Gusty Winds, Coco Love, Bella, Susan Freedner, Demi Tasse, Denise Dell Harbin, Barbara Hirsch, Linda Dickerman, John DeMarco, Rose Levine ........................................................................................................................................................................................
Stars of Cherry Grove's stages, both of Arts Project theatricals and of the Ice Palace and Cherry's, came together, at the Grove Hotel's Ice Palace on June 5, for a gala fundraising show, organized by the hotel's Sal Piro, for the benefit of PAWS, the Pines Animal Welfare Society, the pet rescue and placement organization, headed by Lee Frey in the Pines and Valerie Perez in the Grove.
The evening began with a pre-show, previewing singer Brandon Cutrell and pianist Ray Fellman's "Broadway at the Beach," the theater party that resumes for the season on June 21 and holds the stage here on Mondays throughout the summer. Brandon and Ray set the upbeat tone for the evening with "Come on baby, let the good times roll" and followed up with a Pink ballad. Kenny Holcomb's "That's Life" and his Peter Allen song boasted some amazing sustained notes. I contributed "Somewhere," from "West Side Story;" Brandon and Kenny went Country, sparring as rivals, and querying, "Does he love you like he loves me?" and Brandon closed the segment by mischievously urging that, since "Tonight's the Night," "Let's Misbehave."
Hosting Act One, Bella, in evil Sea Witch mode, demanded, "I want the good times back," with the assistance of DJ Chuck McTague. Ruth Freedner, as a hyper Louis Prima, and Susan Freedner, as the calmer Keely Smith, gave us lines backward and forward in "I don't know why I love you, but I do," and continued with "Night and Day" and "Bei mir, bist du schoen." Bella then introduced the Grove's new royalty, Mr. Fire Island Leather 2010 Rob Ferri and Homecoming Queen 2010 Beach DeBree. Bella later made an impassioned plea for pet owners to poop scoop.
Denise Dell Harbin made a glittery Lady Gaga-what a contrast with her Elvis!-to Demi-Tasse's Beyoncé in "Telephone," and Demi led the audience in singing "Happy Birthday" to Bella. Former Miss Fire Island Ginger Moore, in virginal white, confided, "I Enjoy Being a Girl," from "Flower Drum Song." John DeMarco lent his silky tenor to a pairing of "Old Devil Moon" and "Witchcraft." Linda Dickerman, as Roy Rogers, and Barbara Hirsch, as Dale Evans, riding blow-up horses, wished us all "Happy Trails." Dallas Dubois offered the number for which she was deemed Most Popular, in last year's Miss Fire Island pageant-"I Want to Be a Rockette"-and with those high kicks and that cartwheel, she certainly could be!
Second act Mistress of Ceremonies Philomena introduced herself with a Doris Day medley that encompassed everything from "Shaking the Blues Away" to "Ten Cents a Dance," and underlined, with a knowing look, the phrase "queer romance," in the latter. Former Homecoming Queen and Miss Fire Island Coco Love, with pink hair curled around beer cans, took a Country beau to task with, "Don't come home a-drinkin' with lovin' on your mind." Tony Bondi gave us her glam interpretation of "I Am What I Am," from "La Cage aux Folles." Rose Levine, as Annie, and her Westy, Lilibet, as Sandy, hopefully reminded us that "Tomorrow" is no more than "a day away."
Red Hot Mama Charity, the second Miss Fire Island and also a Grove Homecoming Queen, became "Chicago's" earthy Mama Morton, and let us know what happens "When You're Good to Mama."
In a number from "The Sound of Music," Gusty Winds and her pair of nun puppets wondered "How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?"
For the climax of the evening, singer Porsche, in a tasteful animal print dress, seduced us with "Sway with Me;" brought some of us back with her sweet "Tammy's in Love," the Debbie Reynolds number; and upped the ante with a Shirley Bassey-style "Big Spender," from "Sweet Charity."
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Into the Pines Kitchen contains 200 recipes from 100 contributors, including Pines notables Scott Bromley, Gilbert Parker, and Hal Rubinstein. As a nod to bygone days, the book also features a posthumous contribution from John Whyte, one of the Pines' founders. The book includes original photography of the island from Pines artists William Karam, Mark Lonsbury, and Barbara Sahlman. •More About this Book»
"Drag Queens Can Cook-Recipes to Sync Your Lips Around" is a new cookbook, being sold for a tax deductible $25, created by doctors and life partners Rick Byrd, PhD, and Patrick Fratellone, MD, as a benefit for the Elmer A. Lindsay Memorial Medical Center, the Cherry Grove Doctor's Fund. •Read More»
