Leap Year Brings a Bonus to Saint Mary's: One Last Winter Community Luncheon!

Left to right are Cathy Hatch, Jean Sagara, Robin Comins Unger and Chris Keenan.
Live music is a big part of the popularity of Saint Mary's winter community luncheons.

The best part of having an extra day added to this Leap Year calendar might just be the chance it offers all of us to enjoy one last terrific “bonus” meal at Saint Mary of the Harbor Episcopal Church on February 29^th, 2020. That’s tomorrow, Saturday, from noon till about 1 PM or so, with a lovely meal prepared and served by some dozen or more volunteers, mostly from the church’s congregation. There is no charge for this wonderful meal, and all are invited.

This is a community luncheon intended to welcome absolutely everyone for a congenial meal among friends, both new and old, with Saint Mary’s stunning view of Provincetown Harbor as a backdrop, and live music for all to enjoy. It runs every Saturday during the Cape's two most challenging winter months for many of us: January and February. It’s easy to become a bit isolated when the weather might keep us from getting out and being among the humans, and this welcoming, community luncheon creates a great atmosphere for a little socializing, a lot of music, and something good to eat.

John Carroll and John Luftin made the best ratatouille I've ever tasted!

I hadn’t made it to a single lunch all season until this past Saturday, and had been missing a lot of the folks that I’ve always enjoyed spending a little bit of time with over the winter months.

Boy, did I luck out by catching a ride to the church that day...

Walking across the courtyard I could smell the divine aromas of this homemade meal from 50 feet away, and wonderful, live music was wafting on the air.

My nose led me to big baskets of crusty, really good garlic bread and a beautiful salad of mixed field greens, accompanied by the greatest ratatouille I’ve ever tasted! Saint Mary parishioners John Carroll and John Loftin baked several big pans of that delightful French stew simply brimming with fresh vegetables, in a uniquely flavored sauce that I hope to have the good fortune to enjoy again one day.

Dessert, as usual, was a lovely variety of baked goods such as cookies, brownies, lemon bars, carrot cake and the like, cut bite size so you could taste as many as you wanted, with a platter of these little sweets on every table.

This plate of excellent ratatouille, beautiful mixed salad greens and
great garlic bread was a real hit with last week's St. Mary's crowd. 

Besides great food, this weekly winter event always features live music, courtesy of two or three splendid Cape Cod musicians, together with friends they might bring along from various Cape towns and beyond, and sometimes featuring PTown tunesmiths as well.

Musicians from Eastham, Brewster and lands well beyond will venture out to the beauty of Provincetown on a cold winter's day, all for the love of the music. Diners and servers alike will often join in a sing-along, or dance to the music as it moves them.

This past week brought us Cathy Hatch, a dedicated regular traveling from Yarmouth to play guitar for us nearly every Saturday, along with Jean Sagara of Wellfleet, another regular, playing the fiddle. Our best wishes go out to John, another regular, at home, recovering from an injury and unable to play that day.

Cathy and Jean were joined by Robin Comins Unger and Chris Keenan, who both are frequent visitors to the Outer Cape, traveling from western Massachusetts to a little get-away in Truro as often as they can. They had brought their fiddles along. Each of these many fine musicians plays multiple instruments, and you never know which of dozens of strings, drums, percussion, woodwinds or others we’ll be treated to on any given Saturday.

We thank Saint Mary’s and the volunteers for another great season of food, music and comradery. The eclectic mix of friends and neighbors among the crowd, in the band, and in the kitchen, makes this a wonderful gathering for everyone, with the ambience completed by the view of magnificent Provincetown Harbor, seen from every corner of the dining hall at Saint Mary’s. This remarkable, homespun, weekly tradition should not be missed this winter, with your last chance for the season to join in the fun falling on Saturday, tomorrow, on Leap Day. Come join us in a good meal, live music, perhaps a bit of song and dance... all in a beautiful setting where everyone is truly welcome!

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.

See World Class Entertainment Over Four-Day PTown Memorial Day Bash

Kick off the new season with great entertainment over the four-day weekend celebrating Memorial Day in Provincetown. It starts with rollicking comedy at the Post Office Cabaret. Two of PTown's favorite stand-up comics will each make appearances every day of this fun, extended weekend. Click for tickets or visit the box office at 303 Commercial Street.

