DEAR EVAN HANSEN

The first national tour of the Broadway hit musical Dear Evan Hansen plays at the Broward Center through April 7

SHADE-O-METER RATING

4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”

By Mike Jeknavorian

What’s Dear Evan HansenIt’s a hit Broadway musical.  It opened on Broadway in December 2016, and it won the Tony Award for best musical, as well as other numerous awards.   What’s the Au-Rene Theater?  It’s the main theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  It holds about 2,600 people, and it has three levels.  How was the venue?  Elegant.  How was the parking?  They have valet, or you can park in the garage for $12.  The garage is about a block away.  There’s also parking lot for $10—which is a bit of a hidden gem—that’s a couple blocks away.  It’s across the street from the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Does the venue serve liquor?  Yes.  How were the drinks?  We didn’t get any.  Does the venue serve food?  They have some finger food.  How was the food?  We didn’t get any.  Where were the seats?  Row X in the orchestra.  How much were the tickets?  $175.00 each.  Was the show sold out?  It sure seemed like it.  And I looked at what’s available for Sunday April 7 at 6:30 p.m., the last show of the run.  Even that show is almost sold out.

How was the show?  An intimate show—which is one part a story about deception, and another part about mental illness—Dear Evan Hansen is most likely the direct heir to the similarly-themed Broadway musical, Next to Normal.  The dialogue-heavy plot (commence spoiler alert) concerns a high school senior in the titular role who suffers from some undisclosed psychiatric condition, which is mostly agoraphobia/generalized anxiety disorder and/or Asperger syndrome.  A sullen classmate, Connor Murphy, commits suicide, and in a turn of events, a fallacious connection is perceived between the outcast Evan Hansen and the recently deceased.  In an eerie parallel that foreshadows the events of the Parkland shooting, the remainder of the story is about the community’s desire to understand and make sense of a tragedy, all the while as the middle-class Hansen gets closer and closer to the affluent Murphy family.  But it’s only at the very end of the show that that curtain is pulled back on it all.  If the title role is performed correctly, and it was for the most part in this touring production, the deceit of Hansen is that he’s viewed as a hero, as opposed to what he really is—someone who tricked a lot of people for a long time, and all for his own gain.  The fact that the show doesn’t require that the Caulfield-esk Hansen has to contend with his deeds—it essentially lets him off the hook—underscores the superficiality and fantasy-aspect of this aspect of the text.  Another critique of the story might be that it presented a sanitized version of mental illness, characterized as a quirky and charming attribute that enhances the persona and endears one to others, as opposed to a real impediment to an individual’s health and to the larger society.

How was the music?  The mostly contemporary score consisted of equal parts light pop-rock music and acoustic music.  As a comparison to the aforementioned Next to Normal, which is similar in musical style, that show likely has a higher percentage of better songs.  It is assumed that most people will be familiar with the popular, “Waving Through a Window.”  However, the more poignant numbers were “For Forever,” where Hansen presented a fantasy version of his friendship with Murphy, and “So Big/So Small,” where Hansen’s mother attempts to reconcile her relationship with her son.

How was the set design and staging?  The set design, which consists of computer and phone screen, compartmentalizes the characters, as well as their individual traumas, within those respective devices.  But when the screens finally vanished at the end of the show to reveal Candide’s Garden of Eden, was when one of the show’s main themes—a critique of social media—was revealed.  How was the costume design?  The outfits were contemporary non-fashion attire, so there wasn’t much to look at.  Regarding merchandise, that people were buying Hansen’s famous Charlie-Brown-inspired stripped shirt can certainly be seen as some form of proof of the show’s popularity.

How did the audience react?  I heard some people say that the story itself was depressing, but that they didn’t feel depressed because of the music and the way that the story was presented.  Others appeared to cry out at some of the more dramatic moments.  Particularly, right before Hansen is outed as a fraud in the Mama Rose-like confessional, “Words Fails.”  What could have improved the show?  As previously expressed in other reviews, in my opinion, theatrical shows should be experienced in intimate theaters.  All the more so, for this work.  Despite that, unless you plan on seeing the show on Broadway, I wouldn’t let the venue’s size deter you from seeing this production.

