Hello, Sweeties, it’s Anna Rexia at your service! I’m not usually one to wear fringe, but March’s Seattle Fringe Festival is an exception. I have some questions for SOME of the artists that will hopefully get both gay and non-gay butts in those gay and non-gay seats! (But, mostly gay butts!) Let’s proceed, Sweeties!
Anna Rexia: Quick, in the space of a Twitter post, describe your show! OK, you can try to do it in two or three Twitter posts, but I have no control over my editor, or my bladder, so be warned!
Jeffrey Robert (The Gay Uncle Explains it All to You): Imagine John Waters substituting for Garrison Keillor in a friend’s living room on a $13 budget and you can start to picture “The Gay Uncle Explains It All To You”. A Celebration of Pop, Camp, Gay, Underground and Trash Culture from the 60’s & 70’s and Beyond! as told through the kaleidoscopic lens of a middle-aged gay man.
Arson Nicki (Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag): “Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag” asks 20 queer drag performers to get into face for a show at 6:15 pm on a Sunday to do 2 free-choice numbers for a probably-mostly-heterosexual audience. What could possibly go wrong? (Side note: we actually have 4 shows total)
Kyle James Traver (Savage in Limbo): A blonde, a brunette, and a redhead walk into a bar… it’s the story of five former classmates, all aged 32, congregating to discuss and question the life choices each of them has made. April is a failed nun, Tony wants to date ugly girls, Linda wants to raise a family, and Denise has never been kissed… much less anything else.
Troy Mink (The Midway Liar): A mentally ill brother, a religious sister, an aspiring local politician, a doubting preacher, and a feigned psychic find the truth but don’t like it one bit.
Amanduh (Totally Solid Gold: Deep Squats!): Video, dance, and squats. Deep, deep squats!
Anna Rexia: What are the gayest asses in your show? I’m sorry, I meant to ask: what are the gayest aspects of your show, but feel free to answer both questions!
Jeffrey Robert (The Gay Uncle Explains it All to You): I have a pretty gay perspective on all of the films, singers, icons, books and the rest that I discuss in my show. I also drop in easily digestible tasty bits of LGBTQ history and scenes from my very gay life.
Arson Nicki (Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag): It doesn’t get any queerer than fabulous people of all genders donning sequins/jewels/cheap-velour-gowns-that-reveal-into-swimsuits and twirling to house music, does it? If it does, I bet we can bring some of whatever *that* is, too.
Kyle James Traver (Savage in Limbo): The three women propose shacking up together, which sounds pretty queer to me…
Troy Mink (The Midway Liar): I have a character who is and HAS the gayest “ASS” in my show. Bucky is quite closeted (as he lives in a small town in the South) but is BY FAR the most effeminate character in the show. Bucky is fascinated and in LOVE with anything to do with BUCKY. Bucky sees himself as New Age healer, psychic, prophet & vlog host extraordinaire!
Amanduh (Totally Solid Gold: Deep Squats!): There’s lots of gold and glitter and me and Alick LaDance (don’t believe him, he is the gayest part of the show!)
Seattle’s Lion.Fish. Theatre Company is producing John Patrick Shanley’s “Savage in Limbo” for Seattle Fringe Fest.
Anna Rexia: As a cistern-sexual – I like to have sex in bathrooms – I was wondering: what part of your show will a non-LGBTQIA person enjoy?
Jeffrey Robert (The Gay Uncle Explains it All to You): My show is for everyone – at least everyone who is familiar with the occasional but appropriate bit of bawdiness. There are many things I talk about in the show that will hopefully resonate with all people. I hope my show provides a bridge across sexualities, sex, age, ethnicity, race, body shapes and sizes and the rest of the stuff we should celebrate together. Some of the biggest fans of the show have been non-Alphabet people.
Arson Nicki (Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag): Muggles love lip syncing to their favorite songs at dance parties – going to a drag show is like hiring someone to do all that fabulousness for you but, you know, with more glitter. I firmly believe anyone can appreciate a good cartwheel into splits followed by a wig reveal. Plus attendees of our show on the 26th will have the added bonus of feeling better about themselves after seeing Betty Wetter’s contouring skills 😉
Kyle James Traver (Savage in Limbo): This show is funny; it caters to the history of human experience in all of us, and you’re sure to relate to one character or another.
Troy Mink (The Midway Liar): Don’t “THEY” like about anything that’s LOUD, with bright lights and Joseph Campbell? We have two of those aspects as a part of our show just to cover our gay asses on that one!
Amanduh (Totally Solid Gold: Deep Squats!): It’s funny. Like not just gay funny but silly, check out kind of funny. Plus, dancing doesn’t care about orientation!
Troy Mink wrote and stars in “The Midway Liar” at Seattle Fringe Fest.
Anna Rexia: If your show were a gay celebrity and/or gay icon, which one would it be?
