December, 2023 | ISSUE 354
NEWS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 11
| Qsaltlake.com
Kinsey Sicks bringing ‘Drag Queen Storytime Gone Wild’ for Safe Zone Take four extremely talented male singer/actors — a conceited counter-tenor, a booming bass-baritone-second tenor, a lyric baritone, and a show tunes tenor — paint their faces with gorgeous make-up, don them in dresses, and top them with wigs and you have the makings of America‘s Favorite Dragapella — The Kinsey Sicks. The troupe returns to Salt Lake City with their hit new show “Drag Queen Storytime Gone Wild!” featuring their hit new single “Poof the Magic Drag Queen,” no Disney tune, nursery rhyme, or TV theme song is safe from their signature Dragapella treatment of outrageous parodies in delicious four-part harmony. With over a dozen new songs, paired with scathing satire and Kinsey Sicks classics from over 30 years of appalling audiences, this brandnew musical from America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet has been rated
“PG” for “Patently Ghastly.” The show does come with a trigger warning: This children’s show is unsuitable for children and may provoke strong reactions among people named DeSantis or Taylor Greene Audiences love their bawdy humor, sharptongued wit, over-the-top drag, and smart dialogue. Started in 1993 when five professionals — lawyers and professional activists — went to a Bette Midler concert dressed as the Andrews Sisters. They were approached that night by a woman who asked them to perform at her upcoming 50th birthday party, to which they said, “We don’t sing.” They then figured out all of them had previous musical experience. From their first public concert on the street corner of San Francisco’s Castro and Market to performing arts centers, music venues, and comedy festivals around
the world, an Off-Broadway play, a film, a documentary, and an extended run in Vegas, they have gathered a devoted following. And their schtick has staying power. “Only one a cappella group has remained steadfastly lewd, crude, and rapturously reviewed,” wrote the Huffington Post. “Legendary for their succulence, sarcasm, and style, the Kinsey Sicks can easily shock and awe unsuspecting audiences … Rollicking … [They] never fail to bring down the house.” During a show they called “Oy Vey in a Manger,” a reviewer gushed: “The Kinsey Sicks don’t suck.” Alright, he continued with how, as acapella singers and drag divas, “They are faaabulous. Think of the best of “Ballet Trockadero,” or “The Cockettes,” or “Tranny Shack” or any other of the most celebrated and gaymous (gay famous) performing troupes you can recall. None have produced better work than
this “dragapella” ensemble. Oh but wait, it gets better. “And the material? Their arrangement and performance of Schubert’s “Ave Maria” could not be improved upon by members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But I doubt that the Mormons would have adapted the lyrics as ‘I Ate Maria,’” wrote Theatrestorm reviewer Charles Kruger.
SAFE ZONE UTAH Kinsey Sicks is coming to Salt Lake to raise funds for Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce’s Safe Zone. Safe Zone Utah provides training and resources for small businesses and non-profits free of charge. Training is offered on LGBTQ and gender 101, anti-bullying and allyship, and suicide and domestic violence awareness. Information is available at safezoneutah.org. Q The show is Sunday, December 3 at 6 p.m. at the The Rose – Jeanne Wagner Theatre, 138 West Broadway. Tickets are $45 if purchased before the show and $55 at the door. Purchase tickets at saltlakecountyarts.org or utahlgbtq+chamber.org.
Under the Umbrella opens cafe Under the Umbrella Bookstore is ecstatic celebrating its second anniversary and announced the opening of their new Umbrella Cafe. “After months of dust, construction, and anticipation, our in-store Umbrella Cafe is open to customers looking for a queer space to sit and sip,” owners wrote in a statement. “Just like in the store, Umbrella Cafe prioritizes queer-owned businesses to source its cafe offerings. The cafe invites you to come give food and drink a try.” Umbrella Cafe serves LGBTQ-owned local products, including Sweet Hazel & Co., Hans Kombucha, and SLC Underground Sweets. Other queer sources include
Queer Wave Coffee, Apostate Coffee, PARU Matcha, Sis Got Tea, Pink House Alchemy syrups and Bee Wild honey. Currently, the menu includes coffee, espresso, lattes, cappuccino, tea-based drinks, muffins, vegan English muffin sandwiches, a vegan breakfast burrito, and an assortment of pastries, cookies, brownies and breakfast bars. Items can be ordered at the cafe or online for pickup at undertheumbrellabookstore.com/umbrella-cafe. The bookstore and cafe are located at 511 W 200 South, Suite 120, in Salt Lake City. If the bookstore is not open, use the back door, accessible from Eccles Ave. off 500 West
