SGN November 25, 2011 - Section 3 - Holiday

Seattle Gay News

Issue 47, Volume 39, November 25, 2011

Holiday travel & gift guide

Ji Ji Lee

Fellows Building (915 E. Pine St.), promises to be glitzier, glammier, and Gayer than ever before!

The show’s co-creator, BenHomo for the Holidays, the annual holiday show by DeLouRue DeLaCreme, said Homo for the Presents at West Hall in the Odd- Holidays is a “seasonal smorgasby Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

bord that, for the last three years, has been offering up heapin’ helpin’s of Queer cheer!”

“Why should people come see it?” she asked. “Because they like fun! And Gay people! Or they are

fun and/or Gay!” Last spring, Kitten LaRue There’s no doubt that Homo for (producer of the Atomic Bombthe Holidays has become a holiday shells), Lou Henry Hoover (of tradition in Seattle, and this year’s Dance Belt USA and The Cherproduction boasts some very excitsee delacreme page 22 ing developments.

Holiday Joy To Go! Saturday, December 10 at 7:00 pm Ballard First Lutheran Church , 2006 NW 65th St www.marketstreetsingers.org

y n : n o u g S a n D i ea r m S e it’s w s u a c e B

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor There’s one important reason enough for you to book a ticket for San Diego, California this holiday season: It’s warm.

They don’t call it “sunny” Southern California for nothing. Case in point: As I write this, the National Weather Center reports Seattle at a chilly (and wet) 44 degrees, while San Diego is at a comfortable (and clear) 64 degrees. While it may not be Gay Town, USA, San Diegans have matured by leaps and bounds in terms of their acceptance of the LGBT community, boasting an ever-growing Gayborhood called Hillcrest. For some fun in the winter sun, San Diego is where it’s at.

Getting there is easy. Most of the major airlines offer daily direct flights from SeaTac to San Diego International Airport.

It’s inexpensive, too, costing travelers around $300 or less for a round-trip ticket.

In a little over two hours time, you can bask in the California sun, leaving your winter worries behind for a quick weekend or holiday getaway.

Just how great is San Diego weather? In a poll conducted by About.com for Travel California, nearly 5,000 respondents from all over the U.S. said they’d like to go to San Diego in the winter. In the month of December, San Diego receives just 1.36 inches of rain and a whopping 73% sunshine. The average temperature is 66 degrees so you won’t need a heavy winter

coat; long-sleeved shirts and sweaters work best.

Finding a hotel in downtown San Diego has never been easier. If you are looking for the new and hip, Andaz San Diego has got you covered. A boldly progressive addition to the city’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, Andaz’s sleek style and fresh attitude make this chic new destination nothing short of amazing in the face of other downtown San Diego hotels.

As soon as you walk into the lounge for check-in, your Andaz host offers you a complimentary welcome beverage. From that moment on you are free to let the stress melt away as the staff at the stylish hotel take care of everything.

The hotel boasts 159 ultra-modern guestrooms and suites that are studies of style and sensuality. Each room is dressed in rich textures, warm woods, and daring architectural elements, creating high-design sanctuaries of cosmopolitan comfort. Luxuriate in the fashionable indulgence of platform beds, glass-enclosed bathrooms, and flatscreen TVs, details which make Andaz San Diego the most alluring of San Diego Gaslamp District hotels.

For the wayward traveler looking to party, Andaz is your hotel. For a more relaxing experience, cozy into the hotel’s Ivy Wine Bar, which features 88 wines by the glass poured from innovative WineStations. Or take a journey around the world of wines at new wine tasting and pairing events, including the Five-for-Five promotion highlighting five wines for $5 on select days.

Andaz boasts its very own

nightclub where the welcoming staff provides you personalized services that could include special table appearances from the Lipstik Inc. dancers or arranging for one of the seductive dancers to bring a designated guest on stage to share in the spotlight. Capture the fun and excitement of the night with friends in the nightclub’s photo booth and enjoy the privacy of a VIP table with new custom packages.

The fun isn’t just contained inside at Andaz. The Ivy rooftop night club features San Diego’s largest rooftop where guests can listen to the beats of guest DJs while lounging in a private cabana and taking in the panoramic views of the downtown skyline.

Although San Diego has a plethora of eateries – ranging from classic fish taco restaurants to the more upscale – the Andaz hotel’s Quarter Kitchen is the perfect balance between the upscale and the reasonable.

Innovative, daring, and always delicious, Quarter Kitchen gives American cuisine a sunny SoCal spin.

Andaz San Diego is located right in the heart of the city’s oldest district, the historic Gaslamp Quarter. This approximately 16-block area of downtown San Diego is where the city began, and you can see some original 1880s flavor mixed amid modern shopping, dining, and nightlife. The Hillcrest neighborhood (where most of the city’s Gay bars and clubs are located) is a $12 cab ride from the hotel. It is worth checking out Urban Mo’s, Baja Betty’s, and Numbers, but the truth is, in San Diego, Gay is in. The Gaslamp Quarter is the place to go if you are looking for the city’s hottest bartenders, best karaoke, and a fun and friendly atmosphere.

K nown as

2

Seattle Gay News

November 25, 2011

file photo

San Diego, California

“America’s Finest City,” San Diego offers a wide array of things to see and do for visitors of all ages. Old Town Trolley Tours can show you more of California’s second largest city, where blue skies, exciting attractions, and 70 miles of beaches come together to create a vacationer’s paradise. For over 20 years, Old Town Trolley Tours has provided sightseeing tours highlighting the best San Diego attractions. Using Old Town Trolley will allow you to avoid costly parking and city driving while exploring at your own pace as you hop on and off at your favorite stops. Old Town Trolley is the best way to see San Diego if you’re visiting for the first time.

If you are a museum aficionado or U.S. Navy buff, you’ll love touring the USS Midway Museum. Visitors enter a floating city at sea and walk in the footsteps of 225,000 Midway sailors who served our country and upheld the American ideals of strength, freedom, and peace. Guests can spend the day exploring more than 60 exhibits with a collection of 25 restored aircraft. The self-guided audio tour, narrated by Midway sailors, brings the carrier’s history to life. Those who dare can “take to the sky” aboard one of three flight simulators. It’s a lot of fun and, considering that San Diego is a Navy town, you’ll feel right at home aboard ship.

The best part of San Diego? The laidback attitude. No one is in a hurry (except maybe to get to the beach!) and as one of America’s most popular tour destinations, the locals know how to treat an out-oftown guest right. If you get tired of the cold and want a quick trip over the weekend, San Diego is the answer to your blue Christmas. Ditch your umbrella for a pair of sunglasses and head south.

Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News

3

SGN Holiday EventS guide compiled by Rick McKinnon SGN Staff Writer

ARTS & CRAFTS “Above the Fray: Traditional Hilltribe Art” - 11/25-11/27, 10am-5pm. Handwoven silks and traditional art and wares by Laotian and Vietnamese hilltribe artists. “Authentic and exquisite ... a unique family-owned cultural exhibit and sale.” The Mountaineers, Goodman Hall, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, just north of Magnuson Park.

The display is free and open to the public with donations suggested. These gingerbread creations are a delight to look at and will be on display through 1/1.

MACY’S HOLIDAY PARADE & STAR LIGHTING; WESTLAKE CENTER’S XMAS TREE LIGHTING

11/25, 8:45am parade; 5pm Macy’s Holiday Star Lighting and Westlake Center’s Tree Lighting Ceremony with fireworks display.

The Macy’s Holiday Parade will feature more than 20 floats, local school marching bands, community drill teams and over 600 costumed characters, with Santa arriving in a brand new sleigh. The parade starts at 7th Ave & Pine St., travels west on Pine St to 5th Ave, south on 5th Ave to University St, west on University St to 4th Ave, north on 4th Ave to Pine St where Santa will take his holiday post at Macy’s Santaland.

Macy’s Holiday Star Lighting and Westlake Center’s Tree Lighting Ceremony with fireworks display will be held at 4th Ave & Pine St.

“Arboretum Foundation’s Gifts & Greens Galore” - 12/9, 3-7pm & 12/10, 10am-2pm.

Come in out of the cold and attend the Arboretum’s annual holiday sale. Peruse a delightful selection of botanical decoratons and nature-inspired gifts, including decorated and ready-to-decorate wreaths, swags and garlands.

Washington Park Arboretum’s Graham Visitors Center, 2300 PIKE PLACE MARKET Arboretum Dr E. 206-325-4510; “Magic in the Market” - 11/26, 1-5pm. www.arboretumfoundation.org.

Pike Place Market, 1st Ave & Pike St, becomes a winter wonderland when the Mar“Seward Park Clay Studio ket’s large holiday tree and thousands of Holiday Sale” - Opening Night lights on the Market’s buildings are turned Preview Party 12/2, 6:30-9:30pm; on at 5pm. Celebrate the start of the holiday sale and show continues 12/3- season. Santa will appear under the Mar12/24, Mon-Fri noon-6pm, Sat- ket clock in front of the Market’s vintage Sun 10am-7pm. On opening night farmtruck from 1-5pm. Take your own holiget the first pick of the pots and day photo at this picturesque spot. Along enjoy hobnobbing with the artists. with the sounds of the Market’s own buskDelightful refreshments, festive ers, enjoy The Dickens Carolers in the middecorations, and great company; afternoon as they stroll through the market what could be more fun? $10 sug- in their Victorian attire. They will perform gested donation for opening night; under the Market clock at 4:30pm before the free admission for regular sale lights are turned on at 5pm. days. Seward Park Clay Studio, 5900 Lake Washington Blvd S. ARGOSY www.sewardparkart.org “South Park Arts’ Art Under $100 Sale” - 12/3, 3-10pm. South Park artists will knock your socks off with original, edgy works not seen at a typical holiday sale.

What’s more, everything is affordable, with nothing priced over $100. The event will showcase a diverse array of art including painting, photography, sculpture, neon, jewelry, ceramics, glass, letterpress, and more. South Park Community Center, 8319 8th Ave S. www.southparkarts.org.

“Phinney Neighborhood Center 31st Annual Winter Festival and Crafts Fair” - 12/3 & 12/4, 10am-5pm. 115 artists and two stages of entertainment. Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave N. 206-783-2244; www.phinneycenter.org. (See website for list of participating artists and entertainment schedule.)

GINGERBREAD HOLIDAY EXPRESS

Sheraton Seattle Hotel, 6th Ave & Pike St, presents their 19th Annual Gingerbread Village, a benefit for the Northwest Chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Seattle’s top architectural firms will team up with Sheraton Seattle’s culinary staff to design, bake and build elaborate gingerbread displays and holiday creations reflecting this year’s theme.

4

Seattle Gay News

CHRISTMAS SHIP FESTIVAL

The Argosy Christmas Ship festival is a holiday celebration that has been a Northwest tradition for 62 years. Its main purpose is to bring communities together to celebrate the holiday season. From their flotilla of ships to the crowds of people who gather onshore, this celebration is one of the gems of the holiday season.

Each night, from 11/26-12/23, the Argosy Christmas Ship sails to different Puget Sound waterfront communities, over 45 in total. Choirs onboard sing 20-minute performances to those communities, all broadcast via a state-of-the-art speaker system.

On shore, thousands of people gather around roaring bonfires anticipating the arrival of the Christmas Ship. You can either join the festivities on board the Christmas Ship or one of the parade ships that follow, or join with friends and neighbors to gather together for your own caroling tradition. If you own your own boat, feel welcome to add lights to your vessel and join in the festival and help form the largest holiday floating parade in the world!

In addition to good cheer, family and friends, a portion of all ticket sales benefit The Seattle Time Fund for the Needy, an annual program that raises money for several charitable organizations in the Puget Sound area.

For a complete schedule of sailings and to book a ticket on the Christmas Ship, visit www.argosycruises.com or call 206-6231445.

