John de Lancie wants to be perfectly clear: “I’m not playing Trump. I’m playing Seaman.”
The actor, familiar from his work in film and television, notably as the omnipotent extraterrestrial Q from the Star Trek franchise, is currently giving a show-stopping performance as a brutish, bullying presidential candidate in Jon Robin Baitz’s Vicuña & The American Epilogue at Mosaic Theater.
“When I was first sent this, the director Bob Egan said to me, ‘It’s a Trump-like character,'” and I said, ‘I’m not doing an imitation or anything, all right?’ That would have stopped it right there for me.” Still, he concedes the parallels to Trump are in the fabric of Baitz’s potent new work. “This is a very muscular, bullyish, bully type guy who looks at everything in the terms of win or lose.” If anything, Seaman is more unnerving than Trump, seemingly far more insidious, shrewd, dangerous.
“Robbie’s point is that this is the next Trump,” says de Lancie. “This is not today. This is tomorrow. If you don’t watch out, this is where we’re going, guys.”
De Lancie is happy with his fan-revered place in the Star Trek canon, even though Q only appeared in 9 episodes over three different series: The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager.
And while the role didn’t translate into massive riches for the actor (“I did not profit from it in the same way that a regular actor on a seven year television series would profit — nowhere near.”), he is content with his “cultural place in the pantheon of fictional characters.”
As for the question of Q’s fey, flamboyant, gay-leaning personality, de Lacie laughs. “I tell my gay friends that Q is bi-spacial…. That’s one of the wonderful things about playing a character that seems to have crossed many, many, many strata. He speaks to a lot of different people.” —Randy Shulman
Vicuña & The American Epilogue runs until December 3 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $65. Call 202-399-7993, ext. 2 or visit MosaicTheater.org.
The fall looks primed to be a strong season of concerts by -- and appealing to -- the LGBTQ community. Among the highlights in the category of the well-known, consider Andy Bell (Lincoln), Jane Lynch (Strathmore), Renee Rapp (Merriweather), DOECHII (Anthem), and of course All Things Go (Merriweather). In the category of merely appealing, not gay per se, consider The Queens (Capital One Arena), Deborah Cox (Bethesda Theater), and Judith Hill (The Hamilton).
That barely scratches the surface. There's a lot of new -- or perhaps new to you -- queer artists out there, just waiting for you get into them including Katie Pruitt (Union Station, Rams Head), Rio Romeo (Songbyrd), Aaron Lee Tasjan (Jammin Java), Dixon Dallas (Union Stage).
If you need relief from these stressful and angst-ridden times, you're sure to find something to salve your soul in this section. If you crave a good laugh attack, for starters, look to the "Because They're Funny Comedy Festival," or seek out specific comedians and eccentrics known to get the job done, be it John Waters or Paula Poundstone (both coming to the Birchmere), or Jessica Kirson or Margaret Cho (coming to the Warner), or Leslie Jones, who will be at The Clarice later this winter. To name only five.
Of course, if you'd prefer to get serious and really contemplate and converse about our woeful state of affairs, you'll find plenty of ways to do that, as well. Start by consulting the lineup of noted authors coming to local bookstores and even a certain historic synagogue.
The D.C. theater season doesn't tiptoe in -- it arrives with gale force. The Shakespeare Theatre Company leads the charge with The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Wild Duck, and a freshly mounted Guys and Dolls, a trio that underscores why STC still sets the bar for classical and modern reinvention. Woolly Mammoth continues to push boundaries with time-bending dramas and audience-driven experiments, while Theater J stakes its ground with provocative premieres that blur the line between history, satire, and survival.
If you want spectacle with edge, Broadway at the National delivers high-gloss imports from Stereophonic to Some Like It Hot. Keegan continues its fearless streak with punk-rock carnage in Lizzie the Musical and raw new work like John Doe. GALA Hispanic Theatre reasserts itself as one of D.C.'s most vital cultural players with El Beso de la Mujer Araña and La Casa de Bernarda Alba, reminding us that Spanish-language theater isn't niche, it's essential.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
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