 This summer it will be very exciting to see the Pilgrim House reclaim its identity as a premier entertainment venue in Provincetown, and it all starts with the fabulous Miss Richfield 1981 moving her unique, hilarious mix of comedy, song and audience interaction to this stage with her all new show "Born Again." Click below to get tickets early for Saturday, May 26th or Sunday, May 27th at 8:30 PM. Both are likely to sell out. Find the Pilgrim House at the end of the footpath at 336 Commercial Street.

Saturday, May 26th and Sunday, May 27th, 8:30 PM at Pilgrim House

Mark Cortale Productions and the Art House present blockbuster music and comedy this weekend with Melissa Ferrick and multiple award-winning comic and PTown favorite Judy Gold, each appearing at the Art House on Saturday night. The Grammy Award-winning Indigo Girls will perform Sunday night at Town Hall at 6 PM. Their opening act will be our own Zoe Lewis, a "band in a body."

All three of these Memorial Day Weekend shows are one night only, with Judy Gold returning to perform late June through August, along with some 30 more artists playing at the Art House throughout the summer, so bookmark the schedule and check it often, In the meantime, see these shows while you can.

Click above for performer profiles and links to tickets for each show

The Crown & Anchor complex, at 247 Commercial Street, has so many events going on for the four-day holiday weekend that it's hard to even list them all here. 16 parties, events and performances will take place between now and Monday evening, starting with singer/comic Julie Wheeler performing tonight thru Monday at 7 PM in the Cabaret Room, followed by Rise Up, the kickoff party for Memorial Day Weekend, starting at 9 PM tonight in the Paramount Room. 

There are more dance parties scheduled in the evenings, as well as a pool party Sunday afternoon. The legendary Illusions Drag Revue and the fabulous Thirsty Burlington will each perform Saturday and Sunday nights. Bobby Wetherbee brings his award-winning piano bar and sing-along to the Dive Bat tonight thru Sunday with no cover charge, and Doug Repetti will be on the piano Monday and Tuesday nights. Check the schedule, and follow the links there to get tickets, or stop by the box office at the edge of the Crown's new pet friendly patio and outdoor grill.

Click for parties, events and performance schedules

Get your summer started right. Look over the schedules, make a spreadsheet if you have to, and get to as many of these venues as you can for shows, parties and more taking place all over Provincetown, all weekend. For events requiring tickets, get 'em now! (Julie Wheeler, for example, is sold out for tonight, but she'll do three more shows.) There are dozens of events here for you to enjoy.

Have fun, be careful, be kind to each other, and have a great holiday.

Outer Cape Chorale Spring Concert Soars

The annual spring concert of the Outer Cape Chorale and Chamber Singers is, as usual, fabulous! You still have a chance to catch their Saturday evening performance in PTown or their Sunday afternoon performance in Orleans. Make sure you get out and enjoy  this unique Cape Cod event.
Here's how their website describes this concert:

A program of choral music inspired by the beauty of Cape Cod - Featuring Ronald Perera’s Why I Wake Early, based on the poetry of Mary Oliver, and a program of songs, composers, and more – all from or about our beloved Cape Cod!

Saturday May 19th at 7:00 PM, Provincetown Town Hall
Sunday May 20th at 3:00 PM, Nauset Regional Middle School, Orleans

This is a free concert with donations gratefully accepted. It is always one of the year's most highly anticipated events, so be sure not to miss it!

Saint Mary's Begins 28th Season of Winter Community Luncheons in Provincetown

Now through February, St Mary's will serve lovely Saturday lunches at no charge.

Weekly community luncheons will begin for the winter season this Saturday, January 6th, 2018, at Saint Mary of the Harbor Episcopal Church, with everyone invited.
Join your neighbors for a home cooked meal at St Mary's every Saturday from noon to 1 PM during January and February.
Volunteers prepare and serve specialty dishes of various church members featuring a different favorite recipe whipped up every Saturday. Each meal begins with a crisp garden salad.
The delicious hot lunch pictured here is Priscilla Jackett's famous tandoori chicken, baked in the oven with multicolored bell peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms, celery, and just a bit of spice. It was served with brown rice, mixed winter vegetables and crusty bread. It's among the favorite dishes of regular guests.

Musicians bring over a dozen folk instruments to Saturday lunches.

