Jess

@mmebahorel

I have opinions on things, especially DC theatre, especially ones that got a major critic to block me on that other hellsite. They are mine, but you can borrow them. The politics ones are extremely mine, especially the ones with my name on them.

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Jess@mmebahorel· 1d

The discourse is causing a run on burritos. ($15, and that's with carne asada.)

Jess@mmebahorel· 12d

Way down under the ground. (If only E Street were still in business for this one, because I am so definitely above the ground right now.)

Hadestown poster against wood paneled wall in movie theater

Jess@mmebahorel· 15d

Odyssey. @ctklimek.bsky.social said largest screen possible. (Is very good. Screen is very large. So many no shows, I could have had a seat not in the front row.)

The antique aircraft at Udvar Hazy. Multiple airplanes made of wood and canvas, some hanging, some on the floor, seen from the hanging level.

Jess@mmebahorel· 16d

The construction is RIDICULOUS (this work is for the car race) and boy is the scene adding to Hirshhorn's excellent new KAWS. (They are still trying to finish the sculpture garden rebuild and it feels like the constant other construction and destruction is in the way.)

Behind a chain link fence, stacked pieces if temporary chain link barriers. Behind them, concrete half wall. Beyond it and past the trees, looking like it will connect to the white stone dome of the National Gallery of Art (it won't), is a metal bridge under construction. It is at the cage of girders stage, sitting at tree height.

Enclosed in two separate rows of chain link fence, a bronze statue sits next to a tree. The statue is of two beings, a small one on the lap of a large one. They appear to sit under the tree. They are chonky, hefty, of monumental size and weight but not of monumental type. They are like Mickey Mouse but with afro twists for ears, X for eyes, and kawaii Chthulu for the shape of the face. Again, this mother and baby sit under a tree separated from the viewer by two rows of fencing.

Jess@mmebahorel· 16d

No warning signs up yet outside American History Mall entrance, so that EO wasn't already backchanneled to NPS for preparatory action. This trip among the tourist hordes brought to you by Bar Americano and "oh crap, American Aspirations ends this weekend!"

Smithsonian Museum of American History, a white stone box with three full-height indentations in the seemingly windowless facade. There is a patch of green grass and flags on flag poles with no wind to see them by.

Blue plaque with descriptive text attached to a white pillar. It starts with a gold star, the reads:
American Aspirations
The United States has been shaped by aspirational ideals, often shared but sometimes in conflict and contested since its founding. Much of who we are as a nation continues to be informed by the Declaration of Independence, where founders like Thomas Jefferson urged the newly formed union to be a nation in pursuit—in pursuit of happiness, freedom, equality, and liberty. The nation’s revolutionary birth inspired political possibilities, opened physical and intellectual frontiers, and presented new beginnings and opportunities. America’s challenge and obligation is to fulfill, to expand access to, and to make concrete these founding ideals.

To honor the 250th anniversary of the nation, the Smithsonian Institution presents the promise and aspirations of America expressed through a few of its most treasured objects.

Jess@mmebahorel· 18d

Giant, I know you plan these well in advance, but is this your best choice for next week? I know where your salad comes from.

Jess@mmebahorel· Jul 4

Happy 4th from this glutton for punishment who needed a mint cold brew and to support her local economy. It is stupid hot out there, go only for fruit and coffee. (Veggie borek in the fridge for later not shown.)

Farmers market bounty, clockwise from bottom left: green cardboard punnets of blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries; an iced coffee in clear plastic cup labeled "Zeke's"; an almond chocolate croissant with bites taken out; a small Cherokee purple tomato; and a small, slightly curved cucumber.

Jess@mmebahorel· Jun 20

Speak softly and carry a long stick

The Reflecting Pool. Someone has scraped "FUCK TRUMP" into the dead algae, making dark blue letters in the bright green muck at the bottom.

Jess@mmebahorel· May 17

Theatre is just the best. When it hits, it hits. (I don't only see Maboud Ebrahimzadeh in dystopias, but between Hell and not-ISIS, even most of the not-dystopias are dystopian. Ran to get tickets to this the moment I found out last week and it was so much more than I had expected.)

The fake marriage announcement from the cover story in Sam Holcroft's play A Mirror, in front of the postcard with the title and playwright. The marriage announcement foregrounds Layla and Joel, neither of whom exist it the play. We the audience are immersed in a fiction so we may contemplate a different fiction.

Jess@mmebahorel· Apr 23

The way the scheduling worked, I'm spending Shakespeare's birthday with Shaw.

Caesar and Cleopatra poster in a window, the glare making it hard to see the marble bust of Caesar superimposed on a pyramid that is the central image above the title text.

Jess@mmebahorel· Apr 18

Have some fun this weekend. There's air conditioning. (Faction of Fools Much Ado is an absolute delight.)

A framed table-top sign, as if for a venue welcome desk, reading "The wedding of Claudio and Hero", on which " 's Other Cousin" had been taped on top of the glass. It has flowers in both corners still, though, the venue is trying very hard to manage this change in plan after Claudio was an ass.

Jess@mmebahorel· Mar 31

It clearly says something about me that the first time I see Suzy Eddie Izzard is in Hamlet.

Show card with "Izzard, Hamlet" in huge white on black all caps around a black and white portrait of Suzy Izzard in a black mini dress. The actual title is "The Tragedy of Hamlet" but "The Tragedy of" is in tiny print above "Hamlet". "Washington DC" follows in all caps around Suzy's knees. Credits follow in grey print.

Jess@mmebahorel· Mar 27

I'm at Ham-NET. Not Ham-LET, Ham-NET. I read the email and also my ticket. No one tried to ask if I was in the right place, which in itself was a tad disconcerting because no one should trust that patrons read emails.

