Photos by Damon “Caveman” Blumberg
Well, first let me thank my guests for our latest show. Joe “Sunshine” Harter talks about his theater background and his part as Rose in The Golden Gays, a tribute show to “the Golden Girls” TV show. Hopefully, the production will come to Las Vegas, soon. Michelle Rohl talks about her early days in Las Vegas. Her Janis Joplin tribute at The Smith’s Center was a hit, and she is planning more productions.
So MUCH has been going on this last week.
First of all, I was able to bring to the stage an all-new version of “La Cage Cabaret.” It’s a recap of the world-famous “An Evening at La Cage” that appeared on the Strip at the Riviera Hotel and Casino for over 24 years. The show traveled the world under different names, including: “Un BOY lievable,” “La Cage Follies” and “The Jewel Box Revue.” It’s always been a top-quality show that represents the art of female impersonators with top performers who always deliver the best.
In this version of La Cage Cabaret, I was honored to have Mr. Tommi Rose, as my cohost. Tommi has been performing for as long as I have and has traveled the world with his unique brand of impersonation, including singing live. Tommi and I put together a show about 10 years ago called: “Funny PHAT & Fabulous.” The two of us sang fun songs and told naughty stories. The opening lyric to the tune of “Big, Blonde and Beautiful” from the Musical “Hairspray” is: “Bring on that pecan, pie, pour some sugar on it, honey, don’t be shy! We are not afraid to throw our weight around – pound by pound by pound!”
To round out the show, we got a vocalist and a well-known female impersonator, Ada Vox, who has appeared on “American Idol” and ‘Queen of the Universe.” Ada performed as herself and was terrific.
The show was a huge success at The Composer’s Room, and we has been asked to return soon. Meanwhile, we are shopping venues nationwide to travel with the show.
A new “Miss Gay Sin City America” has been crowned. Last Monday night at the beautiful Hamburger Mary’s in Las Vegas, Tabbi Katt was crowned the winner of the contest. First Alternate, Tia Wanna Ross (TeJay McGrath), both headed to the finals of “Miss Gay America” in January. Good luck, ladies!
These days (in my opinion), drag queens have moved on to their own version of what “drag” means to them. There is NOTHING wrong with that. However, the disrespect for older, shall we say, “seasoned” drag queens is becoming very annoying. Those of us who have been doing this for over 30 years and opened doors for free expression have been put on the back burner. I started in 1976 in Beaumont, Texas, where you could be arrested for dressing as a woman when you are a man. The rule was, back then, that if you weren’t wearing at LEAST, three items of “male” attire, you could be arrested for deceiving the public. We have certainly come a long way in this country, recognizing that not everyone is the same. Those new to the world of drag need to respect those that went before them. It was not easy fighting for not just gay rights but the right to live your life on your terms. On that note, I have to say I am very proud of the new generation of drag performers, always striving to be better than the last.
