac Yards. To participate, burgundycrescent.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive and radicallyinclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.
INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT,God-centered new age church & learning center.Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 SherierPlace NW. isd-dc.org.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OFWASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL inter-preted) and 11 a.m. Children’s Sunday School at 11a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-638-7373, mccdc.com.
RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH, a Christ-centered,interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers
service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202-554-4330,riverside-dc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF ARLINGTON, anLGBTQ welcoming-and-affirming congregation,offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow UUMinistry. 4444 Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.
UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIALCHURCH, a welcoming and inclusive church. GLBTInterweave social/service group meets monthly.Services at 11 a.m., Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16thSt. NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.
MONDAY, MARCH 9The DC Center hosts a monthly meeting of its
YOUTH WORKING GROUP. 6-7:30 p.m. 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
Michael Brazell teaches BEARS DO YOGA, a pro-gram of The DC Center. 6:30 p.m., Green Lantern,1335 Green Court NW. No cost, newcomers wel-come. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice sessionat Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 6:30-8:30p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-dals.wordpress.com.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 5-7 p.m. 2049N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments:703-789-4467.
The DC Center hosts COFFEE DROP-IN FOR THESENIOR LGBT COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 200014th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
US HELPING US hosts a black gay men’s eveningaffinity group. 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.202-446-1100.
GAY DISTRICT holds facilitated discussion forGBTQ men, 18-35, on the first and third Fridays ofthe month. 8:30-9:30 p.m. The DC Center, 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. 202-682-2245,gaydistrict.org.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-affirming socialgroup for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia RoadNW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, layc-dc.org.
SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a social atmo-sphere for GLBT and questioning youth, featuringdance parties, vogue nights, movies and games.More info, [email protected].
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6 p.m., byappointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, [email protected].
SATURDAY, MARCH 7BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer orga-nization, volunteers today for Food & Friends and
Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation at Falls ChurchPetSmart. To participate, burgundycrescent.org.
CENTER GLOBAL, a program of The DC Centerdealing with LGBT immigrants, asylum seekers andhuman rights around the world, holds its monthlymeeting. 12-1:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.More information, visit thedccenter.org.
LEADING WITH PRIDE, a conference for D.C.-areaLGBTQ and allied students, youth ages 13-24, andlocal gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs, meets toaddress various topics important to LGBTQ youth. Admission is free, but pre-registration required.Free and confidential HIV testing offered on-site.Dance to follow conference. 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. SchoolWithout Walls High School, 2130 G St. NW. For
more information visit facebook.com/DCPSlgbtq.
PLYMOUTH UCC YOUTH MINISTRY hosts a filmscreening of The Central Park Five followed by adiscussion of negative stereotyping. Free and opento the public. Refreshments will be served. 2-6 p.m.5301 North Capitol St. NE. For more information,contact Shar’ron Tendai, 202-740-3042.
STONEWALL REF CLINIC, for those interested inrefereeing during the upcoming season of StonewallKickball, meets at The DC Center. 1-2:30 p.m. 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5The DC Center hosts a meeting of TEAM DC,Washington’s umbrella organization for gay sportsleagues. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.For more information, visit teamdc.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-dancing group features mainstream throughadvanced square dancing at the National CityChristian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m.Casual dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org.
The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia socialgroup meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston,11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.
IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testingin Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave., and inTakoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411.Walk-ins 2-6 p.m. For appointments other hours,
call Gaithersburg, 301-300-9978, or Takoma Park,301-422-2398.
US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics AnonymousMeeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.The group is independent of UHU. 202-446-1100.
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE for youngLBTQ women, 13-21, interested in leadership devel-opment. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410 7thSt. SE. 202-567-3163, [email protected].
FRIDAY, MARCH 6The DC Center hosts a monthly peer-facilitated
TRANS SUPPORT GROUP MEETING. 7-8 p.m.2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offersfree HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV services (byappointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatranscul-turalhealth.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice sessionat Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.
Metro Weekly’s Community Calendar highlights important events in
the D.C.-area LGBT community, from alternative social events to
volunteer opportunities. Event information should be sent by email to
[email protected]. Deadline for inclusion is noon
of the Friday before Thursday’s publication. Questions about
the calendar may be directed to the Metro Weekly office at
202-638-6830 or the calendar email address.
LGBTCommunityCalendar
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
15/48
WASHINGTON WETSKINS Water Polo Teampractices 7-9 p.m. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 VanBuren St. NW. Newcomers with at least basic swim-ming ability always welcome. Tom, 703-299-0504,[email protected], wetskins.org.
Whitman-Walker Health HIV/AIDS SUPPORTGROUP for newly diagnosed individuals, meets 7p.m. Registration required. 202-939-7671, [email protected].
TUESDAY, MARCH 10The CAPITAL TENNIS ASSOCIATION, a nonprofitLGBT tennis organization, holds its bi-monthlymeeting at The DC Center. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedc-center.org.
DC BI WOMEN, a social group for bisexual women,meets monthly at Dupont Italian Kitchen in theupstairs room. 7-9 p.m. 1637 17th St. NW. More info,thedccenter.org.
The LATINO LGBT TASK FORCE holds its month-
ly meeting at The DC Center. 3:30-5:30 p.m. 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.
The RED SHOE AND RED LIPSTICK HIV/AIDSAWARENESS WALK, sponsored by the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services’ Officeon Women’s Health, commemorates NationalWomen and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.12-1:30 p.m. Walk starts at Lafayette Square Park,across from White House, and ends at HubertH. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave.SW. More information, www.womenshealth.gov/ nwghaad.
THE DC CENTER’S COMING OUT DISCUSSIONGROUP holds a monthly meeting. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meets for DuplicateBridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center, 721 8th St SE,across from Marine Barrack. No reservation needed.703-407-6540 if you need a partner.
