No Kings protests in Falls Church, VA

 

At the 5 p.m. No Kings rally today in Falls Church, this lady said she hurried to make the sign to recognize the murders today in Minnesota of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife/By Patricia Leslie

Falls Church, VA may have only 14,685 residents (2023), but more than a tenth of that number showed up today at two No Kings rallies, one beginning at 11 a.m. and the other, at 5 p.m., both attracting huge crowds.

At the noontime No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

When I expected to find, maybe, 100 souls like me to join No Kings, I knew it was going to be a really big day as I approached Broad and Washington and saw many protesters carrying signs. 

The 11 a.m. group filled both sides of Broad from around Maple up to Cherry Street, according to an cyclist who also doubled as an "inventory specialist," riding up and down the street. After walking the route, I confirmed his number about an hour later.

We estimated the size to be about 2,000 hardy souls, smiling, happy to be there, sharing many things in common, especially one.

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, a child holds a "No Kings" sign with a crown and a big X through it (many of these seen throughout the day). Another sign says: "Trump America's Hitler" and another: "If Kamala Was President We'd All Be At Brunch"/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, The green sign reads: "Vaccines Cause Adults"/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, the Falls Church Episcopal permitted the No Kings organizers to erect a tent on church property and give out water and snacks to protestors./By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA. Her sign says: "We R Watching U"/By Patricia Leslie

Not only did we celebrate No Kings with those standing, sitting, and walking on the streets but we were joined by horn-blowers who passed by in their vehicles. They clapped, smiled, shouted, and held signs from their open roof tops and car doors in support of our mission.

The 5 p.m. rally ran from about E. Fairfax to Jefferson along Washington where a driver for the U.S. Post Office and one driving a public bus both joined the honking and waved to show their support.

(A "scientific survey" estimated the percentage of vehicle drivers to be about 99.95% in favor of No Kings, the lone exception seen on Washington Street, a sign for the White House occupant attached to a car door. Boo! Like on Halloween.)

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, she said her husband got the hat for her.  It says "Making Reptile Shows Great Again."  She's wearing a 
"no DOGE" sticker which a couple distributed./By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

From left, their signs read: "No Kings 1776; No Slaves 1865; No Nazis 1945; No Kings 2025" and she has a sign with an orangehead with a long red tie and a crown on his head being flushed. A plunger stands at the ready, about to take him down the toilet/By Patricia Leslie


At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, there was question whether all in leadership read/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, ain't it the truth, sister!/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, one of my favorites of the day./By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA.  Look, Ma!  The California state flag!/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, another one of my favs./By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, this woman said her son is in the Army. She lamented the deceiver-in-chief's parade cost of $45 million which I heard will be paid by the Army which gets its funding from...you and me! A very pricey birthday party!  

But (depending upon your source) about a third or a half that amount is the estimated cost for an upcoming wedding for another billionaire which WE do not directly fund, unless you shop at Amazon, Whole Foods, and/or subscribe to his slanted sheet, the Washington Post/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA. Her sign reads:  "Live, Laugh Lock Him Up!"/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA. The sign on the right says: "Democracy has NO King"/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA. She doesn't like a "Taco King."/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, the sign holder said she was a nurse and the only material she had to make this sign was the flip side of an illustration on stroke symptoms. A worthy cause for sure, supported by stroke victims! /By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA. Her sign reads: "Orange is the new HATE"/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, these ladies were kind enough to haul a cooler with water which they offered to participants. Other distributed literature such as "Know Your Rights" if ICE comes calling: 

Get a lawyer now. You have the right to remain silent, with or without a lawyer present. If you cannot afford a lawyer, non-profit agencies will help you get one. Unless agents have a warrant signed by a judge, you have the right to refuse access to your home, your purse, your wallet, your phone, your car and other belongings. Do not run. If you are stopped in a car, ask the agent to slide the warrant through a window. Do not get out of your car or open your door. You have the right to refuse to show any documents before speaking with your lawyer. Always carry your green card or visa with you. Never carry false papers.

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA.  He was wearing some fancy socks, too./By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA. Can you read the slogan on her shirt?/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA, the U.S. flag was probably carried more than any sign. "They" can't claim our flag!  It is ours! The one I carried came from the night of Nov. 5, 2024 which I got at Howard University/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

At the 5 p.m. No Kings protest today in Falls Church, VA/By Patricia Leslie

A person looking much like Virginia District Attorney candidate Jay Jones hung outside a window of a truck plastered with Jones's campaign signs, and signaled "thumbs up" as he rode past the crowd on Washington Street. His driver honked in support of No Kings.

A Falls Church police car and, strangely enough, a DC police car were the only members of law enforcement seen, both on Broad Street about 12:30 p.m.

