Provincetown's Summer Entertainment is in Full Swing at the Post Office Cabaret

Drag legend Jackie Beat at P.O. Café only till Wed, June 27th

The summer entertainment season really takes off tonight in the heart of Provincetown, at the Post Office Cabaret, found at 303 Commercial Street. Hold onto your hat when legendary drag superstar Jackie Beat takes the stage at 7 PM (and at 8:30 this Tuesday and Wednesday.) This is a very limited engagement, so don’t miss it. She’ll belt out live vocals in twisted parodies of hits by Britney Spears, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Mariah Carey and many more. Guaranteed to make you blush, this raucous, hilarious show is not for the timid! 

See Raja: Masque at the P.O.

Raja, winner of the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, returns to Provincetown for the summer, bringing her stunning show of high fashion and dazzling drag to the stage at 8:30 tonight in her fabulous performance entitled Masque. Times will vary throughout the summer, so check the schedule and be sure to see RAJA: Masque.

See Male Call at the P.O. Thru Sept 9th

Whether you call it a strip-tease, burlesque or a classy all-male dance review, you’re right… Male Call: Student Bodies is all of the above, with something for everybody. Whether you prefer your men toned and muscled, or you’re more into boyish good looks, when Male Call performs, there’s always eye candy on stage for everyone who enjoys the movement of the male form.

Running all summer, till September 9th.

See Candis Cayne thru July 1 at the P.O.

 Candis Cayne is widely known for her TV appearances on Dirty Sexy Money and I Am Cait. She now brings her acclaimed one-woman-show Hi Gorgeous to Provincetown for the first time ever, for a limited engagement running nightly at 7 PM from Tuesday, June 26^th thru Sun, July 1st. Word has it that “Old School meets High Glamour in this hair-flipping and high-kicking showcase of fabulousness.” I’ve never seen her perform, so I can’t wait to see Candis Cayne: Hi Gorgeous.

Khris Francis is at P.O. Café

Khris Francis is at the piano all summer, Thursday through Sunday nights beginning at 9:30 PM in the Café. Don’t let his angelic singing voice fool you. This musical show is billed as “Adult Humor That Will Offend Everyone,” and that is certainly true, but it doesn’t tell you just how funny this man is. There’s no cover charge, and a special late night menu is available. Definitely not recommended for young children, but highly recommended for adults who are grown-up enough to handle provocative language and fierce, outrageous, unapologetic comedy.

Several more great performers are lined up to appear this summer at the P.O., and I’ll tell you about them as the season moves along. For now, be sure to see these five unique shows. Get tickets online or visit the Post Office Cabaret box office, right next to the Post Office Café, at 303 Commercial Street, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily into the autumn season. Have dinner in the Café before the show and get priority seating for the performance. Call the box office at 508•487•0006. No shows on Mondays.

Sisters in the Name of Love: A Benefit Performance Supporting Two Essential Provincetown Health Organizations

Sisters in the Name of Love is always one of the greatest romps of the year in PTown entertainment!

Since the late 1980s one of the most highly anticipated, "must see" PTown shows has been the annual fundraising extravaganza known as Sisters in the Name of Love. It's safe to say that every drag queen in town will be on stage at some point during the evening, whether professional, amateur, hobbyist or complete novice, and that's all part of the fun of this mammoth evening of entertainment.
Seasoned performers as well as those less familiar to us will entertain a packed house at the Crown & Anchor this Tuesday, June 6th, beginning at 8 PM. There may be singers, along with comics, musicians, you name it… any sort of entertainment at all may turn up, with a particular emphasis on comedy and drag. There will be lots of big hair, sequins and boas, not to mention attitude. These queens are here to wrench the cash out of your hands for a very good cause: the health, support and wellbeing of hundreds of clients who depend on a little help from the ASGCC and HOW.
The Aids Support Group of Cape Cod began as a little Provincetown organization, among the first in the US to address the AIDS crisis back in the 1980s. It has now been greatly expanded, depending largely on a dedicated league of volunteers, and currently serves clients throughout the entire Cape and Islands. They provide counseling and support; testing, prevention, screening and nutrition services; rides to medical appointments; assistance with housing and utilities, and a host of other services.
How is Helping Our Women, another volunteer-based organization that started with a handful of women responding to the lack of services available to a friend newly diagnosed with cancer in 1992. By 1993 they had raised the money to incorporate as a full-fledged nonprofit, opening a resource and referral center for women in Provincetown who were facing the illness. By 1994 they had expanded to offer services to local women with all types of chronic, life-threatening and/or debilitating illnesses, and now offer those services and many more to women in the towns of Truro, Wellfleet and Eastham, as well as in PTown. A small monthly stipend for complimenting therapies, alternative treatments, or even utility assistance is also available to women meeting income guidelines.