RAINBOW RESPONSE, a coalition focused oncombating LGBT intimate partner violence in thegreater D.C. area, holds its monthly meeting at TheDC Center. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For moreinformation, visit rainbowresponse.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meetsabout 6:30-6 p.m., Steam, 17th and R NW. All wel-come. For more information, call Fausto Fernandez,703-732-5174.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice sessionat Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 6:30-8:30p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-dals.wordpress.com.
HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH offers Wednesdayworship 7:15 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.
Washington St., Alexandria. 703-549-1450, historic-christchurch.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testingin Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave. Walk-ins 2-7 p.m. For appointments other hours, call
Gaithersburg at 301-300-9978.
JOB CLUB, a weekly support program for jobentrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. More info,www.centercareers.org.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIVtesting. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 101214th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 11 a.m.-
2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467.
PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club for mature gaymen, hosts weekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,Windows Bar above Dupont Italian Kitchen, 163717th St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316. l
15
LGBTCommunityCalendar
METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
16/48
16 MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
Mike Hadreas — aka Perfume Genius — is on a roll aboutRufus Wainwright.
“I love him because he sings like a gay person. When I got his
album at 15, and heard a gay voice, that was really powerful tome. And I consider myself as having a gay voice as well.”
He pauses.“I’m sure some people would cringe at hearing me say that. A
lot of people find it powerful to be the opposite, to have a voicethat blends in and just happens to be gay. But, for me, hearing
gay voices is really important.”Hadreas shares much in common with Wainwright — there’s
a certain degree of flamboyance and drama to his music. Where
he differs is in the challenge he presents. Hadreas does not, on
first listen, make his music easy to like. It’s not plug-and-playaccessible. He makes you work. He makes you listen. He makesyou think. At times, he makes you want to turn it off.
And yet, when the music of Perfume Genius does finallyclick with you, after repeated exposure, it’s like a dawning. You
feel like you’re in on some kind of secret. We live in a world of
processed, uninteresting, formulaic music, and when we hearsomething truly original we don’t quite know what to make of it.
Perfume Genius puts us to that test. We are forced to listen, torespond, to react. He challenges us.
“The movies I’ve watched that left me with complicatedfeeling afterwards were the ones that shaped my life,” he says.
“They’re the ones I thought about after I watched them. Thesame with books and music that brought stuff up for me that
maybe wasn’t entirely pleasant, but it was lasting. And I guessthat’s how my music is. I would hope that it stays with you inwhatever way for some reason.”
It’s certainly resonating with critics.The New Yorker’s Sasha Frere-Jones calls Too Bright,
Hadreas’s third, recently-released album, “a profoundly beauti-ful record that remains intense throughout its brief, thirty-three-
minute running time.” The New York Times calls the album
a “transformative leap” for the artist, noting, “these are notnuanced tunes with genderless love interests, à la Morrissey. Too
Bright is the gay indie rock equivalent of a swaggering Sylvesteror Jobriath album.”
At times, there’s a soothing quality to Hadreas’s music,
Mike Hadreas had no direction in life until a stint in rehab helped him find his voice. Now, as Pefume Genius,he’s the new queen of the indie music scene. Inteview by Randy Shulman / Photogaphy by Luke Gilford
particularly on his earlier albums, 2010’s debut Learning and2012’s Put Your Back N 2 It. Too Bright is a leap forward, with an
aggressively gay demeanor, and production qualities that veer
toward the religious. Hadreas doesn’t eschew catchy melodies,instead framing them in short bursts of songs that start off quiet
and build to a weird, often ecclesiastic frenzy. There is a formulafor off-beat music, after all.
But it’s more than melody for Hadreas, who will appear inD.C. with his band at the Black Cat on Tuesday, March 17. He has
a message to impart about being “weird,” about being the out-cast, about being gay. It’s a take-charge message, one that, once
you watch his music videos, becomes more apparent, as he flings
himself at corporate types, daring them to love and embrace him.
The 33-year-old man with a penchant for lipstick and jungle rednail polish may be our most unapologetic, unabashedly gay artistever. His work is defined by his own exploration of self.
“I grew up my whole life thinking about my anxieties and myinsecurities, thinking that the things that happened to me made
me a wounded person,” says Hadreas, who was bullied in high
school and later turned to drugs and drinking as a salve and sal-vation. “[I learned] you can be a nervous, weird, tiny, feminine
man and be a fuckin’ badass. It doesn’t need to be solved for youto be okay.
“I made a career out of trying to figure things out,” he contin-ues. “But just because they’re not completely figured out doesn’t
mean there’s something wrong.”
METRO WEEKLY: Let’s start with your early life. Where were youraised?
MIKE HADREAS: I was born in Des Moines, Iowa. My family movedto Seattle when I was around 6 or 7. I grew up in different sub-
urbs around the city.MW: How old were you when you came out?
HADREAS: I was 15. It went — I don’t know, I doubt anyone was
surprised. I told my brother. I told my mom. I never really offi-cially came out to my dad. I just started ordering Out magazine
and leaving it around the house for him to find.I felt like I had been waiting to come out for years, even at
15. A lot of the people I know didn’t come out that young, but I
“I love him.”
Scent
Success
the
of
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
17/48
17METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
18/48
18 MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
just couldn’t do it anymore, you know? I was talking to my mom
about people calling me a faggot in class at school, and she asked
if I thought I was gay. I said, “Yes.” And that was it. Crying andstuff like that, and then it kind of opened up the whole coming
out thing.MW: Was it a positive thing for you, coming out that young?
HADREAS: It was a mixed bag. I wouldn’t change when I came out,but it certainly brought a bunch of shit with it. I was openly gay
in all of high school — and I was the only openly gay person in
my high school. My brother went to school with me, too, and he
even ended up getting shit becausehe had a gay brother.