November 25, 2011

GREAT FIGGY PUDDING STREET CORNER CAROLING CONTEST XXIII

are needed. For more information, contact Carl Bergquist at 206-6840780 or email carl.bergquist@se12/2, 5-8:30pm. The Great Figgy Pud- attle.gov. ding Street Corner Caroling Competition SEATTLE CENTER is a fundraiser for the Pike Market Senior WINTERFEST Center & Downtown Food Bank. Attracting 11/25-12/31. Connect to the nearly 10,000 people every year, it is Seattle’s most heart-warming holiday tradition. sights, sounds and spirit of the With 1,000 carolers and forty-plus caroling season at Seattle Center Winterteams competing in this zany competition, fest with five weeks of FREE and you will see everything from dancing law- affordable fun-filled activities yers to costumed co-workers to Von Trapp- and entertainment presented by like families. Prizes are awarded in several KOMO 4 TV. Visit Center House categories, including: collecting the most dressed up in its winter finest or donations, best choral performance, most explore the enchanting Winter creative team and People’s Choice. The Train and Village. The Ice Rink competition will be held along Pine St be- returns, along with ice sculpttween 3rd Ave and 7th Ave and at Westlake ing, student showcases and more.

On Saturday, 11/26 at 12:30pm, Center.

EVENT SCHEDULE: 5-6pm, Pre-Com- cast members of Black Nativity petition Entertainment at the main stage and the Total Experience Gospel includes cast members from the 5th Avenue Choir present a rousing gospel Theatre’s Cinderella; 6-7:15pm, Caroling songfest under the direction of the Team Competition – listen to the caroling Gospel Queen herself, the majesteams along Pine St and at Westlake Cen- tic Pastor Patrinell Wright. The ter and vote for your favorite team; 7:15- ensemble sings, shouts, soars and 7:30pm, Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline; stomps with the sounds of gospel, 7:30-8:30pm, Caroling Competition Finals opera, jazz and blues. On Sunday, & awards presentation at the mainstage. All 11/27 at 12:30pm, the acclaimed donations benefit the Pike Market Senior Garfield High School Jazz Band presents a program of seasonal Center and Downtown Food Bank. sounds under the direction of the great Clarence Acox. Seattle CenVOLUNTEER PARK ter Winterfest is part of Holidays CONSERVATORY in the City, and is sponsored by LIGHTING CEREMONY & the City of Seattle, Seattle Center HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE Foundation, and KOMO 4 TV. 12/2, 5-8pm. To commemorate the 2012 Visit www.seattlecenter.com/wincentennial anniversary of the Volunteer terfest for complete details and Park Conservatory, the Friends of the Conschedule. servatory have sponsored the installation of energy-efficient lighting, which will frame MUSIC the Conservatory and remain installed through 2012. At 5pm the Conservatory November 26 decorative lights will be turned on, followed by a Holiday Open House. Stop by for some “Cool Yule - The Big Band refreshments, enjoy the Conservatory’s plant Theory - Seattle Men’s Chorus displays, do some holiday shopping, and lisHoliday Concert - with special ten to the soothing sounds of live harp music guest Megan Hilty on 11/26 & performed by Bill McJohn. www.volunteer11/27 only” Big Band music parkconservatory.org. meets the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory for a concert of toeFREMONT tapping musical pyrotechnics.

LENIN LIGHTING This year a live swing band, com& ART WALK plete with brass and saxophones 12/2, 5pm-9pm. Celebrate the lighting will complement a program filled of Fremont’s Lenin statue at Red Triangle, with holiday favorites like “Let It Evanston Ave N & N 36th St. Santa arrives Snow,” “Walkin’ In A Winter Wonin Fremont and helps light the statue along derland,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Have with the help of many elves. A local band Yourself a Merry Little Christwill provide live music. Peet’s Coffee & Tea, mas,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Silent Mighty-O Donuts and Pie will provide re- Night.” At the same time, hilarious freshments. An old-fashioned Christmas fun is in store as the show features Carol sing along follows with hand decorat- the four exceedingly nerdy sciened song sheets provided by Our Beginning tists from The Big Bang Theory Day Care. Fremont First Friday Art Walk and their hilarious attempts to inruns from 6-9pm. teract with the real world. The four characters are fond of superheGREEN LAKE roes, Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor PATHWAY OF LIGHTS Who, Dungeons and Dragons, and 12/10, 5-8pm. Join thousands of fami- (in the SMC version) bursting into lies, friends, and neighbors in this beloved song. Four very talented Chorus Seattle tradition and travel the 2.8 mile path members have been cast to take up around the lake, taking in the warm glow their scientific mantle of comedic of the luminaria. People are encouraged to nerdery. Their job in “Cool Yule” bring their own lights and candles to add to is to determine exactly why holithe ambiance. Local musicians will perform days are so magical. This results at four sites around the lake: the Green Lake in numerous misfires until they Community Center on the east side, the finally - quite by accident - land Green Lake Small Craft Center (the Aqua on a winning equation. 11/26 at Theater) on the south side, the Bathhouse 8pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & Theater (Seattle Public Theater) on the north University St. Tickets: $27-$77. side, and the arch on the east of side of the 206-388-1400; www.flyinghouse. community center/pool. Warm drinks and org. (NOTE: SMC is partnering treats will be available at those locations, as with Hopelink and sponsoring a will donation bins for non-perishable food holiday food drive. Donations of items for Northwest Harvest. Volunteers are non-perishable food items will be need to help place and light the thousands accepted at the Hopelink table in of luminaria and to clean up after the event. the outer lobby at Benaroya Hall Individuals, businesses, community orga- one hour prior to all holiday connizations, and school and scout groups are certs.) welcome to participate. Set up takes place from 3:30-5pm, and the lighting of the candles takes place at 5pm,. Clean-up is from 8-9pm. Musicians, volunteers and partners

Celebrating 38 Years!

November 27 “Cool Yule - The Big Band Theory - Seattle Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert - with special guest Megan Hilty on 11/26 & 11/27 only” - 11/27 at 2pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & University St. Tickets: $27-$77. 206-3881400; www.flyinghouse.org. (See 11/26 listing for details.)

December 3 “A Cathedral Christmas” Seattle Choral Company’s festive holiday concert will feature two extended choral works. A Festival of Carols by Frank Ferko is written for mixed chorus and harp and is based on five Christmas carol texts written by 19th century American poets and hymn writers.

Advent Antiphons by Bob Chilcott is an exquisite concert setting of the Great O Antiphons, which comprise seven brief prayers traditionally chanted or sung between December 17 and 23. The Antiphons proceed in sequence, charting events from before Creation through the Birth of Christ.

Chilcott’s masterful writing for double choir contains echoes of plainchant and richly expressive harmonies. Completing the program will be numerous carols of the season composed or arranged by distinguished American choral composers Eric William Barnum, Jackson Berkey, Abbie Betinis, Bern Herbolsheimer, and Steven Sametz. 12/3 at 2pm. Bastyr University Chapel, 14500 Juanita Drive, Kenmore. Tickets: $10-$27.

1-800-838-3006; www.seattlechoralcompany.org. Pre-concert presentation at 1pm with carol singalong at 1:30pm.

“A Celtic Carol - Rainbow City Band’s Celtic-Inspired Holiday Concert” - Rainbow City Band takes you on a journey to the Emerald Isle with music that will make your heart sing and your spirit soar, including the “The Wexford Carol” and Robert W. Smith’s modern masterpiece “Ireland of Legend and Lore.” 12/3 at 7pm. Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N., Edmonds.

Tickets: $20. www.rainbowcityband.com.

“Duke Ellington’s Jazz Nutcracker” - Swing into the holiday season wtih Duke Ellington’s and Billy Strayhorn’s fun and festive “Jazz Nutcracker,” a fanciful take on the music of Tchaikovsky, with additional nutcracking arrangements by Essentially Ellington transcriber, David Berger. Performed by the award-winning Roosevelt High School Jazz Band, this event is toot sweet and a great way to kick off the holiday season.

Enjoy delicious homemade treats at intermission. 12/3 at 7:30pm.

Roosevelt High School Performing Arts Theatre, 1410 NE 66th St. Tickets: $12-$15. Send an email to tickets@rooseveltjazz.org with your name, phone number, and the number of tickets for each date that you want to attend, or call 206-5232192. They will call you to confirm and arrange payment. Checks and credit cards accepted. If not sold out, tickets will also be available at the door. www.rooseveltjazz.org.

(Also 12/4 at 2pm.)

“Cool Yule - The Big Band Theory - feature two extended choral works. A FesSeattle Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert” tival of Carols by Frank Ferko is written - 12/3 at 8pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & for mixed chorus and harp and is based on University St. Tickets: $27-$77. 206-388- five Christmas carol texts written by 19th 1400; www.flyinghouse.org. (See 11/26 list- century American poets and hymn writers. ing for details.)

Advent Antiphons by Bob Chilcott is an exquisite concert setting of the Great O Anti“Veni Emmanuel: Tudor Music for phons, which comprise seven brief prayers Christmas and Advent” - Stile Antico, the traditionally chanted or sung between DeGrammy-nominated vocal ensemble from cember 17 and 23. The Antiphons proceed in England, rings in the holiday season with a sequence, charting events from before Creprogram centered on Thomas Tallis’s mag- ation through the Birth of Christ. Chilcott’s nificent seven-part masa, first performed masterful writing for double choir contains in December 1554 by the combined choirs echoes of plainchant and richly expressive of the Spanish and English Chapels Royal. harmonies. Completing the program will Stile Antico is known for their passionate be numerous carols of the season composed performances of impeccable intonation and or arranged by distinguished American clarity. 12/3 at 8pm. Saint James Cathedral, choral composers Eric William Barnum, 804 9th Ave. Tickets $40, $35 seniors, $25 Jackson Berkey, Abbie Betinis, Bern Herside sections, $15 youth under 25. 206-325- bolsheimer, and Steven Sametz. 12/10 at 7066; www.earlymusicguild.org.

2pm. St. Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. E. Tickets: $10-$27. 1-800-838-3006; www.

December 4 seattlechoralcompany.org. Pre-concert presentation at 1pm with carol sing-along at “Duke Ellington’s Jazz Nutcracker” 1:30pm. (Also 12/9 at 8pm.)

- 12/4 at 2pm. Roosevelt High School Performing Arts Theatre, 1410 NE 66th St. “Seattle Mandolin Orchestra’s AnTickets: $12-$15. (See 12/3 listing for de- nual Holiday Concert” - Enjoy Christmas tails.) and Hanukkah favorites from around the world with an audience sing-along to add to “A Rose in Winter - In Praise of Mary the festivities. 12/10 from 2-3pm. Ballard and the Christmas Season” - Northwest Branch Library, 5614 22nd Ave NW. TickChamber Chorus performs music in praise ets: FREE. www.seattlemandolin.org. of Mary, including Arvo Part’s radiant Magnificat, and Benjamin Britten’s evocative “Holiday Joy To Go!” - The Market Rosa Mystica, as well as motets by Guil- Street Singers invite you to a performance laume Dufay, Josquin des Pres, and Morten of holiday joy, winter reflections, and some Lauridsen. The Chorus will also celebrate wicked seasonal comedy. This unconventhe spirit of the season with music by John tional community choir plans to leave no Tavener, Eric Whitacre, Johannes Brahms, aspect of the season unturned. After the and Moses Hogan. 12/4 at 3pm. Plymouth concert you’ll find them caroling around Congregational United Church of Christ, downtown Ballard during the Ballard Art 1218 6th Ave. Tickets: $12-$22. www. Walk. 12/10 at 7pm. Ballard First Lutheran brownpapertickets/com/event/192779. Church, 2006 NW 65th St. Tickets: FREE, www.northwestchamberchorus.org. donations gratefully accepted. www.marketstreetsingers.org; www.myballard.com/ December 7 ballard-artwalk.

“CarolFest” - The University of Wash- “A Rose in Winter - In Praise of Mary ington School of Music’s choral groups, and the Christmas Season” - Northwest The Chamber Singers, University Chorale, Chamber Chorus performs music in praise University Singers, Women’s Choir, Gospel of Mary, including Arvo Part’s radiant MagChoir and UW Men’s Glee Club, perform nificat, and Benjamin Britten’s evocative carols and seasonal music from around the Rosa Mystica, as well as motets by Guilworld. 12/7 at 7:30pm. Meany Theatre, just laume Dufay, Josquin des Pres, and Morten east of the Henry Art Gallery, 15th Ave NE Lauridsen. The Chorus will also celebrate & NE Campus Parkway. Tickets: $10-$15. the spirit of the season with music by John 206-543-4880; www.music.washington. Tavener, Eric Whitacre, Johannes Brahms, edu. and Moses Hogan. 12/10 at 7:30pm. Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, 7500 Greenwood Ave N. Tickets: $12-$22. www.brownDecember 9 papertickets/com/event/192790. www.

