Arts and Leisure: Metro Weekly magazine - Weekly schedule of gay Washington DC entertainment - films, movies, theater, dining, and music.

Stage | Olney's Edge

The gay-themed play The Submission is a departure for the Maryland theater

Published on May 23, 2013, 7:19am

''[Some] were a little concerned that this might not be the kind of show you should take your children to,'' says David Elliott. ''Another person argued that this is exactly the kind of show you should take your 16-year-old to.'' Elliott is talking about early crowd reaction to The Submission, now playing at Olney Theatre Center. The exurban Maryland theater company is known for staging high-quality productions, even the occasional provocative play. But Olney is best known for staging surefire ...[more]

Stage | Long Story Short

DC Queer Theatre Festival offers short plays for the whole community

Published on May 23, 2013, 7:16am

''There's no real local GLBT theater company that's producing regularly,'' says Matt Ripa. ''When you do see theater companies that are doing plays with gay themes, it's very specifically gay-white-male themes. We want to be a voice for the rest of our community.'' Ripa is referring to the DC Queer Theatre Festival, which he started last year with Rebecca Gingrich-Jones and Alan Balch at the behest of The DC Center. ''When we did the first year of the festival we ...[more]

Film | Star Trek Returns

J.J. Abrams's latest has plenty of bang, but also rekindles the franchise's noble roots

Published on May 16, 2013, 1:16pm

What does it mean to make a Star Trek movie? Director J.J. Abrams skirted this question when he brought the U.S.S. Enterprise back to life four years ago, plotting a new origin story for Captain James T. Kirk that was engorged with interstellar combat, death-defying stunts and an endless parade of fistfights. The revival was a delight, of course – but at what cost? It seemed less a Star Trek movie than a sci-fi action romp that just happened to ...[more]

Stage | All for One

Synetic's Musketeers dazzles with storytelling that is not simply entertaining, but transporting

Published on May 16, 2013, 7:29am

Though the urge to wax lyrical is almost overpowering (and follows below), let's cut to the chase: Synetic's The Three Musketeers is a joyously accessible adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's classic swashbuckler and is simply, absolutely, the most superb fun, whether you are a diehard Synetic fan or chose this as your first foray into the unique world of this one-of-a-kind theater company. With an adaptation (by Ben and Peter Cunis) of the novel delivered in a whirl of wild and ...[more]

Stage | Arid and Overwhelming

This Palm Springs play needs both far less and much more

Published on May 16, 2013, 7:25am

It's always a little disconcerting when you don't get what all the fuss is all about. A case in point, Jon Robin Baitz's Other Desert Cities is an award-winner with a successful Broadway run, and yet beneath its flamboyant premise, flaming one-liners and starkly delineated characters, there is only a tentative foray into its subjects: the bond between parent and adult child and the harsh edge between public and private lives. Of course, the play's popularity suggests that the flaws ...[more]

Stage | Gilgamesh Follies

Constellation's latest epic is only worth it for the visual stimulation provided by the cast

Published on May 16, 2013, 7:23am

Right now, there's a work of art gracing the stage at the Source on 14th Street. And I don't mean Gilgamesh, the fantastical show created around Yusef Komunyakaa's flowery prose poetry. Well, not the script or the story of Gilgamesh anyway. Based on an ancient written epic from Mesopotamia, Komunyakaa's work is too fanciful and over-the-top to fully draw you in or even really understand. You may find yourself asking what's the point? There's no clear answer, even with a ...[more]

Events | Faith in Humanity

Chris Stedman seeks out common ground as a ''faitheist''

Published on May 16, 2013, 7:20am

Chris Stedman's mother rifled through her teenage son's diary and read about his struggles with homosexuality. But unlike many other parents, her response was to introduce Stedman, who had been going to an anti-gay evangelical church, to a local pastor at a progressive church. ''He gave me a different, affirming perspective on homosexuality and Christianity,'' Stedman says. So while initially angry at his mother's violation of his privacy, Stedman couldn't stay mad for long. ''I was very fortunate, actually, that ...[more]

Games | Star Dreck

A bloated, buggy, badly designed experience, ''Star Trek'' the game is a shameful failure

Published on May 16, 2013, 6:33am

Star Trek is one of America's greatest exports. Revered by millions worldwide, the sci-fi pop-culture phenomenon has dazzled fans for 50 years -- and with good reason. From the original series with its automatic doors, turbo lifts and transporters, to the Next Generation, which gave us the concept of handheld computers long before Apple made them a commercial viability, Star Trek has inspired something within those who enjoy it. >The escapism, the idealism, the glimpses of technology beyond our reach, ...[more]

Film | Wretched Excess

Baz Luhrmann tromps across Fitzgerald's ''The Great Gatsby,'' all too eager to interpret subtle tension as over-the-top melodrama

Published on May 9, 2013, 6:17am

What kind of maniac tries to adapt The Great Gatsby? Few books are legitimate touchstones in American culture, and for better or for worse, F. Scott Fitzgerald's sits atop that very short list. It's a perennial bestseller and a staple of high school English classes across the country, and yet in all of its years, it hasn't spawned a single decent movie. The Great American Novel can't seem to inspire The Great American Film. Despite director Baz Luhrmann's manic attempt ...[more]

Film | Texas Hold 'Em

Yen Tan's ''Pit Stop'' offers a story about rural gay life

Published on May 9, 2013, 5:46am

A decade ago, when Texas-based filmmaker Yen Tan regularly commuted between Dallas and Houston, he wondered if he was alone out there. ''I would stop at gas stations and wonder if there were gay people living in these small towns between the cities,'' Tan says. His latest film, Pit Stop, reflects what he uncovered. The evocative film tells the fictional story of two gay men struggling to move on from past relationships, each wondering if there's hope for love again. ...[more]

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