By Doug Rule on October 18, 2022 @ruleonwriting
“I went to him and I said, ‘You’re the chosen one.'”
Thea Kano is recalling the moment she revealed to Jarrod Bennett the song he will be singing atΒ Judy, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s upcoming cabaret.
“His eyes got big, like, ‘No,’ because ‘Over The Rainbow’ is the most iconic song of Judy’s — my opinion, but probably most would agree,” Kano says. “It certainly put her on the map at the age of 17 inΒ The Wizard of Oz. And it has become known as an anthem, if you will, of the LGBTQ movement. So it’s a very big ask for a singer to presentΒ thatΒ song, because you can’t go so off the rails with it that people are distracted by it. At the same time, you can’t even begin to sound like Judy, obviously.”
Led by Kano as artistic director, GMCW kicks off a new season next weekend with a cabaret devoted to the music of Judy Garland, in honor of the centenary of the gay icon’s birth. As it happens, Garland helped to spark the Chorus’s entire 2022-2023 season.
“When it comes to programming a season, I always start with the cabarets: ‘Okay, what’s the cabaret theme going to be this year?'” Kano says. Once she realized 2022 was the seminal diva’s anniversary year, Garland became “the first cornerstone of this season.” After that, rooting around for other iconic artists whose “big birthday or would-have-been” could be celebrated at the season’s two additional cabarets revealed Whitney Houston, who would have turned 60 in 2023. Dolly Parton closes out the season in June.
“Judy, Whitney, Dolly: ‘Wow, look at these phenomenal women,’ that just naturally came into my brain when I saw that list,” she says. Hence, the new season was set in stone under the banner “Phenomenal.”
Planned well over a year before the Supreme Court struck downΒ Roe v. Wade, that development earlier this year, along with the portent of more, possibly worse, rights-restricting cases in the offing, only solidified the new season. “We’re really focusing this year on phenomenal women, not just those three artists [but also] talking about other women, trailblazers in the LGBTQ movement,” she says.
Chorus members who wanted to be featured inΒ JudyΒ were instructed to audition with “a song that was performed by Judy Garland at some point in her career, and come in with a story to set it up.” That could be either “a personal story of what the song might mean to them or what Judy might mean to them. I did encourage folks not to audition with ‘Over The Rainbow’ — but to be a little more creative, dig a little deeper.”
During the 75-minute show, before breaking into song with Kano striking up a backing band, the 14 selected soloists will also “be talking about Judy, and maybe when and where she might have sung [each] upcoming song.”
The final roster of 12 solos and one duet represents what Kano calls “a diversity of voices and types of voices, certainly diversity of people, [and] a nice diversity of songs” — a mix that most will recognize along with a couple of unknown or unexpected selections.
Among the latter is a performance by Zac Barger of “Maybe This Time,” a song performed not by Garland but famously by her daughter, Liza Minnelli, in the musicalΒ Cabaret. Its inclusion in the program is a way “to acknowledge the many legacies of Judy Garland, including Liza. It’s kind of a stretch, kind of a reach, but it’s very creative,” says Kano.
Kano hopes audiences will gain as much from seeingΒ JudyΒ as she has in putting it together. “It’s really been a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the iconic and very resilient artist and person that Judy was,” she says. “She had a lot of hard knocks in life, as certainly we all do at some point, but she continued to show up and channel the energy from that darkness of her life into her performing. And as a result, it was just so vulnerable and so truthful.”
Kano also notes the relatability, sense of connection, and depth of feeling that Garland brought to the songs she sang, many of them also regarded as Great American Songbook standards, from “Come Rain Or Come Shine” to “The Man That Got Away.”
“It’s not as simple as, ‘Oh, there goes another one,’ but the pain of that, and the process and the excitement of a relationship, and then it somehow slips through your fingers.
“The song ‘Smile’ actually is a really good example, too,” continues Kano. “I think it’s the hope in these songs, the resilience, the ‘pull up your bootstraps, put on your smile, and just show up.’ So much of life is that.
“Particularly now, the challenges that we face as a nation, as a planet, a lot of us are showing up to work with that smile. Keep on smiling, even though the clouds are gray. Or look ‘Over The Rainbow’, one day where bluebirds fly.”
Speaking of rainbows and bluebirds, Kano couldn’t be more pleased with soloist Bennett’s take on the Garland signature.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous. As I said to him in the rehearsal the other day, ‘It was painfully beautiful — I mean just so real, so open and vulnerable. As he sings the song, each of the words unfolds. He brings a freshness and a truthfulness to it that’s just stellar, so I think our audience is really going to find that a highlight of the show.”
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington presents JudyΒ on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 5 and 8 p.m., at The Vault at Capital One Hall, 7750 Capital One Tower Rd., in Tysons, Va. Tickets are $45. VisitΒ www.gmcw.orgΒ orΒ www.capitalonehall.comΒ or call 703-343-7651.
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By Doug Rule on March 30, 2025 @ruleonwriting
The Spring-into-Summer offerings this year in the classical realm are as rich, diverse, and extensive as ever. There's even a WorldPride-affiliated event here and there, including a two-day festival that will close out May in surely the gayest way ever up at Strathmore. But don't think for a second that the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington is gonna take that lying down. In fact, for WorldPride, the organization's many choristers are planning to do a whole lot of popping up, all over the city, for two full weeks. And wouldn't you know it, they're even calling in reinforcements from all over the country.
By AndrΓ© Hereford on March 7, 2025 @here4andre
Defying the adage that the lady needs no introduction, Bruce David Kleinβs captivating documentary Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story extends a four-minute introduction to its larger-than-life subject Liza Minnelli before the film truly enters the breach, touching down on June 22, 1969, the day her mother Judy Garland died.
In the midst of the preamble performance clips -- presenting Liza as a gangly ingenue onstage with her mother, and as a superstar commanding the worldβs stages on her own -- Klein runs amusing outtakes of Liza, present-day, sitting for interviews but not at all passively. Dressed in head-to-toe black, her trademark pixie cut topped by a newsboy cap, she commands the room tenaciously, directing the cameraman on how to shoot her.
By Doug Rule on March 29, 2025 @ruleonwriting
For true fans of live music, and the whole concert-going and festival-going experience, Spring 2025 in the DMV is shaping up to be a banner season. And for those who're also fans of queer music and of seeing LGBTQ performers live in concert? Well, we're about to experience a real embarrassment of riches in that regard. And no, not just because of all those coming to town for WorldPride 2025. In fact, the number of out artists stopping through the area both before and after Pride this year is impressive.
Melissa Etheridge is one. Bob Mould another. Also due to visit is Allison Russell, John Grant, Rahsaan Patterson, Halsey, and Lucy Dacus. Not to mention Kylie Minogue, who's got local gay hearts beating padam padam for sure. Down the road, once Pride is a wrap, it'll be Ty Herndon's turn. Also Brandy Clark's. The Indigo Girls, Pink Martini, Laura Jane Grace will all also follow suit. Oh, and Cyndi Lauper will also return to have a little more fun -- and say farewell one more time, after time.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet itβs crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So wonβt 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 weekβs 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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