The Kinsey Sicks
Encyclopedia
The Kinsey Sicks bill themselves as "America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet."
They perform both original music and lyrics as well as parodies of well-known songs in a cappella
. Their work, while extremely comedic, is often highly politically charged. Their name is a play of words on "Kinsey 6," the end of the Kinsey scale
defined as exclusively homosexual.
The term Dragapella is a registered U.S. trademark of the group.
concert in San Francisco, dressed as the Andrews Sisters. Assuming they'd be among many drag queen
s, they found themselves to be the only ones. They were approached that night by a woman who asked them to perform at her upcoming 50th birthday party. Though their initial reply was, "we don't sing," the group was surprised to learn that all of them had previous musical experience.
In July 1994, The Kinsey Sicks (then consisting of Ben Schatz as "Rachel," Irwin Keller as "Winnie," Maurice Kelly as "Trixie," Jerry Friedman as "Vaselina," and Abatto Avilez as "Begoña") drew a large and enthusiastic crowd at their first public performance on a street corner in San Francisco's Castro District. A year later, Avilez died, and was never replaced, leaving the Kinsey Sicks as a quartet (a formation that has remained consistent ever since.) Since then, The Kinsey Sicks have produced and performed full-length theatrical productions and concerts around the country. The group eventually became successful enough for its members to leave their former occupations to concentrate on performance.
Current Members
Former Members
in the critically acclaimed DRAGAPELLA! Starring the Kinsey Sicks at New York's Studio 54
. That production received a nomination for a Lucille Lortel
award for Best Musical of 2001 and a Drama Desk Award
nomination for Best Lyrics.
In 2006 the Kinsey Sicks performed an extended engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton
. In addition, their first feature film, Kinsey Sicks: I Wanna Be a Republican, premiered at the 30th San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The documentary The Kinsey Sicks: Almost Infamous, covering the history of the group and their run at the Las Vegas Hilton was released in 2008.
The group has also appeared in such venues as the Herbst Theatre
and New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco; Boston Center for the Arts and The Theater Offensive, Boston
; Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and Club Soda, Montreal
; the Nordstrom Recital Hall and Triple Door Seattle; the Ogden Theatre, Denver; the Colony Theatre, South Beach
; the Wheeler Opera Hall, Aspen
; Studio 54, Caroline's on Broadway, and Gotham Comedy Club
, New York
; Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and The Improv, Houston; Crown & Anchor and Town Hall, The Palm, Blue Chairs, and Club Manana, Provincetown. Their stage productions have included "The Balled Sopranos," "Motel Sicks: A Dragapella Summer Vacation," "Everything But the Kitsch 'n'Synch" and "GreatesTits," all of which premiered at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre Center. They are also frequently invited to perform at colleges; those performances are usually followed by a question-and-answer session with the group, out of costume.
The group began releasing music videos in 2010, starting with the oil-spill satire BP is Creepy, followed by the Lady Gaga
parody Bedroom Ants, the TSA
-mocking Rocky-Horror parody Touch-A Touch Me, TSA Security, and the holiday season sendup Twisted Christmas Parodies.
In 2012, The Kinsey Sicks will premiere a new show commissioned by the Washington DC's Theatre J called Electile Dysfunction: Kinsey Sicks for President using the tag line "Sometimes it's hard being Republican." Set to premiere February 2012.
All albums available on iTunes
They perform both original music and lyrics as well as parodies of well-known songs in a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
. Their work, while extremely comedic, is often highly politically charged. Their name is a play of words on "Kinsey 6," the end of the Kinsey scale
Kinsey scale
The Kinsey scale, also called the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale, attempts to describe a person's sexual history or episodes of his or her sexual activity at a given time. It uses a scale from 0, meaning exclusively heterosexual, to 6, meaning exclusively homosexual...
defined as exclusively homosexual.
The term Dragapella is a registered U.S. trademark of the group.
Origin
The Kinsey Sicks began in 1993 when a group of five friends (largely lawyers and professional activists) went to a Bette MidlerBette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
concert in San Francisco, dressed as the Andrews Sisters. Assuming they'd be among many drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
s, they found themselves to be the only ones. They were approached that night by a woman who asked them to perform at her upcoming 50th birthday party. Though their initial reply was, "we don't sing," the group was surprised to learn that all of them had previous musical experience.
