There are many traditionalists among the holiday-music genreâ┚¬â€ÂElvis, Johnny Mathis, Peggy Lee. But the Kinsey Sicks are definitely not among them, which is why their popularity seems to explode more each year.
The 10 on the musical-comedy Richter scale, and an unqualified six on Alfred’s Kinsey’s famous hetero-homo rating continuum, arrive at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Dec. 2, to present their outsider's take on the Christmas season with Oy Vey in a Manger.
“It criminally parodies all of the Christmas Classics resulting in ‘God Bless Ye Femmy Lesbians,’ ”Tis the Season to Drink Stoli’ and ‘A Lay in a Manger’ with a big dose of Jewish Christmas angst,” said Irwin Keller, who plays “Winnie” and is one of the two original “Sicks” still with the group.
The other personalities in the singing and comedy group are Trixie, Rachel and Trampolina, who employ tight harmonies and humor ranging from the lowest of low-brow to topical political and cultural commentary. One of their many other shows is the politically charged I Want To Be a Republican.
If you know that “Rachel” (Ben Schatz) is a Harvard-trained civil rights lawyer and “Winnie” is a University of Chicago-educated lawyer, linguist and former director of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of the San Francisco Bay area, then perhaps their politics and polka dots approach isn’t so surprising.
“We’re very political and sophisticated until you catch a reference you wish you hadn’t caught,” says Keller.
The Kinsey Sicks have weaved harmonies and pushed buttons ever since a group of five friends dressed in drag 18 years ago to see a Bette Midler concert, thinking they’d be among many others.
They weren’t … at all.
In spite of–or because of itâ┚¬â€Âthey were offered to appear at an upcoming event as a musical act. To which they replied, “We don’t sing.” Until they realized, in fact, they did! All of them had musical backgrounds.
Now, 40 states and hundreds of performances later, the group has seen a couple of personnel changes but the message remains the same:
“Really funny, clever and disturbing ideas delivered in glorious four-part harmonies,” Keller said. That's what makes them the country's most popular â┚¬Å”dragapellaâ┚¬Â group.
“What’s so different about them from other drag shows is that they actually sing live and they’re very good,” says Mariruth Kennedy, an unabashed fan who first saw them perform at the 2005 Tampa Gay and Lesbian Film Festivalâ┚¬â€Âof which she was the president.
“They performed opening night for 700 people and everybody loved it,” recalls Kennedy, who is now president of the LGBT Tampa Bay Business Guild.
Kennedy says she plans to be there for the Dec. 2 show and has convinced many friends to join her.
“The last time I went after the performance my cheeks hurt from laughing so much.”
Oy vey! What could be a better Christmas gift than that?
S+H
WHO: Kinsey Sicks
WHAT: Oy Vey in a Manger
WHERE: Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2
TICKETS: StrazCenter.org
