Doug Rule

The Magic of Rob Lake at GMU Center for the Arts When it comes to Spring entertainment that is a little — or a lot — queer, any way you might define it, you’re sure to find it here. Ilana Glazer. Matt Mathews. Robby Hoffman. Anthony Oakes. And of course, the queerest of them all: Cheers to you, John Waters. And then, seemingly from out of thin air and very hot off the ice, we give you: The Heated Rivalry Rave! Yet this anything-goes Spring Arts section is anything-but limited to entertainment and art.

Extreme Chopin at The National Philharmonic Every now and then, you spot an unexpected name when scanning the classical music offerings in any given season. Nina Totenberg, say. Or Rick Steves. Even Broadway legend Stephen Schwartz seems a bit misplaced. On a related note, one of the most anticipated attractions this season is a new adaptation of West Side Story.

Perfume Genius – The Lincoln Lady Gaga, Robyn, Patti Labelle, and Jill Scott will return to D.C. to perform in the coming months — as will The Boss, Mumford & Sons, Sting. Yet even more noteworthy is the sheer number of bold-name LGBTQ musical artists set to hit stages this season — including trailblazers like Melissa Etheridge, Marc Almond, and Meshell Ndegeocello who helped inspire today’s remarkably more open and accepting live music scene than what they experienced when they came to fame.