What was surprising about the show?  There’s a line in it where Murphy’s father said that kids do everything on Facebook.  Please.  If anything, it’s those who are in their 30s, 40s and 50s that are obsessed with Facebook, not “kids.”  The producers and/or writers might want to consider replacing that Facebook line with Instagram, etc.  

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 S.W. 5thAve., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Dear Evan Hansen runs through Sunday April 7.  Tickets can be purchased on the website or at the box office.   

SWEENEY TODD

Zoetic Stage’s innovative production of Sweeney Todd plays through Sunday April 7 at the Adrienne Arsht Center

SHADE-O-METER RATING

4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”

By Mike Jeknavorian

What’s Sweeney ToddIt’s a musical with words and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The show is produced by the local production company, Zoetic Stage, and it’s staged at Carnival Studio Theater.  What’s the Carnival Studio Theater?  It’s the black box space at the Adrienne Arsht Center.  It’s hold about 250 people.  How was the venue?  It’s a nice, intimate space.  There’s not a bad seat in the house.

How was the parking?  The venue has valet parking, of course, but that appears to be a production.  There’s always a long line.  There’s a parking lot right across the street, where it costs $20 to park.  Strangely, all the times we’ve been there, the lot was half empty.  Does the venue serve liquor?  They have a small bar.  How were the drinks?  A white wine was $11.  It was fine.  Does the venue serve food?  They have a few types of candy and chips.  How was the food?  We didn’t get any of that.  How much were the tickets?  $55.  Was the show sold out?  Almost, but not quite.

How was the show?  For those who aren’t aware of the plot, Sweeney Todd is a Victorian melodramatic revenge-tale, where the titular character and his female counterpart, Misses Lovett, get revenge on the society that’s wronged them by cannibalizing the upper crust in meat pies, and secretly feeding them to the lower classes (as noted in one song, “How gratifying for once to know that those above will serve those down below.”).  As originally staged by Hal Prince, the production was a metaphor for the destructive nature of the machine, complete with a symbolic representation—a massive industrial set via the Industrial Revolution.  Zoetic’s production of the musical was staged in the round, with actors, at times, who were right beside you.  Regarding the performers, all were excellent, including Aloysius Gigi, where he seemed at times to exploit the parallels between his own resemblance to Robert Englund (a.k.a., Freddy Krueger) and Todd’s bogeyman persona.  And in an interesting twist, the vocally-demanding role of Adolfo Pirelli was was sung—exceptionally so—in man-drag by Kimberly Doreen Burns, the same performer who portrayed the Beggar Woman.

How was the music?  The quality and influence of the music from Sweeney Todd is sufficiently well-documented that it would be foolish to comment on it here.  Suffice it to say, it’s excellent.  How was the set design and staging?  If there were a standout in this production, the lighting and stage design would be it.  The venue offers full-scale lighting capabilities, and it was obvious that the designer capitalized on that. For instance, as there was no blood in the production, all fell back on red lights that glared at the audience to indicate that a murder had occurred.   Regarding the staging, there were odes to experimental theater, such as when the Johanna character walked around with a prison door in from of her to symbolize her institutionalization.  Another nice touch was the likely Hamilton-inspired double-rotation stage, or concentric stages, where one stage rotates within another.  This convention was most efficiently used to dispose of Sweeney’s victims, where a victim would fall to the floor, only to be dispatched to the back of the stage by a half revolution of the stage.

