The Kinsey Sicks

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The Kinsey Sicks

The Kinsey Sicks are, in their own words, "America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet."

They perform both original music and lyrics as well as parodies of well-known songs. Their work, while extremely comedic, is typically highly politically charged. Their name is a play of words on "Kinsey 6," the end of the Kinsey scale defined as exclusively homosexual.

1 Origin and Achievements
2 The Boyz Behind the Girlz
3 Discography
4 External links

[edit] Origin and Achievements

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. 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.

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 Ogden Theatre in Denver, the Colony Theatre in South Beach, and the Wheeler Opera Hall in Aspen. Their stage productions have included "The Balled Sopranos," "Motel Sicks: A Dragapella Summer Vacation," "Everything But the Kitsch 'n'Synch" and "GreatesTits," all of which premiered at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre Center.

In 2001, the Kinsey Sicks produced and starred in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway hit, "DRAGAPELLA! Starring the Kinsey Sicks" at New York's Studio 54. That production received a nomination for a Lucille Lortel award for Best Musical of 2001 and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Lyrics.

In 2006, the Kinsey Sicks performed an extended engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton. In addition, their first feature film, "Kinsey Sicks: I Wanna Be a Republican," premiered at the 30th San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Another documentary following the Kinsey Sicks backstage on tour is due for release in 2007.

[edit] The Boyz Behind the Girlz

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. Schatz created the first national AIDS legal project and authored Bill 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 human rights ordinance, passed into law in 1989.

The KINSEY SICKS sound was sweetened in 1998 by the addition of the golden pipes of actor/singer/theatre educator Chris Dilley ("Trampolina").

Since 2004, the KINSEY SICKS have been joined by actor/singer Jeff Manabat ("Trixie"), a veteran San Francisco performer, previously seen in "When Pigs Fly" at the New Conservatory Theatre Center.