Jun 06, 2008  |  By: KATHERINE VOLIN  | COMMENTS     

Capital Pride means plenty of entertainment options for D.C.’s gay and lesbian residents and visitors. From parties to theater productions to worship, gays can celebrate during multitude of events stretching from June 6-15.

A set of “diverse offerings” was the goal of the Pride committee, says chair David Mallory. 

“That’s something I’m very proud about and the committee is pretty proud of, is that we come up with this mixture of events,” he says.

That blend doesn’t just include acts that Capital Pride itself has brought into town. Both Black Pride and Capital Pride have found that some groups and businesses piggyback on the Pride crowds by securing entertainment and planning events of their own.



“I think my philosophy and the philosophy of the committee is that there are enough people in this community with diverse tastes, so I think there’s enough interest to fulfill all these events,” Mallory says.

Thus, in addition to Capital Pride’s official celebrity acts like Grand Marshall Bruce Vilanch, gay duo Jason & deMarco and plenty of other local and national acts, Pride week will also include a performance by comedian Judy Gold. She was brought to D.C. by Town nightclub, where she will appear on June 12.

“Gay people are a great audience,” says Gold, a lesbian, in an interview with the Blade. Although she’s performed during several Pride weeks, she says she hasn’t in a while. “We love to laugh. People who are sort of persecuted and made fun of — you really need a sense of humor to survive, and I think that we see that a lot with different groups of people.”

Comedy act Gaylarious! opens for Gold, who says that the first act can impact the evening significantly.

“As long as they don’t curse and talk about their penis the whole time, I’m fine,” she says. “You have these guys, even clean guys, who are like, yeah, my wife, she’s a fucking bitch and I want a blowjob and here’s your headliner, Judy Gold.”

Gold says gay audiences and D.C. crowds tend to be very politically aware and savvy, which is important to understanding her act.

“I talk about what’s in the front of my brain [like] the fact that we can’t elect a woman to be president in this country. It’s just incredible,” she says.

MUSIC IS A significant component of this year’s entertainment lineup.

Mallory says the musical acts he’s looking forward to seeing include the band Betty, of whom he’s long been a fan, and Jason & deMarco. As for the other events, Mallory says they interest him equally.

“I enjoy going to the interfaith services as much as I enjoy going to some of our parties and the bachelor, bachelorette auctions,” he says. 

New fare also exists for those looking to freshen up their Pride experience. “America the Fabulous!,” an original musical written and performed by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., kicks off the week with performances on June 6 and 7.

“If you think of your typical beauty pageant, that’s what it is,” says artistic director Jeff Buhrman about “America the Fabulous!” “What we’re doing is a celebration of American pop music in the form of an iconic American beauty pageant. The twist in this is that we have no gender issues. Contestants can be men, women, straight, gay, transgendered.”

One hundred and seventy-five contestants — comprised of chorus members — representing American towns will compete in the pageant, which concludes with an audience vote on the eventual winner. Motown, Broadway, country and jazz will all be featured in the musical selections.

“It’s June. It’s time for a fun show…we have dancers, flag spinners and costumes,” Buhrman says.

Sounds like the perfect celebration of Pride.