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The Vampire's Lair






The Kenny Kerr Show at the 12th Air Command

 

On Sunday night, February 22, 1998 at the 12th Air Command in Philadelphia, I had the pleasure of witnessing one of the finest Barbra Streisand impersonations I had ever seen, performed by "Mr. Kenny Kerr," one of the most celebrated female impersonators of our time. What led up to that point ranged from pedestrian to reasonably good efforts. The Vegas showtune shtick never really impressed me and Kerr's voice was too nasally at times. Furthermore, his big yellow feather headdress and boa that he jokingly remarked as making him look like Big Bird seemed out of place in a little space like the 12th Air Command.

It wasn't his fault, though. The sound and lighting systems were poor. The lights casted ungrateful shadows upon his aging face. A sea of reverb drowned out his otherwise nasally voice and the pops, feedback, and squawks from the surrounding speakers didn't help the situation, either. It was a situation that many performers routinely find themselves in and only the best and most experienced ones could rise above the occasion and turn something out of nothing.

Which Kenny did.

If it wasn't for those fabulous dresses, costumes, and accessories Kenny wore, I think much of the audience would have felt stir crazy. He arrived over an hour late, which did not hold well with most of the audience. Did Kenny himself look good? No, not with his weathered face, but I don't think that his appearance was the focal point of his acts. After all, he has been doing this for over 30 years and there was a time that he was considered fairly gorgeous. Kenny did look good as Barbra, I will admit. The hair, the nails, and Barbra's very defining and dramatic features were all there.

Kenny's first-ever drag performance was as Barbra Streisand lip synching to "Don't Rain on My Parade" at the age of 15 (Kenny is now 45). >From what we are told, Barbra Streisand likes Kenny's impersonations of her. Barbra is usually not too fond of impersonations of her because of the emphasis on her crossed eyes and arm motions, however, Kenny says that Barbra actually likes his version of her because it is tastefully done. Kenny proudly states that to date, he has the only autographed photo of Barbra in the world.

The show started with Kenny singing several Vegas showtunes. I looked around and could tell the audience wasn't impressed. A question and answer segment followed, which gave audience members a chance to find out what makes this multi-millionaire tick. When asked if he prefers lip synching over singing, Kenny replied, "I'd rather be a first-rate me than a second-rate someone else." Lots of cheering followed that response.

 

Kenny's roots are in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area. He attended the Cedar Brook Elementary School and Edgewood High School where he studied hairdressing afterhours in downtown Philadelphia. Kenny now lives in a mansion in Las Vegas and has neighbors such as Gladys Knight, David Cassidy, and Mike Tyson. He currently performs live at the Debbie Reynolds Hotel Casino, Las Vegas, on Tuesday nights. Kenny has appeared on Sally Jesse Raphael, Montel, and The Late Show.

During one of the intermissions, we are treated to a couple of videos displaying Kenny's life in all its grandeur, from his terribly large mansion with all of its fine accoutrements to his quaint little office filled with award after award for outstanding female impersonation to his extremely cool Mercedes convertible that his butler prepares for him. This man has lived the good life And, with all of Kenny's open gaiety, he still manages to raise a 13-year old son. How's that for greatness? I could hear the whispers in the audience, "What?! Did he turn straight for a couple of years?" Perhaps so.

Kenny followed the questions and answers with a respectable rendition of Harry Connick, Jr.'s "It Had To Be You." His rendition of Billie Holiday wasn't too memorable. And the bitch queen jokes interspersed throughout the evening... well... let's just say that half the audience was quite offended with his tasteless racial remarks and Holier Than Thou attitude while the other half laughed hysterically. That's the sign of a good bitch queen, but not the sign of a queen who wants to earn enough tips for her charity to make her tour through Philadelphia worthwhile. Some of the bigger tips ended up going to one of the other female impersonators. Can the jokes, Kenny. This is Philly.

There was a touching moment between Kenny and his 77-year old father who was in the audience and had never seen any of his shows until now. In fact, Kenny was not very close to his father after his parents got divorced when Kenny was 18. Throughout the evening, his father looked miserable, as if he wanted to get up and leave. An audience member got Kenny's father to make a statement about how he felt about his son and his son's success. I think he came up with a politically correct story that somehow tied in with the subject of Kenny's first-ever drag performance. Think about it: don't rain on my parade. Kenny's father was no fool. He wanted to get out alive. Kenny's sister was sitting next to the father, elbowed him, and remarked, "Be nice," before he made his speech. I will spare you the details of the speech, but let's just say it elicited a very positive response from the audience.

