By Jamie Havlin
Williams Record
October 18, 2005

If you didn't see The Kinsey Sicks on Friday night, you missed one hell of a show. The four drag divas (dubbed "America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet") knocked Williamstown off its feet. Their song list included ditties such as "Proud Marys," "When You're Good to Dubya," and "Rent a Homo," and their wonderful musical talent was punctuated by quick one-liners, the occasional improvisational moment and frequent audience participation.

The beauty of The Kinsey Sicks's show was that it was much more than a concert. In between the perfectly harmonized chords of their songs, Winnie, Trixie, Rachel and Trampolina told their story about having to stay on the road because they didn't have enough money to return home.

With this general unifying theme to their show, The Kinsey Sicks could have easily plowed through the songs and jokes. However, the performers took their time and weren't afraid to improvise a couple of lines here or there. Clearly, they were enjoying themselves, and their enjoyment spread through the audience like smiles across faces.

The audience was included in much of the action, and the performers would often come out into the aisles to keep the crowd interested. The audience did not simply clap and laugh: one audience member was given a lap dance and one was dressed as a drag queen. At the end of the show, the whole audience, divided into sections, sang the last song, "Sexy Underwear."

When one girl in the front row couldn't make a popping noise with her finger in her mouth, the lead queen Winnie declared, "It's either your finger or mine!" The Kinsey Sicks is clearly a group that values their audience participation very highly.

The show was also fairly personalized to the area. There were several little jokes about the "oddly-named theater" and the "Williamstown Great Metropolitan Area." These quips were very well received, especially when Rachel pretended to accidentally call Williamstown "Williamsburg."

In addition to these wisecracks about Williamstown, many one-liners kept the audience on its toes. At one point, as a supplement to her obvious kinkiness, Rachel woefully declared, "I wish I knew how to quit ewes!" Winnie sheepishly admitted to having a lesbian lover in - where else - Flatbush. Lines like this dissolved any uncertainties about the quality of the performance.

But the dialogue was not the only clever aspect of The Kinsey Sicks's performance; the musical adaptations were also witty. Many of the songs parodied well-known tunes: "When You're Good to Mama" became "When You're Good to Dubya" - BushÕs 'official' song" - and "We Are the World" became "We Arm the World" - a political commentary on the violent nature of some of AmericaÕs aid. The majority of the songs, such as "Locked Out of the Chapel of Love," a commentary on gay and lesbian civil unions, had a clear political message.

In addition to the inevitable Bush-bashing, The Kinsey Sicks also poked fun at their 'original fifth member' and pianist Condoleezza Rice, making the title "Condoleezza Palooza" rather fitting.

However, not all of the comedy was political. The group's repertoire also included gay and lesbian humor ("Rent a Homo" and "Beaver") as well as relationship comedy in the form of songs like "Cruise People Uglier Than You" and "I've Been Through Parasites (But I've Never Had VD)." The group even poked fun at the gospel genre, over-exaggerating vocal runs and other gospel trademarks in "Be a Slut."

The comedy was punctuated by a sincere and heartfelt ballad about one of the original members of the group who passed away. Titled "Jerry's Song," it was powerful - not to mention serious evidence of the group's musical talent. In fact, their clear vocal tone and ranges to rival some sopranos were the most prominent part of The Kinsey Sicks's show.

The presence of a group like The Kinsey Sicks on campus is a tribute to the student body's diversity. Even older members of the community flocked to the event and made up a large percentage of the audience. The increasing acceptance of queer culture in Williamstown can be greatly attributed to the appearance of groups like The Kinsey Sicks, which will certainly have an increased fan base after their performance Friday night.

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