Arts & Entertainment
Howard renaissance
Historic D.C. theater reopens with lesbian Sykes headlining
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2012/04/Wanda_thumb.jpg)
Wanda Sykes
8 p.m. (doors open 6)
April 13
Howard Theatre
630 T Street, NW
$95 general admission tables, $125 booths
Some venues, especially large arenas and sheds named after financial institutions or phone companies, are just venues ā big sterile caves with concrete slab floors and tacky concession stands selling hot dogs and nachos in the lobby. They usually have less personality than your average shopping mall.
Then there are spots whose walls practically hum with historic significance ā the Apollo, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks and so on. One of the countryās lost gems has been rediscovered and after a $29 million restoration, is almost ready to be unveiled ā D.C.ās Howard Theatre, the Shaw-based concert hall that hosted singers such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye and the Supremes. The refreshingly cool catch? One of the anchor performers for opening weekend is an out-and-proud lesbian ā comedian Wanda Sykes.
And Sykes is psyched.
āIām really honored they asked me to come help open it,ā she says during a phone interview last week from Australia where sheās touring. āI was like, āOf course, yeah,ā Iām very excited, very honored. Itās pretty spectacular. They wanted to send me some pictures, but I said, āNo, let me wait and see it when itās fully done.ā I wanna get the full impact in person.ā
The 12,000-square-foot space, which, depending on the show, can accommodate either 650 seated or 1,100 standing, opened in 1910 as a spot for vaudeville, theater, talent shows and two performance companies, the Lafayette Players and the Howard University Players (itās never been affiliated with nearby Howard University). After the stock market crashed in 1929, it was briefly a church until 1931 when it was changed back into a performance space and launched with Washingtonian Duke Ellington playing the first night. Fitzgerald and Billy Eckstine won early talent contests there. After black performers as diverse as Lena Horne, Pearl Bailey, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Smokey Robinson and more played there over the years, it suffered a blow after the 1968 D.C. riots and eventually closed in 1980.
The rapper Wales, a D.C. native, is officially the first performer for the refurbished theater. He plays a soft opening on Monday. A grand opening gala and tribute concert for Motown founder Berry Gordy is Thursday with performers Robinson, Al Jarreau, Keb Mo and others. Then Sykes plays next weekend with shows on April 13, 14 and 15.
But sheās not just an of-the-moment contemporary black performer who happened to be available. Reps from the theater say sheās a logical successor to Moms Mabley, the late great comedian who did lesbian stand-up routines as far back as the ā20s.
āWanda is perfect to re-launch the Howard Theatre because she really represents a continuum between herself and Moms Mabley,ā says Marc Powers, director of marketing for the Howard. āMoms Mabley was one of the leading women comedians in America in the ā20s and ā30s and she really got her start here at the Howard. Wanda Sykes is also kind of that charming, girl-next-door type. She helps people get close to her as she criticizes America about sexuality, about class warfare ā¦ Moms Mabley was much the same thing and even though people say she wasnāt a lesbian, she was ā¦ Moms Mabley was cutting edge and thereās a very strong gay and lesbian history at the Howard.ā
Other performers slated for the coming months include the Roots (April 15), Chaka Khan (May 5), Esperanza Spalding (May 12) and Bettye LaVette (Oct. 27). Bi bassist/singer Meshell Ndegeocello plays April 25.
The venue will be managed by Blue Note Entertainment Group. After being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and tagged on President Clintonās āSave Americaās Treasuresā list in 2000, a non-profit Howard Theatre Restoration was formed in 2006 to raise funds for the restoration. The Restoration raised nearly $2 million ā city government gave $12 million in grants and tax credits while Eagle Bank stepped in with the remainder. Work began in September 2010.
Powers says thereās a lot of buzz and excitement at the theater as staff gear up for next weekendās opening festivities. Some finishing touches are still being added ā seat padding, sound system and lighting tweaks, paneling.
He says the Howard wonāt be a relic ā itās designed to be a versatile, thriving space where music of many genres and performers of all races can thrive.
āWeāre going to have such an array of talent, itās really going to be what the Howard has always been ā the theater of the people,ā Powers, whoās straight, says. āThe people of D.C. are diverse, so weāll represent that and there will be shows that appeal to people from all walks of life.ā
Sykes busy with touring, film
Wanda Sykes says life is good. During a mid-week chat last week from Australia where sheās performing a two-week mini-standup tour, she says sheās having fun.
āTheyāre very nice here, but itās kind of a phony nice,ā she says from her hotel in Melbourne. āItās that passive-aggressive-type nice. Like the other day at breakfast, I asked for a mimosa and she looked at me kinda funny. I said, āYou know, Champagne and orange juice,ā and she smiled but it was that fake smile like she was saying, āThatās the shit you drink for breakfast.āā
Sykes and her wife, Alex, have twins who will be 3 at the end of the month. She says theyāre ādoing greatā and though both parents travel extensively for work, theyāre in a solid routine that works.
āWhen Iām there, we get the real quality time together and theyāre used to both of us traveling so it just works,ā she says.
Sykes is mainly touring these days though she just finished an independent film called āHot Flashes.ā Listen for her in āIce Age 4ā this summer.
When we talked, Sykes hadnāt heard of her former co-star Jane Fondaās latest turn as Nancy Reagan but says sheāll be curious to see the film when itās finished.
āI love Jane and we keep in touch,ā Sykes says. āSheās great. Sheās just totally Hollywood royalty and she was so gracious when we worked together. I was nervous [about āMonster-in-Lawā]. Iām thinking, āOh my God, Iām gonna be in this movie with Jane Fonda,ā but after you meet her, you just calm down and you realize sheās just a good broad, she really is.ā
Sykes says other than getting invited to every LGBT event imaginable, the biggest difference in her work since coming out is her ability to be freer on stage.
āIt was so liberating,ā she says. āThereās nothing hanging over my head, so itās been great career wise. There hasnāt been anything that would make me go, āOh no, I regret it.ā Itās all been very positive. Iām very happy and grateful.ā
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
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Covering Fredericksburg Pride for @WashBlade . City Council member @WillMackintosh speaking: pic.twitter.com/tDdVD2IVsM
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) June 29, 2024
Photos
PHOTOS: Goodwin Living Pride
Senior living and healthcare organization holds fourth annual march at Falls Church campus
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The senior living and healthcare organization Goodwin Living held its fourth annual community Pride march around its Bailey’s Crossroads campus in Falls Church, Va. with residents, friends and supporters on Tuesday, June 25. Following the march, a drag brunch was held with performances by drag artists of SADBrunch: Crimsyn, Sapphire Dupree and Evon Dior Michelle.
(Photos courtesy of Goodwin Living)
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