“Free Holiday Community Concert: northwestchamberchorus.org.

Breath of Aire” - With its spectacular acoustics and elegance, the Bastyr Univer- “A World of Song” - The glorious sounds sity Chapel provides the perfect seasonal of Christmas echo across the centuries in ambiance for this annual Bastyr tradition. this program of holiday masterworks. BelAs a gift to the community, President and levue Chamber Chorus performs magnifiMrs. Dan Church offer this free special holi- cent music from the Renaissance (Gabrieli’s day musical celebration, welcoming friends Hodie Christus natus est for double chorus) and families of Bastyr University as well as and Baroque (Pachelbel’s Magnificat in D, neighbors and community guests. Breath of and Christmas chorales of J.S. Bach), splenAire, an inspirational Northwest regional did gems from 19th and 20th century maschoir led by Dr. J. Bayard DuBois, will fill ters Mendelssohn, Holst, and Poulenc, and the chapel with holiday and seasonal favor- marvelous contemporary pieces by Morten ites appealing to families of all faiths and Lauridsen, Kevin Siegfried, Will Todd, and backgrounds. The 100-member community more. Celebrate the season with music for choir provides opportunities for individuals the ages! 12/10 at 7:30pm. Bothell United to sing sacred music as well as classical and Methodist Church, 18515 92nd Ave NE, lighter fare. 12/9 at 7pm. Bastyr Univer- Bothell. Tickets: $9-$18. 425-881-0445; sity Chapel, 14500 Juanita Drive, Kenmore. www.bellevuechamberchorus.net.

Tickets: FREE. www.breathofaire.org, www.bastyr.edu, www.bastyrcenter.org.

“Celtic Christmas - Music from Ireland, Scotland and Wales” - Experience the joy“A Cathedral Christmas” - 12/9 at ous sounds of traditional Celtic choral mu8pm. St. Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. sic for the Christmas season, as well as new E. Tickets: $10-$27. 1-800-838-3006; www. music by composers from Ireland, Wales seattlechoralcompany.org. Pre-concert pre- and Scotland at Seattle Pro Musica’s fessentation at 7pm with carol sing-along at tive holiday concert. The evening includes 7:30pm. (See 12/3 or 12/10 listing for de- their traditional candlelight processional tails.) and works performed in Welsh, Gaelic, and English. 12/10 at 7:30pm. Town Hall, 8th December 10 Ave. & Seneca St. Tickets: $12-$32. 1-800838-3006; www.brownpapertickets.com/ “A Cathedral Christmas” - Seattle Cho- event/181615; www.seattlepromusica.org. ral Company’s festive holiday concert will Pre-concert lecture at 6:30pm.

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

“Admirable - Anticipating the Wonder of Antiphony At Advent” - The Esoterics present a spectacular concert of the seven Advent antiphons. Normally performed at Vespers, one for each day in the week before Christmas, the seven “O antiphons” are based on seven different monikers for Christ found in the Bible. The Esoterics will present three different sets of these O antiphons - in three different languages, by three different composers - Sieben Magnificat Antiphonen (in German) by the mystical Estonian composer Arvo Part, Antiphonae (in Latin) by the celebrated Polish composer Pawel Lukaszewski, and The great O antiphons (in English) by Seattle’s own John Muehleisen. The concert will begin with the combined chorus of 60 voices singing Part’s ethereal Magnificat. 12/10 at 8pm. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 732 18th Ave E. Tickets: $15-$18. www.theesoterics.org.

December 11 “A World of Song” - The glorious sounds of Christmas echo across the centuries in this program of holiday masterworks. Bellevue Chamber Chorus performs magnificent music from the Renaissance (Gabrieli’s Hodie Christus natus est for double chorus) and Baroque (Pachelbel’s Magnificat in D, and Christmas chorales of J.S. Bach), splendid gems from 19th and 20th century masters Mendelssohn, Holst, and Poulenc, and marvelous contemporary pieces by Morten Lauridsen, Kevin Siegfried, Will Todd, and more. Celebrate the season with music for the ages! 12/11 at 2pm.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 8398 NE 12th St, Medina. Tickets: $9-$18. 425-881-0445; www.bellevuechamberchorus.net.

“Admirable - Anticipating the Wonder of Antiphony At Advent” - The Esoterics present a spectacular concert of the seven Advent antiphons. Normally performed at Vespers, one for each day in the week before Christmas, the seven “O antiphons” are based on seven different monikers for Christ found in the Bible. The Esoterics will present three different sets of these O antiphons - in three different languages, by three different composers - Sieben Magnificat Antiphonen (in German) by the mystical Estonian composer Arvo Part, Antiphonae (in Latin) by the celebrated Polish composer Pawel Lukaszewski, and The great O antiphons (in English) by Seattle’s own John Muehleisen. The concert will begin with the combined chorus of 60 voices singing Part’s ethereal Magnificat. 12/11 at 2pm. Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 4139 42nd Ave SW. Tickets: $15-$18. www.theesoterics. org.

“Cool Yule - The Big Band Theory - Seattle Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert” - 12/11 at 7:30pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & University St. Tickets: $27-$77.

206-388-1400; www.flyinghouse. org. (See 11/26 listing for details.)

“Cris Williamson & Friends” - Decades before indie labels were the norm, and years before women had any real access in the industry, see eventS guide page 20

Seattle Gay News

5

Maui: The best place to chill in Hawaii

by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer

Hawaii is addictive. Those who’ve been there can’t get enough of it. With warm temperatures year-round, ideal tropical settings, rich history and culture, distinctive cuisine, and laid-back vibe, it’s the perfect place to defrost and rejuvenate in the wintertime. And if you’ve been to Oahu already and desire a more authentic experience, set your sights on Maui.

The second-largest Hawaiian island, Maui is a majestic portrait of lush peaks and valleys, sprawling sugarcane fields, sleepy farm communities, and world-renowned beaches. “The Valley Isle,” just north of the Big Island, boasts two major resort areas – Wailea and Kaanapali – yet Maui is perhaps most recognized for its towering dormant volcano, Haleakala.

There’s also Up Country, a vast area of lavender plantations, the hippie town of Paia, rainforests in the West Maui Mountains, a famous windsurfing beach, and the rustic town of Hana, which offers the best sunrises ever. Alaska (www.alaskaair.com) and Hawaiian Airlines (www. hawaiianair.com) offer nonstop flights between Seattle and Kahului, but quick connections through Honolulu and Los Angeles are also available. While most visitors rent cars immediately upon landing on Maui, you can access some parts of this beautiful island by shuttle, taxi, and public transportation (see my “footnotes” below). Start your trip by visiting www.visitmaui.com. Here’s how I suggest spending a week on the Valley Isle.

FIRST STOP: KAHULUI / WAILUKU Maui’s principal airport is in Kahului, a small city with its share of chain retail stores, fast-food restaurants, and movie theaters. Most vacationers skip it altogether and head directly to the resort areas, but I recommend a 10-minute drive and overnight pit stop in the charming town of Wailuku. With a mere 15,000 residents and plenty of true Hawaiian hospitality – or “aloha spirit” – Wailuku is a smooth introduction to the easygoing Maui lifestyle.

STAY The Old Wailuku Inn at Ulupono (www.mauiinn.com) is a 10-room bedand-breakfast footsteps away from the town’s school, church, library, government offices, and cafés that line the few streets of its core. Hawaiian natives Tom and Janice Fairbanks, the B&B’s owners, will either welcome you personally to their home-away-from-home or leave detailed instructions in the mailbox outside the front door. Each of the Inn’s rooms is uniquely themed with a different layout and decor, and amenities may vary slightly. My room was on the ground floor of the main house – the Vagabond House is next door – and it included a Jacuzzi tub/shower, flatscreen TV, large bed with hand-embroidered duvet, chest

of drawers, private bathroom, antique work desk, and a closet with umbrella, flip-flops, and other just-in-case items for my stay.

Outdoors, the property has a patio and garden for guests who want fresh air with their morning coffee and newspaper. But the fondest memory you’ll savor of the Old Wailuku Inn is the homecooked breakfast

by Mrs. Fairbanks – macadamia nut pancakes, veggie frittatas, and fresh-baked cinnamon rolls are prepared with love and are simply ono (Hawaiian for “delicious”).

The B&B also features a living room, 24hour complimentary soft drinks, and beach accessories, should you decide to make the 20-minute trek to nearby Kihei.

EAT When in Wailuku, an absolute must is dinner at AK’s Cafe (www.akscafe.com) – that is, if you can find it. This off-the-beatenpath hole in the wall is known for its local favorites in a no-frills environment. Chef Elaine Rothermel, who at times dons a hamburger- or hot-dog-shaped hat, takes a simple approach to her “Recession Is Not Over” menu – she takes basic dishes that we know and crave, then adds her personal touch, resulting in food that is flavorful and healthy.

The Caesar salad with blackened ono (white fish) and creamy dressing is memorable, as are several of her “pupus” (appetizers) like parmesan garlic waffle fries, chicken wings, coconut shrimp, and crab cakes with papaya beurre blanc. Leave tummy space for homemade sweets, such as the sinful Kona mud ice cream pie. All entrees, sides, and desserts are under $17.

For lighter fare and a cup of Maui-grown coffee, try Wailuku Coffee Company (www.facebook.com/pages/Wailuku-Coffee-Company), a cozy cafe with sandwiches, salads, pastries, and an array of local newspapers. Another suggestion is Maui Bake Shop & Deli (www.facebook.com/ mauibakeshop) for breakfast or lunch. And, should you want to fit in with Mauians (who have a thing for Mexican food), walk up to the counter of Amigos Express (www.amigosexpressmaui.com) for tacos, burritos, tamales, and daily specials, all written on a surf board, of course.

DO “First Fridays” are a big deal in Wailuku, as residents – many of them artists of some sort – come together monthly for a street fair and party. The event includes live music, food booths, beer gardens, and door prizes. If you need exercise, go on a selfguided “Rediscover Wailuku” walking tour that pinpoints historical and cultural places of interest, this being Maui’s county seat of government and a former sugar cane industry hub.

Footnote: A shuttle ride from Kahului Airport to Wailuku is 10 minutes and $22 (one way), and suggested is VIP Trans Maui (www.viptransmaui.com). Book in advance and they’ll kindly meet you at baggage claim. Maui Bus provides an inexpensive

($1 one way) option for getting to other parts of the island, including Up Country, Paia, Haiku, and West Side beach resorts.

Visit www.co.maui.hi.us for a complete schedule.

NEXT STOP: HANA / KIPAHULU Hana is old-school Hawaii. With two general stores, a tiny post office (where actor Woody Harrelson gets his mail), one major resort, and a couple of restaurants, this rustic town on the island’s southeastern tip is uncluttered, unspoiled, and overlooked by tourists – even one of the state’s best beaches, Hamoa, appears deserted when the surfers go home. Hana is not entirely a secret; Oprah Winfrey owns a strip of undeveloped waterfront land, and in the nearby farm community of Kipahulu, celebrities from Harrelson to Kris Kristofferson have primary residences. Jim Nabors (The Andy Griffith Show) has a house in the outskirts of Hana, as did the late George Harrison. Getting here from Kahului requires a zig-zaggy trek on a steep mountain road, famously coined the “Road to Hana.” The journey itself is worth the adventure.