These are two wonderful organizations, depending largely on funding from contributions by the general public. This yearly benefit provides a good bit of their annual budgets, as well as rollicking entertainment for our community, so be there or be square! Doors open at 7 PM, so you'll want to come a little early for a good seat and a cocktail, or two, and a bit of socializing before the show. There's likely to be an auction or two at some point in the evening, perhaps for souvenirs of the show or sometimes for priceless memorabilia, so bring your checkbook along as well.
The suggested donation for admission is just $10 at the door, but you'll want to bring fistfuls of dollar bills as well. It's customary to tip drag queens for superior entertainment, and you'll certainly want to show your wild appreciation for the outrageous costumes, performances and personas of the evening. The entertainers, in turn, will donate all their tips - every last dollar. Every crumpled, beer-soaked, martini-dripping dollar will go to providing services to clients of HOW and the ASGCC. Lets hope they're still counting the cash the next morning. See you there!

This Year's Carnival Brings "Comic Book Capers" to Provincetown Streets

With a different theme every year, Provincetown's annual week-long Carnival is a summer celebration that brings thousands to town, raises money for a number of local charities, and gives people a chance to transform themselves, to see and be seen, whether they merely don a few strands of beads or dress in elaborate costumes, with some people changing their look for different occasions during the week.

Carnival week in Provincetown brings all kinds of folks out in various sorts of costumes, sometimes adhering to the year's theme, and sometimes just dressing up in whatever they'd like, strutting down Commercial Street and around the town, and attending various events. And, of course, at Drag Bingo, anything goes...

A trio of Little Orphan Annies was spotted having supper at The Canteen,

on Commercial Street. These friends had travelled from three different cities

to spend Carnival week together in PTown.

13 -year-old A J and his family love Provincetown, and came

from Weymouth to kick off our Carnival Week celebration. 

Two men from Montreal were found strutting down Commercial Street,

thoroughly enjoying our week-long series of Carnival events.

Joe and Dennis wouldn't miss coming to Provincetown for Carnival Week.

After 50 years together, they've now gotten married. Read what I wrote

about them two Carnivals ago. I will write an update on their story soon. 

These Gaywatch gals were found in front of Town Hall, complete

with their trademark red swimsuits and lifesaving buoys.

A bevy of beauties in party dresses and swanky evening gowns were

found strolling along Commercial Street, on their way to Drag Bingo. 

I knew someone would dress as Ace and Gary, Robert Smigel's cartoon superhero duo from Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse series of cartoons. Click this link to see The Ambiguously Gay Duo in one of their hilarious cartoon adventures, followed by a live action version with Jon Hamm as Ace and Jimmy Fallon as Gary, with various Comedy Central alums. Above, Captain Awesome follows behind The Ambiguously Gay Duo.

Hot Ticket - The Atomic Bombshells

The Atomic Bombshells are pure entertainment from the moment they take the stage!
Only two more performances, tonight and tomorrow at 10 PM at the Post Office Cabaret.

