Metro Weekly

10/05/2025

Harvard has hired Tufts professor Kareem Khubchandani -- who performs and lectures in drag as “LaWhore Vagistan” -- as a visiting professor in gender and sexuality studies.
The decision has drawn criticism from conservatives, but Khubchandani’s appointment underscores Harvard’s ongoing commitment to diverse scholarship and q***r visibility in academia.
📖 Read the full story: https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/10/lawhore-vagistan-harvard-visiting-professor/

10/05/2025

A disastrous first date turns into a revealing night of comedy and confrontation in Strategic Love Play, now at Signature Theatre.

Playwright Miriam Battye serves up a fizzy, razor-sharp look at the awkward rituals of modern dating — from swiping to oversharing to pretending you’re not already over it. Under Matthew Gardiner’s direction, actors Bligh Voth and Danny Gavigan spar and spark across a single bar table in this droll, modern-day battle of the sexes.

It’s funny, incisive, and often painfully relatable — even if not every spark catches fire.

🎭 Read our full review: https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/10/strategic-love-play-review-signature/

10/04/2025

“Friends, Harlemites, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

The Folger Theatre has brought the Bard uptown with Julius X, Al Letson’s deft reimagining of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as the story of Malcolm X’s final days.

Stylishly staged by Nicole Brewer, the production trades togas for Harlem swagger — natty suits, sharp dialogue, and flashes of hip-hop rhythm — while exploring the timeless themes of power, betrayal, and conviction.

In his review, André Hereford writes that Julius X “blends Shakespearean tragedy and Black empowerment with swagger and style,” noting Brandon Carter’s commanding performance as Julius and Reid’s compellingly conflicted Brutus.

The show builds toward a powerful epilogue featuring Malcolm X in his own words — a reminder, as André observes, that “regardless of any perceived change in tone, his message stays the same regarding oppressed people: ‘Sooner or later, they rise up against the oppressor.’”

🎭 Julius X runs through Oct. 26 at the Folger Theatre.

10/02/2025

Russell Tovey explores shame, secrecy, and forbidden desire in Plainclothes, a ’90s-set erotic thriller where he plays a closeted family man who falls for a young undercover cop.
Read our full feature on Tovey, his new role, and why he feels compelled to keep q***r stories visible.

https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/10/russell-tovey-plainclothes-interview/

10/02/2025

Nguyen Huong Giang has been chosen to represent Vietnam at Miss Universe 2025, becoming the country’s first transgender contestant — and the first from Asia. The reality star and singer called the honor “a story about people, about faith.”

Read more:

Reality star Nguyen Huong Giang will be the first transgender contestant to represent Vietnam -- and Asia -- in the Miss Universe pageant.

10/02/2025

Arena Stage opens its 75th anniversary season with a grand-slam revival of Damn Yankees. Updated with sharp new jokes, a Baltimore Orioles backdrop, and a stellar cast led by Jordan Donica and Rob McClure, the show proves this 1955 classic can still thrill today.

Our full review:

A revised Damn Yankees brings q***r couples, sharp new jokes, and powerhouse performances to Arena’s 75th season opener.

10/01/2025

The Miss Adams Morgan Pageant has reigned over D.C.’s drag scene for 37 years -- growing from a small night at Annie’s steakhouse in 1988 into the city’s largest drag event. Founders Steven Brandt and Rick Boylan look back at the pageant’s origins, its iconic queens, and how the show has evolved into a fixture of D.C.’s LGBTQ community.

📍 The 37th annual pageant is Oct. 4 at the Washington Hilton.
🎭 Theme: Studio 54 Forever
📸 See dozens of photos from 1988 to today in this week’s Metro Weekly.

Full story: https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/10/miss-adams-morgan-dc-drag-show/

10/01/2025

WorldPride DC was a milestone celebration for the city, drawing 1.2 million visitors and generating $310 million in economic impact. But data shows the festival fell short of its projections, with political obstacles and travel restrictions limiting attendance.
📖 Read the full story: https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/10/worldpride-dc-310m-economic-impact/

10/01/2025

The Boston Police Department has released photos of eight men suspected of assaulting a gay couple in Mattapan earlier this month. During the attack, the men allegedly hurled homophobic slurs and swung objects at the victims. One man was struck in the head with a baseball bat and hospitalized for his injuries. Police are asking the public for help identifying the suspects. Full story: https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/09/boston-police-gay-couple-attack-photos/

09/30/2025

Some scary stories are best told in the dark. Bob Bartlett’s Mary Shelley’s Monsters, staged inside the chapel at Historic Congressional Cemetery, reimagines Mary Shelley’s gothic classic Frankenstein. But as our critic found, the daylight setting — and even barking dogs — often broke the spell. 🌒
Read our full review:

A meta reimagining of the classic Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s Monsters proves a muddled experiment in gothic theater.

09/30/2025

The FBI has arrested a Texas man accused of threatening Abilene Pride after he allegedly wrote on Facebook, “come on bro let’s go hunting fairies.”

Court documents say the man also posted other comments suggesting Pride attendees should be targeted, prompting local police and federal agents to act quickly. He now faces federal charges and could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

👉 Full story:

Texas suspect accused of posting Facebook comments deemed threatening, including “let’s go hunting fairies.”