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  Doriloves Youall and Puppetrator X perform at Homomentum. Photo by Ty Chance. Do not use without permission. Friday’s re-introduction to Homomentum with its third season opener, Myths & Legends, was quite possibly the best one yet. The stellar lineup surprised and delighted finding new energy in performance artists we’ve seen grace their stage before, as well as creative first timers. It was a fairly lengthy show, and yet I was never bored.
Glitterfruit started the show with an inspirational and beautiful protest song that had emcee Max Voltage in a slightly more serious (dare I say butch?) outfit that transitioned perfectly to the be-maned and sparkly unicorn outfit for the rest of the show. Swagger, the skillful but fun dance and teaching troupe, has reinvented themselves as Compound and were as fashionable and compelling as ever. Felice Shays had a particularly successful comedy routine that eschewed her usual food porn in favor of a more restrained but incredibly hilarious narrative about the rules of polyamoury.
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  Wade McCollum as Prior Walter (L) with Noah Jordan as Louis Ironson in the Portland Playhouse's 'Angels in America.' Photo by Owen Carey. Tony Kushner’s epic play about the AIDS crisis in the 80s, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, is all about juxtapositions, and the Portland Playhouse does this expertly. We wonder if the tropes presented in this production remain relevant and Director Brian Weaver’s 8 person cast proves that it is. You can hear what Weaver and principal actor Wade McCollum have to say on the continued relevancy of the Angels, as well as AIDS in the 21st century, in an interview from last week.
On one side is the closeted and vicious Ray Cohn, played by Ebbe Roe Smith, lawyer for all the big names on the right, and on the other, Prior Walter (McCollum), an eloquent gay man whose partner, Louis (Noah Jordan), leaves him. Both are Cohn and Walter are dying of AIDS. But though Cohn is a classic villain and Walter a relatable (if not wholly classic) hero, both script and performances provide the nuance so imperative in this story. Ultimately, Cohn seems pitiable and Walter powerful.
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 Need a good first date idea? This is not it. It’s more like the third date when you’re ready to see what your person is made of.
Smutty Clown Comedy at Saratoga Bar isn’t for the faint of heart, nor is it for the politically correct. Seriously. Do not bring that special someone who is canvassing for any sort of human rights. You will be dumped. Immediately.
But if you’re looking for a fun and kooky way to spend a Thursday night and you can handle straight cisgender guys yelling “you all are cunts” into the microphone, this may just be your place.
Billed as a monthly X-rated open mic, Smutty Clown is hosted by Sterling Clark and Whitney Streed. Clark is pretty much adorable – on this night she was wearing a floral dress and cardigan, hair in a head scarf with large glasses aka Sally Jessy Raphael. Streed was walking around in a suit, looking like she knew everyone in the place.
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 Glitterfruit working their magic. Max Voltage and Riley Ciara La Roux dusted the audience at In Other Words Saturday evening with their Glitterfruit as the duo dug into a handful of instruments during their debut full length show, Fruitillion.
Opening with “Nirvaga,” a mash-up of Nirvana’s “Come as you are” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” Glitterfruit did get into a little bit of everything – with numbers induced with camp, cabaret and circus style. Their set included the electric violin, bass, accordion, mandolin and ukulele with each taking turns at vocals. La Roux at one point quipped, “We’re a five person band with two people.”
The music varied – for “Girl on the Side,” a song that came from a friend named Willis in Brooklyn, it was all about well, being a girl on the side. La Roux playfully croons, “You are busy as a honeybee, sweet as syrup from the maple tree and all I want to know is want to kick it on the side with me?”
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Kate Cooper and Damon Cox of An Horse
The dynamic Australian duo, An Horse, made a stop on their fall tour at Bunk Bar (1028 SE Water Ave. Suit 130) last Saturday. Kate Cooper and Damon Cox released their first album, Rearrange Beds after touring with Tegan and Sara in 2008. They made their first television appearance in 2009 on the David Letterman show, performing the song, […]
  This isn't the Portland show but it is MEN live Remind me not to stop drinking, because when I fall off the wagon, I fall hard. It was a tough hump day anyway, beginning with a dentist appointment and a long work day…oh, and the death of Elizabeth Taylor. Luckily, I had two of my favorite bands to save me at the end. Lovers and MEN‘s latest albums are both on repeat on my iPod to get me through.
In the vein of an already marginally successful day at best I neglected to check the battery on my camera (and I also left my credit card at the bar) so was unable to get any pictures. But even if I had a day full of FAIL I was soothed by the sweet crooning of Lovers’ Cubbie Berk and energized by the political dance energy of MEN. As for the pre-funk and in between set turntable stylings of DJ Mr. Charming? Just right.
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  Fannie Mae Darling hosts. Photo by Marty Davis / Just Out In Portland’s world of on-the-fly and occasionally inebriated performance world, Fannie Mae Darling managed to keep the local theme alive while providing a quality holiday drag, theater and music extravaganza. In constantly rotating dresses Darling kept the crowd engaged and giggling through over two and a half hours of stage antics. Yes, while drunken.
Just Out’s Marty Davis has all the photos to prove it was a spectacularly successful Quitsmas blend of talent on her Facebook page.
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  Host Heklina presents the cash prize to winner Sally Ingus Wilder. Photo by Marty Davis This Friday saw bunches of queers lined up in front of the Fez Ballroom to see the final drag smackdown at Miss Thing wondering if it was already sold out. Actually it wasn’t, and the hype and attitude was a little intense for an event that ended up having plenty of elbow room. But then again, it was called Miss Thing so I guess I can’t be too surprised.
I also wasn’t surprised by the level of weirdness and amazingness that all the Misses brought to the show. Although the 1st place winner was newbie Sally Ingus Wilder I wasn’t disappointed by any of the competing acts. Second and third places belonged to ChiChi and Chonga and Kaj-Anne Pepper respectively, but I’ve heard more than one grumble that either of these two fierce competitors should have taken the title. Personally, I think Bulimianne Rhapsody had one of the most original pieces.
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 Winner Kaj-Anne Pepper struts his stuff
The 2nd Annual Homo’s Got Talent competition took place this year in the courtyard of the Jupiter Hotel, a big improvement over last year’s confined space. And though the program was long, and the exquisite winning performance by Kaj-Anne Pepper and crew at the very beginning, there were some real quality acts, and some even better costumes. You can relive, or […]
  Discussing our excitement over the upcoming reunion show with The Need a few days before last Friday’s finale a friend commented that she was worried that they wouldn’t still have it. That they were (as we are) getting older, hadn’t played in awhile, and who knows what kind of skills they’ve lost in the lackadaisical interim (I’m exaggerating her comments here for effect).
But I needn’t have worried. Because last Friday night they brought down the house.
Not only were they tight and nuanced, but every bit a energetic as they ever were. And even as Rachel pulled up her shirt to expose her own mastectomy scars she joked about now being able to mow the lawn shirtless before launching into another perfectly executed anthem. And though my musical taste has tended more toward that which can be danced to as of late, their alt-metal filled a need in my body I didn’t even know I had.
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