STAY The lone resort in Hana is a beauty. Recent accolades, such as being rated Hawaii’s #1 Hotel by Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards Poll and #8 on Travel + Leisure’s list of “500 World’s Best Hotels 2011,” puts Travaasa Hana (www.travaasa. com/hana) in a league of its own. Laid out on oceanfront acreage, the property includes 47 plantation-style sea ranch cottages and 23 bungalow garden view suites, plus an on-site spa, tennis courts, swimming pools, restaurants, retail shops, and an intimate library/media center, where the only TV set in the entire hotel is found. My personal sea ranch cottage was magnificently perched to enjoy unobstructed views of the ocean from a good-sized lanai (deck), and inside its contemporary yet modest decor with firm bed, loveseat and matching armchair, separate shower/Jacuzzi tub/commode, small dining table, and ample closet space allowed me to settle in immediately. The resort’s dining options – casual but slightly pricey for the quality – serves everything from three-course dinners to a la carte breakfasts. Travaasa’s spa, also a recipient of a Conde Nast Traveler award, is situated in the center of the resort, its backside facing the ocean – a hot tub and beachchairs are positioned perfectly on the manicured lawn to inhale the view. Indoor facilities for both men and women include wet saunas, plunging pools, and relaxation rooms to relax before or after treatments, which range from traditional lomi lomi to hot stone massage. All-inclusive packages include three meals a day and one 60-minute daily massage, though because alcoholic beverages are a

6

Seattle Gay News

November 25, 2011

DO The town of Hana, consisting of less than a dozen shops, will take but a halfhour to walk through. An afternoon at Hamoa Beach (Travaasa Hana provides a complimentary shuttles for its guests) offers front-row seats to some of the area’s top surfers and spectacular sights of big crashing waves. The Hana Cultural Center and Museum (www.hanaculturalcenter.org) features many important relics from the region. And for those looking for an excursion, a 12-mile journey to Kipahulu puts you at the base of the Haleakala National Park. There, you can enjoy bamboo forest hikes and cultural demonstrations. Visit www.nps.gov/hale for more information.

Footnote: Direct shuttle service to Hana from Kahului airport is costly. Here’s where you’ll either need to break down and rent a car, or make carpool arrangements in advance. However, you can visit Hana on a narrated tour aboard a shuttle for half the price.

FINAL STOP: KAANAPALI / LAHAINA The Kaanapali Beach resort area is located 40 minutes from Kahului Airport, on the west side of Maui. It faces two other islands, Lanai and Molokai. Kaanapali is listed as a town in the U.S. Census, though it’s really just a strip of beachfront properties that welcome tourists and parttime residents year-round. Lahaina is the nearest actual town, a five-minute shuttle ride from any of the Kaanapali hotels.

The atmosphere is relaxing, subtle, and somewhat secluded, unlike Oahu’s busy Waikiki Beach, which often feels overcrowded. It should be noted, however, that most of the visitors are paired up – some on their honeymoons, others on anniversary trips – but I did meet four single Gay men traveling as a group during my visit.

STAY The Westin Maui Resort & Spa (www. westinmaui.com) rests on 12 acres of splendid beachfront real estate, boasting 759 rooms and suites in two separate towers with 11 floors each. Even larger

Albert Rodriguez

Hamoa Beach

separate charge and the dining options are standard, I recommend the a la carte plan. Travaasa Hana is a serene and isolated destination-within-a-destination for vacationers wanting alone time and tranquility. It’s like a luxurious episode of Lost, without the drama.

Celebrating 38 Years!

is its sister property, the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas (www.westinkaanapali.com), a mammoth hotel with 1,021 rooms on 26 acres. Each is its own little village, complete with multiple pools, restaurants, retail shops, a daily calendar of activities, and spacious rooms with modern amenities and individual lanais. The Westin Resort & Spa was more active, possibly due to more keiki (Hawaiian for “children”) and partying honeymooners, in contrast to the Villas, which appeared calmer and quieter.

The latter is a vacation ownership property (timeshare) managed by Westin, though it functions just like a hotel and rooms can be reserved as you would anywhere else.

And because some visitors are actually tenants, who stay weeks or months at a time, all rooms at the Villas come equipped with full kitchens and washer/dryer units. Guests staying at one of the resorts can utilize the restaurants and spas at either, and also at the Sheraton (where the opening scene of Clint Eastwood’s film Hereafter was shot) that’s sandwiched between the two, but you’re only permitted to use the swimming pools, fitness centers, and other amenities at your respective hotel. The Villas have morning yoga sessions on its north lawn, a nice start to your day, besides their outdoor, poolside chair massages. All three properties are under the Starwood banner, allowing you to accrue award points for your stay. The Westin Maui currently offers a “Sunsational Savings” package – minimum three-night stay with the third night free, daily breakfast for two, and complimentary room upgrade (based on availability). Rooms at either Westin can also be reserved by calling 1-866-716-8112.

EAT If staying at a Westin hotel, try Pailolo Bar & Grill at the Villas resort. It’s a sports bar with ballpark-style food, such as the “Bases Loaded” foot-long hot dog topped with crispy onions and bacon. Regional beers, signature tropical cocktails, and well-positioned flatscreen TVs are sure to please the most loyal football, baseball, or basketball fan. At the Westin Maui, the Ono Bar & Grill has an extensive breakfast buffet, yet it also doubles as a bar with evening/ nightly “Happy Hours.” In Lahaina, you’ll come across chains like the Hard Rock Cafe, Cheeseburgers in Paradise, and even McDonald’s, but locals always recommend Kimo’s (www.kimosmaui.com), and you should take their advice. Another option, if only for the novelty, is Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (www.bubbagump.com/locations/ maui), where actor Chris Pratt (Everwood, Parks and Recreation) was discovered.

DO The Westin provides complimentary shuttle service for its guests at either hotel to/from the town of Lahaina. Ask for a copy of the shuttle schedule upon check-in or at the concierge desk. In Lahaina, there are dozens of retail shops that have everything from inexpensive souvenirs to high-end jewelry. The Wo Hing Society Hall is a tiny museum that chronicles the history of Chinese people and culture to the area. Ferries to Lanai and Molokai depart from Lahaina, too. Ask your concierge for ferry schedules and fees.

Walking distance from the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas is the Sugar Cane Train (www.sugarcanetrain.com), an oldfashioned steam locomotive that travels between Lahaina and the beach resort area.

The six-mile journey includes breathtaking panoramic views of neighboring islands and the West Maui Mountains. And should you want to shop more, try Whaler’s Village at the Sheraton.

A must-do when in Kaanapali, regardless of where you stay, is the Wailele Polynesian Luau at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa. Unlike other luaus, where food is served bufsee Maui page 17

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News

7

Ceremonials Florence + the Machine

by Albert Rodriguez Florence Welch is an acquired taste – not SGN A&E Writer everyone enjoys the alternative stylings of So much for a silent night. What music this English phenom. Yet there are plenty of lovers really want are new tunes to blast people who do. More famously on their iPods and concert DVDs to down- known as load onto their iPhones. Here are 10 such releases to consider getting for friends, family, coworkers, or your favorite grocery store bagger. Or just download them for yourself and that holiday party you’ve been meaning to throw.

West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition (Limited Edition Collector’s Set) The recipient of 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins), West Side Story is a classic in every sense of the word. It was 1961 when the film debuted in movie houses around the globe and became the second highestgrossing movie that year.

With performances by Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and Russ Tamblyn, and music

by Leonard Bernstein and a young, eager Stephen Sondheim, it’s the tale of two rival New York City street gangs engaging in battle, and at the center of it all is a love story between its lead characters, Tony and Maria, a then-modernday Romeo and Juliet. Robbins, who directed the stage production, choreographed almost all of the dance scenes in the film, including “Dance at the Gym” and the timeless “America.” Restored beautifully, West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition (Limited Edition Collector’s Set) brings to life again this gem of a motion picture – the singing, the dancing, the costumes, those thick Puerto Rican accents, and that magical period when Hollywood was more concerned about entertaining audiences than filling seats. The four-disc boxed set contains two Blu-ray discs, plus a DVD, tribute CD, collectible memorabilia, and special bonus features, including four film trailers, commentary by Sondheim, a retrospective of the impact it’s had all over the world, and dance sequence commentary by cast members, contemporary filmmakers, dancers and choreographers.

After 50 years, West Side Story has never gotten old.

8

Seattle Gay News

and “What the Water Gave Me” stay with you long after your iPod goes to sleep. The best track, however, is “Spectrum,” where Welch’s voice sounds purely angelic against an electrifying fusion of keyboards, guitars, harps, and gospel chorus-like vocals.

Ceremonials is one of 2011’s best albums, hands down.

The Descendants: Music from the Motion Picture Various Artists An Oscar frontrunner is the George Clooney drama The Descendants, filmed entirely in Hawaii. The setting for the film lends itself to the soundtrack, songs performed entirely by Hawaiian musicians. Though they’re relatively unfamiliar on the mainland,

these artists are huge stars on the islands and throughout the Pacific. Among those contributing to The Descendants soundtrack are Gabby Pahinui with five tracks (“Ka Makani Ka’ili Aloha,” “Wai O Ke Aniani,” “Hi’ilawe,” “Leahi,” and “He’eia” with Sons of Hawaii), Ray Kane (“Auwe”), Rev. Dennis Kamakahi (“Ulili E” and “Pua Hone”), Keola Beamer (“Imi Au Ia Oe” and “Kalena Kai” with George Winston), the iconic Sonny Chillingsworth (“Hi’ilawe”), and Makana (“Deep in an Ancient Hawaiian Forest”), who interviewed with Seattle Gay News earlier this year. If you can’t go to paradise anytime soon, close your eyes and listen to this CD – it’s the next best thing.

Florence + the Machine, this edgy pop act burst onto the scene last year and rapidly generated a following of fans and music biz types – she ended 2010 with Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and for her music video to “Dogs Days Are Over” from her breakthrough release Lungs. Welch’s newest album, Ceremonials, is even better. Everything from the compositions to the vocals is a notch higher Live at Royal Albert Hall than her last record, and it begins with the Adele mesmerizing opening track “Only if for Undoubtedly, 2011 belongs to Adele. The a Night.” There’s more where that came British singer-songwriter capitalized on her from, as “Never Let Me Go,” “Heartlines,” breakthrough three years ago with a com-

November 25, 2011

mercially and artistically successful sophomore album, 21, an international smash single, “Rolling in the Deep,” and a tour that sold out every date on its itinerary. As a result, Adele finds herself in prime position to rack up multiple Grammy nods when they’re announced at month’s end.

Boosting her already banner year, Adele is set to release Live at Royal Albert Hall, a DVD/CD recording of the artist’s live concert at the nostalgic London venue.

The package includes the 90-minute performance in its entirety, an exclusive CD of the show, two cover songs – Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and The Steeldrivers’ “If It Hadn’t Been for Love” – and rare backstage footage filmed on the day of the concert. Live at Royal Albert Hall, featuring 17 tracks, will be available November 29 in Blu-ray and standard DVD versions. You can’t go wrong with Adele.

Mylo Xyloto Coldplay One of rock’s most consistent hitmakers returns to the scene. Coldplay has enjoyed a string of chart-topping albums, from Parachutes to Viva la Vida, and a dozen hit singles, including “Violet Hill,” “Yellow,” and “The Scientist.” The English four-piece is back with a tempting new release, Mylo Xyloto, their fifth studio album in a decade. The CD isn’t the group’s best, lacking that infectious blend of poetic lyrics, melodramatic backgrounds, and Chris Martin’s warm vocals. Mylo Xyloto is less experimental and more of a pop project that finds Coldplay in a chipper mood.

The leadoff single, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” is anthemic with a memorable guitar riff. But it’s the band’s duet with red-hot Rihanna, “Princess of China,” that leaves the biggest impression – her voice mixes gorgeously with Martin’s. Other cool entries are “Hurts Like Heaven,” “Charlie Brown,” and the ballad “Up in Flames.” All songs were written/composed by lead guitarist Jonny Buckland and bassist Guy Berryman – drummer Will Champion rounds out Coldplay’s four members. If your gift recipient is a Coldplay fan, Mylo Xyloto shouldn’t disappoint.

Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden / Born This Way: The Remix Lady Gaga Little monsters, naughty or nice, are getting something this holiday season. Thanks to Mama Monster, aka Lady Gaga, fans have the opportunity to experience her latest tour in the comfort of their living rooms. Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden arrived in stores November 21, the exact day Born This Way: The Remix came out. The concert DVD, nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, premiered on HBO before its release.

The remix album features tracks tinkered with by indie pop and electronic artists like Foster the People, Goldfrapp, The Horrors, and Two Door Cinema Club, to name a few. Gaga faithful can purchase the DVD (Blu-ray and standard) and CD as a package called Born This Way: The Collection, which also includes the original Born This Way disc. Feed the monster within and the one at your office gift exchange party with either, or both, of Lady Gaga’s newest offerings.

Celebrating 38 Years!