High school sucks for everyone,so to openly acknowledge that you’re
different from everyone at the start
makes it even more difficult. It was avery lonely feeling, but you just end
up finding the other weirdos andbanding together. I wish I’d have
known when I was young that Iwouldn’t always be alone. I think
that’s one of the hardest things: feel-
ing so separate. You don’t get to havethe kind of things that other people
have.But I’m glad that I was open —
keeping it a secret would have beenmuch harder than all the shit I had
to go through. But the shit I had to gothrough sucked. It was not fun. It’s
now about 15 years later, and I still
think about some of the ways peopletreated me. My outlook on life is still
shaped by that.MW: I take it you were bullied.
HADREAS: Yeah, I was.MW: How badly?
HADREAS: Shit, I mean, that’s relative.
It felt pretty bad to me, but I’m sureit could have been worse.MW: Can you give an example?
HADREAS: Well, I got one letter signed
from the heterosexual populationof my high school saying that they
won’t treat me like a human being
until I stop suckin’ dick. The worst
part is, I hadn’t sucked dick yet. AllI did was say I was openly gay, but Ihad no gay experiences at all. I was
terrorized for a sexual life I didn’teven have.
MW: That’s horrendous.
HADREAS: And that was before the
Internet, too. So you had to really
work to get that kind of letter tosomebody.MW: If you hadn’t had any kind of gaysexual experience, what was it that
made you so certain at 15 that youwere gay?
HADREAS: Well, to me, being gay isn’t
just about sex. When I picture mylife, and who I’m going to be with,
who I’m going to love, it’s a man. I knew very young that that’s just what felt natural to me. It didn’t feel natural for me to be
with women. I didn’t dislike women, but it didn’t feel natural,the way that straight people just naturally develop crushes on
the opposite sex and picture their lives with them. That’s howI was born.
MW: Were you also born with musical instinct? Was there musical
background in your family?
HADREAS: My mom sang when she was younger — in nightclubs
and stuff. My dad played the conga — he’s really into salsa music
“All I did wassay I was openlygay, but I had nogay experiencesat all. I WAS
TERRORIZEDFOR A SEXUAL
LIFE I DIDN’T
EVEN HAVE.”
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
19/48
19METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
and has really good taste in music. But music wasn’t part of mylife. It was basically just me taking piano lessons. I didn’t really
grow up thinking I was gonna be a musician. I always loved
music and loved playing piano, but I didn’t write music, I didn’tgrow up singing in a choir.MW: What launched you into this career?
HADREAS: I ended up going to rehab about six years ago, and
when I got out I stayed with my mom. After a couple of monthsof no activity in life, I woke up one day and decided to write a
song. It was something I always wanted to do but I was a littletoo embarrassed of my voice. I would censor myself before I ever
finished anything. I ended up finishing a song called “Learning,”
which ended up being the name of my first album. After thatsong, I never stopped writing music, so....MW: Wait, go back a moment. You say you got out of rehab. Whattook you there?
HADREAS: I moved to the city when I was around 20 and wasfinally around other people like me — other gay people, other
weird people, other creative people. I started drinking and
socializing pretty much for the first time in my life. It slowlybecame less and less about socializing, and more and more
about the actual drinking and drugs. And it wasn’t fun for yearsand years and years, but I couldn’t stop. And I didn’t know if I
really needed to, because you keep surrounding yourself, as youprogress in your habit, with people who are doing the same. It
feels normal.A lot of people treat cocaine and drinking to excess and stuff
— at least in my friend group — as kind of like a normal thing. For
some people it is recreational, and they do things like that once amonth, or once a week. But I ended up at my dealer’s house for
days on end. My life was falling apart and I didn’t care. I didn’tcare about myself, or anything. It was a very scary feeling.MW: After what sounds like a difficult high school experience, youwere impressionable.
HADREAS: A little bit, yeah. But as as far as my addiction goes, I
was pretty predisposed to that the minute I started the stuff. No
matter what my situation would have been socially, I’m prettysure I would have ended up in the same place. It’s just how mybrain is.MW: So rehab worked for you?
HADREAS: It took a few tries. It was kind of off and on, but I’ve
been sober now for about five years.MW: Is it reasonable to assume that had you not fallen into drugs,
your current musical career wouldn’t have happened?
HADREAS: I think that’s true. I definitely would be doing some-thing different. I might be doing something creative, but what
I want to talk about, the things I’m passionate about, would becompletely different. All that crap that I went through gave me a
lot of things to say, a lot of healing that I needed — and healing Iwanted to help other people with, as well. It was therapy for me,
but it gave me a message, which is corny to say. So I’m thankful
for all that stuff. I mean, when you see one end of things, you canappreciate the other end, and it makes you more compassionate
to other people. When you go to rehab and see all these peoplefrom all different walks of life having the same kind of experi-
ences as you, it opens the world up a little.MW: So how do you get from zero to suddenly releasing an album
out?
HADREAS: After I wrote that first song, it just became a manic-
obsessive thing for me. Years of things I’d been thinking about
and trying to work through, somehow writing about them wasvery helpful to me. The whole process was a lot more patient
than I am as a person, a lot smarter, a lot more articulate.
I made a bunch of songs and started putting them up onMySpace to share with my friends. Through that a record label
in the U.K. contacted me, and came to meet me in Seattle. They
signed me before I had ever played a show, or had cobbled mysongs into an album form. Through them I met my label in the
U.S., and then I made my album, made the artwork, played myfirst show and eventually started touring.MW: How does it make you feel to know that just by chance some-body recognized you had talent and gave you a shot.