A wooden A frame of ladders with a small platform below wooden slats. The stage set for Hamnet, from the RSC tour.

Jess@mmebahorel· Mar 23

I am not the youngest person at the opera this time! (The Crucible, aka Chesca's original "fuck you" to the usurper before peacing out altogether.)

Jess@mmebahorel· Mar 21

🦄 @folger.edu says Statehood now. (Production is super fun, Nikkole Salter proving yet again that women are better at playing Jaques.)

Stage design for Folger Theatre As You Like It, showing a fuchsia-toned "rowhouse mural" style painting that reads "So we play our part" in hard edged graffiti style lettering above images of blue butterflies, Chuck Brown, and two women singers I can't immediately place.

Jess@mmebahorel· Mar 20

In "things that are not terrible", @folger.edu is doing a London Fog with ube foam at their coffee shop and my week just got better. (As You Like It will increase that improvement.)

A disposable coffee cup with very pale purple foam and a hexagonal cranberry apple tart sitting on top of a white pastry bag.

Jess@mmebahorel· Mar 5

I don't remember where I first read of Tambo and Bones, but I've wanted it for what feels like ages, and I only knew Spooky Action was doing it this month because it made it into the Washington Post's winter preview. It was everything I wanted, and I almost didn't have it.

Jess@mmebahorel· Feb 19

What does UK natsec law look like? It probably doesn't rise to Official Secrets Act, but this could go interesting places here, so what about there? (Source: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...)

For weeks, Mountbatten-Windsor has come under increasing pressure in Britain as the U.S. Justice Department’s newly released Epstein files appeared to offer further evidence of a long-running relationship between the two.

The documents indicate that Mountbatten-Windsor provided confidential government materials to Epstein at a time when the former prince was traveling globally and representing the United Kingdom as a trade envoy. Among the shared files are briefing materials on Asian countries Mountbatten-Windsor visited.

Jess@mmebahorel· Feb 17

That's just asking for the official mascot.

The horse is red with a brown mane and tail and hooves. Its white muzzle was sewn on upside down so its nostrils look like zits on its chin as it frowns with cute dimples. It looks off to the side, apparently intended to be flirty but instead looks very worried, or at least disconcerted, because it is 2026.

Jess@mmebahorel· Feb 5

Caught one in the wild! @wmata.com

Jess@mmebahorel· Feb 5

No one comes to Pal Joey for the book, anyway. (DC has a theme of Black, mid 20th century musical pieces in the past year. And I don't complain about Awa Sal Secka doing torch songs. I hand over my money.)

Playbill for Chez Joey, showing a party of black musicians and dancers in mid century clothing.

Jess@mmebahorel· Jan 31

(for those without a subscription)

A map of DC with regions color coded for population intensity of black, white, Hispanic people. Black dots on roadways indicate individual pedestrian deaths by cars in 2021. Notes on the map call out "A little less than half of all traffic related deaths happened in wards 7 and 8" (these are almost entirely black in population) and "Southern Avenue is the deadliest street in DC, where at least 18 deaths have occurred in the past 8 years. Nearly 1 in 5 of 2021 traffic deaths occurred along this corridor." Southern Avenue is the boundary to the lower right side of the DC diamond shape.

Jess@mmebahorel· Jan 6

When a paper one arrives, it's getting torched as part of an incantation.

A screenshot of an email inbox with items received from (bottom to top) Regal cinema, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and (the horrifying reason for this post) The Trump Kennedy Center (no hyphen). That one is in bold as a new email and is checked in preparation for deletion. The preview line of text includes shows Chicago, Moulin Rouge!, Bluey, Mrs Doubtfire, and more. At least two of these shows have major figures in drag for nearly the entire run time, proving the lie of the excuse given for the coup.

Jess@mmebahorel· Jan 6

They are marching on the Capitol again. I am eating porchetta and drinking an aperol spritz at Piccolina while squandering an afternoon off at City Center.

A bitten into sandwich with greens and pork showing, with a two-thirds drunk bright orange drink in the background.

Jess@mmebahorel· Jan 1

77 shows in 2025. Not a damned one needed the Kennedy Center. Suck it, Ric Grenell!

70-some assorted playbills arranged in a not-quite-grid in no particular order. They are many colors and many sizes, and the display is intended to show volume and variety rather than clean readability of all the show titles. They are set out on tan carpet with dark diagonal shadows across the top corners as if the playbills are in a spotlight widening toward the viewer.

Jess@mmebahorel· Dec 19

Behold the rare in-theatre pic at Studio! (My usher date was a cancelled performance, but TodayTix provided a front row seat.)

Playbill for The Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions at Studio Theatre. In the background is a jumble of material of evictions: bankers boxes, a shoe rack, a wheelchair.

Jess@mmebahorel· Dec 13

Guys and Dolls is a goddamned delight, particularly Hayley Podschun as Adelaide, who Nathan needs to learn to deserve. I was skeptical at season announcement, and I was wrong. (Girls, you are not going to fix either one of them. And maybe go back to the therapist to talk about your mother.)

The obligatory playbill in front of the set photo. Playbill is STC, red textured background, Guys and Dolls title each individual word on a white label card, with a set of cufflink and an engagement ring. The set in the background has tall windows behind racks of clothes.

Jess@mmebahorel· Dec 4

Let's see: they hired Dani Stoller, Dina Thomas, and Naomi Jacobson, so this must be a sweet, quiet show full of unperturbable people.

The facade of Round House Theatre, lit in the dark.

Jess@mmebahorel· Nov 29

I give you my beer cans.

Rock and Roll, 2006.

Eleanor: You are, Max! It's as

Jess@mmebahorel· Nov 16

The world is terrible. Buy all the little treats.