It was a satisfying, great day for all who joined the common cause to "show our stuff," that we're fed up (!) and unlike Republican members of Congress, not afraid of a tyrant. He won't last forever. And neither will his sycophants.

Stand back, all who don't believe. We got power! Just like the Founding Fathers wanted us to have.

Take a look at the great signs! All homemade!

patricialesli@gmail.com

A wild night in Alexandria

 

From left: Siena Butler, Will MacLeod, Jermaine Mitchell, Luke Martin, and Suzy Alden in Little Theatre of Alexandria's The Play That Goes Wrong/By Bob Aronstam

Hold on to your seat at the Little Theatre of Alexandria for a raucous time in the old city for the theatre's latest show, The Play That Goes Wrong.

It's a play within a play, and play is what they do! Opening in this wrong play is The Murder at Haversham Manor and if you're confused now, just wait.

On a recent Saturday night the audience was almost as wild as the performers: Those who were still in their seats hooted, they hollered, they couldn't get enough of the antics and shenanigans on stage. 

There are a few.

The title says that something's awry in Alexandria and that's putting it mildly: Everything crashes, falls, slides, burns,  explodes; what else?

Would you like a fall outside a window?  

And a murder on a wedding eve? 

Coming right up!

Who dunnit? Is the bride (Suzy Alden) carrying on with her brother-in-law (Cameron McBride)?  They've got different kinds of ... motivation.

The imperturbable Inspector Carter (the skillful Adam R. Adkins), is summoned to find the murderer. The snooty British stereotype is, of course, dressed in a boring three-piece suit (by Jean Schlichting and Kit Sibley), ye alas!  

Before he can find the killer, there's another murder!  My gawd!  

A standout on the stage is the magnificent butler, "Perkins" (William Wheat) who darts hither and yon serving his masters' pleasures and attracting more than his share of laughs.

At the start of this madness (hold on to your hair strands), members of the audience are recruited to help figure it all out, and a "lost dog" poster is distributed in case anyone has seen "Winston."  What has Winston got to do with it?

Wait! 

Is that his portrait above the mantle?

Don't even think about consulting the program to figure out who's who for it takes a manor to sort them all.

The set (by Dan Deisz and Dan Remmers) is a luxurious 1920s mansion complete with Victorian draperies, Orientals, chair rail, a grandfather clock, a chandelier, you name it, the works. 

Jim Hutzler has constructed a second floor which, naturally, collapses and is miraculously lifted up, saving the actors from having to board an exploding elevator.  

It’s crazy! It's fun!  It’s slapstick! At the end the audience laughed out the doors, making it another good time in Alexandria and Haversham Manor.

Other cast members are Sydne Marie Chesson, Jermaine Mitchell, Andy Izquierdo, and Justin Beland. 

Production team members include Frank D. Shutts II, director; Zell Murphy and Russell M. Wyland, producers; Ken and Patti Crowley, lighting; Natalie Turkovich, makeup and hair; Ian Claar, fight director; Carol Strachan, dialects; Alan Wray, sound; Jennifer Rhorer and Christine Farrell, stage managers; Kira Hogan and Joanne Tompkins, properties.

The original production began in London in 2012 where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, and still runs...as fast as it can to drive playgoers crazy. 

What: The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields

When: Now through June 28, 2025, Thursday - Saturday nights, 8 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Just added:  a Wednesday night show on June 25, 2025 at 8 p.m.

Where: Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA 22314

Tickets: $29, reserved seating

Recommended audience age:  8 and up (some adult language)

Duration: Less than 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission

Public transportation: Check the Metro and Dash bus websites. Dash is free to ride and has routes which are close to LTA.

Parking: Free on streets and at Capital One Bank at Wilkes and Washington streets, a block away, during non-banking hours. Paid parking is available at nearby garages.

For more information: Box Office: 703-683-0496; Main Office, 703-683-5778 or boxoffice@thelittletheatre.com.

patricialesli@gmail.com

A "Shooting Star" sparkles in Falls Church

 

 

Andra Whitt and Rob Gorman star in Providence Players' Shooting Star/By Chip Gertzog

In a word, Shooting Star is adorable!  

Another word:  charming!

I loved Providence Players' show which grabbed me and held me from beginning to end. It may have the same effect on you.

It's got drama, it's got romance, lots of humor, all the elements necessary for a good time at the theatre. 

Andra Whitt and Rob Gorman star in the two-person show by Steven Dietz about a long "lost" couple who meet coincidentally at an airport where a snowstorm has shut them in for hours which becomes overnight.  Hmmmm ....

Ms. Whitt as Elena is fantastic, expressive like her personality, while Rob Gorman as banker Reed (even with a "red" name...?) is a bit more restrained, at least until consumption takes over and he lets love flow.  