HADREAS: Very surreal. I don’t have anything else to compare itto. When I sit down and think about it, which I don’t do very
often, I wish I was grateful more often, but I don’t really givemyself the chance to be.
MW: Well, give yourself the chance here. How grateful are you?
HADREAS: Really grateful. But part of being grateful means stop-
ping for a second and looking at it. And, to be honest, it’s still
kind of overwhelming. I will read press, and I know that thereare people at my shows, but I don’t let myself think about it
because it’s too much. And I’m scared that if I really pay atten-tion to everything that’s happening, I’ll freak out and stop. So I
pay attention as much as I need to, but mainly I just try to thinkof the next thing.
MW: Until a telephone call like this comes along and forces you to
examine it.
HADREAS: [ Laughs. ] Yeah.MW: The live shows. Is that something you’re enjoying? HADREAS: I do now. It took a while for me to enjoy them. I was
terrified to play live. I don’t remember my first show because Iwas so nervous. I kinda blacked out. I’m still pretty nervous and
anxious and can be kind of awkward on stage. But it’s worlds dif-ferent than it used to be. I’m actually performing now, a lot more
than I used to. Now it feels more like a transaction. I’m singing
for people, as opposed to just kind of singing and people are spy-ing on me. That’s how it felt before.MW: Your songs tend to start off starkly and simply, but then grow
“It’s frustratingto me because abunch of straightmen can write really
emotional music
AND NOBODY
ACCUSES
THEM OF
BEINGDRAMATIC.”
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
20/48
20 MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
in complexity. At times, they reach almostecclesiastic height. The thing that kept pop-
ping into mind listening to the new album
especially was religion. The arrangementsat times evolve into an almost spiritual,
heavenly rapture. Why that style?
HADREAS: A lot of it is my weird tastes.
I’ve always really responded to hymns,choral music and spiritual music. Even
though I’m not Christian, I’ve listened toChristian music. It’s weird to have a taste
for that, but to not feel included in it. And
so, I reconcile that with the music I make.I make music that feels old or spiritual,
but I am included in it, people like me areincluded in it. I think that’s part of it.MW: Some of your music on the newalbum gets aggressively primal. “Grid” is
one. There’s a lot of discordant shouting
at one point.
HADREAS: Yeah.MW: It’s not necessarily the most pleasantthing to listen to.
HADREAS: [ Laughs. ] That’s awesome.MW: Overall, your music strikes me as part delicate, part aggres-
sive, part flamboyant. An atmosphere borne out in your videos.Your video for “Queen” is totally flamboyant, but with an edge.
HADREAS: It’s consciously flamboyant. People constantly tell me
that if I stop singing so specifically about gay themes, I wouldhave a broader appeal, that I could make it in the mainstream if
I changed my pronouns or didn’t use pronouns or talked aboutdifferent things, or whatever. And even some other gay people
have told me that, you know? “We get that you’re gay, but whydo you have to talk about it?” Or, “Why does every song have to
be about being gay?” Or, “Why are you wearing nail polish? We
don’t all wear nail polish. It’s giving us a bad name, blah, blah,
blah.” It’s all incredibly frustrating and backward bullshit to me.My current album cover was like, “If you think I was gaybefore, I will give you the gayest thing I can think of. And in a
fucking badass way.” Because there’s strength to that albumcover, even though I’m wearing a glittery, flesh-toned top. I
think I look like a fuckin’ badass.MW: But why get annoyed when people complain you’re too flam-
boyant? Clearly you embrace it.
HADREAS: Well, it’s frustrating to me because a bunch of straightmen can write really emotional music and nobody accuses them
of being dramatic, you know? They don’t accuse other men ofbeing flamboyant when they’re being emotional. So that is frus-
trating to me. I’m proud of who I am and it’s important to me tobe explicit and specific about what I’m talking about. But you
don’t want that to be all that everyone ever talks about when they
talk about you. It’s a really weird, complicated thing.MW: How important is mainstream success to you?
HADREAS: Mainstream success is not important to me. But I’m 33and I didn’t go to college. This is my one shot. My music career
is all I have, so I need it to be successful because I need to sustainmyself so I can continue my music and pay my rent.
MW: What’s the story behind the name Perfume Genius?
HADREAS: There isn’t one really. When I made my MySpace
profile, I didn’t think a career would come from it, so it was just
a couple of random words I put together. But as people startedtrickling in and listening to it, I felt like I couldn’t change it.MW: There’s a heightened level of gay when you consider the name
Perfume Genius, and look at the picture on your album cover, and watch your videos. Are
you consciously creating an alter ego to act
out your feelings?
HADREAS: Kind of. Most of my life, the things
I’ve been tortured about — made fun of for —are my feminine qualities. Exclusively. And
that caused a lot of shame for me growingup. As I got older, I realized how fucking
powerful and important and strong thosequalities were. Some of my favorite things
about myself are what people consider my
feminine qualities. And a lot of the qualitiespeople that think are masculine, I still con-
sider feminine. My strength, if I had to nameit, would be a feminine strength. I like my
nails red because I think it looks pretty. Partof it is a protest and intentional to present
myself in a strong way, in a feminine way.MW: Your music falls along the lines of experi-mental, and there are going to be critics who
vocally don’t like it. Does that bother you? Does it roll off your back?
HADREAS: I care. I care. I might be hurt a littlebit — but it doesn’t cut very deep, just because I’m proud of the
music on this album. It’s pretty solid. I also know that since Ireally went for it, it’s the kind of music people are going to love
or hate, and that doesn’t bother me. It’s when people get really
personal and it’s not about the music anymore that I get upset. Imean, even the good stuff can be kind of damaging for your ego.MW: How so?
