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Dragapella
by Joan Eshkenazi
The Kinsey Sicks
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Trampolina (Chris Dilley) is making her "dee butt" as she innocently coos, "I'm so fornicate to be here tonight". Outfitted in a doll-like satin blue green dress and sneakers, hair in an outrageous beehive, she brings down the house, in her sweet tenor voice, with her parody of Celine Dion singing the theme song from that "tragedy of Titanic proportions."
Rachel (Ben Schatz), with her blazing red dress and hair bow, changes the Connie Francis classic "Where the Boys Are" to "Where the Goys Are." With her strong alto voice and clever lyrics, she continues to wallop the audience with her mother's advice to "marry someone stupider than you," and other phrases of prurient humor that may not be advisable to quote here.
The flamboyant blonde Trixie (Maurice Kelly) in shocking pink, is the brassy, seductive Monroe type. She has no doubt that "gentiles prefer blondes." Trixie shines as she takes her HIV cocktail in her martini glass. Winnie (Irwin Keller) appears a bit of a prude (if you can conceive of a drag prude). With her 60' style cat eyeglasses and purple dress, she can sing a touching Yiddish story of "Papirossen." In addition to her sonorous bass voice, she plays a delightful klezmer melody with her clarinet.
Besides the drag shtick and off-color humor, the four harmonize beautifully. A highlight of the show is the "Don't Be Happy, Worry" rendition of Bobby McFerrin' s "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Even with the raucous applause came the, ""I'm worried they didn't mean it."
The four creators, producers and performers, who are all long-standing friends, bring distinctive pedigrees and diverse resumes to their act. Ben Schatz is a graduate of Harvard Law School who during the 1992 presidential campaign wrote the AIDS and Gay rights policies for Clinton. Maurice Kelly, also a Harvard graduate, was actively involved in the Lesbian and Gay Employee's Association of Levi Strauss & Co. where he functioned as a sales and marketing executive. Chris Dilley is a graduate from The American University Irwin Keller graduated from Jerusalem's Hebrew University, earned a law degree from the University of Chicago and was an author of the Human Rights Ordinance of Chicago. In 1993 this collegiate foursome became the Kinsey Sicks and the rest is history. Laure Helpern's set simply and effectively supports the group and the lighting by Traci Klaine displays each queen to her fairest.
If my guess and the audience response is any indication, it seems that the Sicks will stick.
| Dragapella! Written by and starring The Kinsey Sicks Directed by Glenn Casale Cast: The Kinsey Sicks--Ben Schatz, Irwin Keller; Maurice Kelly and Chris Dilley Set Design: Lauren Helpern Costume Design: Steven Howard and Bob Miller Lighting Design: Traci Klainer Running Time: Running Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes without intermission. Upstairs at 54, 254 W. 54th St. 239-6200. web site >From 10/17/01; opening 10/24/01 Wednesday-Friday @8PM, Saturday @ 5PM & 8PM, Sunday @ 4PM & 7PM-- $55, $50 Reviewed by Joan Eshkenazi based on November 14th performance  |
6,500 Comparative Phrases including 800 Shakespearean Metaphors by CurtainUp's editor.
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