How was the costume design?  The costume design was in-line with the original production.  However, I’m familiar with most of the various incantations of Misses Lovett, and I don’t recall her with a hair getup quit like what was presented in this production. Credit should be given for that innovation.  How did the audience react?  They appeared to like it.  Of note, the cast picked an audience member to shave for the song, “The Contest.”  What could have improved the show?  There were some minor sound issues with the audio for the actor who played Tobias, but it was fixed before the character’s showpiece song, “Not While I’m Around.”  Also, some of the audio was either low or muffled at times.  However, it wasn’t to the point of distraction.  What was surprising about the show?  I wasn’t expecting concentric stages.  To me, that was a pleasant surprise.

Correction: this review previously noted that the production utilized pre-recorded music. That was an error.  The production had an offstage “orchestra” that was comprised of six musicians.

The Carnival Studio Theater is located at the Adrienne Arsht Center at 1300 Biscayne Blvd., in Miami, Florida.  The production runs through Sunday April 7.  Tickets can be purchased at the box office or on the website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUEER MIAMI EXHIBITION

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The HistoryMiami Museum saw the opening of Queer Miami: A History of LGBTQ Communities last Friday.  The sold-out exhibition—which featured exhibits from the turn of the twentieth century, to the 1970s, including several displays of the notorious Anita Bryant—drew out many local members of the LGBTQ, including one person who recognized himself in a picture of a gay pride parade from the 1970s.  The neighboring exhibition in the museum featured photographs of Miami taken by National Geographic photographer, Nathan Benn.  Queer Miami runs through September 1, 2019.  The show was curated by Miami native, Julio Capo Jr.

COCO PERU

Coco Peru brings her unique brand of humor to Fort Lauderdale’s Sunshine Cathedral on March 23

Of all the movies and TV shows that you’ve been in, which one’s your favorite?  Trick, because I got to do a monologue, and it’s the film that put me on the map back in 1999!  Which interview from your live show, Conversations with Coco, is the most special to you?  They were all very special to me, but the person who started it all with me was Bea Arthur, who was my idol growing up.  And although she was very nervous about doing it, she cared deeply for gay youth and for me, and I will never forget that my idol did that favor for me by being my first guest.  What’s the strangest thing that even happened to you onstage?  I was doing a show in Provincetown, and there was a storm.  Towards the end of the show, the electricity went out.  I was standing there in total darkness, and the audience thought the show was over, and they were applauding.  Finally, they all realized the electricity had gone out.  And as they filed out of the theater, I was yelling out for help, because I was stuck onstage alone and couldn’t see a thing.

Is Drag Race making drag too commercial?  I get asked this question a lot.  My beef with reality TV, in general, is that we have made celebrities out of people who sometimes don’t have any craft, and we sadly don’t expect or even desire that an “entertainer” have a craft.  We are willing to throw our money at mediocrity.  However, I have benefitted personally from Drag Race and from drag becoming more mainstream.  I have many talented friends who’ve been on that show and have a craft and who deserve the success, and it’s amazing that we live in a world now where Ru can win Emmys!  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Being a waiter.  I was terrible!  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  She did her best.  What do you want to live long enough to see?  Contact with alien life.  Will you ever retire?  Yes, in four years.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  After showing a video in a show of myself speaking at Bea Arthur’s memorial, a fan asked me, “Did you really speak at Bea Arthur’s memorial?”

What’s the meanest thing that a homophobe has ever said to you?  “Can I help you, sir?”  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Barbra Streisand.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  An article about Drag Race doing a “Legends” season, which I’m apparently a part of.  Fake news!  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  Spain!  My husband, Rafael, is from Spain.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  That I wasn’t ugly when I was younger.  Who would you like to be for a day?  Albert Einstein, or another scientist like him, because I’d like to know what it feels like to have a brain that works like that.  Do you believe in an afterlife?  Sometimes.  But I do believe in ghosts, so I guess I do.  Do you think that this is the most amoral time that’s ever existed?  No—although it does feel pretty rotten sometimes.  Who or what is the greatest love of your life?  My husband.  What talent would you most like to have?  Speaking several foreign languages. 