HADREAS: I already think about myself too much. I’m fairly self-
absorbed, you know? But now I get my picture taken and talkabout myself all the time and read all these reviews about me. It
doesn’t do good things for your ego. You can go really high and
then you read one negative thing and it goes all the way, way
down farther than before you read anything. So it’s just reallyup, down. Especially for me, feeling like a weirdo my whole life,feeling separate from everyone, to have all those things I was
embarrassed of or made fun of for, suddenly being celebrated isan amazing feeling but it’s a strange one, too.
MW: When you look at where you are now and where you came from, does it seem remarkable this all came together the way it did?
HADREAS: Yeah, it’s insane. It’s a real feeling. It used to feel
like luck or that I happened into all of this, but the longer thatI do it, the more I realize why this had to be. It could have
happened a long time ago. It’s just as I’ve gotten healthierand more confident, I’m stripping away the shit that held me
back and clouded my mind and kept me from writing, kept meessentially from just committing and doing work, because I’ve
always been really creative but I never committed to things
and I never worked hard at them. Now that I do that, goodthings are happening. And every time I commit and follow
through, something good happens. I think that’s the secret toall of it. It took a lot of rehab-type activities to make me the
kind of person that can do that. Finally.
Perfume Genius performs Tuesday, March 17, at The Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 at the door. Doors
at 7:30 p.m. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com.
For more information on Perfume Genius and additional tour
dates, visit perfumegenius.net. l
“I ended up at my dealer’s house
for days on end. MY LIFE
WAS FALLING APART
AND I DIDN’T CARE. Itwas a very scary feeling.”
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
21/48
21METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
22/48
22 MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
MARCH 5 - 12, 2015
SPOTLIGHT
ANTIGONE RISING You may have seen bass guitarist Kristen Ellis-Henderson on the cover of Time kissing her wife,Sarah Kate Ellis-Henderson — the head of GLAADwho recently graced our cover — in a celebrationof marriage equality. This Friday, March 6, she joins her bandmates, including her sister CathyHenderson, at Jammin Java, where the all-lesbiancountry/rock quartet kicks off a national tour tosupport its forthcoming album Whiskey & Wine -Volume 2. Friday, March 6, at 8 p.m. Jammin Java,227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $15 in advanceor $18 day-of show. Call 703-255-3747 or visit jam-minjava.com.
Davie
Compiled by Doug Rule
P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F D A V I E
Pike from the Music Center. The mid-sized concert hall,
serving food and drinks through a partnership with thetrendy Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Birch & Barley,Bluejacket), opens this weekend with concerts by alt-coun-
try crooner Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo) as well as lesbian folkrocker Toshi Reagon. — Doug Rule
“Over The Rainbow: The Songs of Harold Arlen” is Saturday,
March 14, at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park
Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $30. Call 301-581-5100 orvisit ampbystrathmore.com.
BIGGER THAN YOU BIGGER THAN MEField Trip Theatre, a company focused on supporting
new plays, engaging diverse audiences and reflect-ing the perspectives and identities of people in D.C.,offers a new play by Kathryn Coughlin focused onfacing fears and putting things in perspective. Nick Vargas directs a production featuring Mia Branco,Sophie Schulman and Josh Simon playing D.C. resi-dents whose new friendship has a cascading effecton their lives and jobs. Opens in a preview Thursday,March 5, at 7:30 p.m. To March 15. Anacostia ArtsCenter, 1231 Good Hope Road SE. Tickets are $10 forthe preview, or $15 regular performances. Call 202-631-6291 or visit fieldtriptheatre.com.
DEMETRI MARTIN A former writer for Late Night with Conan O’Brienas well as a former regular on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — to say nothing of his own short-lived
Comedy Central show — Demetri Martin offers a
show the wry comedian calls “The Persistence ofJokes.” Friday, March 6, at 7 p.m., and Saturday,
March 7, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215U St. NW. Tickets are $40. Call 202-328-6000 or visitthelincolndc.com.
EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICALThe Greenbelt Arts Center offers a production ofthe Off Broadway stage adaptation of Sam Raimi’scult classic zombie film featuring book and lyrics by George Reinblatt and music by a team led byFrank Cipolla. Jeffery Lesniak directs this com-munity theater production, choreographed by RikkiHowie Lacewell. The seats up front are designatedthe Splatter Zone as, naturally, patrons will be splat-tered in blood from the stage battles. And whowouldn’t pay more for that? Opens Friday, March6, at 8 p.m. To March 28. Greenbelt Arts Center,123 Centerway. Greenbelt, Md. Tickets are $22, or
$30 for the Splatter Zone. Call 301-441-8770 or visitgreenbeltartscenter.org.
Amp’ed CabaretMichael Lavine helps christen the area’s
newest concert venue
COLE PORTER, LEONARD BERNSTEIN, GEORGE
Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim — even if you can’tname a tune, you identify those names as among the
very greatest American musical composers.
“But say Harold Arlen and people go, ‘Harold who?’Everybody knows his songs,” Michael Lavine says, “but most
people don’t know his name.”In fact, any fan of The Wizard of Oz and especially its
star, the original gay diva Judy Garland, is a fan of Arlen. Hewrote all of the music for that movie classic, as well as many
of Garland’s most popular songs, including “Get Happy” and
“The Man That Got Away.”For an Arlen cabaret revue next weekend, Lavine has
recruited some impressive singers to perform these stan-dards and more (“Stormy Weather” and “That Old Black
Magic” also among them): Eleasha Gamble, a Helen HayesAward winner who most recently starred in Arena Stage’sOklahoma!; Erin Davie, who last year played the introverted
conjoined twin Violet Hilton in the Kennedy Center’s SideShow; and Sean McDermott, a Broadway veteran and soap
opera actor who toured and performed with Barbra Streisanda decade ago.
A New York-based native of Bethesda, Lavine likens thestructure of his Arlen cabaret to Side by Side by Sondheim.