Twenty – Pearl Jam Codes and Keys Death Cab for Cutie Helplessness Blues Fleet Foxes No, it’s not a combo pack. But if you’re wanting to support music brewed right here in Seattle, any of these three releases will do. Pearl Jam celebrated their 20th anniversary with an aptly titled documentary film, directed by Academy Award winner Cameron Crowe. The DVD, now available in record stores, includes scenes taken from over 1,200 hours of rare and never-before-seen footage by the landmark rock band. Indieto-mainstream stars Death Cab for Cutie released another great album in 2011, Codes and Keys, which was highlighted by the single “You Are a Tourist.” The CD proved that the Seattle-based quartet (whose drummer, Jason McGerr, interviewed with Seattle Gay News recently) continue to mature their sound from one record to the next. Folk ensemble Fleet Foxes released an impressive follow-up to 2008’s self-titled debut. Helplessness Blues feels even more organic than the first record, thanks to songs like “The Shrine/An Argument,” “Lorelai,” “The Cascades,” “Sim Sala Bim,” and “Grown Ocean.” Put a little hometown goodness in that stocking with either of these Seattlecrafted recordings.

Eleven – Martina McBride This is the rebirth of Martina McBride – new record label, new management, and newly written songs by McBride herself.

The country diva still has a winning recipe: powerful lyrics and even more powerful vocals. She’s always recorded music from a female perspective intended for a female audience, at times empowering women to take pride in who they are or sometimes to just be thankful for what they’ve got. On Eleven, she’s at it again with songs like “Teenage Daughters,” “You Can Get Your Lovin’ Right Here,” “One Night,” and “Marry Me.”

The album is one of 2011’s best reviewed records, according to music critics’ website Metacritic, and will probably appear on several year-end best-of lists and surely get a nomination or two at next spring’s ACM Awards. For anyone who’s a little bit country, Eleven is a sure bet.

Greatest Hits (Gold CD) Heart Seattle rock band Heart is awaiting the announcement of the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees in the coming weeks.

That’s because they’re on the ballot. Led by the Wilson sisters, Ann and Nancy, the group are responsible for many ’70s and ’80s pop-rock hits, including “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You,” “Barracuda,” “Straight On,” “Dreamboat Annie,” “Tell It Like It Is,” and “Bebe Le Strange.” All of these tracks appear on Heart’s Greatest Hits, the 24-karat gold limited and numbered edition. Some of the group’s most recent songs, like “Alone” and “Never,” are left off this 17-track recording, although making the cut is their solid cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” Put a little Heart under someone’s tree this year.

The Book of Mormon Cast Recording The 2011 Tony Award winner for Best Musical centered on the quirky culture of the Latter Day Saints. Conceived by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Avenue Q co-conspirator Robert Lopez, the production has yet to bow to audiences outside Broadway. In the meantime, the soundtrack to this cleverly zany show is a mustown. Individual numbers include “I Believe” sung by Andrew Rannells, “Baptize Me” by Josh Gad and Nikki M. James, and “I Am Here For You” by Gad and Rannels, plus the leadoff track “Hello!” by the whole cast. If you know someone who’s already going to hell, send them off with a parting gift: this devilishly good soundtrack.

Holiday Joy To Go! Saturday, December 10 at 7:00 pm Ballard First Lutheran Church , 2006 NW 65th St www.marketstreetsingers.org Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News

9

10 Seattle Gay News

November 25, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News 11

For the

Ferryman: A Personal History

12 Seattle Gay News

ns

Charles Silverstein has been called many things: psychiatrist, writer, editor, and activist are only a few of the professional titles he has earned throughout his vast career. But it is on the personal honors of being called friend, lover, mentor, companion, and caregiver that his latest book spends the majority of its focus. For the Ferryman is more than the personal history the subtitle claims; it is a true love story that happens to have some of the most important events in modern Queer history as its backdrop.

Silverstein’s journey begins in the early 1970s, when he started his professional career as a behavior counselor. He’s a man in his early 30s discovering and anguishing over his repressed sexuality.

Homosexuality is still listed – and treated – as a mental illness, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. When he joins a small group of professionals to courageously challenge the medical definition, Silverstein meets William Bory, a handsome, intelligent man in his early 20s. The two recognize their attraction and quickly move in together.

The love they share is quite clear to anyone reading this beautiful memoir.

court esy chels ea statio n editio

by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer

And in another rare accomplishment, the author doesn’t hesitate to take responsibility for his own actions or reactions.

Silverstein acknowledges his decisions – positive or negative – as well as expressing the frustrations, fears, and often terrifying thoughts that anyone faces when dealing with such situations of extreme emotion. But through loyalty and love, theirs is a story of finding the strength to do what is needed when your very soul is tested.

The author excels in recalling a time when the shouts from the Stonewall Revolution could still be heard in the air. He takes us from when the only public discussions on homosexuality were either “the cause” or “the cure.” The cause was believed to be from pedophiles, and the cure included intense therapy, electroshock, or even pre-frontal lobotomy. He expresses the excitement and frustrations in fighting for the offensive passage to be taken out of the medical books, and the following aftermath of therapy exploration that poured out from the Queer community.

This eventually led to his writing several books including The Joy of Gay Sex, and close friendships and collaborations with the great writers Edmund White and Felice Picano on subsequent re-printings of the groundbreaking work. As the plague of ARC turns into HIV, Silverstein reminds us of the false cures that so many reached out for. And again, without being maudlin or morose, he keeps

Charles Silverstein

Their bond is founded on an intellectual and physical attraction, as well as mutual respect. They are united by their interest in literature, language, and ancient

November 25, 2011

civilizations, as well as keen views and opinions in the civil and political rights struggles emerging around them. Their differences serve to spark the passion in their relationship, and the reader is privy to their intimacy – and quarrels – in a time when the world oppressed and severely punished love between men.

But like in any other relationship, nothing is perfect. While it is easy to remember and present only a positive image of the dearly departed, Silverstein shows the complete relationship, warts and all. Bory’s temper tantrums, pouting, and irrational behavior is presented, only making him appear that much more human and alive to the reader.

When two purple patches are noticed on Bory’s leg in late 1984, neither man tries to fool himself as to what the obvious Kaposi’s sarcoma markings mean. Silverstein relates from the heart the pains of watching someone he loves slip away, with complete and often brutal honesty. As his partner’s illness takes further hold, the fine line between excusing the beloved party boy’s behavior and recognizing his slow descent into addiction are chronicled with truthful sensitivity.

t h e personal examples to only a few, honestly giving clear insight to the horrors that so many people faced.

For the Ferryman is a love story, first and foremost. The forces that brought Charles Silverstein and William Bory together are the same that equally caused friction between them; great loves will do that. It is somewhere between that we can relate to their dedication to one another, their often extremely human behavior, and the susceptibility of a loving couple. Their relationship is full, running the gamut of emotions and extremes, but despite their often-turbulent path, they remained intact and their accomplishments are celebrated. We the readers are but a small beneficiary of such a great legacy.

Celebrating 38 Years!

Holiday Joy To Go! Saturday, December 10 at 7:00 pm Ballard First Lutheran Church , 2006 NW 65th St www.marketstreetsingers.org Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News 13

by Jeremy Behrens SGN Contributing Writer

With The Invention of Hugo Cabret hitting the silver screen this week, Selznick is sure to be a best-seller

Even Santa needs help making toys for all the good girls and boys out there.

With that in mind, I have compiled a list of books that are sure to please anyone on your Christmas list this holiday season. Because what can be better than the gift of reading during the season of hot cocoa, fireplaces, and chilly nights tucked under a blanket?

For the Thrillseeker Mice

by Gordon Reece It has been a while since I have read a book that left me aghast at the end of some chapters, blown away by the sheer tempestuous nature of a character. Happily, I stumbled upon Gordon Reece’s relatively new book Mice just this fall, a book rife with heart-stopping moments of tension.

The story of Shelley and her mother – two docile, mouse-like women who move to the English countryside to escape the violence from Shelley’s peers – unfolds beautifully and hauntingly in this short thriller. Forced beyond their comfort zones, Shelley and her mother question the roles they have been pushed into by society, raising the question, “How can we know our breaking points unless we have been pushed to our limits?”

Mice is the perfect book for that person on your list who loves scary movies, emotionally charged characters, and shocking endings.

For the Bookworm Untouchable

by Scott O’Connor This is perhaps the best book I have read all year, and I would be remiss to not spread the good word about it. Scott O’Connor’s debut novel, Untouchable, is a heartbreaking tale of a father and son’s struggle to accept the hardships life hands them and how they rise up to face the challenges.

David and Whitley “The Kid” Darby have lost Lucy, their wife and mother.

While The Kid takes a vow of silence and David struggles to understand what his wife was going through in the months before her death, the two become painfully aware of the world they live in. Set in a pre-Y2K world, the fear of an apocalypse on the horizon is a thematic powerhouse that oddly still works in our post-millennium mindset.

I found this book for free on my ereader, but sadly it has since turned into a purchase-only item. Pick it up

14 Seattle Gay News

For Pop Culture People How I Got This Way

by Regis Philbin Regis Philbin’s career has been extremely expansive – a morning television personality to the host of one of the most memorable game shows to date – and his life reads like a novel, so it makes sense that he wrote one! How I Got This Way is Philbin’s own retelling of his incredible journey through celebritydom, full of inspiring anecdotes, humorous characters, and a surprising behind-the-scenes look at America’s favorite man about town.

Focusing on the people who shaped the man he has become, Philbin has penned a tale that shows just how important personal relationships can be and just what networking can do for a person.

From the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish all the way to his bubbly morning co-host Kelly Rippa, this book is not without namedropping.

Many people have grown up with Regis, something not surprising for a man with a five decades spent in the spotlight. Pick up this heartfelt reflection on a life well lived for anyone interested in pop culture, or someone who woke up every morning with Reege on their own television screen. This one is sure to delight wannabe celebrities of all ages.

For the Lovable Nerd

The Batman Files

by Matthew Manning The word “superhero” evokes a lot of images for different people. Capes, comic books, and chiseled abs come to mind for me. However, what is it about mind reading or heat vision or invisibility that qualifies a person as a sutoday, because O’Connor is a perhero? But Batman? Now there is a literary talent to watch. superhero.

The Batman Files may be one of the For the Teen Reader best superhero art books on the market today. Using documents and articles Wonderstruck unearthed from the Batcave itself,

by Brian Selznick Manning creates a pictorial history of Selznick first appeared on the caped crusader. Beautifully detailed the scene in 2007 with his partand very well thought out, Manning novel, part-comic book The creates a history of the winged wonder Invention of Hugo Cabret, and that rivals a fanboy comic shrine. At his new book, Wonderstruck, is times, I found myself looking at press one that is not to be missed. clippings and wondering how I could Wonderstruck follows Ben have missed this in the news – only to and Rose in search of lives remember that Gotham City doesn’t they have only ever dreamed. really exist.

Rose cannot escape the mysA treat for any superhero savant, The terious actress who haunts her Batman Files may be the priciest book dreams, following her career in a scrapbook she keeps; Ben cannot in the coming months. Pick up Wonder- on this list. However, once you see the escape his desire to find out who his real struck and get ahead of the game with metallic Batman emblem that emblafather is. Ben’s story, told through words, this great stocking stuffer for adventur- zons the front cover, you’ll see this isn’t just some shoddy trivia book; this is the and Rose’s, told through pictures, span ous kids. real deal. a 50-year gap, but parallel each other in this smart, evocative children’s novel.

November 25, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

West seattle’s NeWest Neighborhood gay bar!

FiC We're open FNo C hristmas Eve, C hristmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day our regular hours, with some special holiday treats.

5401 California Ave SW in West Seattle Hours: Fri & Sat 4pm-2am, Sun - Thur 4pm-midnight

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News 15

Gifts for the tech nerd in us all

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor

Ain’t Misbehavin’ Through November 27 The Fats Waller Tony-Award Winning Broadway Musical Direct from NYC!

Sophie Milman November 29-30 International Vocal Jazz Sensation

Chick Corea Trio Featuring Brian Blade and Hans Glawischnig December 1-4

16-time Grammy Winning Keyboard Virtuoso

Mike Stern featuring Richard Bona, Dave Weckl and Bob Franceschini December 6-7 Rocking All-Star Band!