 

Some local big-name celebrities were in attendance. Among the celebs were "Mr. Halloween" Henri David, who emceed the show, drag mothers Les Harrison and Joanne, reigning "Mr. Leather Philadelphia 1997" Donna Mae, Vicki, and a retro-looking Audrey Hepburn look-alike.

Henri has strong ties with the drag community. He hosts all of the major drag events in Philadelphia and, from what I've heard, he was a master gender illusionist himself some years ago. Kenny recalls that one of his first and fondest memories of being in a dress was with Henri.

The grande drag mother herself, Les Harrison, was also present. Kenny acknowledged Les to be his "drag mother," a term used to describe an older, more experienced queen who has taken you under her wing to teach you the drag trade. Les is one of the "living legends" in the Philadelphia drag scene. Everyone who is anyone in Philadelphia drag owes his or her start to one of Les Harrison, Joey Venuti, or Paris Dupree. Paris, to my knowledge, is a New York transplant, so Les and Joey are the true big-name drag mothers in Philly. Joey passed away a couple of years ago so now Les holds the reigns on the serious drag talent in Philadelphia.

Joanne was a somewhat heavyset blonde transsexual who had her fair share of admirers and detractors. Among the latter were several older gay men in the audience who whispered rude remarks that centered around Joanne's "unidentifiable body parts." Seeing her bulge out of her skintight top, you would be inclined to agree with them, too.

Vicki was a younger blonde who had tagged along with Joanne. To everyone she met, she was complaining of her toothache from her dental visit (she probably had her molars removed a la Cher). From afar she looked good, but, then again, from afar many queens look good. She wore a completely black outfit with black flat-heeled boots and a gold chain belt. Not a bad thing, but a little dated. Retro 60's and 70's is fine, but the 80's look came and went. Her hair did look real, though, albeit a bit scraggly.

Donna Mae, the winner of the coveted Mr. Leather Philadelphia contest, was dressed in genderfuck drag: an orange mop-like wig and black leather straps covering an aging body. A couple of patrons remarked that Donna Mae looked as if she had put on some weight since she had won the contest.

During Kenny's intermissions, Sandy Beach and Alona provided additional entertainment. Sandy provided some comical relief with her innovative and campy musical remakes of popular hit songs. Her appearance of Madonna singing "Material Girl" could scare the bejezuz out of anyone, but that's Sandy's point - strict camp.

Alona is about as cute and petite as yours truly. She gave her audience two beautiful, dramatic skits and elicited quite a few yelps of admiration for her stunning good looks and fine expressive performances. Her lip synched performance of "One Night Only" drew squeals of admiration from the crowd. She will no doubt develop into a great female impersonator.

Sandy Beach has a Thursday night drag show at the 12th Air Command called the "U.S.O. Show" that has been running for quite some time now. If Alona is performing that night, I urge you to go to the show just to see her.

 

Soda Pop Buzz

The Miss Northern States Pageant is coming to the Mandell Theatre of Drexel University on Saturday, April 11, 1998. Doors open at 6:30pm and tickets are $25. Call Let's Do It Again Productions at (215) 563-3778 to purchase tickets. Lots of great entertainment is scheduled for the evening, so don't miss out. I think the organizers pushed the show earlier this year to allow patrons time to go to the clubs later in the evening.

Check out Jimmy James's dance track, "Who Wants To Be Your Lover," on Interhit Records in major record stores everywhere. The campy pop tune keeps sticking in my mind. Those who like Erasure's "Chains of Love" will enjoy this one. There appear to be two versions of the CD jacket, one with Jimmy in lesbian drag and one with him in his Marilyn Monroe guise. Fear not if you like both. The record company just flipped the jacket booklet backwards in half of the manufactured CD's. For those who don't know, Jimmy James has been impersonating Marilyn for over 10 years. He is possibly the best Marilyn there is. He looks great and he can sing (well, sort of), too.

Woody's in Philadelphia has recently signed a bunch of great DJ's from Boston, New York, and Miami to play on select nights. Check the place out on the following nights: March 6, 14, and 20. Call (215) 545-1893 for more information.

Nope, I'm not affiliated with any of the above people, places, or events. If you would like to find out more about me (the really cute Asian girl in the last two photos), check out my Web site!



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