It’ll take place at the area’s newest concert venue — run bythe same institution that put North Bethesda on the map,
the venerated Strathmore. Amp by Strathmore is part of the
new Pike & Rose development, further north on Rockville
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
23/48
23METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
24/48
24
GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON“When You Wish” is a salute to music from theworld of animation in the Gay Men’s Chorus’s pat-ented style — you know, as sassy and campy as it issweet and sincere, featuring drag queens, tap danc-ers and sing-a-longs. John Moran directs this showwith tunes you’ll know from Disney, Schoolhouse Rock! and Saturday morning cartoons. Friday, March13, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, March 14, at 3 p.m. and 8p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $25to $63. Call 202-328-6000 or visit thelincolndc.comor gmcw.org.
INGRID BERGMAN IN CASABLANCA,NOTORIOUSHalfway through its two-month series “LeadingLadies of Hollywood’s Golden Age,” the AmericanFilm Institute’s Silver Theatre turns its screen totwo of cinema’s greatest hits, both revolving aroundWorld War II and featuring leading lady IngridBergman: Michael Curtiz’s 1942 classic Casablanca,where she starred opposite Humphrey Bogart, and1946’s Notorious, Alfred Hitchcock’s finest film, alsostarring Cary Grant and Claude Rains. Casablancascreens Friday, March 6, at 5:15 p.m., Saturday,March 7, at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 8, at 6:45 p.m.,Monday, March 9, at 12:45 p.m., Tuesday, March 10,at 12:45 p.m., and Wednesday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m.
Notorious screens Friday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m., and
Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre,8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $12general admission. Call 301-495-6720 or visitafi.com/Silver.
JUKEBOX THE GHOST, LITTLE DAYLIGHTBen Thornewill, Tommy Siegel and Jesse Kristin metwhile attending George Washington University andquickly started making music together. Now based inBrooklyn, the indie-pop trio returns for a hometownshow, co-headlining the 9:30 Club on a bill featuringfellow Brooklyn-based trio Little Daylight, a synth-pop band whose sound will hook any fan of similarcatchy pop acts, from former touring mate CharliXCX to Taylor Swift. Tuesday, March 10. Doors at 7p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $18.Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.
MADONNAShe’s gonna carry on: The queen of queens — tomany of a certain generation, at the very least — hasannounced the first leg of her Rebel Heart WorldTour 2015. Tickets go on pre-sale for Citi cardhold-ers Wednesday, March 11, at 10 a.m. General publicsale begins Monday, March 16, for concert Saturday,Sept. 12. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. Call 202-628-3200 or visit livenation.com.
OF MONTREALDespite his band’s name, Kevin Barnes is based inthe indie-rock hotbed of Athens, Ga. He namedhis band after a woman he once dated, who was— you guessed it — from Montreal. An odd namehasn’t stopped the eccentric band, whose music is
all over the psychedelic rock map, from gaining adevoted following. Saturday, March 7. Doors at 8p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $20.Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE:BATTLE OF THE SEASONSMany of the those you loved — or loved to hate —from past seasons of Logo’s RuPaul’s Drag Racereturn to the 9:30 Club next weekend for a showto promote the latest season, as well as to keepthese queens’ names in circulation. This round,we’re talking Alaska 5000 (aka Thunderfuck),BenDeLaCreme, Darienne Lake, Ivy Winters, JigglyCaliente, Jinkx Monsoon and Pandora Boxx. As withlast year’s show, the host is Michelle Visage, who has been RuPaul’s right-hand woman for two decades
M A R G O T S C H U L M A N
Problem ChildSignature Theatre’s new musical Kid Victory asks
too much of its audience
TOWARD THE END OF JOHN KANDER AND GREG PIERCE’Snew musical Kid Victory ( HHHHH ), hilarity ensues. We get one verse
of a silly song — an improbable jingle, “Matchstick Men,” written fora fictitious gay hookup site and taking playful aim at the site’s most frequent
users. Next, we’re treated to a hysterical and totally unexpected tap number
featuring the show’s full ensemble — which springs from a hookup betweenthe show’s lead boy Luke (Jake Winn) and his light-on-his-feet date (a win-
some Parker Drown). “What’s the point of living if your feet are never tap-pin’?” the gang chants as they dance their way to a climax.
Directed by Liesl Tommy, Kid Victory is a dark show, focused as it is onthe struggles of a troubled boy and his pious parents in rural Kansas to recon-
nect after he went missing and suffered abuse for a year. But other than afew scenes with a quirky young woman Emily (a likable Sarah Litzinger) the
show doesn’t offer many moments of levity, much less humor. So to put the
two truly funny numbers back to back near the end of the show — a two hourshow with no intermission — is a lot to ask of an audience.
Further testing the audience, lyricist Pierce opts for a very atmospheric,evocative style, which despite being graceful can also make it hard to relate to
his characters, chief among them Luke. We know too little about what Lukeis thinking, feeling or even wanting.
There are some genuine moments of sparkle and finesse in Kander’smusic, a fair amount of mood-lifting choreography by Christopher Windom,
and designers Clint Ramos on set and David Weiner on lights add some depth
to the show via the large, lit photographs of Kansas wheat fields that envelopthe stage.
Obviously Kansas can be a desolate, isolating place, but the metaphorshould only be taken so far in a musical. — Doug Rule
To March 22 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are
$40 to $95. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.
MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
25/48
25METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
26/48
26
now. “For me, it’s all about the bravery that these boys go through on a daily basis,” Visage told MetroWeekly two years ago. “From the first moment I sawa drag queen when I moved to New York City when Iwas 17, it was all about admiration. I have the utmostrespect for these people and what they go through,every day, and their transformation.” Sunday, March8. Doors at 8 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW.Tickets are $35, $55 for VIP meet and greet at 7 p.m.Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.