In July 1994, The Kinsey Sicks (then consisting of Ben Schatz as "Rachel," Irwin Keller as "Winnie," Maurice Kelly as "Trixie," Jerry Friedman as "Vaselina," and Abatto Avilez as "Begoña") drew a large and enthusiastic crowd at their first public performance on a street corner in San Francisco's Castro District. A year later, Avilez died, and was never replaced, leaving the Kinsey Sicks as a quartet (a formation that has remained consistent ever since.) Since then, The Kinsey Sicks have produced and performed full-length theatrical productions and concerts around the country. The group eventually became successful enough for its members to leave their former occupations to concentrate on performance.
Members & Roles
Since its initial formation, the lineup of the Kinsey Sicks has undergone several changes and iterations. Schatz and Keller have been the group's only constant through all incarnations. Each member of the group performs a fully realized character, and as new members have joined, they have been encouraged to personally expand and develop their own "history." The members of the group over the years have been:Current Members
- Ben Schatz as "Rachel" (1993–Present)- Schatz, a Harvard-trained civil rights lawyer and former Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, created the first national AIDS legal project and authored Bill Clinton's HIV policy during the 1992 presidential campaign. He is now a full-time performer as a member of the Sicks. His character, "Rachel," is loudly feminist, angry, and an activist noted both for her dimunitive stature, muscular build, and her refusal to shave her underarms.
- Irwin Keller as "Winnie" (1993–Present)- Keller, also a lawyer, received his law degree from the University of Chicago and was the former director of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of the San Francisco Bay Area. Keller authored Chicago's gay rights ordinance, passed into law in 1989. By 2002, Keller had ceased practicing law to perform full-time. His character, "Winnie," is Jewish, a lesbian, and motherly with an old-fashioned sensibility.
- Jeff Manabat as "Trixie" (2004–Present)- Manabat, a professional musical theater-performer and graduate of UC-Berkeley, was discovered by the then-current members of the group while performing in a production of When Pigs FlyWhen Pigs Fly (musical)When Pigs FlyA musical revue in 2 acts. Conceived by Howard Crabtree and Mark Waldrop. Sketches and Lyrics by Mark Waldrop. Music by Dick Gallagher.- External links :**...
at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco. The Asian-American Manabat's casting as Trixie means that the character has actually had three ethnicities over the years. Manabat's Trixie retains all of the original elements of the character, but has, at Manabat's insistence, stopped wearing platinum blonde wigs and is more easily identifiable as Asian. Since joining the group, Manabat is responsible for musical arrangements, Trixie's inordinate glamour and soaring counter-tenor, as well as the entire group's hot couture. Manabat's "Trixie" is glamorous, and somewhat conceited, frequently referring to the other members of the group as "backup singers."
- Spencer Brown as "Trampolina" (October 2008 – Present)- the Kinsey Sicks are joined in October 2008 by Spencer Brown, a Kansas City-based actor and singer, already known for his drag character Daisy Bucket . His character, "Trampolina," is dim but sweet and sometimes slutty.
Former Members
- Abatto Avilez as "Begoña" (1993)- Though Avilez was present at the Bette Midler concert that led to the formation of the Sicks, and appeared with them at their first performance, he quickly dropped out of the group. Avilez died in 1995 and the song "Begoña's Song" was written to honor his memory and was frequently performed in concert by the Sicks.
- Jerry Friedman as "Vaselina" (1993–1999)- Friedman, former Director of Audiology at the San Francisco Hearing Center, was the son of a piano teacher. "Vaselina," said to have been born in a trailer, was trampy, sweet, and not particularly bright. Friedman, Avilez's life partner, died on May 17, 2002 in Omaha, Nebraska of lymphoma. Friedman has been memorialized by Ben Schatz's song "Jerry's Song," which the group has performed in various shows and also appears on the album "I Wanna Be a Republican."
- Maurice Kelly as "Trixie" (1993–2001)- Kelley, a former project manager for Levi Strauss Corp, created the role of "Trixie"and her original platinum blonde coiffure.
- Chris Dilley as "Trampolina" (1999-2007/2008)- Dilley, an actor-musician, joined the Sicks as understudy for Friedman's "Vaselina." Trampolina was originally referred to as Vaselina's illegitimate daughter, but those references were phased out after Dilley became Friedman's permanent replacement. Like Vaselina, Trampolina filled the "dumb and slutty" stereotype of the group. After joining the group full-time, Dilley became one of the principal arrangers of the group's music. Though he retired from the group in the summer of 2007, he came back to play "Trampolina" in the summer season of 2008, and filled in for Manabat as Trixie in spring 2011.
