Leisure

Reviews and think pieces on music, movies, art, and theater.

Leisure

Venom: Let There Be Couples’ Counseling

Have you ever wondered what an abusive relationship with a pile of alien goop would look like? Would you like to see said abusive couple make pancakes to Ella Fitzgerald... Read more

By October 4, 2021

Leisure

How Shang-Chi fulfilled my childhood dream

I don’t want to be *that* Asian American raving about Shang-Chi and its nearly all-Asian cast. But as a Chinese-American woman who once flirted with the entertainment industry myself, I... Read more

By October 2, 2021

Leisure

“Does anybody have a map?” Dear Evan Hansen struggles to bring stage to screen

Content warning: Dear Evan Hansen discusses suicide Well, like it or not it is here: the long-awaited film adaptation of the smash-hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. Theater fans may... Read more

By September 30, 2021

Leisure

Despite problematic collaborators and history, Kanye West’s Donda is a prayer for hope

Content warning: brief mentions of sexual assault, homophobia, and antisemitism Imagine if you had a dollar for every time you were told Kanye West’s Donda was going to come out... Read more

By September 27, 2021

In the District

The Voice‘s guide to D.C. concert venues

Songbyrd Address: 540 Penn St. NE (Union Market) How to get there: Take the GUTS Bus to Dupont, hop on the Red line to Glenmont and get off at the... Read more

By and September 25, 2021

In the District

The Voice‘s Guide to D.C. theaters

Arena Stage  Address: 1101 Sixth St. SW  How to get there: Take the GUTS bus to Rosslyn, then the Blue, Silver, or Orange line to L’Enfant Plaza. From there, walk... Read more

By , and September 24, 2021

Leisure

Malignant‘s brashness and audacity make it a twist-filled delight

As the lights came up at the end of Malignant (2021), James Wan’s demented new horror extravaganza, my friends and I took the opportunity during the credits to howl with... Read more

By September 21, 2021

Leisure

Lady Gaga pushes the boundaries of her own music on Dawn of Chromatica

Last year, Lady Gaga released her sixth album Chromatica (2020), which is fun and pop-y, yet still continues to deliver Gaga’s signature contrast of upbeat music paired with quite sad... Read more

By September 16, 2021

Leisure

The Suicide Squad combines the absurdity of comics with heartwarming characters

To some degree, superhero stories are inherently silly. Whether from the basic concepts behind beloved heroes and villains or the general absurdity of scenarios presented in their weekly adventures, each... Read more

By September 13, 2021

In the District

The Voice‘s guide to D.C. museums

The Holocaust Museum Address: 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl. SW How to get there: Take the 33 bus south to Federal Triangle and get off at Pennsylvania & 14th. Walk down... Read more

By , and September 10, 2021

In the District

The Voice’s guide to D.C.: Where to eat

Affordable Eats The Well Dressed Burrito Address: 1220 19th St. NW How to get there: Take the GUTS bus to Dupont Circle, walk three blocks down 19th, and peer dubiously... Read more

By , , , and August 27, 2021

Leisure

Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Blindness dazzles in darkness—and solitude

Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall has opened the house once again. Well, not “house,” exactly. The theater’s in-person debuting return, an actorless show, begins the moment the audience files... Read more

By May 22, 2021

Leisure

Director Ben Sharrock on how the refugee crisis keeps asylum seekers in Limbo

On the secluded Scottish Uists, Syrian refugee Omar (Amir El-Masry) awaits an update for his pending asylum application. Each day, in an almost Sisyphean display, he traverses the windswept island... Read more

By May 13, 2021

Leisure

Taemin gives fans a final encore with Beyond LIVE

Lee Taemin has spent nearly half his life in the limelight. It has been six and a half years since the Korean idol released his first solo album, and twice... Read more

By May 6, 2021

Leisure

Signature Theatre’s Midnight at the Never Get breaks just the right amount of promises

The premise is deceptively simple. It is a cabaret show about the fabulous and dramatic lives of a songwriter and a performer at the close of the golden age of... Read more

By May 3, 2021

Leisure

Hard rock band Greta Van Fleet fights its biggest critics in The Battle at Garden’s Gate

Greta Van Fleet is no stranger to living in the shadow of the great rock bands that came before them. Hailing from Frankenmuth, Michigan, the band has been compared to... Read more

By April 29, 2021

Leisure

Patrick Page thrills in All the Devils Are Here at the Shakespeare Theatre Company

Footsteps echo in a darkened theater. Every seat in the house is empty, and somehow, it makes the audience shiver even more. All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented... Read more

By April 27, 2021

Leisure

Taylor Swift dives “headfirst, fearless” into the re-recording process with Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

On the heels of Taylor Swift’s historic Grammy triumph, where she received her third Album of the Year award, fans celebrate the re-recording of her first AOTY-winning album. Fearless (Taylor’s... Read more

By April 19, 2021

Digital Issue

Canadian post-punk band Dish Pit showcases grime, grit, and glamor on debut LP

Content Warning: This article mentions sexual assault.  It is hot and sweaty in the dish pit of a Montreal restaurant. The sounds are cacophonous and the air is grimy with... Read more

By April 17, 2021

In the District

National Portrait Gallery virtual festival conjures a kaleidoscope of women, art, and history in “Where There Is a Woman There Is Magic”

Content warning: mentions of sexual assault, racism “This selection of portraits seeks to inspire learning and inquiry through the celebration of women, whose stories are often unsung or missing from... Read more

By April 15, 2021