TORCH: SONGS FROM THE GAY LIFE
Rainbow Theatre Project continues to mix up theofferings in its second season, this month with a cab-aret show of songs deemed important to the LGBTexperience — ones we’ve sung and moved alongwith as well as those that inspired us to come outor connect with others, and made famous by artistsfrom Judy Garland to David Bowie, Little Richard to ABBA. John Moletress directs as well as performs inthis show based on an idea by H. Lee Gable and fea-turing other performers including Lucrezia Blozia, Aaren Keith, Lady Dane and Augustin Beall. Sunday,March 8, at 8 p.m. The Bier Baron Tavern, 1523 22ndSt. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-293-1887 or visitrainbowtheatreproject.org.
TOSHI REAGONThree years after her last performance in the area,
this veteran lesbian folk artist returns to the FreeState. This time, Reagon helps christen Strathmore’snew medium-sized performing arts center, AMP,located just off the Rockville Pike in the new multi-purpose complex called Pike & Rose. The daughterof celebrated gospel singer Bernice Reagon and thegoddaughter of folk legend Pete Seeger, Reagon willperform with avant-garde New York-based drum-mer-singer Allison Miller. Vocal percussionist BeSteadwill aka B.Steady opens the show with “queerpop and soul.” Sunday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. AMP byStrathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda.Tickets are $35. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbys-trathmore.com.
FILM
BALLET 422Peter Martins offers an unembellished vérité por-trait of creating a new work for the New York CityBallet. From first rehearsal to world premiere, thedocumentary offers an illuminating look at all themachinations that go into creating a ballet. OpensFriday, March 6. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 55511th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmark-theatres.com.
THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTELJudi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith all returnin another off-beat comedy about Sonny’s plans to build a second retirement hotel in India, juggling itwith his impending wedding. Opens Friday, March6. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.
TOUCH OF EVILOrson Welles’s 1958 film is the final installment in amonth-long, four-film Hitchcock/Welles Film Seriesat D.C.’s Hill Center. What’s the Hitchcock connec-tion? The most obvious is Janet Leigh, so memorablefrom the infamous shower scene in Psycho. Only two years before, though, Leigh was similarly the scant-ily clad object of prey at a rural motel in Welles’sfilm, which also inspired Hitchcock in other ways,from the use of daring shots and bravado sequencesto the value in establishing a strong mise en scène.Welles again stars in his own picture: In Touch of Evil, he plays a crooked fat cop to Charlton Heston’sgood guy detective. Marlene Dietrich plays oneof Heston’s girlfriends. Capitol Hill resident andHitchcock expert Tom Zaniello leads a post-show
S C O T T S U C H M A N
Songs of PraiseThe Washington National Opera’s Carmelites resonates with dark,
complex themes
DON’T LET THE AUSTERE TITLE DETER YOU — POULENC’S MID-century Dialogues of the Carmelites is a perfect deep-winter tincture. As
rich as a vintage port, the opera delivers a soft and melodic score that
undulates with darker and complex themes.For those who don’t already know the story, this is a work best enjoyed blind.
It’s a pleasure to enjoy the gentle unfolding of the music and narrative, as muchas one does the old (equally predictable) movies it somewhat evokes. Suffice to
say it tells the true-life tale of the Carmelite nuns of the convent at Compiegnewho were persecuted during the French Revolution. All does not end well, but
acts of personal spiritual heroism ensue.Of course, with the slow-burn of Poulenc’s stirring, searching score, the
opera’s themes of fear, faith and the despair of the persecuted reach far beyond
the filmic genre. Director Francesca Zambello captures this in her sensitivepacing and the melancholy of the staging and tableaus, even if the periodically
marching peasants add less. The mood is given depth and contemporary ref-erence in Hildegard Bechtler’s sublime sets of enormous, curved and moving
walls and Mark McCullough’s brilliant mix of stark, gloomy and piquantlyiridescent light.
This is a powerful cast. Creating a spectacularly grim and outraged Madame
de Croissy, the ailing Prioress of the convent, Dolora Zajick sings with rafter-reaching scope in expressive, golden tone. Zajick’s acting is credible and affect-
ing — as she suffers and doubts, her anger and pain is palpable. As the noviceBlanche de la Force, the young noblewoman who takes the veil as a refuge from
life, Layla Claire is convincing in her innocence and her fears. Her soprano islarge and sweet, sometimes tending towards a slight emphasis on vibrato in the
lower notes.As Madame Lidoine, Leah Crocetto, singing with a poised, lush tone, offers a
pleasing interpretation of the new Prioress who must take the helm under dire
circumstances. As Sister Constance, Ashley Emerson is tragically but convinc-ingly cheerful and Elizabeth Bishop is an understated but highly effective Mother
Marie, who watches stoically as her beloved convent unravels. As Marquis de laForce, Blanche’s aristocratic father, Alan Held makes for an impressive bit part.
Admittedly, some may find Carmelites a slow burn. But taken with patience, itis a unique place to contemplate rich musical flavors and a story that is as tragi-
cally current as it is old. — Kate Wingfield
To March 10. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $300. Call
202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
MARCH 5, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
27/48
27METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 5, 2015
discussion. Saturday, March 14, at 2 p.m. Hill Center, Old Navy Hospital, 921Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free. Call 202-549-4172 or visit HillCenterDC.org.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWSJemaine Clement and Taika Waititi team up to make a comedy every bit as wackyas the duo’s hit HBO series Flight of the Conchords. This time the focus is on anendearingly unhip quartet of vampires squabbling over household chores, tryingto stay trendy, antagonizing the local werewolves and dealing with pressures ofliving on a strict diet. Opens Friday, March 6. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 55511th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
STAGEBACK TO METHUSELAHOne of the first works of science fiction ever put on stage, George Bernard Shaw’s Back to Methuselah features the writer’s celebrated wit and touch of satire asit examines the human lifespan, from the Garden of Eden to “as far as thoughtcan reach.” Bill Largess directs the latest Washington Stage Guild production.To March 15. Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church,900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Tickets are $40 to $50. Call 240-582-0050 or visitstageguild.org.