- Kevin Kirkwood as "Trixie" (2001–2003)- Kirkwood is a professional actor-singer-dancer who was understudy for Kelly and Dilley in "Dragapella!" and was then announced as Kelly's replacement for six months while Kelly took time off. After Kelly decided not to return to the group, Kirkwood remained in the role for an additional year. Kirkwood's version of Trixie was introduced as "[Trixie's] long-lost identical twin sister, Trixie" — a joke made funnier by the fact that Kirkwood is African American and Kelly is white. Aside from the racial differences, and the occasional "Trixie Houston" reference, Kirkwood's persona as "Trixie" was largely faithful to the character's original conception.
- Charles Romaine as "Trampolina" (2007–2008)- Romaine, a Los Angeles-based performer and graduate of New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, joined the group as Dilley's understudy and, in the year after Chris Dilley's August 2007 retirement from the group, played Trampolina.
Performances
In 2001 the Kinsey Sicks produced and starred off-BroadwayOff-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in the critically acclaimed DRAGAPELLA! Starring the Kinsey Sicks at New York's Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
. That production received a nomination for a Lucille Lortel
Lucille Lortel
Lucille Lortel was an American actress and theater producer who is remembered as the namesake of an off-Broadway playhouse and theatrical award....
award for Best Musical of 2001 and a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
nomination for Best Lyrics.
In 2006 the Kinsey Sicks performed an extended engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
. In addition, their first feature film, Kinsey Sicks: I Wanna Be a Republican, premiered at the 30th San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The documentary The Kinsey Sicks: Almost Infamous, covering the history of the group and their run at the Las Vegas Hilton was released in 2008.
The group has also appeared in such venues as the Herbst Theatre
Herbst Theatre
The Herbst Theatre is an auditorium in the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in Civic Center in San Francisco, United States. The 928-seat hall hosts programs as diverse as City Arts & Lectures, SF Jazz, and San Francisco Performances....
and New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco; Boston Center for the Arts and The Theater Offensive, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
; Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and Club Soda, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
; the Nordstrom Recital Hall and Triple Door Seattle; the Ogden Theatre, Denver; the Colony Theatre, South Beach
South Beach
South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States. It is the area south of Indian Creek and encompasses roughly the southernmost 23 blocks of the main barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.This area was the first...
; the Wheeler Opera Hall, Aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
; Studio 54, Caroline's on Broadway, and Gotham Comedy Club
Gotham Comedy Club
Gotham Comedy Club is a venue for stand-up comedy in New York City. The comedy club is located on 208 West 23rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea.Several movies and television shows have been filmed at the club...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and The Improv, Houston; Crown & Anchor and Town Hall, The Palm, Blue Chairs, and Club Manana, Provincetown. Their stage productions have included "The Balled Sopranos," "Motel Sicks: A Dragapella Summer Vacation," "Everything But the Kitsch 'n'Synch" and "GreatesTits," all of which premiered at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre Center. They are also frequently invited to perform at colleges; those performances are usually followed by a question-and-answer session with the group, out of costume.
The group began releasing music videos in 2010, starting with the oil-spill satire BP is Creepy, followed by the Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
parody Bedroom Ants, the TSA
TSA
TSA most often refers to:* Transportation Security Administration, in the United States Department of Homeland Security* Tourette Syndrome Association, advocacy organizationbut may also refer to:- Organizations :...
-mocking Rocky-Horror parody Touch-A Touch Me, TSA Security, and the holiday season sendup Twisted Christmas Parodies.
In 2012, The Kinsey Sicks will premiere a new show commissioned by the Washington DC's Theatre J called Electile Dysfunction: Kinsey Sicks for President using the tag line "Sometimes it's hard being Republican." Set to premiere February 2012.
Discography
- Dragapella!
- Boyz 2 Girlz
- Sicks in the City
- I Wanna Be a Republican
- Oy Vey in the Manger: Christmas Carols and Other Jewish Music
- Sicks! Sicks! Sicks! Full Frontal New Ditties (complete with "nude" photos)
- Each Hit & I (a pair of Kinsey Sicks Secret Decoder glasses comes with each physical copy, allowing users to receive secret messages from the Kinseys throughout the album)
- BP is Creepy (Single on iTunes)
- Bedrooms Ants (Single on iTunes)
All albums available on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....