Jeffrey Robert (The Gay Uncle Explains it All to You): Until I reach GAY ICON status, which is on the goal sheet, it would probably be a Tablespoon of Allison Bechdel, a half cup of John Waters and a quarter cup of Will Geer (Grandpa Walton).
Arson Nicki (Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag): Bjork: ahead of her time, frequently misunderstood, highly influential, adored by an enlightened few. These are also words I would use to describe the artists I’m bringing to the Fringe Fest stage.
Kyle James Traver (Savage in Limbo): Obviously, Kathy Griffin. It’s raunchy, it’s raucous, and it’s a redhead. Yeah. Kathy Griffin.
Troy Mink (The Midway Liar): It would be a “Neil Patrick Harris.” Funny, sad, biting humor, lots of nuanced characters and short (at just under an hour… I’ve only HEARD about that last part…. never experienced Mr. Harris’ “shorter” side).
Amanduh (Totally Solid Gold: Deep Squats!): Think David Bowie in “Labyrinth” and Charles Nelson Riley have a love child in front of a green screen then proudly show you that love child in a live, magic dance.
Anna Rexia: If your show were a gay anthem, which song might that be?
Jeffrey Robert (The Gay Uncle Explains it All to You): Stars (Everybody Is One) – Sylvester
Arson Nicki (Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag): “Let’s Have A Kiki,” by the Scissor Sisters. We are gonna lock the doors, lower the blinds, put on our heels, spill the tea, serve just desserts one may deserve, dive/turn/werk, etc.
Kyle James Traver (Savage in Limbo): “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus
Troy Mink (The Midway Liar): I don’t know any “gay anthems” (or at least I don’t THINK I do…) The only one that comes to mind that I THINK is a gay anthem is Shirley Bassey’s “I Am What I Am” and I AM 9 different characters in my show!
Amanduh (Totally Solid Gold: Deep Squats!): “Solid Gold” – the version by Dionne Warwick that starts out slow and then squats deep.
Arson Nicki from “Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag!”
Anna Rexia: When you agreed to be interviewed, were you expecting this lap dance? Actually, don’t answer that, answer this: Do you feel your show relates at all to the current political climate?
Jeffrey Robert (The Gay Uncle Explains it All to You): I always expect a lap dance from handsome young men and as I get older everyone is young and as my eyes fail me everyone is handsome. As for the political climate – Oh HELL yeah. I have many Déjà Vu moments in my show, I discuss surviving difficult times and orange is one of my favorite colors and I want to reclaim it in the name of goodness and joy.
Arson Nicki (Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag): I believe all activity is inherently related to current politics, whether or not it is intentional. With that being said, queer people using art to communicate their own uniquely queer stories will always be a radical act that is explicitly aimed at disrupting the narrative of “normal.”
Kyle James Traver (Savage in Limbo): Yes, please!! The show beats at the very heart of what’s going on. Control. Passion. Blonde toupees. Come see this show and see America for what it really is.
Troy Mink (The Midway Liar): We DO have a politician character in our show, City Councilwoman, Teresa Dori (seen performing on quite a few occasions at ‘Sylvia O’Stayformore’s Big Gay Cabaret’ at Re-Bar) and even though we weren’t trying to use the character to sermonize regarding political issues I think the comparisons are inevitable.
Amanduh (Totally Solid Gold: Deep Squats!): Yes! It’s a hot mess just with more laughs and less unconstitutionality. Hehe, that’s a really big word. I don’t know what it means, but it sounds fun!
That’s all I’ve got, Sweeties…as far as questions go. I have a lot more pole dance energy, though! Love and lip gloss, Anna Rexia!
Anna Rexia is a drunk bio-female often mistaken for a drag queen. Her twin brother who absorbed her at birth is Craig Trolli, who just happens to be playing Alick LaDance in Totally Solid Gold: Deep Squats! Anna went to the Kellyann Conway School of Journalism so none of this article is her fault and it simply provides alternative facts, Sweeties!
Tickets for all the shows can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/seattle-fringe-festival-2017-11929966259
More Info:
TOTALLY SOLID GOLD: DEEP SQUATS!
March 24 @ 11:00pm / March 26 @ 5:30pm / March 31 @ 9:45pm
Totally Solid Gold is a mixture of video and live performance spoofing the 1980s hit TV show Solid Gold. The Busted Ankle Dancers is a comedy dance troupe that sometimes follows their choreography but mostly not. Is it dance? Is it comedy? Is it drag? Is it all of those things? We don’t really know so you’ll have to go and see for yourself. Free train wrecks for the first 1000 audience members!
#TSG https://www.facebook.com/TotallySolidGold/
Run Time: (45mins) Rating: “M” for MATURE recommended for ages 18+
FRINGE FEST IS SUCH A DRAG!
