8 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
‘JANES’ — MALE AND FEM
THE JANE BARNES REVUE — A CROSS-DRESSING, COMMUNITY-BUILDING PRODUCTION — TURNS 7
By ERICK BENGEL
COAST WEEKEND
y day, he is Kevin Cronin: affable,
mild-mannered family man and
straight-laced community develop-
ment director.
But come nightfall April 1
at the Astoria Event Center, Mr.
Cronin will disappear. And a Ms.
Tippy Oakwood — a sexy, strutting starlet
that looks just like Kevin but without the Y
chromosome — will re-emerge after a year in
hiding.
Tippy’s Second Coming is one of more than
a dozen drag performances mounting the cat-
walk at the seventh-annual Jane Barnes Revue
— a topsy-turvy, gender-bending fundraiser
for the Astoria Downtown Historic
District Association.
The adults-only event is named
for “Oregon’s First Lady,” an adven-
turous, resourceful figure history
often credits as “the first Europe-
Ages: 21+
an woman to set foot in Oregon
Time/Date: 7:30 p.m.
Country” shortly after the city’s
settlement, according to the Oregon
Saturday, April 1. Doors:
Encyclopedia.
6:45 p.m.
Barnes, a consummate survivor,
Tickets: VIP: $75; Catwalk
traveled abroad and made her own
reserved $55; not-so-
way in the world. “Doing that as a
close reserved $45; gen-
woman at the time was a very big
eral seating $25. Avail-
accomplishment,” Sarah Lu Heath,
able at Old Town Framing
the downtown association executive
Company, 1287 Commer-
director, said.
To survive their inhibition-shed-
cial St. (Early purchase is
ding excursion down the runway,
strongly encouraged.)
the revue’s male stars — the “Gen-
Refreshments: Food, beer,
tleman Janes” — summon their
wine available
inner Jane Barnes.
“There’s so much nervous energy
that it’s just electric,” said Marco
Davis, founder of Astoria’s Dragalution, who
is choreographing and will perform in group
dance numbers that open and close the show.
Cronin was pretty nervous last year when
he introduced the world to “Tippy Oakwood”
(the name of his childhood cat plus the New
Jersey drive he grew up on). “I had never done
anything like that before,” he said.
But, as an athlete puts on his uniform and
psychs himself up before a crucial game,
Cronin donned his black wig, sleek black dress
and makeup — blush, mascara and bright red
lipstick — and created the person he needed to
be.
JANE BARNES
REVUE
Continued on Pg. 9
PHOTOS BY
JOSHUA BESSEX
Above: Marco Da-
vis, performing as
Daylight
Cums,
is showered with
praise and mon-
ey, while dancing
to the song “Big
Spender” at the
Jane Barnes Revue
at the Astoria Event
Center in 2015. The
money from the
event went to the
Astoria Downtown
Historic District As-
sociation.
Left: Brad Smithart,
performing as “Lady
Terrar,” reacts while
being motorboat-
ed by an audience
member during the
Jane Barnes Revue
at the Astoria Event
Center in 2015.