If you were a dictator with unlimited powers, what would you do first?  Hard labor for intentional littering.  Or perhaps the death penalty for it, depending on my mood.  What did you learn from your parents?  Don’t hold grudges.  Who’s your favorite performer?  I love watching Julie Halston do anything.  Hilarious!  And Amy Armstrong.  And Varla Jean Merman…  I have many favorite performers!  What comic are you most influenced by?  I don’t feel influenced by comics.  What’s your best characteristic?  My eyes.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Sitting on the beach in Spain, followed by a big lunch, followed by the best thing ever…  siestaWhat celebrity do you have a crush on?  The Rock—Dwayne Johnson.  Who do you admire?  Queens who show up on time and are prepared.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  My dad.  Where would you go in a time machine?  I’d go back and meet Jesus and tell him and his apostles to be very specific, because their words are going to get twisted and will cause me lots of damage.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PALADINO/DEN PHOTOGRAPHY

What would your last meal be?  Chicken parmigiana.  What do you worry about?  Everything.  But mostly littering and its effects on our oceans.  What are you afraid of?  Sharks.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A trombone.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  I’m bi.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My fans depend on me to be truthful.  Who are you closest with?  Rafael.  What would your autobiography be called?  Out, Loud and ExhaustedWhat’s on your bucket list?  To learn Spanish.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  That I never learned Spanish.  And that I didn’t have sex during college!  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  That I hate goat cheese with a passion.  Where can we see you?  At the Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale!  Also, all my future dates are listed on my website.

ARI GOLD

Ari Gold will perform at The Pub this Friday in Wilton Manors.  But before you see him live, keep reading to find out which of Gold’s relatives was a pass-around butch party bottom.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEANS LLAMERA; STYLE BY DELICIA GLAM

You grew up in the Bronx.  What’s special about the Bronx that’s not common knowledge?  It’s the only borough with a “the” in front of it.  It also has more parks than any other borough.  Growing up, it was great being in such close proximity to black and latino people, which greatly impacted my musical tastes toward R&B, soul and dance music.  What New York venue do you miss that’s gone?  The Palladium!  It was such a beautiful space, with such a huge dome ceiling.  I will never forgive my alma mater, NYU, for tearing it down to build an ugly brick box dorm.  Where do you hang out in New York in your down time?  I love going out to eat.  I don’t hang in the clubs like I used to, but there also isn’t the same club culture like there was when I was coming up in the 90s.  That was a heyday.  I just did a big concert in New York at The Cutting Room, which is a great music venue.  I’m always going to the theater!  Do you live in New York?  I live on the lower east side of Manhattan, and I’m a fourth generation Lower East Sider.  My mom grew up there.  I’ve lived in New York City my whole life except for some stints in L.A., which I love, and my brother Elon lives there with his wife and kids.  I would move there if my life allows.


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If you had to live somewhere other than New York, where would you live?  I’ve always wanted to live in the UK or Berlin, so who knows?  Which collaboration was the most special to you?  I was particularly touched when Peppermint asked me to sing the George Michael cover for “Too Funky,” especially knowing how important George was to me as an openly-gay artist.  I love working with Kevin Aviance, getting to write, record and be styled and photographed by Boy George, working with RuPaul in Starbooty, my ex Billy Porter, and my collabs with Adam Joseph.  But my favorite has been writing and recording my album, Soundtrack To Freedom, with Bob Sandee, a.k.a. Subgroover.  It was the most magical time I’ve ever had recording an album.  Collaborating with both my brothers as a child can also never be rivaled.  I guess I can’t choose one.  If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you pick?  There are producers like Jam and Lewis and Babyface that I’ve always wanted to work with, but I’d have to say the craziest dream come true would be to work with Madonna, because I’ve spent so much of my life worshipping her—and I still do.  If you had to choose one of your songs to launch into space, which one would you choose?  “Space Under Sun,” cause’ its spacey!  Since you’ve toured all over the world, what was your favorite destination so far?  Overseas, the audience in Switzerland was awesome.  In America, performing at SummerStage in Central Park was pretty damn cool.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEANS LLAMERA; STYLE BY DELICIA GLAM

