For nearly 15 years, The Kinsey Sicks, America's Favorite Dragapella
Beautyshop Quartet, have served up a feast of music and comedy to
audiences across the United States and internationally. Combining award-winning a cappella
singing, sharp satire and over-the-top drag, The Kinsey Sicks have
developed a large and loyal following.
Humble Beginnings. The Kinsey Sicks began in 1993 as a group of friends who went to a Bette
Midler concert in San Francisco dressed as the Andrews Sisters.
Assuming they'd be among many drag queens, they found themselves to be
the only ones (other than Bette, of course). They were approached that
night to perform at an upcoming event. Their reply -- "we don't sing" --
was quickly disproved when they realized that all of them had musical
backgrounds. They began singing and harmonizing that night, and the seed
for The Kinsey Sicks was planted.
Becoming a Phenomenon. In July 1994, The Kinsey Sicks drew
a large and enthusiastic crowd at
their first public performance on a street corner in San Francisco's
Castro District. Since then, The Kinsey Sicks have produced and
performed full-length theatrical productions around the country in such
prestigious venues as the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, the Nordstrom
Recital Hall in Seattle, the Broward Center in Ft. Lauderdale, the Hobby Center in Houston, the
Wheeler Opera House in Aspen and the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.
Their earlies shows, such as "Sicks Appeal," "Sicks-Tease," "The Balled Sopranos," "Motel Sicks: A Dragapella Summer
Vacation,"
"Everything But the Kitsch 'n'Synch" and "GreatesTits," all premiered at San
Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre Center. Their more recent musicals -- "I Wanna Be a Republican,"
"Condoleezzapalooza," "Oy Vey in a Manger" and "Wake the F@#k Up America" have toured
internationally and have drawn the attention and devotion of unexpectedly diverse audiences.
Off-Broadway and Las Vegas. In 2001, the girls produced and starred in their critically acclaimed
Off-Broadway hit, "DRAGAPELLA! Starring the Kinsey Sicks" at New York's
legendary Studio 54. That production received a nomination for a Lucille
Lortel award (the Off-Broadway Tony) as Best Musical of 2001 and wowed audiences with a much-
coveted extended run at the Las Vegas Hilton. The show was ranked by critics as one of the best
shows in Vegas, and heralded by reviewers as "a feast for the eyes,
the ears and the funny bone."
Recordings, TV and Print. The Kinsey Sicks have recorded six CDs: Dragapella,
Boyz 2 Girlz, Sicks in the City, I Wanna Be a Republican,
Oy Vey in a Manger: Christmas Carols and Other Jewish Music and their
latest and most devilish offering, Sicks! Sicks! Sicks! They have been profiled
on national television, including "20/20" and "CBS Early Show with Bryant Gumbel,"
and were the subjects of a lengthy cover feature in the arts section of the New York
Times. (That article is posted on this website as well.)
Film. The Kinsey Sicks are the subjects of two feature films.
Their concert film, "I Wanna Be a Republican" premiered in 2006. The behind-the-scenes
documentary, "Almost Infamous", which premieres in June, 2008 at the 32nd San Francisco International Gay and Lesbian
Film Festival, chronicles the adventure of the group's extended run at the Las Vegas Hilton
in 2006.
When THE KINSEY SICKS began in 1993, its founders were a group of
refugees from successful careers as professionals and activists.
Original member Ben Schatz ("Rachel") is a Harvard-trained civil rights
lawyer, former Director of the national Gay and Lesbian Medical
Association, and one-time presidential advisor on HIV issues. Schatz created the first national AIDS legal project and
authored Clinton's HIV policy during the 1992 presidential campaign.
Irwin Keller ("Winnie") is a University of Chicago-trained lawyer and
linguist and former director of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of the San
Francisco Bay Area. Keller authored Chicago's gay rights ordinance,
passed into law in 1989. In 2004, the KINSEY SICKS were joined by
actor/singer/designer Jeff Manabat, who is responsible for Trixie's inordinate glamour
and soaring counter-tenor, as well as the entire group's hot couture. Beginning in October of
2008, the Kinsey Sicks are joined by the hilarious and talented Spencer Brown ("Trampolina"), a Kansas City-based
actor and singer, already known for his drag character Daisy Bucket (pronounced, of
course, "bouquet").