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SF Pride: The Balled Sopranos At Home with the Kinsey Sicks
Citysearch 7 The finest in dragapella, the Kinsey Sicks sing their way around stage. Well, really, the photo and the title say it all: they're gay, they're proud, they're loud, they're funny, and they have the greatest hair. The Kinsey Sicks, four upstanding young ladies who live in a charming little bungalow, invite you into their home and put on a musical just for you, their esteemed guest. With a loosely woven plot that they continually poke fun at even as they execute it, the four divas reign on stage with song after song after song, interspersed with snide remarks, grand prancing about the stage, winks, and jabs. The four dragapella members play off each others' stage personae, and each others' talents. They're serious about entertaining their audience, and all in the spirit of that goal, they gladly acknowledge occasional missteps--skillfully filling gaps for each other and chiming in with a spoken or sung line when needed to keep the show clipping along. And they occasionally ad lib as inspired by the audience. Of course, they write their own songs. The four strong and distinct characters around whom the show revolves are the highlights of the performance. Winnie, the anal, Tupperware-wielding organizer with church lady glasses, is controlled and snide. If Don Knotts were a woman, surely Winnie would embody him. Trixie, the sultry Marilyn Monroe platinum blonde, is effervescent and showy. Vaselina, with the beehive that doesn't end, is a fighter and a dreamer, people. She's flighty and usually somewhat alarmed. And Rachel, the spunky, hair-poofed, bow-sporting member, provides new meaning to the phrase, "Hello, sailor." The set on which we find these four lovelies is their home, and is positively inspired. Four works of art dominate the stage: high art, Kinsey Sicks style. Hanging on each of four flats is a reworked version of artworks corresponding to the performers' personalities. Picture the Mona Lisa with a larger-than-life, cartoonish smile, and "The Scream" figure with big hair and bows a la Rachel, looking less than troubled. The delightful set and whimsical shenanigans are mingled with moments of genuine poignancy as well; the surface lurking beneath many of the lyrics is deep and wide--from musings on Princess Diana's death to yearnings to be free. As the performers acknowledge by their self-inflicted critique, the show is weak on plot, which is fine. Unfortunately though, they can't resist throwing in an all-out fight scene in the second act, and it is hopelessly bad. But aside from that excruciating scene, the Kinsey Sicks' premise allows their talent to shine. The show is undeniably entertaining.--Susan Blue
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©1998 The Kinsey Sicks