SGN October 10, 2014 - Section 2

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Seattle Gay News

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Issue 41, Volume 42, October 10, 2014

Broadway in Chicago

by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer KINKY BOOTS, THE MUSICAL 5TH AVENUE THEATRE October 7-26

Kinky Boots creative team: Jerry Mitchell, Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper

by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer A year ago, Mary Lambert was basking in the international success of a pro-marriage ballad called “Same Love.” As the single’s featured vocalist, the Seattle native punctuated Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ supportive message for equality and the freedom to love whom we want. Now she’s stepping out on her own. Heart on My Sleeve

is the debut full-length recording by Lambert, who has temporarily relocated to Massachusetts to be with her girlfriend. It follows two EPs, 2012’s Letters Don’t Talk and 2013’s Welcome to the Age of My Body. The Cornish College grad will soon embark on a fall tour, and though a Seattle date is not included, Lambert is confident that more shows will be added, including one that will re-deliver her to her hometown. She is scheduled, however, to see Lambert page 5

see Kinky page 7

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer Opening with last night’s local premier of the highly anticipated documentary Back on Board: Greg Louganis, the 19th annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (SLGFF) has officially kicked into high gear. Running for 11 straight days with films playing at four different venues, including the recently reopened Egyptian Theatre, the festival is once again a solid mixture of narrative features, documentaries and shorts spanning the entire gamut of the LGBT spectrum. I had the opportunity to engage in a brief back-and-forth with incoming Festival Director Kathleen Mullen this past Tuesday, just two days before opening night festivities. We chatted about her taking over the position from longtime programmer Jason Plourde, now Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s Executive Director, the difficulties programming a festival such as this presents, as well as the state of LGBT cinema as a whole. Here are some of the highlights from that conversation.

audnews.com

Capitol Records

Mary Lambert

Cyndi Lauper is perhaps one of the most iconic performers of the 1980s. She has set records with her recordings of pop hits, ballads and Broadway. She’s won Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards and set a new record for being the only solo composer to win a Tony Award for Best Score for a Musical, Kinky Boots. As the thigh-high, red, “two-feet of tubular sex” marches into Seattle, this incredible performer and tireless activist talks about her background, her activism and a few things not commonly known. Eric Andrews-Katz: Who were your earliest influences?

Cyndi Lauper: When I was really, really little, like five, I was influenced by my mom’s records – Broadway cast recordings like South Pacific… that’s actually how I learned to sing. I was Ezio Pinza, then I’d be Mary Martin. And I loved Bloody Mary. So those were the first records I heard, and they did have a big influence on me. The first records I bought were Beatles and Supremes and as a teenager I fell in love with Rock ‘n Roll through Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones and through them I learned about the Blues. So my influences were pretty broad and still today I learn a lot from the discovery of great records. Andrews-Katz: Growing up you’ve said you heard the songs of Edith Piaf, Eddie Cantor, and Fats Waller among others. What was it about these artists that influenced your own music?

Kathleen Mullen

Sara Michelle Fetters: Congrats on taking over as Festival Director for this year’s SLGFF. You have some pretty big shoes to fill. Nervous? Kathleen Mullen: Thank you, I am happy to be here. It has been so exciting to be part of the very dynamic Three Dollar Bill Cinema team. Being Festival Director for SLGFF, and getting to watch a bunch of awesome LGBTQ films, and then creating a program out of them for all to

enjoy is what I most love to do, so this Festival is a perfect fit for my passion and my experience. Sara Michelle Fetters: What made you seek out this position? What excited you about Three Dollar Bill Cinema and the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Fest? Kathleen Mullen: I have followed the Seattle Lesbian & Gay see SLGFF page 5


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