This past weekend not only saw the likes of God-Des and She perform at G4G, but also the second annual “SuperQueer” event at Berbati’s Pan, showcasing local talent and much more in an effort to raise funds for the Portland Women’s Crisis Line.
Berbati’s was a the ideal venue for this event, and I was happy to see that SuperQueer Extravaganza not only brought a variety of performers to the stage, but also hosted a diverse group of local vendors, including Washington-Based InHerTube that make Vegan harnesses out of recycled inner tubes (site NSFW). The show also featured a raffle with fantastic schwag such as Barbie Porn T-shirts created by local artist Janel Lato, Vodka by New Deal, gift certificates to Adorn Tattoo and Piercing, and socks by Sock Dreams, amongst others.
SuperQueer was emceed by Bruce the Drag King & Dustina, and saw performers such as Sahara Dunes, Zora Phoenix, Lipz Cabaret, contortionist Blaze and fire artist Pegatron grace the stage, which was managed by local photographer/artist Nik Wilhelm.
Unlike this year’s fantastic Freakshow-a-Go-Go, SuperQueer had a more traditional line up of dancing, drag numbers, and lip synching, as opposed to taking a more gender-avant-garde spin. A burlesque version of “Thriller” complete with zombies was a highlight, along with Pegatron’s fire spinning, and the raffle prizes were truly generous. Going along with the Vaudeville theme, I saw chorus girls, femme fatales, urchins, suited & booted gentlemen, and busty bombshells among the crowd. Johnny O tore up the stage, while Bruce T D King crooned with Dustina. Zora Phoenix pulled off an acapella version of “Why Don’t You Do right?”, while stilt walkers worked the crowd.
Despite competition from G4G @ Rotture and Hot Flash, the venue was busy, even with a $10 in advance/$15 at the door price tag. Drinks were a little pricey (a small cup of beer for $4?), the bartenders were noticeably absent for periods of time and DJ Mel had reoccurring technical difficulties, but on the whole the show went well and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I felt myself wishing for less traditional drag and more queer performance, but all acts worked hard to please the crowd. Despite the fact that I’m a little over vaudeville, I had lots of fun at SuperQueer, especially as it was a benefit event! A solid show with a great set of performers that was obviously the product of a lot of hard work.