If you've never seen a burlesque show, you may not quite know what it might be. The dictionary describes burlesque as "a variety show, typically including striptease." The Atomic Bombshells are among the nation's greatest practitioners of the art of the striptease, presenting one of the most thoroughly entertaining, scintillating stage performances you're likely to see all year.
Start with great music of many genres, wonderful choreography, fabulous costumes and gorgeous performers of all types and persuasions. There is eye candy on stage for everyone! From the slow, seductive Hawaiian hula striptease to the performance of a charming, larger-than-life illusion, this troupe is completely engaging, highly amusing, and (I repeat) thoroughly entertaining.
The evening is hosted by a breathtaking, statuesque, impeccably costumed drag queen with a very quick wit who disarms anyone who might feel a little out of their element in the audience of their first striptease show, and provides brilliant, very funny vignettes between performances of music, dance, illusion and the alluring, sultry presentations of the artistry of the striptease. All the performances are top notch, and there is truly something for everyone on this stage.
The Atomic Bombshells have only two performances remaining in their Provincetown schedule. See them tonight and tomorrow at 10 PM at the Post Office Cabaret, at 303 Commercial Street. Get tickets online at http://www.postofficecabaret.com or phone the
P. O. at 508 487-0006.

Entertainment in Provincetown for Memorial Day Weekend, 2013

Memorial Day kicks off our summer season in a number of ways. New businesses hustle to get up and running for the holiday weekend crowds, most restaurants go to a seven-days-a-week schedule, the price for a night in a guesthouse rises, and favorite entertainers return to Provincetown stages, booking two to four-day engagements. This year's dates are from Friday, May 24th to Monday, May 27th. Here's a quick rundown on comics, singers, musicians, drag performers and others appearing in Provincetown over Memorial Day weekend, starting tonight:

Poppy Champlin, at the P.O.
Friday thru Monday. 

Comic Poppy Champlin is a perennial Provincetown favorite with a very quick wit and a lot of audience interaction. Raucus, a bit bawdy, and very funny, Poppy likes it with a little spice, and her audience eats it up. Get tickets for Poppy here, or get in line at least a half-hour before the show. Poppy appears Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 PM and Monday at 2:30 PM at the Post Office Cabaret, at 303 Commercial Street. Have a relaxed meal before the show at the Post Office Cafe and forget about waiting in line. Diners get reserved seats in the first few rows of the theater, right upstairs. Let your server know if you're seeing the show.

Suzanne Westenhoefer,
at the P.O. Fri thru Mon

Suzanne Westenhoefer broke major ground many years ago when she became the first openly gay comedian ever to appear on network television. She finds the funny in little things we've all experienced, and at the same time gives us a remarkably candid glimpse into her own trials and struggles, with hilarious results. Get tickets for Suzanne Westenhoefer here, or get to the Post Office Cabaret early. Diners, as always, get priority seating for shows without waiting in line. Make sure your server knows you will be attending the show. It's best to get your tickets beforehand. Suzanne appears Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 9 PM and Monday at 4 PM/.

Melissa Ferrick, at the Art
House Saturday and Sunday

Singer-songwriter Melissa, Ferrick, with over 150 songs to her credit and an incredibly dedicated fan base, returns to the Art House for two nights only, Saturday and Sunday at 9 PM. Ferrick's music is deeply personal, plumbing the depth of emotions between the pain of a failed relationship and the rising joys of a new one, and her recent songs are better than ever. Get tickets for Melissa Ferrick here, or at the Art House box office, at 214 Commercial Street. While you’re there check out the menu at Blondie’s, now there as well, along with a full bar. Drinks can be taken into the show. 

Judy Gold, at the Art
House Saturday and Sunday

Also appearing at the Art House is Emmy Award winner Judy Gold, known for numerous appearances on TV, her two hit shows off-Broadway, and her very funny stand-up comedy appearances all around the country. She’s been seen on ABC, TBS, A & E, LOGO and other networks both as an actor and a comedian, and her HBO stand-up comedy special won a Cable Ace Award. Her two Emmy Awards are as writer and producer on the Rosie O’Donnell Show. She’ll be at the Art House Saturday and Sunday at 7 PM. Get tickets for judy Gold here or at the box office.