What’s your favorite movie?  Just because it’s the gay bible, The Wizard of OzWhat drives you crazy?  Being asked to choose my favorite!  How would you feel if your pet was the master in heaven, and you were the pet?  I co-parented an English Bull dog with my first boyfriend—the Lady Bully J. Blige—named after Lady Bunny and Mary J. Blige.  Lady Bully, RIP, was a pass-around butch party bottom, so I don’t think that would work.  Do you like zoos?  My Mother would take me to the Bronx Zoo as a child all the time, and I loved it.  I like aquariums now because they’re environmentally conscious and do work to help the animals and Mother Nature.  Would you give a kidney to a relative or close friend?  If I was healthy enough to do so, I’m sure it would be a huge gift for me to be able to do that.  My percussionist, Hector, just did that for his sister, and they’re both doing great—it’s so beautiful to see how a human can sacrifice for another human like that.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  First, as a loving son, brother, uncle, and, most importantly, as a good friend.  After that, as someone who sacrificed a lot in order to heal communities with music and storytelling in ways that hadn’t been done before.  

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEANS LLAMERA; STYLE BY DELICIA GLAM

What do you want to live long enough to see?  Peace on earth, LGBTQ freedom and equality, and Trump going to jail.  Will you ever retire?  I don’t think that I’ll every stop being an artist.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  I had a fan tell me that when I wanted “alone time” he wanted to be there to share it with me.  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  I remember being 19 and meeting Madonna’s back-up singer, Niki Harris, at a club in L.A.  I told her that I don’t usually go up to celebrities, but that I was a huge fan, and she sassed back, “I’m not a celebrity, honey.  I’m a real person!”  So thanks to her I now fangirl all the time to everyone I meet and love, and I’ve met almost everyone I’ve been a fan of.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  My new music video for NGOR Radio!  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  I never knew how much an 80s TV theme song would speak such deep truth.  “You take the good, you take the bad, you take em’ both and there you have the facts of life.”  Life is a paradox, so practice cognitive dissonance.  Balance is key.  What did you learn from your parents?  It’s always an opportunity to learn something, and it’s never too late.  Who’s your favorite performer?  Madonna.  Who’s your favorite singer?  Brandy.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEANS LLAMERA; STYLE BY DELICIA GLAM

What’s your best characteristic?  I’m a talker, but I think I’m even a better listener.  How do you enjoy spending your time? With friends and family, and doing anything cultural.  Celebrity or not, who do you have a crush on?  I had a big one on out-actor Brian J. Smith, but I’ve gotten over it, thankfully.  Well, I at least stopped torturing myself by following him on Instagram.  Who do you admire?  Oprah, and Michelle Obama.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Mr. RogersWhere would you go in a time machine?  To the 70s pre-AIDS disco era.  What would your last meal be?  Something Japanese.  Maybe scallops with foie gras.  What do you worry about?  My parents getting older, and this country falling apart.  What are you afraid of?  Trump’s power and stupidity.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A piano.  It’s my favorite instrument and the one that I wished I played well.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A fierce golden Daniel lion. “Ari” means lion, “Gold” is my last name, and “Daniel” is my middle name.  So there.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My parents depend on me to keep them growing, on their feet, and never getting too comfortable or set in their ways.  Who are you closest with?  God.  Where can we see you?  On my website or at The Pub this Friday!

PEACHES CHRIST

SF drag legend Peaches Christ kicks off her world tour of Mean Gays this month with dates on the West Coast

Where did you grow up?  In Annapolis, MarylandWhat’s special about that city that most people aren’t aware of?  It’s home to the best seafood in the country.  Where do you live now?  In San Francisco.  If you had to live somewhere else, where would you live?  In Los Angeles.  Other than Oasis, where do you hang out in San Francisco?  The Castro Theatre, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the beach, the parks, and The Old Mint building.  What’s the difference between the East Coast drag performers and the West Coast ones?  The East Coast drag performers tend to have drag coats and more cold weather couture.  Either living or dead, who’s the most influential drag performer?  Divine—I think she re-defined what drag could be. 