Taj Mahal Trio December 9-11, 13-18

Celebrating Four Decades of Blues, Roots, Reggae and Beyond

David Lanz Annual Winter Solstice & CD release Concert December 20-21 Grammy Nominated Composer And Pianist

16 Seattle Gay News

The holiday season has arrived, and with it comes the stress of finding the perfect gift for the tech-savvy family member or love of your life, although you might not be up to speed on the latest and greatest in the world of smart phones, tablets, and the like. I’ve compiled a list of products that take the guesswork away and are sure to put a smile on the face of your very own tech nerd this yuletide season.

$40 0, the AW100 should be the last camera your friend will ever have to replace. I would say, “Don’t drop it,” but….

VooMote One How many remote controls does your faiHome iW1 ther have on his coffee table? If you’re like A Christmas party is only me and it drives you crazy to pick through as good as it sounds (and the a ridiculous number of controls to find the cocktails that are served!). right one for the simple task of turning on These days, it’s all about dad’s TV, have I got the gift idea for you! The VooMote One is an addon that transforms your iPhone into a universal remote. Slide it on, pair it with the additional app (free at the Apple App store), and use it to control nearly all your electronic devices. At just $99, this is an ideal gift for just about anyone that has a serious remote control collection they need to rid themselves of. Just don’t lose it in the couch cushion!

Nikon Coolpix AW100 If your friend is the type of person who has to replace their gadgets and gizmos every three months because they drop them, this camera is perfect! The compact Nikon Coolpix AW100 16.1mp GPS-enabled cam can shoot HD movies and can survive depths of up to 33 feet, temperatures as low as 14 degrees, and – here’s where your friend comes in – not break after being dropped from five feet up. With a price tag under

sound clarity. After all, you don’t want your guests listening to Justin Beiber’s Christmas album on old stereo speakers. The iHome iW1 is an Airplay-enabled sound system with two three-inch woofers and two

Baconlube

Bacon’s not just for breakfast anymore!

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Bacon is not just for breakfast anymore.

J&D’s Foods have made a new breakthrough in what they call their “neverending quest to make everything taste like bacon” – Baconlube!

According to a J&D’s press release, the new product is “the gold standard of meat-flavored massage oils.”

The lube is water-based and “proudly made in America,” J&D says.

Baconlube is available for $11.99 a bottle at www.baconlube.com, “just in time to make a very happy holiday season,” J&D’s says. Shoppers will have to buy early, however, since only 3,000 bottles were made.

J&D’s spokesperson Justin Esch told SGN that J&D’s has been making baconflavored items since 2007. Among its other products are bacon salt, bacon ranch dressing, bacon croutons, bacon seasoning rub, baconnaise, bacon lip balm, and even

November 25, 2011

bacon pop.

“Baconlube is just the next step in our journey,” Esch said.

Strange as it may seem, Baconlube’s creators

didn’t take it seriously at first.

“Baconlube started as an April Fool’s Day Joke in 2008,” Esch told SGN. “We mocked up a fake image, wrote a blog post, and encouraged ‘beta’ testers to email us at keepitsizzlin@baconsalt.com.

one-inch tweeters that unleashes wirelessly streamed tunes. Use it as your living room system, or take it with you on the road. With a rechargeable lithium ion battery, this $300 set-up allows for up to 10 hours of play.

Nintendo 3DS I’ve just solved the dilemma of what to get your nephew or 20-year-old boyfriend. Right out of the box, the Nintendo 3DS – an amazing portable gaming system – has a Netflix client, a 3D camera, a web browser, and an app store chock full of nostalgia-fortified NES goodness. What’s more? It will play Super Mario 3D Land, the wildly popular video game released earlier this month. Let the games begin!

Amazon Kindle Fire Want to buy that special someone a tablet but can’t afford the uber-expensive iPad2?

The Kindle Fire is your answer! At just $199, this tech gift is a steal! The Kindle Fire runs on the Android operating system – the world’s leading operating system for mobile devices – which Amazon took and applied some of its own custom touches to produce a one-of-kind tablet. Amazon is the global leader in digital books, and through its Prime membership, users can get a large streaming video library. In addition, Amazon has made exclusive deals with publishers for the Kindle Fire launch. For example, users will get many DC Comic e-books that don’t exist anyplace else. For tablet owners who want apps, the Kindle Fire delivers. The Amazon APP Store cuts through the clutter of so many Android apps that are available, making it easier for the user to find and use the apps that best fit their needs.

Over 3,000 did.”

“We received emails every day for four years,” Esch continued, “so we finally just relented and made it. Expectations were built. We had to deliver.”

After developing a formula, testing it, and running it by several focus groups, J&D’s finally decided Baconlube was ready for release as a gift product for the 2011 holidays.

“Meat-flavored personal lubricants are no joke,” Esch said. “This wasn’t easy.”

No joke, indeed. J&D’s cited the results of a Canadian food preference survey that underscores the social implications of baconflavored lube.

“According to a recent survey of Canadians by Maple Leaf Foods, Canada’s market leader in the bacon category, when asked to choose between bacon and sex, more than four in 10 (43%) chose bacon,” the company noted.

“Thanks to Baconlube, Canadians will never have to choose between two of life’s greatest pleasures again.”

Baconlube does not contain actual bacon, so is it kosher, SGN asked?

“Baconlube was not Kosher certified,” Esch explained, “but it does qualify … we just didn’t pay the rabbi.”

Celebrating 38 Years!

maui

continued from page 7 fet-style, this one invites you to take your seat and have a three-course meal brought to your table. Everything on the menu was ono, including the kalua puaa (pork) with

cabbage, fire-roasted teriyaki beef, guavaglazed BBQ chicken wings, Molokai sweet potato with coconut, and Kona chocolate cake. Alcoholic beverages are unlimited, in contrast to other luaus that supply one or two drink tickets per person. The show, a mix of live music and dance spotlighting the Pacific islands – Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, New

Zealand – was very entertaining. The $105 price included food, beverages, and live entertainment, and was worth every penny. For $20 more, enjoy a VIP experience with premier seating and early cocktail reception.

Footnote: Some hotels offer complimentary rides from Kahului Airport to Kaanapali, but shuttles and taxis are readily available

(prices vary by company), or make carpool arrangements in advance. A cheaper option would be the Maui Bus, taking the “Up Country” or “Haiku” bus routes from the airport to Queen Kaahumanu and transferring to the “Lahaina Islander” or “Lahaina Villager” route, and then a quick taxi ride to your Kaanapali resort.

Holiday Joy To Go! Saturday, December 10 at 7:00 pm Ballard First Lutheran Church , 2006 NW 65th St www.marketstreetsingers.org Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News 17

e d i s t u o d l o Baby, it's y cgifts for the winter-inclined Holida

by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor I’m the type of guy who dresses in layers. I grew up in the desert; suffice to say I am not a happy camper when the temperature begins to drop and all of my skiloving friends drag me to the slopes. It turns out my friends aren’t the only hardy souls who brave the cold during the long winter months and require gifts that can stand the snow and rain from December to March. If you’ve got a winter warrior in your life, then this gift guide is for you.

Reevu We Gay boys love our motorcycles to go fast; perhaps that’s why when we buy a crotch rocket, it scares our mothers half to death. You want to make her feel better for the Christmas holiday?

Ask mommy dearest for the Italian precision-engineered helmet for Christmas – Reevu, with rear-view technology – and she’ll thank you for it. Checking your rear on a motorcycle (e sp e c ia l ly for new owners) leaves you vulnerable and tipsy. This helmet, the world’s first with a rear view, employs a glass-free mirror system that bends light gathered from a tiny porthole. You view the reflected image on a small mirror positioned at the top of the field of vision. It can’t legally replace shoulder checks before switching lanes, but it should eliminate jerky recoveries and near-accidents. It will only cost your mother $345 to sleep better at night.

BioLite Camping isn’t just for the boys up on Brokeback Mountain! BioLite, the world’s first forced-air rocket stove, burns almost anything you’d find on a trail and converts a fraction of the heat to electricity using a thermoelectric module. That means you can recharge your cell phone while cooking! This juice runs a fan that sucks oxygen into the stove, creating a hotter and cleaner flame that can bring a liter of water to a boil in four minutes. The BioLite stove uses 50% less wood and reduces smoke emissions by more than 95%. This is the perfect gift for the rugged Gay man who loves camping and checking his text NordicTrack C2150 messages equally – even when it’s freezThe NordicTrack C2150, a new treadmill ing outside. that allows you to watch YouTube while

18 Seattle Gay News

November 25, 2011

is charted on the 10-inch touchscreen. Or enter your own route to synchronize your indoor and outdoor training efforts. This is the perfect gift for any health-conscious person in your life and just might help them keep their New Year’s resolution.

Jekyll Carbon working out, will help you fight off those We LGBTs are an athletic lot, and one holiday pounds and multitask so you won’t have any excuse to say, “I’d love to work out of the things some of us enjoy best is mountain biking. Have I got the perfect but I can’t fit it into my schedule.” bike for you! The Cannondale Jekyll Carbon is the most versatile bike on the mountain. Float up the climbs with an efficient 90mm-travel trail machine.

Rock the descents with a plush 150mm of long-travel goodness. Ride anywhere.

Ride anything. Expand your boundaries. The Jekyll gives speed up or down with the flick of a lever.

It’s a new trail weapon for those who want the best of both worlds: power and efficiency with full downhill capability.

This Android-powered treadmill with full internet connectivity does so much more than just allow you to check your email. Using Google Maps, you pick a route from around the globe and the treadmill matches the elevation while your progress

Zeal Optics Recon Soon it’ll be time to hit the slopes! Zeal Optics has got you covered with Recon, the world’s first GPSenabled goggles that don’t just protect; they guide. Tucked into the frame below the right eye is a small display that relays your current speed, pace, altitude, distance, vertical, location, time, and temperature. And when you’re done skiing, upload your stats with a USB cable and you can view each run as a Google Map overlay.

Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News 19

eventS guide continued from page 5

in her own way, Cris Williamson was busy changing the face of popular music. Cris’s stellar vocals and compelling persona are regarded as legendary for good reason. During an interview in Washington, DC, she conceived of a national all-women’s record company, which subsequently issued her now-legendary classic, “The Changer and the Changed.” Cris’s Music was embraced and so-called by audiences hungry for fresh, bold sound able to match the uncharted waters of the mid-seventies. It took close to a decade for the genre to earn a critical reception, and by that time Cris’s astounding vocals were earning rave reviews. Finally, the stage had been set for women, and particularly Lesbians, to write, produce, record, and issue their own material - on their own terms.

Heralded by The Boston Globe as, “a brilliant lyricist and composer,” Cris’s music has always defied categorization. Whether it’s the vibrant clarity of “Blue Rider,” or the live concert recording celebrating the fifteen anniversary of the anthemic “Changer,” Williamson continues to traverse the musical and lyrical map. A dynamic performer, she electrifies, empowers, and enlightens audiences across the generational and musical spectrum. 12/11 at 7:30pm. The Triple Door, 216 Union St. Tickets: $20-advance, $25-at the door. www.criswilliamson.com; www. thetripledoor.com.

December 15 “Cool Yule - The Big Band Theory - Seattle Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert - in Tacoma” 12/15 at 8pm. Pantages Theatre, 901 Broadway, Tacoma. Tickets: $42 & $56. 253-591-5894; 800291-7593; www.broadwaycenter. org. (See 11/26 listing for details.)

December 16

listing for details.)

Ave. & University St. Tickets: $20-$110. seniors, $25 side sections, $15 un206-215-4747; 1-866-833-4747; www.se- der 25. 206-325-7066; www.earlymusicguild.org.

“Northern Lights” - Long before “Silent attlesymphony.org.