Kate Clinton, at the Crown & Anchor
Saturday and Sunday

Kate Clinton is an unapologetic news junkie with an exceptional mind and an instantaneous wit, and she’ll have the crowds roaring with laughter Saturday and Sunday at 7 PM at the Crown & Anchor, at 247 Commercial Street. Clinton is a columnist, TV commentator, author, and an actor on stage, film and television. She is topical, political and extremely comical as she observes the workings (and the non-workings) of our Federal government and other folks catching her attention. Get tickets at the box office, or more info at 508 487-1430. Have dinner before the show at the Crown’s Central House restaurant and get priority seating for the show, avoiding the wait in line for seating.

Miss Richfield 1981 at the
Crown and Anchor Sat and Sun

Miss Richfield 1981 is not your mother's drag show... The comic genius of Russ King is embodied in a character whose bio centers around her win in a midwestern beauty pageant some 3 decades ago. Miss Richfield 1981 has made  numerous television appearances and performed to sold out crowds all around the country. Her act is among the funniest things ever to land in Provincetown, with hair, makeup and wardrobe that could easily have been created by Earl Scheib., another legendary figure from the 80s. Catch this unforgettable show at the Crown & Anchor at 8 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Ticket info at 508 487-1430 or at the box office, 247 Commercial Street.

All The Kings Men, at the Crown & Anchor Fri, Sat and Sun

Boston-based comedy, theater and dance troupe All The Kings Men have played to standing ovations at sold-out performances from Los Angeles to London, gleefully stepping over the boundary line between the sexes with an average of thirty or so gender-bending characters in each show. They've won numerous awards for their sketches, vignettes and characters whose stories range from the poignant to the preposterous. The troupe appears at the Crown & Anchor Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 PM.

Illusions, at the Crown Sat and Sun

Illusions is probably the longest-running drag show in Provincetown, and you'll see why if you catch them this weekend at the Crown & Anchor, Saturday and Sunday at 10 PM. Female impersonation is the name of the game, and these dazzling beauties pull it off in a remarkable way with all the glamour and style of classic drag. The cast this year includes Billie Jean, of course, one of the original cast members, along with Tisch De Williams, Jonathan Williams and Anita Cocktail, all flawless performers who will leave you spellbound with their performing artistry, with some good laughs thrown into the mix as well. Each will be dressed to the nines in sequins and boas, with several changes from one dazzling costume to the next. Tickets at the box office.

Bobby Wetherbee, at the Crown Saturday

Also performing in PTown this weekend, you'll find Bobby Wetherbee playing and singing Broadway hits, standards, and classic show tunes in his popular piano bar and sing-along. Bobby was named by Cape Cod Life magazine under the category of Best Piano Bar on the Outer Cape.  Find him at the Central House, at the Crown & Anchor complex at 247 Commercial Street, starting at 9:30 PM on Saturday, with no cover charge. 

