Four one-night stands - Drew Rowsome - 416 Scene - MyGayToronto
Four one-night stands 21 Oct 2018.
by Drew Rowsome-
This fall has been one of the more extraordinary theatre seasons in recent memories, and of course Halloween is the seasonal highlight before the long decline down to (shudder) Christmas and New Years. Peppered in between the theatre openings are four special theatrical events that, being one-offs, I won't have the pleasure of reviewing and raving about. In chronological order:
Beauty and the Beast: The tale as old as time is timeless, particularly the Disneyfied version with the catchy score by Alan Menken and the brilliant lyrics of Howard Ashman. The animated version is a classic and the live action version flirted with actual gay beyond the sensibility that buoys the entire musical, but Angelwalk Theatre and CosParty have assembled a cast to eclipse even Angela Lansbury and Scott Thompson.
Ryan Allen (Sousatzka) is the Beast and the powerhouse Paula Wolfson is Mrs Potts. Wolfson has played Mrs Potts for the official Disney theatrical version and everyone who saw and heard her in Arthouse Cabaret or Shaking the Foundations already reveres her talents. Chip is played by Joseph Zita who we are going to see more of in Buddies upcoming production of Lilies. Both Alessandro Constantini as Lumiere and Jonathan Cullen as Gaston, have sterling lists of credits but the big news is Cogsworth being sung by the luminescent Bruce Dow (Dr Silver, James and the Giant Peach, Thank You for Being a Friend, Sextet, Pig, Of a Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical).
I typed "sung" because Beauty and the Beast is presented in concert but with those voices, costumes and choreography are almost superfluous. Though there will be lots of costumes . . . The event is a fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada and the proximity to Halloween means that dress-up, fancy dress and dressed to the nines is encouraged. Producing partner CosParty "combines all things cosplay with performance" and while the nerd factor is emphasized, the furry undertones are unmistakable. Should be Beastly.
Beauty and the Beast has a matinee and an evening performance on Sat, Oct 27 at Trinity St Paul's United Church, 427 Bloor St W. angelwalk.ca, cosparty.ca
Things You Shouldn't Say: The Kinsey Sicks, the world's foremost (and possibly only) "Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet," are on their 25th anniversary tour and fortuitously they have a one night stand in Toronto. The Kinsey Sicks are "four friends from San Francisco who had a life-changing epiphany at a Bette Midler concert that led to them to form The Kinsey Sicks in an effort to find joy during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis."
Born out of a love of music, political protest and drag, it is no surprise that their curent show Things You Shouldn't Say devotes a fair amount of time trashing Trump. As entertaining as that prospect is, a reliable theatre source (seriously, if I see him at an opening night I know I'm at the place to be) dishes, "I first saw them in Edinburgh a few years ago, and enjoyed their show as a mix of music and comedy. But then I saw this show last year, Things You Shouldn't Say, and it's the most theatrical of their shows and includes a monologue from original member Benjamin Schatz that left me in tears as it chronicled his experience as a newly graduated Harvard-trained lawyer moving to San Francisco and the genesis of The Kinsey Sicks amidst the horror of the AIDS epidemic."
That particular monologue has garnered a lot of attention and praise from both the mainstream and the fake news press, and watching a YouTube version is gutwrenching. I can only imagine the effect when performed live. Schatz, better known as Rachel, is retiring after this tour - emotional exhaustion? - so this is the last chance to experience this moment of drag lightning in a bottle. Drag history, dance numbers, electrifying theatre and a warning about "coarse language," fabulous.
Art Attack: The most outrageous, scandalous, and alcohol-fuelled annual fundraiser has to be Art Attack. Internationally renowned artists donate work that is then auctioned off in support of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. There are deals, there are steals, but most of all there are original and eclectic works of art that will grace, transform and beautify your abode forever.
Browsing the catalogue finds works by personal favourites David Grenier, J Bone, Darryl Mabey, Maurice Vellekoop, Andrew Zealley, Andrew James Paterson, Trixie & Beever, and photographer Lucas Murnaghan. And of course every single item in The Rock Hudson Memorial Tuck Shop, curated by the legendary artist/host/bon vivant/superstar Keith Cole, inspires intense covetousness in the very depths of one's soul.
But Art Attack is not just about shopping or even bidding, it is an experience, an event. Auctioneer Charlene Nero will be egged on by host Johnnie Walker and there are dozens of surprise guests and undoubtedly surprise surprise impromptu guests. There are nibblies from Sassafraz and nibble-worthy Steamwhistle boys scheduled to dispense free beer and to striptease. Even if all you take home are memories (and probably a hangover) Art Attack is an art acquisition evening like no other.
Art Attack is on Thurs, Nov 8 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. buddiesinbadtimes.com
Drag Queens in Outer Space: To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Buddies is hosting a series of events that honour its history, look to its future, and are just a good excuse for a party. Trans Meditations and Other Collaborative Queeries held a second edition that turned poetry into accessible transgressive art, and there is a marathon reading of Dyke City, a special edition of Queercab, a community dinner, and a birthday bash planned so far. Next up is a fond tip of the fascinator to Buddies' founding father figure, Sky Gilbert.
While I personally believe that there should be an entire season devoted to re-evaluating and re-imagining sterling selections from Gilbert's extensive oeuvre, it is exciting to see that Drag Queens in Outer Space is getting an "all-drag reading of Sky Gilbert's seminal play, a comedy about three drag queens lost in space, time, and gay politics." When Drag Queens in Outer Space premiered in 1986 it was a sensation and I had the great good fortune to see the revival of Drag Queens on Trial close to a decade later, it too was sensational. Typical Gilbert, they were ahead of their time, of their time and timeless.
Things You Shouldn't Say: The Kinsey Sicks, the world's foremost (and possibly only) "Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet," are on their 25th anniversary tour and fortuitously they have a one night stand in Toronto. The Kinsey Sicks are "four friends from San Francisco who had a life-changing epiphany at a Bette Midler concert that led to them to form The Kinsey Sicks in an effort to find joy during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis."
Art Attack: The most outrageous, scandalous, and alcohol-fuelled annual fundraiser has to be Art Attack. Internationally renowned artists donate work that is then auctioned off in support of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. There are deals, there are steals, but most of all there are original and eclectic works of art that will grace, transform and beautify your abode forever.
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