Night” (“Stille Nacht”) became popular, January 7 countries with the darkest winter months December 21 produced wonderful carols about light and “Rachmaninoff: All-Night peace. Medieval Women’s Choir presents “A Festival of Lessons & Carols” “Northern Lights,” music to celebrate the Experience the story of the Nativity told Vigil” - For the first time in its season from Finland (Piae Cantiones), Den- through readings, choral settings and au- twenty-year history, Cappella Romark, the British Isles, Germany and the dience sing-along carols when the Seattle mana sings in its entirety the monNetherlands. With soloist Marian Seibert. Symphony presents “A Festival of Lessons umental All-Night Vigil (the so12/17 at 8pm. St James Cathedral, 804 9th & Carols” with the Northwest Boychoir, Vo- called “Vespers” ) by Sergei RaAve. Tickets: $25-reserved seating by ad- calpoint! Seattle and members of the North- chmaninoff. Inspired by a contemvance donation; $30-general seating at the west Sinfonia. 12/21 at 7:30pm. Benaroya porary movement to recover Rusdoor; students/seniors pay as able. 206-264- Hall, 3rd Ave. & University St. Tickets: $20- sia’s ancient spiritual and musical 4822; www.medievalwomenschoir.org. $86. 206-215-4747; 1-866-833-4747; www. culture, Rachmaninoff surpassed seattlesymphony.org. (This concert is per- his predecessors Kastalsky and December 18 formed throughout Seattle for the holidays. Smolensky with the brilliance of For additional dates and venues, visit www. his settings of Znamenny and Kievan chants. Scored for large cho“Handel’s Messiah” - Experience Han- northwestchoirs.org.) rus and soloists, his Vigil is today del’s masterful Messiah with the Seattle widely regarded as the outstanding Symphony and Chorale, an annual holiday December 22 masterpiece of the Russian choral tradition! Audience members are invited to bring non-perishable food to donate to Food “Cool Yule - The Big Band Theory - tradition. 1/7 at 8pm. Saint James Lifeline. 12/18 at 2pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Seattle Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert” Cathedral, 804 9th Ave. Tickets: Ave & University St. Tickets: $20-$91. 206- - 12/22 at 7:30pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave $22-$41. 1-800-494-8497; www.

215-4747; 1-866-833-4747; www.seattle- & University St. Tickets: $27-$77. 206-388- cappellaromana.org. symphony.org. (Also 12/16 at 8pm & 12/17 1400; www.flyinghouse.org. (See 11/26 listat 1pm & 8pm.) ing for details.)

THEATRE & DANCE “A World of Song” - The glorious sounds of Christmas echo across the centuries in this program of holiday masterworks. Bellevue Chamber Chorus performs magnificent music from the Renaissance (Gabrieli’s Hodie Christus natus est for double chorus) and Baroque (Pachelbel’s Magnificat in D, and Christmas chorales of J.S. Bach), splendid gems from 19th and 20th century masters Mendelssohn, Holst, and Poulenc, and marvelous contemporary pieces by Morten Lauridsen, Kevin Siegfried, Will Todd, and more. Celebrate the season with music for the ages! 12/18 at 3pm. Prospect Congregational United Church of Christ, 1919 E. Prospect St. Tickets: $9-$18. 425-881-0445; www.bellevuechamberchorus.net.

“Christmas Oratorio” - Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers (OSSCS) presents Bach’s beloved Christmas Oratorio. Hans Juergen Schnoor travels from Lubeck Germany to lead the performance. One of Germany’s leading performers of early keyboard music, Schnoor is also a noted conductor of period instrument performances of Bach’s instrumental and choral works. The Christmas Oratorio, also known as “Germany’s Messiah,” is performed in six parts and OSSCS will perform it in its entirety. Soloists include Maike Albrecht, soprano; Melissa Plagemann, alto; Wesley Rogers, tenor; and Steven Tachell, baritone/bass. 12/18 at 3pm. First Free Methodist Church, 3200 3rd Ave W. Tickets: $10-$20; youth ages 7-17 FREE. 1-800838-3006; www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/195069; www.osscs.org. Free parking at the church.

“Handel’s Messiah” - Experience Handel’s masterful Messiah with the Seattle Symphony and Chorale, an annual holiday tradition! Audience members are invited to bring non-perishable food to donate to Food Lifeline. 12/16 at 8pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & University St. Tickets: $20-$91.

206-215-4747; 1-866-833-4747; www.seattlesymphony.org. (Also “Cool Yule - The Big Band Theory 12/17 at 1pm & 8pm & 12/18 at Seattle Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert” 2pm.)

- 12/18 at 7:30pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & University St. Tickets: $27-$77. 206-388December 17 1400; www.flyinghouse.org. (See 11/26 list“Handel’s Messiah” - Experi- ing for details.) ence Handel’s masterful Messiah December 19 with the Seattle Symphony and Chorale, an annual holiday tradi“Cool Yule - The Big Band Theory tion! Audience members are invited to bring non-perishable food Seattle Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert” to donate to Food Lifeline. 12/17 - 12/19 at 7:30pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave at 1pm & 8pm. Benaroya Hall, & University St. Tickets: $27-$77. 206-3883rd Ave & University St. Tickets: 1400; www.flyinghouse.org. (See 11/26 list$20-$91. 206-215-4747; 1-866- ing for details.)

833-4747; www.seattlesymphony.

December 20 org. (Also 12/16 at 8pm & 12/18 at 2pm.)

“Go Tell It On The Mountain - The “Cool Yule - The Big Band Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show” Theory - Seattle Men’s Chorus - Celebrate the holidays with one of the livHoliday Concert - in Everett” - ing legends of gospel! The Blind Boys have 12/17 at 8pm. Everett Civic Au- performed their uplifting music across the ditorium, 2415 Colby St, Everett. globe; now, they bring their special GramTickets: $22-$42. 206-388-1400; my Award-winning Christmas show to Sewww.flyinghouse.org. (See 11/26 attle. 12/20 at 7:30pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd

20 Seattle Gay News

November 25, 2011

December 23 “Cool Yule - The Big Band Theory - Seattle Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert” 12/23 at 2pm & 8pm. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & University St. Tickets: $27-$77. 206388-1400; www.flyinghouse.org. (See 11/26 listing for details.)

December 26 “Sacred Music by Duke Ellington” - Inspired by the civil-rights movement of the 1960s, Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music is both serious and swinging, a reverent and hip body of jazz composition, written late in Ellington’s career, for jazz big band, vocal and instrumental soloists, gospel choir, and tap dancers. Earshot Jazz’s annual concert of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music features the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, codirected by Michael Brockman and Clarence Acox, guest vocalists Everett Greene and Nichol Eskridge, the Northwest Chamber Chorus, and special guest tap-dancer Alex Dugdale. This special concert honors Ellington and what he called “the most important music he’d ever written.” 12/26 at 7:30pm. Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave. Tickets: $15-$34. www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/198938; www.earshotjazz.org.

December 28-31 “Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony” - Gerard Schwarz returns to the stage in his first concert as conductor laureate for a Seattle Symphony holiday tradition. Beethoven’s Ninth, with its famous “Ode to Joy” finale, features the Seattle Symphony Chorale and distinguished soloists. Also on the program, Engelbert Humperdink’s Suite from Hansel and Gretel and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, “Choral.” 12/28 & 12/29 at 7:30pm, 12/30 at 8pm, 12/31 at 9pm with special post-concert New Year’s Eve party. Benaroya Hall, 3rd Ave & University St. Tickets: $25-$130; 12/31-$50$150. 206-215-4747; 1-866-833-4747; www. seattlesymphony.org.

December 30 “A Toast to Brandenburg” - Seattle Baroque Orchestra is joined by flutist Janet See and recorder players Vicki Boeckman and Judith Linsenberg in their special holiday concert of concertos for multiple instruments by Bach and Telemann. The program includes Bach’s fourth and fifth Brandenburg concertos, highlighting the dazzling virtuosity of Seattle Baroque Orchestra’s Ingrid Matthews and Byron Schenkman, and Bach’s beloved Air from the third orchestral suite, Air on the G String. 12/30 at 8pm.

Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave. Tickets: $40, $35

“A Child’s Christmas in Wales” - Stone Soup Theatre presents their adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ exquisite and magical memoir of his childhood Christmas. Runs 12/8-12/24. Stone Soup Theatre DownStage, 4029 Stone Way N. Tickets: $18 general; $16 per person for groups of four or more people; 12/8 preview $9. 206-633-1883. www.stonesouptheatre.com.

“A Christmas Carol” - ACT Theatre’s annual presentation of Charles Dickens’ classic, adapted

by Gregory A. Falls. Gather your loved ones and join us for the 35th Anniversary production of a true Seattle holiday tradition: a ripping good telling of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly businessman who requires the intervention of a few ghosts (and a bit of time-travel) to understand the true meaning of Christmas. Well over a century after its writing, Dickens’ classic tale of hope and redemption continues to remind us what’s really worth celebrating – at the holidays, or any time. Runs 11/25-12/24. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St. Tickets: $22 to $49. 206292-7676; www.acttheatre.org “A(n Improvised) Christmas Carol” - Unexpected Productions takes the Charles Dickens classic and replays it based on suggestions given by the audience throughout the play. A holiday favorite for over 20 years. Runs 12/2-12/23.

Intiman Playhouse, 201 Mercer St. Tickets: $10-$15. 1-800-838-3006; www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/87661; www.unexpectedproductions.org “Beasley’s Christmas Party” - Taproot Theatre invites you to a Christmas party as big as your imagination! Can one man’s kindness really be the answer to one child’s Christmas wish? David Beasley believes it can and sets out to show us that “Christmas time is the best time because it is the kindest time.” Full of quick changes, side-splitting antics and surprising twists, four actors weave this heartwarming tale that will delight and entertain your whole family. Runs 11/18-12/30. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St. Tickets: $27-$35, 11/18 & 11/19 previews $20-$22, with student/senior/pay-what-you-can

Celebrating 38 Years!

discounts. 781-9707; www.taproottheatre.org. (This Christmas Taproot Theatre is proud to be an official drop-off location for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

Call box office for info/details.)

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” - As the infamous Herdman clan takes over the church pageant, everyone’s traditional notions of Christmas are challenged. See how a story can tranform us all, even when told by a misfit group of kids in bedsheets. Runs 12/812/24. Seattle Public Theater, 7312 W. Greenlake Dr. N. Tickets: $15-$27. 206-524-1300; www.seattlepublictheater.org.

“Black Nativity” - Directed

by Jacqueline Moscou, choreographed by Donald Byrd of Spectrum Dance Theater, with music direction and arrangements by Pastor Patrinell Wright, Seattle’s “Gospel Queen,” “Black Nativity” is a celebration of faith, expressed through exuberant performances of song, story and dance, reaching audiences of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs. The first act of “Black Nativity” retells the Christmas story through the words of the great American poet Langston Hughes.

The second act is a gospel celebration. The production features gospel performances by the Total Experience Gospel Choir and the Black Nativity Choir and modern and traditional choreography performed by an ensemble of dancers.

Runs 12/8-12/24. Moore Theatre, 1932 2nd Ave. Tickets: $25-$55.

1-877-784-4849; www.stgpresents.org/artists/?artist=1594 “Cinderella” - As timeless and magical as the holiday season itself, the rarely-staged Rodgers & Hammerstein gem “Cinderella” waltzes into The 5th Avenue Theatre. Bubbling with laughter, music, and cheer, this exhilarating treat proves that when the shoe fits, the most unlikely of girls can become a princess and dreams really do come true. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, “Cinderella” will delight audiences of all ages, warming winter’s chill with a pair of wicked step-sisters you’ll love to hate, a magical carriage you’ll dream of, and the romance of a lifetime. Runs 11/2512/31, previews 11/25-11/30. The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave. Tickets: $29-$109. 206-625-1900; www.5thavenue.org; 1-888-5TH4TIX. “The Dina Martina Christmas Show” - Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? They’re heralding the arrival of the 61st annual “Dina Martina Christmas Show!” Unwittingly hilarious and wonderfully bizarre, Dina Martina is the chanteuse with the leastest; the dancer with the hunchfront; the childlike lady who, year after year, is the holiday gift that truly keeps on giving.

A perennial favorite of the likes of John Waters, Margaret Cho, Matt Stone and Graham Norton, Miss Martina’s shows have long been a favorite holiday tradition for those who want something other than the usual holiday fare.

Brimming with botched carols, ungraceful dances, overburdened costumes and truly bizarre audience gifts, this ALL NEW holiday extravaganza guarantees Dina Martina’s sidesplitting blend of

low-brow, top-notch comedy and near-acidtrip surrealism. And, due to overwhelming demand, this year’s ALL NEW show also guarantees the return of Miss Martina’s ace acompanist, former child prodigy CHRIS JEFFRIES. Over the years, Dina Martina has sung, hoofed, chatted and hyperventilated her way through 18 all-new shows in Seattle and numerous runs in New York, London, San Francisco and Provincetown, among other cities.

