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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2004)
4 8 jU S t O U t ’ decomber 3. 2004 SPECfAL a u - h o u pa y FP/TfONf DIVERSIONS Hometown girl hits the big time! *20 BALCONY SEATS' Seating subject to era liability. N ot good with otker offers. H an d lin g fees apply. Friday Night D e c . 3 1 st, 2 0 0 4 L i g h t s g o o u t S l g lo w sticks c o m e on a t 1 0 : 0 0 p . m . Jo in us for the h o ttest & w ildest m en -o n ly e x p e r i e n c e in P o r tl a n d ! He N o rth w e s t's new est, cleanest md hottest m e n ’s c l u b a n d bath. 2885 N E S a n d y B l v d , Portland, O R <>7232 In fo L in e : 5 0 5 -7 3 6 -9 9 9 9 w w w .s t e a m p o r t la n d .c o m M u s t he at least 18. M e m b e r s h i p required. “It’s all about a little girl who grew up in Oregon and moved to the big city,” jokes drag performer C hristopher Kenney (aka Edie) about his new show, Legs. T he semiauto- biographical variety show is opening in New York City next spring. It tells the tale of Ken ney’s winding journey to the Big Apple. This and other projects have Kenney sky rocketing toward his dream to make it on Broadway. St) make sure to catch him while you can, one night only, 8:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at Darcelle XV, 208 N.W. Third Ave. Voted New York’s Best Drag Performer by readers of the city’s largest gay publication, HX, Edie has been called a “triple threat” for her fabulously long legs, glamour and talent. She has wowed audiences from Radio City Music Hall to Atlantis gay cruise ships and every where in between. The Portland native spent four years as a dancer with Ballet Oregon (now Oregon Ballet Theater) and five years with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle (run by none other than the parents of current O BT director Christopher Stowell). Finally, he got to New York and has been there for the past 10 years, building a repu tation as a consummate and comedic perfonner. All that hard work paid off in spades when just a few weeks ago Kenney received word that he— or rather, Edie— got the part of Lucy Brown in Wallace Shawn’s new version of The Threepenny O/K-ra. The gender-bending show posits Kenney-as-Edie-as-Lucy opposite gay icon Alan Gumming as Mac the Knife. The musical is slated for a run on Broadway in the spring. Kenney will also share the stage with Christine Baranski and Edie Falco. All this fame has not dulled Kenney’s appreciation for Oregon one hit. “It’s really special to come hack to Portland,” he says. “It’s a beautiful part of the world.” Kenney visits his family here often, and lucky for us, he also does gigs lull of a “high- energy ’60s Mod mix of song, comedy and lots of dance, dance, dance.” Plus, the sweet smell of the natural world here makes him giddy. “I feel so proud to he from Portland,” he says. "Love it, love it, love it!” Latkes and lights Jewish queers, dust off your menorahs and head out to Keshet’s Hanukkah celebration at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 12. The Portland gay Jewish group is hosting a special potluck with home made potato latkes (otherwise known as edible platters for sour cream and applesauce— which Keshet will also provide). Hanukkah is not the big to-do that C hrist mas is, hut it’s still a lovely celebration this time of year. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah is an eight-day commemora tion of the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. This year the holiday begins Dec. 8 and ends Dec. 15. Keshet co-founder Laney Kihel says the group’s m onthly potlucks evoke a hamishe, or homey, feeling. She remembers when the . group was first forming three years ago and a gay teacher/father said th a t lor the first time he felt like he could he all of himself in one place. You don’t have to he Jewish to attend a Keshet potluck, just gay-friendly. For the Hanukkah dinner, attendees will he asked to pay $7.50 to offset the costs of the latkes and a klezmer performer and will he asked to bring a main dish, salad or dessert to share. No charge for children. Also, bring your menorah! For more information or directions, call David at 503-226-7079. Jump for joy Ever see an actorbat fly? Well, you will if you head over to Echo T heater for Do Jump for the Holidays, the latest extravaganza by the acclaimed Portland dance troupe. “Actorbats” are artistic director Robin Lane’s name for her company members— a cross between actor and acrobat— and Line, who founded the collaborative company 27 Edie, who was voted New York City's Drag Entertainer of the Year, is looking forward to her holiday homecoming years ago, says the members of Do Jump! Extremely Physical T heater are "highly skilled, highly trained performers...who have the unstoppable power of creativity.” Lane was just 23 when she formed D> Jump! in 1977, and under her direction and choreography, the company has been delight ing families with its unique and unexpected blend of acrobatics, aerial dance and comedy. Do Jump! creates a world that infuses athletics with aesthetics, where humans dance in the air, everyday objects take on a life of their own and joy abounds. Influenced by the choreography of Alvin Nikolai, Do Jump! is a pioneer in aerial dance and has toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada, including a recent stint in Alaska. Do Jump for the Holidays is a reprise of the actorbats’ popular holiday show (they even per formed it on Broadway) with brand new materi al added— particularly “Divided We Fall,” which is especially appropriate given the cur rent political climate. However, audiences can expect any political messages to he imbued with the company’s inimitable zaniness and flair. Returning works include “Something from N othing,” a wow-inducing number perfonned entirely under black light, the popular audience participation piece “Walk Person” and (my personal favorite) “Dance with the Dollies,” in which actorbats partner with furniture dollies in pas de deux reminiscent of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Company members are joined