(Not to worry about politics here: Popular views of the political spectrum are represented.)

These middle-aged lovers relive moments from their past when they were together. When one moves off stage to get replenishment or a drink, the other speaks in a soliloquy for he or she's got some 'splaining to do.

Long held, dark secrets come out and thoughts of what they really think about the other.

A few seconds of old classics play in the background every so often, a playlist music director John Smith includes in the program. Holding Back the Years by Red, Riders in the Storm by the Doors, and, of course, Shooting Star by Bob Dylan are some of the tunes.

Director John Coscia and Jayne L. Victor have created a realistic airport waiting area with signs for gates, seats with arm dividers to prevent stretching out, and a list showing constantly evolving departures times for Boston, Austin and beyond.

And best of all, through the big glass window is a moving jet moored in the snow just like our twosome. 

The predictable ending is ... not.

For a good time, go to Shooting Star.  And for more fun, study the waiting area the next time you're at an airport. You may want to don sunglasses and scout the place for a familiar face. 

For if you blink, you may miss the shooting star falling into your life. How many times have we not acted? 

Like Coscia says in his program note: "Enjoy your life.  I hope it all works out." Now's your chance.

On the inside cover of the program, Providence Players of Fairfax devotes a full page and tribute to one of its former actors, Congressman Gerry Connolly (1950- 2025).

Other members of Shooting Star's production team are:

Janet Bartelmay, producer; Chip Gertzog, technicals, lighting, and sound; Robbie Snow, costumes, hair, and makeup; Tina Hodge Thronson, stage manager.

When: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through June 21, 2025

Where: James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church 22042 with plenty of free, lighted parking

Tickets start at $18. Buy online or at the box office.

Duration: 90 minutes plus a short intermission

Language: Some adult words

For more information:  703-425-6782 and news@providenceplayers.org

patricialesli@gmail.com

The 2025 Falls Church, VA Memorial Day Parade

Like in years past, the crowds at the Falls Church Memorial Day Parade were big, often finding shady spots to watch the parade along the Park Avenue route/By Patricia Leslie 

"Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence" are ready to march in the 2025 Falls Church Memorial Day Parade/By Carol Luten 

At the booth of "Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence"/By Patricia Leslie 

At the booth of "Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence"/By Patricia Leslie  

Several members from Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Arlington joined  "Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence" to march in the parade. The husband of Ghazala Hashmi, candidate for lieutenant governor in the upcoming Democratic primary, is in the background, wearing a jacket and holding an American flag and a sign for his wife/By Patricia Leslie  

"Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence" get ready to march in the parade/By Patricia Leslie 

A "Concerned Citizen Against Gun Violence" before the parade march/By Patricia Leslie 

"Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence" get ready to march in the parade.  Ghazala Hashmi, candidate for lieutenant governor in the upcoming Democratic primary, is at right in the navy blue jacket, sporting a yellow sticker: "Background Checks Save Lives"/By Patricia Leslie  

"Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence" get ready to march in the parade/By Patricia Leslie

"Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence" get ready to march in the parade/By Patricia Leslie 

"Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence" march in the parade/By Patricia Leslie 

TInka Wapurys, VA in the parade/By Patricia Leslie 

A tooth fairy came along for a parade ride/By Patricia Leslie 

Kena Shriners from Manassas get ready to march/By Patricia Leslie 

Scouts in the parade/By Patricia Leslie 

Crowds applauded "Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence" as we walked by/By Patricia Leslie 

The Veterans Memorial at the City Hall of Falls Church/By Patricia Leslie 

At the City Hall of Falls Church/By Patricia Leslie


 Patricialesli@gmail.com 

Hurry! 'Mucha' is leaving the Phillips Sunday!

Mucha's studio in Paris, 1896

You may not recognize his name but you'll certainly recognize his art, world famous for decades like his continuing influence on graphic artists and designs of album covers, posters, books and much, much more, many in psychedelic fashion.

Alphonse Mucha, 1897, The Crowd at the Hotel de Ville, Paris, illustrated book. The people were celebrating the friendship between Russia and France and the visit to Paris of Tsar Nicholas II in 1896.  To commemorate the occasion, the nations jointly published a book with Mucha, the commissioned illustrator.

Alphonse Mucha, (Self-Portrait) Sketching in His Munich Apartment, c. 1886

Alphonse Mucha, Goethe and Schiller, 1897

Alphonse Mucha, Sarah Bernhardt: In Honor of Sarah Bernhardt/Her Admirers and Her Friends, 1896. The label copy notes that Mucha made this for an elaborate tribute to Ms. Bernhardt in Paris.

It's ethereal; it's classical.

A few of the musicians and their designer/artists copying and expanding his style include the Rolling Stones, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and Muddy Waters. 