Runs 11/25-12/31, evening performances at 8pm, 12/17-12/18 matinees at 2pm. Rebar, 1114 Howell St. Tickets: $20-$25. www. brownpapertickets.com/event/203891; 1-800-838-3006. Must be 21+, ID required.

All bar sales at Re-bar are cash only. No credit cards accepted for drinks.

“Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some)” - Tired of the same old Humbug? If you see any holiday show this season, why not see the one that has it all?

Three actors launch themselves, and the audience, into a full-scale re-examination of all shows holiday, from Rudolph (with a slight adjustment for copyright issues) to “It’s a Wonderful Life” (in a second-act mash up that will blow your mind). And THAT’S NOT ALL! Traditions from around the world (some more questionable than others) and a finale that includes “Every Carol Every Sung,” will leave you fully holiday-satisfied with nothing left to do but wrap those presents and drink that nog. Runs 11/30-12/24.

ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. SW. Tickets: $34.50. 206-938-0339; www.artswest.org “Hairspray” - Filled with the explosive energy of the 1960s, “Hairspray” gives a hilarious and emotionally poignant tribute to the courage needed to break down the walls that separate us, and does it with style! Prepare yourself for some of the craziest dancing and biggest hair ever seen at Seattle Musical Theatre as “Hairspray,” winner of eight Tony awards, takes the stage. Runs 11/1112/11, Fri-Sat at 7:30pm, Sun at 2pm, Thurs 12/8 at 7:30pm. Seattle Musical Theatre, Magnuson Park Community Center Building, 7120 62nd Ave NE (enter Magnuson Park at 7400 Sand Point Way NE). Tickets: $35-$40. 206-363-2809; www.seattlemusicaltheatre.org.

“Ham for the Holidays: A Lard Day’s Night” - Seattle sketch mavens Lisa Koch and Peggy Platt (Dos Fallopia) ring in the holidays with the 11th edition of their cult holiday show, chock full of maladjusted characters, tacky costumes, and more wigs than Lady Gaga. “A Lard Day’s Night” features a plethora of questionable taste.

Country duo The Spudds give film noir a makeover with “Double-Wide Indemnity;” game show “Who’s Your Deity?” spanks dogma with panelists Harvey Fierstein, Kirstie Alley, and Professor Dumbledore hosted by Sister Mary Agnes; get to know Michele and Marcus Bachmann up close in “Bachman Xmas Overdrive;” Ballard stalwarts, The Polka Dots, mangle popular songs and the English language, polka style; the tiny Sequim Gay Men’s Chorus add two new Lesbian members and a name change (S.Q.U.E.E.L.).

Runs 11/25-12/24, with half-price preview 11/23 and pay-what-you-can on 11/30.

Wed-Sat performances at 7:30pm, Sat-Sun matinees at 3pm. Theatre Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S. Tickets: $15-33. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/202493 or call 1-800838-3006.

“HOMO for the Holidays” - An unforgettable all-star cast brings you innovative burlesque and cabaret performances to help you beat the holiday blues. “HOMO for the Holidays” is a hearty holiday fruitcake packed with rollicksome reindeer, enticing elves, ghostly guests, sexy snowstorms, agile angels, musical Maccabees, and new ways to define coming home. It’s not Christmas in July, it’s Pride in December! Light your menorah, stuff your stockings, and

Visit us online www.sgn.org

“Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant” - The tiny, take-charge Owen Meany is one of the most memorable characters in contemporary literature. His pint-size Messiah complex blossoms into an unwavering determination to play the baby Jesus in the church Christmas pageant and leads to side-splitting hilarious adventures in Gravesend, New Hampshire. Runs 11/29-12/23, previews 11/29-12/1. Book-It Repertory Theatre, Center House Theatre, Seattle Center. Tickets: $22-$44.

“It’s a Wonderful Life - A Live Radio 206-216-0833; www.book-it.org.

Play” - Twelfth Night Productions presents “Peter Pan, The Musical” the classic 1946 Frank Capra film come to life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. The en- Here in all the charm of J.M. Barsemble of actors brings the town of Bedford rie’s classic novel and its ever-popFalls to the stage, and George Bailey to the ular characters - Peter Pan, Wendy, fateful Christmas Eve when, as he contem- John, Michael, the dastardly Capplates ending his life, he finally realizes tain Hook and his sidekick Smee, what a difference he makes in the lives of Tiger Lily, the Lost Boys, pirates, others. Runs 12/2-12/18, Fri-Sat at 7:30pm; Neverland Indians, fairies, Nana Sun at 3pm. Tickets: $12-15. Kenyon Hall, the pet dog, and, of course, the 7904 35th Ave. SW. 1-800-838-3006; www. crocodile - in a sparkling musical brownpapertickets.com/event/211250. www. adaptation direct from Great Britain, Tacoma Musical Playhouse is twelfthnightproductions.org proud to present the newest version “Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol” - of the stage musical, including the We all know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge revisions made for the 1995 West ... but what happened to Jacob Marley? End (London) production and tour, Chained and shackled, Marley is con- with its delightful score adding to demned to a hellish eternity. He’s even been the charm of the original classic given his own private tormentor: a mali- and endearing theatrical fantasy cious little hell-sprite who thoroughly en- to both old and new audiences. joys his work. Desperate, Marley accepts Runs 11/25-12/18. Tacoma Musihis one chance to free himself: to escape his cal Playhouse, 7116 Sixth Ave, Taown chains, he must first redeem Scrooge. coma. Tickets: $20-$27. 253-585So begins a journey of laughter and terror, 6867; www.tmp.org. redemption and renewal. Runs 12/1-12/24.

“Uncle Mike Ruins ChristSeattle Public Theater, 7312 W. Greenlake Dr. N. Tickets: $15-$27. 206-524-1300; mas” - Uncle Mike returns again www.seattlepublictheater.org. (Some scary to take your beloved and cherparts: recommended for ages 10 and up at ished holiday memories and defile them to comedic results. “Uncle parents’ discretion.)

Mike Ruins Christmas” begins as “Land of the Sweets - The Burlesque a typically cheery holiday show.

Nutcracker” - A spectacle of ecdysiastic Performers take beloved holiday pageantry, “Land of the Sweets” sets the stories from the audience and reNutcracker to a swing-era soundtrack and enact them in a sugary and warm gives the ballet a bawdy makeover. The fuzzy way. And then Uncle Mike perfect mix of singing, acrobatics, glam- shows up and works his irreverent, our and smutty jokes, featuring an all-star depraved, and hysterical magic, cast from Seattle’s burlesque A-list. Runs defiling everything he touches.

12/14-12/24. The Triple Door, 216 Union “Foul, perverted, and often funny St. Tickets: $28-$45. 206-838-4333; www. ... The troupe’s spirit and energy are undeniable, making this midtripledoor.com night show a good diversion for “Mezzo Lunatico” - Ben de la Creme Scrooges and Grinches alike.” hosts a holiday cabaret show with Captain –The Seattle Weekly. Due to its Smartpants, Massive Monkeys, The Vaude- raunchy nature, “Uncle Mike Ruvillians, Iva Handfull, The Heavenly Spies, ins Christmas” is not suggested for and Toy Box Trio. Runs 12/16-12/17, from the faint of heart or children under 11pm-2am. Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer 13. Runs 11/19-12/17, Saturdays at St. Tickets: $25. 21+. 206-802-0015; www. 12 midnight. Wing-It Productions, 5510 University Way NE. Tickets: mezzolunatico.org. $10. www.wingitpresents.com.

“The Muppets” - With the help of three “Wizard of Oz” - This magifans, The Muppets must reunite to save their old theater from a greedy oil tycoon. Runs cal production, based on the Royal 11/23-11/27, showtimes 10:30am, 1:15pm, Shakespeare Company’s celebra4pm, 7pm, 10pm. Cinerama, 2100 4th Ave. tion of the 1939 MGM movie, is presented by Village Theatre Kid206-448-6680; www.cinerama.com stage, with breathtaking special “Nutcracker” - The Pacific Northwest effects that will sweep you away, Ballet’s “Nutcracker” has been dazzling the from the moment the tornado young and the young-at-heart each holiday twists its way into Kansas and season for 27 years. Treat your family and Dorothy, Toto and their friends friends to the memories and magic of PNB’s the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and inimitable “Nutcracker.” Created by PNB Scarecrow are transported “Over Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell the Rainbow” to adventures in and world-famous children’s author and il- Munchkin Land, the Haunted lustrator Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Forest and the Emerald City. LoThings Are), “Nutcracker’s” brilliant blend cal children from the Everett area of costumes, sets and choreography cre- will be performing the roles of ates a magical storybook world enjoyed by “munchkins.” Singing timeless children and adults alike. PNB’s masterful classics such as “Ding Dong the holiday production is the highlight of the Witch is Dead,” the children help holidays. Runs 11/25-12/27. Marion Oliver bring this beloved classic to the McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St. Tickets: $26- stage of their hometown. Runs $123. 206-441-2424; www.pnb.org.; in per- 12/3 only at 2pm & 7pm. Comcast son at the PNB Box Office, 301 Mercer St; Arena, 2000 Hewitt Ave, Everett.

206-292-ARTS; www.ticketmaster.com Tickets: $31-$61. 1-866-332-8499; www.comcastarenaeverett.com join our chosen family in celebrating our favorite wintry holiday of all, “HOMO for the Holidays.” Featuring an all-star cast of burlesque, cabaret, dance, drag, and musical local luminaries: BenDeLaCreme, Kitten LaRue, The Cherdonna and Lou Show, Jinkx Monsoon and Major Scales, Fuchsia FoXXX, ilvs strauss, James McHendry, and Jimmy Longwell.. Runs 12/10-12/24. 12/10 preview at 7pm, 12/15, 16, 17, 22, 23 at 8pm, 12/24 at 7pm and 10 pm. Tickets: $20-advance; $25-at the door. West Hall, OddFellows Building, 915 E Pine St, 2nd Floor. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/90561.

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News 21

Ji Ji Lee

to the cast this year. “Expect the return of favorites like Fuchsia FoXXX, The Cherdonna and Lou Show, and ilvs strauss (reprising her role as Jesus),” BenDeLaCreme said. “But also keep an eye out for some fresh faces. This year we are joined by Faggedy Randy (formerly of the Cancan Castaways), Jinkx Monsoon, Major Scales, and newcomer Jimmy Longwell.”

Jimmy is an amazing singer who DeLaRue Presents discovered when they held a “Bearhunt” audition a few months back. They say they are “delighted to be presenting him in his Seattle stage debut!”

With such an amazing lineup and the perfect venue, this year’s Homo for the Holidays is sure to be a hit. BenDeLaCreme said audiences can “expect even more laughs, dance numbers, live music, and sex appeal than in years past,” but “with the same warmth and heart that makes this show so special.”

“Homo for the Holidays is a chance to celebrate and to laugh, but also to bring the fragmented pieces of Seattle’s LGBT community together in one room,” said BenDeLaCreme. “The show sprouted from a desire to create a new reason for the season – a reclamation, if you will. And by the reactions we’ve been getting from happy crowds, it seems like it’s working!”

“There is so much emphasis on ‘family’ and ‘coming home’ this time of year, but that doesn’t have to mean the same thing to all of us,” she said. “This show celebrates the idea that family is who you surround yourself with, and home is where you are.”

“Bring your chosen family to make merry with our chosen family,” BenDeLaCreme concluded. “Maybe it will all turn out to be the same family!”

BenDeLaCreme

delacreme continued from cover

donna and Lou Show), and BenDeLaCreme joined forces to create DeLouRue Presents.

“After the wild success of our first production, Freedom Fantasia (which will be returning to the Triple Door next July), I decided to ask them to join me at the helm of the fourth Homo for the Holidays,” BenDeLaCreme told Seattle Gay News. “This makes it the second of DeLouRue’s shows and means that you can expect more sparkling spectacle, show-stopping dance, and hilarious hi-jinks than ever before!”

“Lou and Kitten are amazing choreographers and a delight to work with,” she added. “With them in the mix, audiences can expect to see all the elements of Homo that they’ve come to know and love pushed to the max.”

There are also several exciting additions

22 Seattle Gay News

November 25, 2011

Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

November 25, 2011

Seattle Gay News 23