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The Pub hosted their monthly “leather and kink party,” Menergy Leather, last Friday, featuring a demonstration from adult performers and couple, Dirk Caber and Jesse Jackman.
2018 CINCO DE MAYO AT THE PUB
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Although Cinco de Mayo technically celebrates Mexico’s victory over the French Empire with the Battle of Puebla in 1862, in the USA it’s morphed into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. The Pub had a double lineup to commemorate the holiday, with South-Florida based Company B performing first, followed by Nicole Halliwell’s Drink N Drag, featuring Angie Ovahness, Calypso Monroe Lords, Sasha Lords, and the birthday girl herself, Missy Meyake Le Paige.
TRIXIE MATTEL
Trixie Mattel played a sold-out show in Fort Lauderdale last Friday, where she entertained the audience with comedy and music
SHADE-O-METER RATING
4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”
Who’s Trixie Mattel? She’s a drag performer/musician who came in sixth-place on the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and who won the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. She also had her own TV show, The Trixie and Katya Show, which aired on Viceland. What’s the Amaturo Theater? It’s a 590-seat theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. How was the venue? The venue is great, and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. It really should be utilized more by entertainers, but it seems that many would rather play, for example, at a half-empty Parker Playhouse instead of here.
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How was the parking? There’s a garage across the street, or you can valet. Does the venue serve liquor? Yes. And child, those queens never laid off of it. It seemed like there was always a line for da liquor. A well drink and a glass of wine were both $9. How were the drinks? The well drink was strong enough. At least they’re served in real glasses, which is a nice touch, and not those tacky plastic cups. Does the venue serve food? They only have a few snacks. There’s no kitchen.
How much were the tickets? $41.08. Where were the seats? On the side. Unless you’re sitting right up in the front, the side seats actually seem better than the ones in the main section. Was the show sold out? Yes. Was there an opening act? If you can believe it, she actually had one. Brandon James Gwinn, who also doubles as her on-stage assistant, did a short musical set. How was it? Completely not needed. Gwinn performed from 8:10-8:30 p.m, and after that, the lights came on.
How was the show? Trixie came on the stage at 8:45 p.m. to thunderous applause and proceeded to launch into her comedy routine. Of which, the material itself was slightly better than Miss Mattel’s ability to deliver it. Maybe as a backlash against her self-professed burgeoning appeal to teenage girls, the show also contained a proliferation of raunchiness, such as, “I used to get black-out drunk, and one time my friends wrote ‘faggot’ on the inside of my stomach in cum,” and, “Oh, you can laugh at the molesting jokes, but not the STD jokes?” One of her better comedy lines cleverly utilized localism. When one of the jokes didn’t go over as expected, Trixie explained that it’s new material, “[but] I’m a white misfit from a mid-west town. If I wanted something to bomb, it would have been the local high school.” The show was also punctuated with some musical numbers, where there was a fair amount of audience recognition a la singalongs. In all, there was a 20-minute intermission, and the show ended at about 10:45.
How was the crowd? Mostly gay, but peppered with some straight couples and some “bridal party” looking ones. What could have improved the show? Ditch the opening act. If it ain’t a rock concert, and a rock concert this was not, then that foolishness ain’t needed. Regarding the songs, it’s a shame that Trixie’s vocal ability wasn’t better, because of the two, the comedy and the music, it was the music that stood out. The songs were all original compositions, and they were catchy. Maybe she’ll have a career as a songwriter at some point.
What was surprising about the show? The number of straight couples that were there. Who would of ever thunk that we’d live to see that day that “drag” would become so mainstream. It seems inevitable that one of these RuPaul girls will crossover into either Hollywood or pop music, but it’s anyone’s guess which one will do it first. If only Divine could have lived to see all this.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 S.W. 5th Ave., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
2018 MIAMI BEACH GAY PRIDE VIP GALA
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The Miami Beach Gay Pride VIP Gala took place on Friday the 6th in downtown Miami Beach at the fabulous Faena Forum. The highly-attended event was hosted by comedian/actress Julia Goldman and featured grand marshal Gus Kenworthy, ally marshal Roxanne Vargas and Miami Beach mayor Dan Gelber.