Alphonse Mucha, Salon des Cent: Twentieth Exhibition, 1896, the exhibition organized by the art journal, La Plume.

Alphonse Mucha, Cover of Hearst's International (May 1922) Published by International Publications, New York 1922

I'm talking Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939; pronounced MOO-ka), Czechoslovakian artist whose 100 plus works the Phillips Collection presents in its outstanding exhibition, Timeless Mucha:  The Magic of Line , organized by themes by the Mucha Foundation and its Tomoko Sata with assistance from the Phillips' Renee Maurer.

Alphonse Mucha, Monaco • Monte-Carlo, 1897, This was commissioned by a railway line to promote "a 16-hour luxury train journey from Paris to Monte Carlo." 

Alphonse Mucha, The Moon and the Stars: Pole Star, 1902 

Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley Jefferson Airplane tour poster, Fillmore Auditorium, November 6, 1966 

During the Art Nouveau period (1890-1910) of which he is most associated,  Mucha lived in Paris where he shared a studio for a while with Paul Gauguin and drew posters of singer Sarah Bernhardt which catapulted him to immediate fame, which was already growing from magazine and book illustrations he drew.

Dean Torrence (Kittyhawk Graphics) Diana Ross And the Supremes Let the Sunshine In, 1969 Cardboard LP sleeve cover

Hapshash & the Coloured Coat—Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, Jimi Hendrix Experience tour poster, Fillmore Auditorium, June 20 –26, 1967 

For Ms. Bernhardt's association, Mucha happened to be "in the right place at the right time" when she searched for an artist over a Christmas break to make a poster for her play, Gismonda, which was enjoying an extended run. 

Mucha was one of the few working over the holidays, and he got the call.

And the accolades, too, from his poster which is in the Phillips' show. (All art borrowed from the Mucha Foundation in Prague.) 

Mucha's work for Ms. Bernhardt continued far beyond Gismonda with designs he made for her theatre sets, costumes, jewelry and programs, many artifacts on display at the Phillips.

The Bernhardt magic touch extended to other retailers. Mucha made posters for trains, advertisements for cigarettes, food, bicycles, champagne, chocolate and many more products, attracting commissions to create beautiful young, idyllic women with flowing hair in long gowns, swirling amidst flowers and nature, his fame growing internationally, and yet he yearned for more.

In 1904 he visited the U.S. for the first time arriving in New York where his fame as Ms. Bernhardt's illustrator preceded him. In his four stays in the U.S., he made portraits, lectured, and taught at the New York School of Applied Design for Women, the Philadelphia School of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum hosted a popular exhibition of his work in 1921.

His desire to become a more serious artist, an artist of history, led him to honor his native Czechoslovakia and the Slavic peoples of Europe with 20 large paintings it took him 14 years to complete.

In 1928 he presented the series, The Slav Epic, to his native Czechoslovakia and which, less than 100 years later, has found a permanent home in Prague. (See it here in photos at Wikipedia.)

In 1939 Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia whose troops arrested Mucha and held him for questioning for several days, not long before he contracted pneumonia at almost age 79 and died the same year.

Although his art was not popular then, his son, Jiri, successfully worked to promote his father's art. Probably the greatest known collector of Mucha's art is tennis star and Czech-born Ivan Lendl who began his acquisitions after meeting Jiri in 1982. 

Through the closing Sunday at the Phillips, an expert will talk about Mucha and his art every day at 1 p.m. which is included in the admission price*.

Bloomberg Philanthropies presents free audio guides with an introduction by Mucha's great-grandson, Marcus Mucha, which may be accessed online.

A Mucha catalog is available at the Phillips' shop: hardcover, 240 pages, published 2025 by the Mucha Foundation, $60.

Other cities on the Mucha tour are Santa Fe, June 20 - Sept. 20, 2025; Boca Raton, Nov. 19 - Mar. 1, 2026; Kansas City, MO, Apr. 11 - Aug. 30, 2026; Mexico City, Mexico, Oct. 8- Feb.8, 2027.

The new Mucha Museum opened in February in the Savarin Palace in Prague.

What: Timeless Mucha:  The Magic of Line 

When: Through Sunday, May 18, 2025, 10 a. m. - 5 p.m. but on Sunday, the first hour is reserved for members only with the cafe and shop open to the public for that hour.

Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St., N.W. at Q St., Washington, D.C. 20009

*Admission: $20, adults; $15 for those over 62; $10, students and educators (with ID); free for members, military and their families beginning this weekend through Labor Day (the Phillips is a Blue Star museum), and for those 18 and under.   Pay what you wish daily from 4 - 5 p.m. Reservations, recommended. 

Metro Station: Dupont Circle (Q Street exit. Turn left and walk one block.)

For more information: 202-387-2151  


Patricialesli@gmail.com