Provincetown Year-Rounders Festival Helps to Beat the Winter Blues

During most Provincetown winters the season begins to feel a little long and oppressive around the first part of March. Around this time of year we're usually being teased with the sounds of cardinals and other birds in the trees, and the sight of crocuses sprouting up, sometimes right through the snow on the ground, along with a rather warm day or two scattered among the snow storms. This year it's been howling winds up to 40 and 50 miles an hour that have sometimes kept us cooped up indoors as the wind chill factor makes it feel like 20 degrees out there.
As usual, we've gone from the non-stop frenzy of streets crowded with summer visitors and thousands walking in the road every day to the wintertime dearth of people on the streets. In the summer there's an endless variety of entertainment to engage us and dozens upon dozens of restaurants to tempt us, and money in our pockets to enjoy both. At this time of the year many of us who work seasonally are getting eager to get back to making a living, having spent the winter pinching our pennies in order to survive the off-season with little, or no, money coming in. It's easy to begin to feel a bit isolated in these long PTown winters.
The Year-Rounders Festival comes just in time, bringing a day-long celebration of Provincetown and its people, and this year it is bigger and better than ever, with more events and activities than in past years, as well as the usual wonderful presentations by local service organizations, terrific food, and entertainment of all sorts. It all begins at noon on Saturday, March 9th, at Provincetown Town Hall.
From noon till 4 PM the Town Hall auditorium will be filled with tables set up by local community organizations who provide a variety of services and information for the public. Helping Our Women, for example, serves women from Provincetown to Eastham who are living with chronic, disabling or life-threatening illness. HOW provides medical referrals, support groups, transportation to medical appointments both on the Cape and in Boston, as well as many other service and support systems, and they will have staff on hand at the festival to tell you about their organization.
PTV will have volunteers present to get you involved with community television in Provincetown, and the Visiting Nurse Association will be happy to tell you how they can help with information on medical screenings, home healthcare issues and a variety of services and information they offer. Many other community groups will be in attendance, and new this year will be the crafts fair which will share the hall all afternoon, bringing you a variety of crafts made by local people, such as glass mermaids and other decorative objects, knit sweaters for dogs,, unique post cards, handmade aromatic sachets and many other types of arts and crafts.
There will be a pet parade and costume contest at 2 PM, with prizes for costumes in the following Provincetown-related categories:

• Fishing
• Pilgrim
• Artist
• Portuguese
• Bear
• Showgirl
• A Best of Show award will also be given

Any type of pet may be entered. Dogs wishing to compete are required to wear a collar with a current license and have vaccine info on hand. Pre-registration is not required, so there's still time for you and your snake to work up a bear costume and win a prize. All entrants receive a free raffle ticket (more about that in a minute) and winners in each category receive 5 free tickets.
All day long, and into the evening, there will be a silent auction of items ranging in value from $10 to $1,000, and a raffle as well, with items donated by local residents, artists, shopkeepers, guesthouses, restaurants, Cape Air and others. Ongoing raffle drawings will begin at 6 PM, with the auction closing at 8 PM, and you need not be present to win your bid or raffle prize. Any winners not present will be notified of their prize or successful bid.
At 5 PM local DJ Johnny Mark will begin spinning tunes as folks line up for the free dinner buffet provided by 16 local restaurants, markets and delis. We thank:

• 141 Bradford Natural Market
• Bayside Betsy's
• Ciro and Sal's
• Crown and Anchor
• East End Marketplace
• FarLand Provisions
• Fanizzi's
• George's Pizza
• Governor Bradford
• Hot L Bar and Grille
• The Mews Restaurant and Café
• Montano's
• Napi's
• Provincetown Fudge Factory
• The Squealing Pig
• Wired Puppy

Free soft drinks and a cash bar will be available, with beer for $2, courtesy of Cape Cod Beer, and Truro Vineyards will be on hand with wine for $3 a glass.
After dinner there will be entertainment on the stage, with Master of Ceremonies Rollie Skreezlet. Beginning around 6:30 PM we'll be treated to acoustic and slide guitar music by Penn Dixon Colbert. Around 7 PM rock and soul band YT will perform. 8 PM will find some of our favorite drag performers taking the stage, such as Jonathan Williams, Dana Danzel, Barbie Que, Thirsty Burlington and Anita Cocktail. The Daggers promise classy rock and roll beginning at 9 PM. Times are approximate, of course, but it may be a good idea to arrive ahead of time if you intend to come for a single event, or be prepared to wait a bit as bands set up, or as volunteers convert the auditorium form a crafts and information fair to a huge dining room. Don't forget, dinner and DJ are scheduled to start at 5PM and entertainment will follow dinner, till perhaps 11 PM.
Come and join us for this wonderful, free community event celebrating the best of Provincetown. As always in PTown, everyone is welcome.