6.2002
36
DIVERSIONS
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Don your gay apparel
for this cabaret
The story is much too complicated
to go into, but let’s just say audiences
at Skamania Lodge near Stevenson,
Wash., won’t be left out of it. “We
include the guests in dances [and]
songs,” shares Thomas, “and the actors
will come to your table and harass as
needed.”
The menu includes all sorts of yum-
mies: candied filberts on your mixed
field salad, forest mushroom mousse
line, port beurre rouge, smoked
salmon, Intermezzo and plum pudding
with Chantilly vanilla creme.
A children’s choir opens the festivities,
which, insists Thomas, will be “an awful
lot of fan .... It’s the perfect way to start
the holiday season.”
A Madrigal Feast is $39.95-$49.95 a
person. Group rates are available for
six or more, and the lodge is providing
special overnight packages. Make
reservations at 509-427-7047 or
www.skamaniaarts.org.
G
ay Portland musical treasures Kregg
A m tson and Richard Bower make
up half of the jazz ensemble The
HollyTones with Wendy Martel-
Vilkin and Jennifer Niederloh. The quar
tet lights up Wilf’s Restaurant and Bar at
7:30 p.m. D ec. 10 and 17 with a C hrist
mas Cabaret featuring a variety of tradi
tional and hip holiday tunes.
Audiences will get in the yuletide
spirit with such songs as “We Need a Lit
tle Christmas,” “Man with the Bag,”
“Cool Yule” and “My Simple Christmas
Wish (I Wanna Be Rich, Famous and
Powerful).”
Amtson promises “a variety of jazzy
and traditional arrangements with a few
surprises mixed in.” The Lake Oswego
resident also sings with the Oregon Sym
phony Pops, most recently playing the
role of Harold Hill in its production of
The Music Man.
The Portland Gay M en’s Chorus has a busy December
Bower is a regular in the piano bar, sought
after by a multitude of cabaret singers. From 1994 to
performed it all over the world. So last year the
2000 he served as music director of the Musical
man made A Taffeta Christmas, which delighted
Theater Company, where he won a 1999 Drammy
Portland audiences to no end and is now in
Award for musical direction of Funny Ghi
production all over the country.
This is the HollyTones’ fourth year doing
Hence, the Broadway Rose Theatre Com
the cabaret, and, according to Amtson, “there’s
pany would be foolish not to present the new
no better way to kick off the holidays than to
yuletide revue from local gay musical theater
enjoy live holiday music while throwing back a
writer and director Rick Lewis, Q.I. Holiday
martini or two at Portland’s cabaret hot spot.”
Jukebox. Lewis wrote and stars in this follow
Wilf’s Restaurant is at 800 N.W. Sixth Ave.
up to 1997’s G.I. Jukebox.
The cabaret is $10; make reservations at
The new show is a salute to the Stage Door
503-223-0070.
Canteen of the 1940s. Set during World
War II, it features four fictitious Hollywood
stars who’ve gathered a string of musical hits to
entertain the troops. It’s reminiscent of U SO
he Portland G ay M en’s Chorus celebrates
shows of days gone by, complete with a tribute
the season with traditional French flair in
to the Andrews Sisters. “How do we do that
its holiday concert Yule, L a, L a ! Dec. 14
with a cast of two men and two women?
and 15 at Reed College’s Kaul Auditorium.
H m m m ...” teases Lewis.
This noteworthy holiday event is a tradition
The show runs through Dec. 22 at Tualatin
for Portland queers and straights alike, and
High School Auditorium, 22300 S.W. Boones
executive director Tony Stroh promises we
Ferry Road. Tickets are $10-$ 18 from
won’t be disappointed. It will be “the best of
503-620-5262 or www.broadwayrose.com.
the season,” he says, with standards including
In addition to whipping out musical theater,
“O Holy Night,” “We Gather Together,” “Win
Lewis works as entertainment director of the
ter Wonderland” and the perennial Nigerian
Portland Spirit and is tickled to introduce the
favorite “Betelehemu.” There will also be a
boat’s new cabaret concert series. “ River of
memorable rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “Nut
Stars!” will play host to some of Broadway’s
cracker ‘Sweet’ ” as well as the much-anticipat
biggest names. Kicking off the set in January is
ed sing-along.
Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in Disney’s
A s if the holiday concert isn’t enough, the
Oscar-winning The Little Mermaid.
chorus has added what we hope will turn into
Soon after comes Les Miserables’ Tony-win
an annual event— Brunch with Beefcake
Santa. Don’t miss this buff opportunity to sit in
one of four gorgeous laps and tell him what you
really want for Christmas at noon Dec. 22 in
the Grand Ballroom of the Governor Hotel.
This holiday fund-raiser for the chorus hon
ors Roy Melani for his outstanding and tireless
work in bringing the Gay Softball World Series
(3,000 queer athletes and their families) to Port
land last August. The event includes a silent
auction and raffle with theater tickets, dinner
and hotel packages, artwork, autographed sports
memorabilia and a mink stole up for grabs.
Tickets for Yule, La, La are $12-$20 (spring
for the better seats). Brunch with Beefcake
Santa is $25 or $50 for VIP, which includes
champagne and a gift. Tickets for both events
can be purchased at 503-226-2588 or
www.pdxgmc.org.
0oh la la!
T
*
Lewis delights musical
theatergoers again
nee upon a time in New York City, a man
brought a fantastic show to the stage called
The Taffetas. People loved it, cheered it and
with Yule, L a, L a and Brunch with Beefcake Santa
ning Michael Maguire, Beauty and the Beast
lead Susan Egan and Debbie Shapiro Gravitte,
Tony winner for Jerome Robbins' Broadway.
For a complete schedule of the dinner shows,
visit www.portlandspirit.com. (Suggestion: A
package of all four would
make a great gift.)
And in shopping ■ ■■
ow, there’s a lot of craft and gift sales out
there, isn’t there? Don’t fret: Just go to
these very queer-friendly ones right here.
Riches at R im sky’s is a sale of artistic
Romp
through the
Renaissance
C
an you say Madrigal ?
Then say it again,
honey, because on
Dec. 13 and 15 the Ska
mania Arts Foundation
presents A Madrigal
Feast that proudly romps
you and yours through
five courses of intrigue,
mistaken identities, love
potions, chase scenes and
Susan Detroy’s colorful cards and prints are available at Vivace G allery’s
17 th century music.
Knock Your Socks O ff! holiday sale
Lesbian musician
and performer Lynn Thom as directs the entire
gifts and treasures ffom 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
production and serves as choral mistress
Dec. 7 and 8 at Rimsky-Korsakoffee House,
(“sounds a bit kinky,” she admits). She also
707 S.E. 12th Ave. Lesbian artist Serena
plays “The Lady of the Manor,” and her part
B arton joins 10 other women artists with
ner, Simone Brooks, “runs rampant as ‘the
paintings, clothing, bags, hats, jewelry, pot
hunchback,’ ” she says.
tery, soaps, journals and other sundry hand
made objects. Plus you can have dessert
afterward.
Lesbian Sierra Lonepine Briano invites you
to Sierra’s H oliday Shop ffom 11 a.m. to
7 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays until
Christmas Eve, with extended hours Dec. 22
and 23. The shop, located at 208 N.W. Couch
St., features artwork by Briano as well as other
artists.
The seventh annual H oliday Bobble is ffom
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 14 and 15 at the Sap
phire Hotel, 5008 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. This
artists co-operative event offers a wide range of
wares for holiday gifting using the latest in
recycling techniques.
Vivace G allery, 207 E. Fifth Ave. in
Eugene, which is owned in part by the lesbians
who bring you Sumiche Handwrought Jewelry,
present the gift show Knock Your Socks O ff!
through Dec. 31. The show focuses on gifts
with "ARTitude and affordability” and features
cards and matted prints by lesbian artist Susan
Detroy. JT1
The Broadway Rose Theatre Company presents Rick Lewis’ Q.I. Holiday Jukebox through Dec. 22
Compiled by L isa B radshaw
and M arie F leischmann