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Who’s your favorite performer?  ElviraWho’s your favorite filmmaker?  John Waters.  What’s the craziest movie that you ever saw?  Happiness.  What’s your favorite horror film?  A Nightmare On Elm Street.  Who was your favorite celebrity guest at TrannyshackClive Barker, because he was there on a night that I performed a gore number.  I didn’t know that he was there, but I found out afterward.  I also found out that he loved my number, and it meant the world to me.  What’s the craziest thing that you ever saw at Trannyshack?  I think it was when Vinsantos set a Christmas tree on fire and almost burned the place down.  If you had to choose one, which one do you enjoy better—filmmaking or performing?  It’s all the same to me, because for me, it’s storytelling.  And I really do enjoy them both equally. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBBIE SWEENY

What’s your dream role or project?  I’d love to create a proper musical someday.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Probably working at a frozen yogurt shop.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  As someone who was kind, fair and funny.  What do you want to live long enough to see?  The end of Trump.  Will you ever retire?  Hopefully someday I’ll be able to happily retire.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  “Will you ever retire?”  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Mick Jagger.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  A Tweet.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  Rio De JaneiroWhat’s your current state-of-mind?  I’m hopped-up on cold medicine.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MAGNUS HASTINGS

What were you doing before we spoke?  Working on a script.  What’s your idea of perfect happiness?  Being with my loved ones and enjoying each other’s company.  What’s your greatest fear?  Death.  Living or dead, who’s the greatest political figure in America?  Ruth Bader GinsburgWhat’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  Not to sweat the small stuff.  What did you learn from your parents?  To follow your dreams.  What’s your best characteristic?  Kindness.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Working.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  Dan Levy.  Who do you admire?  John Waters.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Divine.  Where would you go in a time machine?  To 1984.  What would your last meal be?  Crab cakes.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NICOLE FRASER-HERRON

What do you worry about?  Way too much (laughs).  What are you afraid of?  Natural disasters, war, and Trump.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A piano.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A sheep.  Who depends on you?  I have no idea.  Who are you closest with?  My partner.  What would your autobiography be called?  A Wig and a DreamWhat’s on your bucket list?  To visit many travel destinations.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  I try not to have them.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  That I’m a bear.  Where can we see you?  On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, on tour, and on my website!

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

By Mike Jeknavorian

What’s RaleighIt’s the capitol of North Carolina.  But, as is sometimes the case—think New York City—it’s not the largest city in the state.  Charlotte, at a population of 800,000+, is the largest city in North Carolina.  The population of Raleigh is almost 500,000.

Where is it?  It’s centrally located in the state.  The ocean is about two hours to the east, and the Blue Ridge Mountains and Asheville are about three hours to the west.

How did you get there?  We flew into Raleigh-Durham International Airport.  They also have a new train station called Union Station, as well as a bus station.  Where did you stay?  On the outskirts of the city, about four miles away.  It took about 10 minutes to drive into the city.

What did you see?  Raleigh is known as the City of Oaks, because of its many oak trees.  It’s also affectionately known as the “Smithsonian of the South,” because of its abundance of museums and historical attractions—all of which are free.  We went to the City of Raleigh Museum (a small but interesting museum), The North Carolina Museum of History (affiliated with Smithsonian and gigantic), The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (even bigger than the history museum, and with many dinosaur fossils and working archeology labs), The Historic Yates Mill County Park (home to a historic water-powered mill), and Mordecai Historic Park (which features the birthplace of president Andrew Johnson).  Considering all the free sites, it’s a good city to see on budget.  Parking is also free on the weekend, and one bus line is free all the time.