2018 MIAMI BEACH GAY PRIDE
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Miami Beach Gay Pride held its tenth pride, with vendors on Saturday and Sunday, and a parade and concert on Sunday the 8th. The parade featured grand marshal Gus Kenworthy and ally marshal—as well as South-Florida native—Roxanne Vargas. After the parade was over, the clouds opened up in the afternoon and poured rained onto everyone, but all that did was thin out the herd. Under a fantastic underwater motif, complete with dangling legs of swimmers, Thelma Houston played to a packed house at 8:00 p.m., followed by Taylor Dayne at 9:15 p.m.
THE RADICALIZATION OF ROLF
The Radicalization of Rolfe opened to a full house last weekend at the Island City Stage
SHADE-O-METER RATING
4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”
BY JESUS PUENTE
The Radicalization of Rolfe, which is playing at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors, is a play about “Rolfe” from the musical, The Sound of Music. Before the play began, bright lights illuminated the stage, which helped bring the illustrated backdrop of green pastures, blue skies, and the iconic hills alive with impressions of The Sound of Music. In contrast, posters of Nazi propaganda and paintings of European architecture reminded the audience what time period they had just stepped back into.
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We last remember Rolfe delivering telegraphs, and as the “17-going-on-18” love-interest of the Von Trapp daughter, Liesl Von Trapp. Rolfe’s scenes in the movie were few, but many will remember the number where he insisted that Liesl needed a man such as himself to care for her. We also remember him in the final scene of The Sound of Music, where he gives away the family’s position as they’re attempting to escape from the grasps of Nazis. So what contributed to this promising young man’s downward spiral, to the point where he would ultimately betray the Von Trapps?
In The Radicalization of Rolfe, we’re provided that piece of the missing puzzle that made us all ponder, “why?” In the secret life of this telegraph delivery-boy, the audience is given more insight of his influence by the local Nazi leader, Herr Zeller, devilishly brought to life by Michael Kehr. In the play, Rolfe—meticulously portrayed by Jordon Armstrong—struggles with his passion to sing and his desire to compete in a local folk competition, with the hopes of someday getting on the radio. However, his biggest conundrum is his romantic involvement with the lovable and ever-optimistic Johan, the nephew of the Von Trapp family’s sharp-witted housekeeper.
Set in roughly four settings, The Radicalization of Rolfe delves into the dark reality of Austria during the Third Reich. The play was a somber, thought-provoking drama of taboo love, reminiscent of Brokeback Mountain. The main character struggles to accept his own self-identity, hoping that he can quit his “deviant” urges. I also thoroughly enjoyed the minor comedic relief, with references both to and from The Sound of Music. The references actually compel the viewer to revisit the film once the play has ended—which I did.
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However, I was a bit disappointed that a play springing from one of the most popular musicals of all time only featured a brief ten-second snippet of Rolfe’s hidden “singing” talent. Yet, I had to remember that The Radicalization of Rolfe was not purported as a musical; it’s framed to tell the truth of one of the film’s forgotten and misled characters.
Much like the musical, the play was centered around one of history’s darkest times, and it also managed to incorporate the history of gays during the holocaust. The play was a bittersweet piece, which reminded me of the still-present deathly consequences that gays continue to experience in many parts of the world. The Radicalization of Rolfe tells an important story of a “forbidden” love. A love that, unfortunately, has people in some countries still running for “the hills” today.
The Radicalization of Rolfe runs through April 29th at Island City Stage, with performances at 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Island City Stage is located at 2304 N. Dixie Hwy., in Wilton Manors, Florida.
2018 BEARSURRECTION FASHION SHOW
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Bearsurrection Fort Lauderdale, according to the organization’s website, aims to “provide comradery within the bear community” and to establish a world-class annual bear event. The hallmark of their week-long event was the second-annual Bearsurrection Fashion Show, which played to a packed house at Hunters on Wednesday. With categories in club-wear, swimwear and business casual, the show featured designs from the popular Nasty Pig line and from local artist/designer Chris Lopez.
