Finding Sick-cess

By Peter Cassels
August 1, 2002

The Kinsey Sicks at the Crown & Anchor, Provincetown, through September 8.

Fresh from a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway run, the Kinsey Sicks, four outrageous singing drag queens who bill themselves as the first beauty shop quartet, are spending their second consecutive summer entertaining Provincetown audiences, this time with two different shows.

Tuesdays through Saturdays they reprise "Dragapella," their groundbreaking show at New York's Studio 54 that earned them nominations for the Drama Desk and Lortel (the Off-Broadway Tony) awards. On Wednesdays and Sundays, they perform "Sickest of the Sicks," billed as "a tasty melange of their most objectionable material." That show, according to a news release, "is perfect for Kinsey fans in an advanced state of moral decline." (Even their news releases contain more than a dollop of tongue-in-cheek humor.)

To say that the Kinsey Sicks are unique is an understatement. They combine excellent a cappella singing talent with sharp satire and no-holds-barred wit. The group began in 1993 when they went to a Bette Midler concert in San Francisco, dressed as the Andrews Sisters. (I was at that concert, but sadly missed them.) They all had musical backgrounds but had never before performed together. That was soon to change. They spent the next several years performing in San Francisco. I first encountered them during a National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention in the city in 2000. Their performance helped spread their notoriety.

The Kinseys write all of their own material, based on popular songs from golden oldies to Broadway. Dressing up and performing as women represents a 180-degree turn in their previous careers. All four are refugees from successful stints as professionals and activists. Ben Schatz ("Rachel") is a former director of the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association who advised then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton on AIDS policy in 1992. Irwin Keller ("Winnie") is former director of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of the San Francisco Bay Area who authored Chicago's gay rights ordinance. Chris Dilley ("Trampolina") was involved with venture capital investment. Maurice Kelly (the original "Trixie") used to be a Levi Strauss executive. Subbing as Trixie this summer is Kevin Smith Kirkwood.

The boys have recorded three CDs: "Dragapella," "Boyz 2 Girlz" and their latest, "Sicks in the City," containing much of the music from their Off-Broadway show, released this spring.

Their Provincetown shows use the best of the material from their first two CDs, such as a wonderful send-up of the Celine Dion's hit from "Titanic." Sample lyrics: "It's so goddamn long and Celine sings it on and on," and an ode to lesbians: "You Give me Beaver."

Aging is a theme

Most of the selections are from "Sicks and the City" and include a parody on growing old that borrows from the Broadway musical "Hair." It includes the observation "my age is precarious" and the warning "sunshine ages skin." They give motherly advice in "Cruise People Uglier than You": "They will be so grateful when you look their way." And "Screw people less experienced than you. They'll never know how bad you are in bed."

Other numbers trash George W. Bush ("Dubya"), contending he owes it all to Daddy, and real estate developers who transform neglected neighborhoods into unaffordable gay ghettos ("Bugle Boy on Avenue B"). They also mangle such Broadway classics as "Maria" from "West Side Story," which becomes "Ikea," the gay friendly furniture emporium, and "Bali H'ai" from "South Pacific," about those annoying phone company telemarketers. The finale is an audience sing-along called "Sexy Underwear."

It makes for an evening not to be missed during your Provincetown visit.

For tix, visit the Crown & Anchor box office, 247 Commercial St., Provincetown, or call 508-487-1430.