Where did you eat?  We ate at Beasley’s Chicken + Honey (fabulous), The Pit (it was only OK, despite is 2,500+ reviews on Yelp and four-star rating), and Tacos Y Mariscos Vallarta (good Mexican food).  How was the city?  It’s a neat little city, and you sure can’t beat all the free museums.  Particularly, if you’re into historical sights.

How’s the gay scene?  There’s not much of a gay scene.  Unless we missed something, there’s really only two exclusively gay bars—the Legends nightclub complex, and Flex.  We didn’t go to Legends, but we drove by it at 11:00 p.m. on a Saturday, and it didn’t really look like anyone was inside.  Flex is good.  Flex caters to the more mature, leatherish crowd, but there’s women there, and they also have karaoke nights.  But other than opening at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, they don’t open until 8:00 p.m.

What was surprising about the city?  That it’s named after Sir Walter Raleigh, of the famed Roanoke Colony, a.k.a., the Lost Colony.  Spooky.  Is it worth going back to?  It seems to be a city that can be experience in two days, three max.  The area has mild weather, so as long as you catch in when the sun it out, you can even experience the parks and trails in the winter.

JEREMY HOBSON

Ubiquitous in Fort Lauderdale’s leather scene at Ramrod’s LeatherWerks and the front desk at Inn Leather, leather man Jeremy Hobson is also know for a 1970s photo.  And it was all about the hair.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SYLVESTER Q.

Where did you grow up?  In Denver.  What do you miss about it there?  The mountains and my family.  How long have you lived in South Florida?  Since 2011.  Why did you move here?  For a change, and for the weather.  What part of South Florida do you live in?  In Middle River.  What do you like most about living here? The ocean, and the gay life.  Where do you hang out in South Florida?  At Ramrod, and at the beach.  What’s your claim-to-fame?  We had a family photo that went viral on the Today Show because of my parent’s matching hairdo’s.  I’m also known for Inn Leather and LeatherWerks at Ramrod.  What’s the weirdest thing the ever happened to you at Leather Inn?  I’m a weirdo, so nothing’s weird to me.  What’s weird to others seems perfectly normal to me.

HOBSON WITH FAMILY, AS SEEN ON THE TODAY SHOW

What’s the kinkiest thing that ever happened at Leather Werks at Ramrod?  I guess the kinkiest thing that I do at the Ramrod is flog customers, although I don’t consider that very kinky.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  As a nice guy that always looked out for others.  What do you want to live long enough to see?  The world.  Will you ever retire?  Probably not. What’s your favorite movie?  Female Trouble.  What drives you crazy?  People with a sense of entitlement.  Do you have a pet?  I have an English bulldog.  How would you feel if your pet was the master in heaven, and you were the pet?  I’d be loving it.  I’d get to smell and lick any guy I wanted, and lay around all day.  Would you give a kidney to a relative or close friend?  Yes. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY SYLVESTER Q.

What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  The price of a Bitcoin.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  Hawaii.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  That it doesn’t matter what other people think of you.  What did you learn from your parents?  Not much.  Who’s your favorite performer?  Right now, it’s Die Antwoord.  What’s your best characteristic?  I’m non-judgmental.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Outdoors or having sex.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  There are too many to count.  Who do you admire?  My brother.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  My brother.  Where would you go in a time machine?  To the future. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY SYLVESTER Q.

What would your last meal be?  Lobster.  What do you worry about?  Money.  What are you afraid of?  Not being able to support myself in old age.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A standup bass.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  “Woof” (laughs).  What would your autobiography be called?  No Regrets.  What’s on your bucket list?  To travel to Berlin, Amsterdam, Greece and Italy.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Like I said, I have no regrets.  My life experiences have made me who I am today.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  I really am a pretty good top.  But shh, don’t tell anyone.  This is Fort Bottomdale.  Where can we see you?  At LeatherWerks in the Ramrod, or at Inn Leather.