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CHRISTINE EBERSOLE
Christine Ebersole dazzled with vocal proficiency in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, with the accompaniment of Seth Rudetsky
SHADE-O-METER RATING
4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”
Who’s Christine Ebersole? She’s a two-time Tony-winning actress and singer. Who’s Seth Rudetsky? He’s a musical-theater historian, radio host, pianist, writer and actor. What’s Parker Playhouse? It’s a neo-classical theater in Fort Lauderdale. It opened in 1967, and it holds about 1,200 people. How was the venue? Slightly ostentatious. How was the parking? They have valet, or you can park in grass lots and walk a short distance to the venue. Does the venue serve liquor? Yes. They have a full bar.
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How were the drinks? Wine was $9 for a single and $14 for a double. We didn’t get any liquor. Does the venue serve food? No. How much were the tickets? $57. Where were the seats? About in the middle. Was the show sold out? No. It was about 2/3 full. How was the crowd? The crowd was so old that one would be loath to take a bet that someone wouldn’t kick the bucket before Ebersole sung her last note (but the Geritol must have kicked in—or something—because they pepped-up when Ebersole first came out).
How was the show? The show was presented as a retrospective journey of Ebersol’s career, with Rudetsky acting as both the interviewer and accompanist. After the opening song, Ebersole and Rudetsky went back and forth all night between chairs and the microphone/piano. They talked about Ebersole’s career, and then she sung a number (or two) as an example from it. The ratio between song and talk was about 2:1—Ebersole talked for about 10 minutes, and then the song took five minutes. Ebersole fittingly began the show with “The Lullaby of Broadway,” and she ended it with “Send in the Clowns.” In total, she sung 11 songs, including the encore. The biggest response that Ebersole got was for “Around the World” from Grey Gardens and “Pink” from War Paint. Of the two, “Pink” got the greater reaction, including a standing ovation.
How was Ebersole’s voice? Unlike, for example, Patti Lupone, who’s all belt, Ebersole really has two voices. There’s the “legitimate” head voice, and there’s a jazz-inspired chest voice. She excels with both, but the head voice is probably stronger and more impressive. And there was no better example of her expertise with it than with her version of “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood” from Camelot.
What could have improved the show? Given that Ebersole is not a natural storyteller (Rudetsky is better at this than her), the show could have used some editing—the backstory parts should have been shorter. Despite this, there were some interesting anecdotes, such as when she described the struggles of making it in show business: “I was waiting tables at the time, and I got the call to play the Madeline Kahn part in the Paper Moon musical. So, I told them, ‘I’ve got to leave you, little people. The Great White Way calls.’ But I got the shock of my life when the show didn’t open, and three weeks later I had to crawl back with my tail between my legs, and I was back to waiting tables again. It took me three years after that before I finally got I Love My Wife on Broadway.” What was surprising about the show? That someone one would dare bring an infant to it.
Parker Playhouse is located at 707 Northeast 8th St., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
COMPANY B
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Everything’s that old is new again, when Miami-based 1980s pop trio, Company B, performed on St. Patrick’s Day at The Pub. Featuring an interactive set that was composed of both cover and original songs, the trio performed such numbers as Full Circle, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, and rousing take on Ike and Tina’s version of Proud Mary, before finishing off the 45-minute set with their 1987 hit single, Fascinated.
TWISTED BROADWAY
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Nicole Halliwell hosts “Twisted Broadway” at Lips—Fort Lauderdale’s premiere drag-dining venue—every Wednesday night. A thoroughy-entertaining event, and somewhat of a more pop version of the long-running Off-Broadway spoof, Forbidden Broadway, Twisted Broadway features baudy parodies of Broadway classics, which can giddily switch on a dime mid-song to a contemporary pop hit. The event also features the fabulous Twat Larouge, April Chanel, Calypso Monroe Lords and Chocolatta.