GAYLETTER

Amber Martin is a great singer and performer, but Amber as Reba McEntire is a whooooooooole other thing. When Amber does Reba she just goes wild. The last time we saw her doing her impression of Reba was at our Pride party, she got nearly naked — her ass was out while she was wearing a sexy apron. Reba is a loud motherfucker, and we love her for that because bitch is only going to tell you the truth. Here’s what the press release says about the show: “In the footsteps of classic comic character monologists such as Ruth Draper, Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin, the Texas-born acclaimed vocalist and performance artist...once again brings her award winning chops to Joe’s Pub.” That’s right bitches, Reba is going to premiere her new show Reba C*ntry! I love how she combines our favorite word “cunt” with “country” for her title, which is a brilliant combination, don’t you think? Expect lots of special guests including: Kyle Supley, Angela DiCarlo, The Pixie Harlots, Nath Ann Carrera and more... Reba is raunchy, Reba is horny and Reba is Cuntry.  —Abi

With dazzling aplomb British composer Mark Anthony Turnage and librettist Richard Thomas have turned the sordid, torrid life of tabloid queen Anna Nicole Smith into a full length opera now playing at BAM. I will admit I had a couple of bottles of vin rouge before the performance so it’s a bit hazy to me but I do remember impeccable staging and flawless sets as the story unfolded, “...looking to each paparazzi plagued chapter of the stars story-the bombshell centerfold, the devastated mother, the unlikely wife of an 89 year old billionaire, Ana Nicole captures a woman caught between greed and exploitation” I mean even the New York Times loved it! Performed by the New York City Opera, the drama hits all the key points including Ana’s breast implants, drug induced Larry King Live appearance and the death of her precious son Daniel. Enough said, go see Anna Nicole as you could never have imagined.  —Gayletter

The downtown composer/performer Dane Terry, who self identifies as “Frillbilly,” is performing a one night show at Dixon Place, that he tells us will offer “slices and pieces of his strange American life.” I have seen Dane share the stage on many occasions with performers we admire such as Joseph Keckler, Cole Escola and Nicholas Gorham, but I’ve never had the opportunity to see him solo. Dane told me about his plans for the night: “I’ll be performing songs that are like tiny theater creatures in themselves...Some are funny, some are dark and a lot of them have to do with the darker side of sexuality.” This boy is a bit strange, he even told me that he’s “a proud weirdo,” which is probably why I like him so much. I asked him if he’s going to get naked during the show but he told me no. Instead we should expect something that’s “creepy at turns, and funny at others times.” Fine!  —Abi

I’m always thrilled to see the adorable Nath Ann perform, even more so since his Wednesday performance is at the Wild Project, one of the best little performance spaces in the city. Then there’s the fact that the legendary Mx. Justin Vivian Bond and Amber “Reba” Martin will be joining him on stage. Nath Ann is a genius at describing his shows so I’ll let him give you a taste of what we can expect: “Cultish Lesbian Separatist Murder Ballads! Gender Variant Black Masses! Consensual A-Moralism! Anti-Assimilationist Queer Depravity! New Unabridged Excerpts From: I Don’t Want To Throw Rice, I Want To Throw Rocks: The Early Southern Gothicism Of Dolly Parton!” I mean...I would show up for those descriptions alone. As the longtime lover of Justin (they broke up a while ago, but are still close) Nath has in many ways been mentored by the best. We’ve watched him develop into a captivating performer over the last few years; I’m sure this performance will be a continuation of that.  —tom

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never quite understood the obsession some peeps have with Tori Amos. Don’t get me wrong "A Sorta Fairytale," at one point around 2004, was the most played song in my iTunes library (I’m re-listening to it now as I type this, and god damn it’s still a good song) but her music has never made me want tattoo one of her lyrics to my forearm (google it), and I wouldn’t drive across state lines to see her perform (her fans have travelled further). There’s something about Tori that commands total devotion from her followers. While I don’t get it, I’m happy to support it. This Sunday at Joe’s Pub singer Enid Ellen presents a very special 50th b’day celebration for Ms. Amos. It features all sorts of special guests including: Cole Escola, Nicholas Gorham, Erin Markey, Joseph Keckler, Dane Terry, Kim Smith, Dan Fishback, Natti Vogel, Brett Every, B0DYH1GH and Greg Potter. They’ll “pay tribute to the goddess, Tori Amos on the week of her 50th birthday.” I can’t imagine anyone throwing a tribute party like this for Jewel or Alanis Morissette. You’re doing something right Tori. Fuck those Cornflake girls, raisins rule!  —tom

I went to see this play with absolutely no expectations. I consider myself pretty shameless, it’s partly the reason GAYLETTER exists. Honestly I was curious to find out if there is anything I’m ashamed of? We entered a rehearsal room last week at NYU/Tisch School of the Arts and the first thing I saw was Julian Goldhagen wearing diapers, looking sexy, great smile, great energy, ready to get started... ‘Talk to Me About Shame’ is his first solo performance, and as he puts it it’s “a celebration of shame that is meant to empower...” It’s directed by Kevin Hourigan. It’s a simple piece where Julian shares his stories (incorporating sounds and props) while interacting with the audience. His goal is to get the audience members to share their own stories of shame. It sounds deep right? And trust me it gets real. Julian explained that “through talking about our shame, we can become vulnerable in the presence of others, and it is through this vulnerability that connection occurs...” We also got to see Julian naked. After the show we talked about the way his balls moved up and down as he spoke — it was fascinating. Now let’s talk about shame...  —Abi