March 24 @ 10:15pm / March 25 @ 9:15pm / March 26 @ 6:15pm / April 1 @ 4:30pm
“Fringe Fest Is Such A Drag” brings together the finest crop of drag stars from all corners of Seattle’s queer scene. Pageant girls, comedy queens, voguers, alt-queens, and many more will descend on the TPS Black Box for a show you won’t soon forget! Each performance features an entirely different lineup of entertainers, all anchored by your hostess Arson Nicki. These talented artists have been slaying the stages of Capitol Hill’s queer bars for ages, and now they’re coming for you in Lower Queen Anne to show you what they’re made of! There will be death drops, there will be stage blood, and there will be tongue pops – what more could you possibly need?
#FringeFestDrag https://www.facebook.com/events/1626719214290502/
Run Time: (60mins) Rating: “M” for MATURE recommended for ages 18+
SAVAGE IN LIMBO
March 24 @ 8:00pm / March 26 @ 4:00pm / March 30 @ 8:15pm / April 1 @ 6:15pm
Gather around a dimly lit, and seedy bar in the Bronx, and you’re sure to meet a few colorful characters. Denise Savage is thirty-two years old, lonely, and still a virgin. Linda Rotunda and Tony Aronica are separating, due to aesthetic differences. April White, classmate of the others and girlfriend to rough-around-the-edges, Murk, is a failed nun. As different as the five are, they share one thing in common… humanity. Can they each learn to laugh at life and love the journey they’re on?
#LionFishTheater www.lionfishtheatercompany.com https://www.facebook.com/events/1891685207719422/
Run Time: (90mins) Rating: “M” for MATURE recommended for ages 18+
THE MIDWAY LIAR
March 23 @ 8:45pm / March 25 @ 5:45pm / March 31 @ 7:45pm / April 1 @ 9:15pm
A mentally ill brother, a religious sister, an aspiring local politician, a doubting preacher, and a feigned psychic find the truth but don’t like it one bit. The team from Troy Mink’s last Fringe Festival success reprise the characters from The Haint to explore rumors, delusions, and the truth. Called a “Southern-Fried Genius” by The Stranger, Mink returns to Midway, TN in this solo comedy.
#troyminkliar https://www.facebook.com/troyminkhaint/
Run Time: (60mins) Rating: “PG” for PARENTAL GUIDANCE suggested, recommended ages 13+
THE GAY UNCLE EXPLAINS IT ALL TO YOU
March 23 @ 9:30pm / March 24 @ 8:00pm / March 25 @ 9:30pm / March 26 @ 4:00pm
Imagine John Waters substituting for Garrison Keillor in a friend’s living room on a $13 budget and you can start to picture “The Gay Uncle Explains It All To You.”
Jeffrey Robert, “The Gay Uncle”, learned about life through Pop, Camp, Gay, Underground and Trash Culture and now he wants to share it with YOU. Using humor, storytelling and brightly colored paintings on cardboard and found objects he will make you laugh, cry and whet your appetite to find out more about the fabulous world and help you remove “I don’t know who/what that is” from you vocabulary when speaking with an Elder of the Gay community. Or anyone who is FABULOUS! This is the History Class you wish you had in school.
#GayUncleExplains https://www.facebook.com/events/209202552819505/
Run Time: (60mins) Rating: “PG” for PARENTAL GUIDANCE suggested, recommended ages 13+
The Icon Known Simply As: Anna Rexia
Seattle Fringe Festival is delighted to welcome you March 23-April 1 to two exciting weekends of performance with more than 30 producers of Theatre, Dance, Improv, Burlesque, Musical, Opera, Drag Performance, Solo Performance, Experimental, Clown, and Performance Art. SFF2017’s 2017 shows will be presented at Eclectic Theater and four Theatre Puget Sound venues (located on the 1st and 4th floors of the Seattle Center Armory). New in 2017, we have added a special FringeProv series to bring Seattle’s robust Improv scene to Fringe audiences! All shows run 30-90 minutes. Tickets are available online for $10-15 starting February 9 at http://seattlefringefestival2017.eventbrite.com .
Since 2012, the renewed spark of Seattle Fringe Festival has attracted and cultivated a growing audience of devoted fans, local industry members, curious first-timers, and Puget Sound arts buffs with an adventurous streak. We also aim to introduce Fringe first-timers to a variety of performance genres that may serve as a stepping stone to further theatre enrichment in their lives! With the 2017 Festival, we increase the total cumulative number of productions staged to nearly 100. The 2017 Festival has expanded to produce 50% more artists than in recent years, bringing more than 30 exciting acts to the stage this year alone. We are proud to provide a platform and springboard for artists seeking independent production opportunities in a low-cost environment that makes it possible for them to push their artistic boundaries with relatively low risk. The Pacific Northwest community has passionately supported artists working at the edge of their craft, experimenting with form or content and taking creative risks.
#SFF2017 #DoTheFringe
www.seattlefringefestival.org
facebook.com/SeattleFringeFestival
twitter.com/SeaFringe
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About the Author: Anna Rexia
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