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CHER

Cher kicked off the North American portion of her world tour, Here We Go Again, with a stop in Fort Lauderdale this past Saturday

SHADE-O-METER RATING

3 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “NO SHADE, BUT SHE DIDN’T TURN IT OUT”

By Mike Jeknavorian

Who’s Cher?  If you don’t know who she is, I give up.  What’s the BB&T CenterIt’s an indoor sports an entertainment arena in Sunrise, Florida.  It’s holds about 20,000 people.  How was the venue?  State-of-the-art, for the most part.  It’s a nice space.


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A new album of all ABBA hits, the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning icon was inspired to record the album following her stunning performance in the recently-released mega-hit film, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

How was the parking?  For some reason, our parking was included with the ticket.  If parking isn’t included with the ticket, it costs $30.  They also have “VIP parking,” which is closer to the venue than the regular parking is.  Does the venue serve liquor?  Yes. How were the drinks?  We didn’t get any (if you can believe that).

Does the venue serve food?  Yes.  How was the food?  We didn’t get any.  However, others were eating things around us.  What they were eating looked like carnival food.  Pretzels, fries, etc.   Where were the seats?  Directly to stage-right.  How much were the tickets?  $196.15, which included the Ticketmaster fees, etc.  Was the show sold out?  It sure looked like it.

Was there an opening act?  Yes.  Nile Rodgers & Chic—formerly known simply as, Chic—opened the show.  We didn’t see all of their set, but for what we did see, they were good.  The crowd was certainly into them.  And, although they were restricted to the front of the theater, they still managed to considerably jazz the crowd up.  Particularly so, with their hits, “Le Freak” and “Good Times.”

How was Cher?  Few can claim that at age 72, they’re at the height of their fame.  But with a Broadway musical about her life that’s running, a recent Kennedy Center Honor, and a star-turn in the new Momma Mia movie, Cher likely can.  But those claims will only go so far with the paying public.  To begin, Cher opened the show with her feminist anthem, “Woman’s World,” which was then followed by the disco number, “Strong Enough.”  Miss Sarkisian then delivered a semi-jumbled (despite the monitors in front of her that had captions on them) 10-to-15-minute monologue, where she discussed the premise that “youth is wasted on the young” and how her 40s were some of the best, if not the best, years of her life.  Given that the tour is supporting her new ABBA covers albums, Dancing Queen, Cher did a mid-set ABBA medley that consisted of “Waterloo,” “SOS” and “Fernando.”  But for every couple of numbers that she did, she was almost off-stage for the duration of a number, presumably, getting into another outfit.  If one subtracted all these fillers, it brought the running time down to barely an hour and a half.  The last two numbers were “I Found Someone” and “If I Could Turn Back Time.”  The one encore number was the club-heavy song, “Believe.”

How was the crowd?  A mix of the new and the ancient.  The ones on the floor stood up the whole time.  The others really only stood at the beginning and the end.  What could have improved the show?  First, has anyone that’s Cher’s age ever done a solo-arena tour with full production values?  If not, credit should be given to Cher at least for this assumed title.  The closest that I can think of who’s done anything like that in their 70s is Elton John, but he’s not really solo because he has the band behind him, and his shows don’t have the elaborate sets and costumes.  Nevertheless, with this tour, Cher brought little to the table that was novel.  A possible antidote to this deficit could be an anthological confession-type-show, similar to what Springsteen just did with Springsteen on Broadway.  And the second issue with the show was that there were some sound problems, with intermittent buzzing and loud bass sounds.

What was surprising about the show?  That whoever was the dresser would dare put one of the outfits on crooked.  And it wasn’t just any outfit, but that iconic one from the “I Found Someone” video.  The whole back of it was crooked.  Shame (enter the one who rang the bell from Game of Thrones“walk of shame”)!  The way that Cher ended the show was also strange.  She merely vanished at the end of the finale number without a gesture or saying a word.  And if she even waved goodbye to the crowd, we didn’t see it.    

The BB&T Center is located at 1 Panther Pkwy., in Sunrise, Florida.  The venue is open when there’s an event.