Friday December 15, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 50 |
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Monday, Oct 06, 2008
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Bits & Bytes |
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| Sloppy Seconds Makes Film History, Seattle Men's Chorus scores with Joy! Kinsey Sicks visit Triple Door Dec. 22 | |
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by Milton W. Hamlin -
SGN A&E Writer It's another great week for Seattle arts and entertainment fans. Which means that it is another great week for Bits&Bytes. Read on: SEATTLE MEN'S CHORUS SCORES WITH JOY! Celebrating its 28th season, The Seattle Men's Chorus' 2006 Holiday Concert, Joy!, is one of the strongest outings in recent memory. The chorus' programming nicely mixes the traditional campy elements that the capacity crowds clearly enjoy with out-and-out sensational vocal arrangements of seasonal favorites. For Joy!, the chorus entered in traditional tuxes with black turtlenecks and colorful, religious-like vestments-narrow shawls in horizontal stripes or solid colors. The religious-like zeal started the show with "Joy To The World" in a Sunday-Go-To-Church arrangement. "Betelehemu," a Nigerian Christmas song, followed. The nod to ethnic diversity continued with "Jerusalem In The Morning," and a rousing "Go Tell It On The Mountain" that ended the opening section. Christmas Camp takes the focus in "A Christmas Fantasy" where members of Captain Smartypants vocally debate the merits of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty The Snowman." The two opposing teams segue into the "Tonight" rumble from West Side Story-a very clever idea that turned into a vocally challenging highlight. Serious music continued: a beautiful "Ave Maria" and a sensationally successful "Over The Skies of Yisreal" with a haunting solo sung in Hebrew by Jared Wengert. For many in the audience, the compelling "Over The Skies" was the musical highlight of the evening. Randall Thompson's "Nowel" ("Noel") finished the serious music section. Act One ended with a showstopping confession of a young Gay man-"I Wanna Be A Rockette," complete with a high kicking chorus line of "beautiful women" in red velvet drag (and, gentle reminder, a few of the "women" need to be reminded to "tuck" for the Christmas holidays). The audience, as expected went wild. Act Two found the men in traditional tuxes with white shirts and black bow ties. Serious arrangements-beautifully sung-of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and "Ding Dong Merrily On High" continued the show. Camp took over again with "The Annoying Drummer Boy," a comic highlight of the evening. Serious songs, comic skits, an audience sing-along continued. A plaintive "Am I Welcome Here" brought a serious element of acceptance at the holiday season to the concert. The Chorus' trademark "Silent Night"-sung, signed and silent--and a rockin' "Joy" ended the show. And a happy time was had by all. Joy! continues at Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony, with additional Seattle concerts December 17, 20 and 21. Check it out-you'll be glad you did. SLOPPY SECONDS MAKES FILM HISTORY--OPENS AT VARSITY The provocatively titled Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds opens at the Varsity Theatre in the University District today and makes film history. Not because the slight, Gay-themed sex farce is a brilliant film-it is not. The film will go down in the Hollywood history books because it is the first Gay-themed film to be a sequel. The cast and characters of the easily forgotten first Eating Out return for this Sloppy Seconds edition. A complex plot resembles a genderbending Shakespearean farce at times. Gay men pretend to be straight to get into the pants of a new hottie, straight men pretend to be Gay to attract the "fag hags" who hang out with the buff and tuff hunks, straight women pretend to be Lesbians to get to the men who hang with the dykes. And so it goes. A college campus hosts the story and the cast. Tiffany gives blowjobs to hot men-straight or Gay-in the bushes. Kyle and Marc break up but are "meant to be." A group for ex-Gays-charming titled "Coming In"-chants "Homo No More" as members openly cruise each other. Troy-"from Illinois"-is uncertain about his sexuality. To earn extra cash, he works as a nude male model for a swishy-"but married"-professor who is as lewd as Troy is nude. Troy's full-frontal nude poses-and those of Marc later in the plot complications-will make the film a "must see" for some good friends of Bits&Bytes who know "talent" when they see it. The legendary Mink Stole has a few good scenes as the mother of a Gay boy who is happy for him. There are a lot of smiles and a few genuine laughs in Sloppy Seconds. The film will obviously find its audience on its inevitable DVD release, but the booking at the Varsity should draw in a GLBT crowd-mostly Gay, to be honest-looking for light, non-holiday entertainment. As in life, one could worse than Sloppy Seconds. Recorded programs times at 781-5755. Be sure to stay for the credits-in addition to inside information (food by "Too Tasty Catering") there is a final scene that is worth watching. KINSEY SICKS BRING OY VEY IN A MANGER! TO TRIPLE DOOR-SELLS OUT AT VATICAN With their tongue firmly in place, members of the "world famous" Kinsey Sicks report a total sell out for their Christmas Day show at the Vatican. The San Francisco-based a cappella drag quartet, brings a special holiday show, Oh Vey In A Manger!, to Seattle's Triple Door for two shows on Dec. 22. The talented quartet, which often bills itself as a "drag-appella" troupe, is an San Francisco institution. The campy drag personas are great fun, but the group is first and foremost an incredibly serious vocal group. Bits&Bytes first heard them at a popular San Francisco piano bar where they stopped by--in "boy drag"--to plug an upcoming show in the Castro. They were so talented, this scribe made it a point to catch their full-length show later that week-and then discovered the drag element. Oh Vey In A Manger! offers such fractured holiday carols as "God Bless Ye Femmy Lesbians," "A Lay In The Manger" and "Jews Better Watch Out" ยท(and, no, it is not a tribute to Mel Gibson). The show arrives in Seattle after a November/December run in New York. After the two Emerald City performances, the troupe returns to The City By The Bay for a Dec. 23 outing at the Herbst Theatre. The Christmas Day show at the Vatican, a wonderful send up on their touring schedule, sold out in minutes, the Sicks report. Ticket information on the Seattle shows is available at 838-4333. It should be a hoot. WHITE CHRISTMAS ENDS HOLIDAY RUN AT 5TH, DRAG NUMBER STOPS SHOW As most theater fans in Seattle have heard, White Christmas at The 5th Avenue Theatre is a total delight-check out last week's review in SGN for full details. The audience-pleasing musical enters its last week with performances through Dec. 20. The "drag" version of "Sisters," one of the biggest song hits in the film and the stage adaptation, comes early in Act II. When Judy and Betty are delayed for a technical run through to set the lights in the show-within-the-show, Bob and Phil have to step in. There is no doubt that their drag outing with "Sisters" stops the show at every performance. GLBT audiences obviously love the number, and general audiences readily buy into the tech rehearsal gimmick. And the oversized ostrich feather fans certainly help& As one Gay friend quipped, "those two boys are having far too much fun." Ticket information for the final week of performances is available at 625-1900 or toll-free for out-of-area theater fans, (888) 5th-4TIX. And, go ahead, tell 'em Bits&Bytes sent ya. |
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