BESSIE’S BLUES
HHHHH
Twenty years ago, Studio Theatre won six Helen Hayes Awards with its produc-tion of Bessie’s Blues by Thomas W. Jones II. If you missed its first outing, youmight wonder what all the fuss was about. Bernardine Mitchell reprises the lead
role at MetroStage, and she is the chief reason to see the revival. Mitchell has oneof the most powerful voices around, with stupendous range, conjuring Smith andother blues-informed divas, from Aretha Franklin to Patti LaBelle. The subtle waythe music helps narrate the history and the influence of the blues is impressive, but the script itself is a little too loose in telling us about Smith especially. Bessie’s Blues uses both interpretive acting as well as interpretive dancing — and even if you don’t find that pretentious, it can be befuddling. The show is on soundest foot-ing when it keeps the focus on Mitchell and the music. To March 15. MetroStage,1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. Tickets are $55 to $60. Call 800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org. (Doug Rule)
CHEROKEEJohn Vreeke directs a Woolly Mammoth production of Lisa D’Amour’s latestcomedy, about two couples — one black, one white — fleeing their suburbanpressures in an attempt to reconnect with nature by going camping in Cherokee,N.C. A companion to last season’s hit Detroit, Cherokee takes a disparate groupof Americans beyond the brink and asks what it means to lead an authentic life.
Closes this Sunday, March 8. Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Tickets are $35 to$68. Call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.
MARY STUART
If you’ve partaken in any theater in D.C. over the past couple decades, you knowHolly Twyford, Kate Eastwood Norris and Nancy Robinette are stage royalty. And go figure: two of them are even playing queens at Folger Theatre. FriedrichSchiller’s Mary Stuart is a 19th Century Shakespearean political drama about oneof England’s most storied rivalries, that between Mary, Queen of Scots (Norris)and Queen Elizabeth I (Twyford). D.C. theater’s grand dame Robinette playsthe Catholic Mary’s attentive assistant while she’s imprisoned by the ProtestantElizabeth in England. Peter Oswald’s adaptation is one of the more compellinghistorical play productions I’ve seen, a credit to both Richard Clifford’s sharp
8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 03-05-15 - Perfume Genius
28/48
28
eye in casting and directing and in Tony Cisek’sscenery. And Mariah Hale’s glorious costumes putthe characters in even starker relief. Mary is refinedand regal, while Elizabeth looks overbearingly over-dressed and tortured. Closes this Sunday, March 8.Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are$40 to $75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.(Doug Rule)
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHINGThe 11th installment in Synetic Theater’s “wordlessShakespeare” series is one of the Bard’s best-loved
comedies. Synetic’s Paata Tsikurishvili has set Much Ado About Nothing in the mid-20th Century RatPack-era Las Vegas, so expect Sinatra-esque croon-ing tunes and chipper early rock songs. To March22. Theater at Crystal City, 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. Tickets are $20 to $95. Call 800-494-8497or visit synetictheater.org.
THE CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATIONRep Stage presents this sharp comedy from AnnieBaker about a group of small-town residentsenrolled in a community center drama class, inwhich they play various seemingly harmless theatergames. What could possibly go wrong? Suzanne Bealdirects. Now to March 22. Rep Stage: The HorowitzCenter’s Studio Theatre at Howard CommunityCollege, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia,
Md. Tickets are $40. Call 443-518-1500 or visitrepstage.org.
THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMOREMatthew R. Wilson directs Constellation TheatreCompany’s production of a gleeful and gruesomecomedy sending up violence from Oscar winner andacclaimed Irish playwright Martin McDonagh. Theensemble cast includes Chris Dinolfo, Megan Dominy,Thomas Keegan and Matthew Ward. To March 8.Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $45. Call202-204-7741 or visit constellationtheatre.org.
THE METROMANIACSMichael Kahn directs a new adaptation by DavidIves of Alexis Piron’s classic 1738 French farce, abouta would-be poet who has fallen for the works of a
mysterious Breton poetess. In fact, the works are by amiddle-aged gentleman, who pawns his own daughteroff as the author in an attempt to separate her fromthe son of a sworn enemy. Chaos ensues, as does somepoetic wooing reminiscent of Cyrano. Extended toMarch 15. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Call202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.
THE ORIGINALISTMolly Smith directs an Arena Stage world premiere ofJohn Strand’s play about one of the biggest enemies tothe LGBT cause and civil rights in general: SupremeCourt Justice Antonin Scalia. It’s hard to get excitedabout this one, although no doubt four-time HelenHayes Award winner Edward Gero will do Scalia justice. The play is performed in the Mead Center’sKogod Cradle in a new three-quarter thrust configu-
ration. Opens in previews Friday, March 6. To April26. Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St.SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.
MUSIC
GLITTERLUST, STE MCABE ATELECTRO-QUEER DANCE PARTYLocal queer electro-punk act Glitterlust is set toperform at an Electro-Queer Dance Party at BossaBistro in Adams Morgan next Monday night. Sharingthe bill is Scottish “queercore” singer-songwriterSte McCabe, who makes DIY political electro-rock.Monday, March 9, at 9 p.m. Bossa Bistro, 2463 18thSt. NW. Tickets are $5. Call 202-667-0088 or visit
bossadc.com.l
J O H N M A C L E L L A N
Richmond’s Rainbow A gay theater company thrives in the rapidly changing capital
IT WAS ALWAYS A NICE PLAC