The Kinsey Sicks: Deep Inside Tonight with the Kinsey Sicks

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The Kinsey Sicks

Deep Inside Tonight with the Kinsey Sicks

The Green Room 42, NYC, August 20, 2024

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

The Kinsey Sicks
Photo: Lois Tema

The Kinsey Sicks, America’s favorite drag a cappella barbershop quartet, was back in New York to celebrate their 30th anniversary of lowdown humor and political commentary with a mix of old and new material. For those who have yet to experience their barrage of vulgarity and generosity, the four personalities are well defined and fully formed. Trampolina (Spencer Brown) is giddy and not too bright, Trixie (Jeff Manabat) is the glamour cat of the group with a dash of Alexis Carrington, Winnie (Nathan Marken) is the smart one who is also openly lesbianic, and Angel (J.B. McLendon) is the brash, no-holds-barred comedian. Together they form a tight group, as impressive for their fine musicality as they are for their mutual support.

Each of the girls took the lead on individual numbers while the others provided support. Winnie led on the very witty “See You When Tea Is Drinkable” (Benjamin Schatz/Jeff Manabet), complete with dandy choreography, while Angel showed some real show-biz knowhow knocking out “Cruise People Uglier Than You” (Schatz). Late in the show, a clever concept switched some of their classic numbers around between performers; so Trixie took over Angle’s gluttonous “Don’t Rein in My Buffet” (Schatz/Jule Styne), and Trampolina surprised us by delivering Winnie’s “Papirosen” (traditional)… in Yiddish with great feeling.

One of the things that make the Kinsey’s shows so successful is that they can tackle serious topics such as homophobia with respect, easily shifting between the sincere and the satirical. Their witty satire shone through as they dealt with dating advice, such as “Poor Unfortunate Trolls” and the aforementioned “Cruise People Uglier Than You,” both with lyrics by Schatz. The self-saluting and celebratory medley of “Can You Believe We’ve Lasted This Long” and “We Did Survive” (lyrics by Brown), brought the evening to a satisfying end, and led their devoted audience to look forward to their 31st season.

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Bart Greenberg

Bart Greenberg first discovered cabaret a few weeks after arriving in New York City by seeing Julie Wilson and William Roy performing Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter outdoors at Rockefeller Center. It was instant love for both Ms. Wilson and the art form. Some years later, he was given the opportunity to create his own series of cabaret shows while working at Tower Records. "Any Wednesday" was born, a weekly half-hour performance by a singer promoting a new CD release. Ann Hampton Callaway launched the series. When Tower shut down, Bart was lucky to move the program across the street to Barnes & Noble, where it thrived under the generous support of the company. The series received both The MAC Board of Directors Award and The Bistro Award. Some of the performers who took part in "Any Wednesday" include Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock, Tony Desare, Andrea Marcovicci, Carole Bufford, the Karens, Akers, Mason and Oberlin, and Julie Wilson. Privately, Greenberg is happily married to writer/photographer Mark Wallis, who as a performance artist in his native England gathered a major following as "I Am Cereal Killer."

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