There is a wonderful feeling of community here, with an amazing cross section of Provincetowners sharing communal tables, visiting with old friends, and meeting new ones, while enjoying a nice meal along with a bit of rather spirited entertainment.
Live music often gets the crowd singing along, or gets them on their feet to dance, with musicians from Cape Cod towns singing and playing a wide variety of tunes and instruments.
Of course, the view of Provincetown Harbor is superb, since the picture windows of Saint Mary's dining hall look right out over the beach, just a few feet away. Combine this scenic beauty with good food, music and friends, and you'll see why this weekly event has been so popular for all these years, now embarking on its 28th season. And the volunteers show that they are genuinely glad to have you there.

The volunteers also bring a variety of homemade treats for dessert.

Dessert is buffet trays of bite-sized sweets like brownies, bars, cookies, and cakes, so you can taste a few without going too far overboard.
Coffee and tea are served as well, and folks are encouraged to relax and chat, or to get up and dance to the music, or whatever suits them.
Everyone is invited to this wonderful, weekly community event. Saint Mary's is in Provincetown's Far East End, just beyond Howland Street. It's right on the edge of the harbor, at 517 Commercial Street.
Come and join us in he first luncheon of the New Year, and every Saturday through February.

30th Annual Swim for Life in Provincetown This Weekend

The first weekend after Labor Day always brings the annual Swim for Life to Provincetown Harbor. It's a challenging 1.4 mile swim, in open water, from the lighthouse on Long Point to the shores of the Boatslip Beach Club, on the edge of the harbor in Provincetown's West End neighborhood. Click to read about Swim for Life history. To date, the event has raised some $4 Million for AIDS, women's health and our community. It is perhaps the most joyous outpouring of love, energy and spirit in Provincetown every year. We invite you to join us!

The Celebration of Life is the year's most anticipated concert.
It is perhaps the most uplifting event in PTown every year.

Whether you are a swimmer, a volunteer, or a "cheerleader" on the beach, hooting, hollering and applauding the swimmers as they reach the shore, you'll want to be a part of this. Many people will participate by attending the lovely Celebration of Life on the night before the swim. This marvelous, free concert, produced by John Thomas, will take place at 8 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street, tonight, Friday, September 8th, 2017. Dozens of performers, singers, musicians and others will definitely raise the spirits of a packed house, so go early to get a seat. The UU is wheelchair accessible.

Swimmers and paddlers will assemble at Long Point Light
for the 11 AM start of Provincetown's annual Swim for Life.

The Swim will begin at 11 AM on Long Point, with boat rides provided to get swimmers to the starting point. Kayakers, paddle boarders and folks in boats will accompany the swimmers safely across the harbor. Click to find out about registering as a swimmer or a volunteer, which happens Saturday morning at the Boatslip. Whether you're a swimmer or are cheering them on, it's exhilarating.

The first swimmer reaches the Boatslip, greeted by a cheering
crowd. The Mermaid Brunch and awards follow on the deck.

The Mermaid Brunch, a free buffet catered by Far Land Provisions, will be held at the Boatslip from noon until 2 PM, with Zoë Lewis and friends entertaining. Around 1 PM, or whenever the last swimmer safely reaches the shore, Swim founder Jay Critchley will lead the awards ceremony for swimmers who have raised the most money in pledges or have participated in the most swims. This is another inspiring event giving all a feeling of community, even those who have joined us from other parts of the world. Many people return to PTown every year to participate in the Swim for Life.

It all started with 18 swimmers raising $6,000.
This photo shows Jay Critchley and Roger Beatty registering two unknown swimmers  at a makeshift desk on the beach in the first Swim, in 1988. 
This year we'll see over 150 volunteers making it happen, and more than 400 swimmers taking the plunge. Come and join us for some or all of these events and be a part of the 30^th, the 2017 Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, September 8^th and 9^th in Provincetown!

The One and Many Voices of Jimmy James, in PTown Until September 3rd

The ever-glamorous Jimmy James returns to Provincetown

after an eight year absence. See him before Labor Day!

It’s been eight long years since Provincetown has been wowed by the one and many voices of Jimmy James, whose incomparable, dead on voice characterizations, ranging from current pop stars to divas from decades gone by, make him the consummate vocal impressionist of our time. He is peerless.

Performing live vocals for his legions of fans for more than 30 years, Jimmy keeps his show fresh and vibrant by continuously mastering the voices of new artists, each time creating a younger, modern show, without neglecting the fan favorites that have kept so many in his audience returning again and again. It’s as exciting to see which current pop goddess he’ll bring to the stage as it is to swoon once again to the definitive voices of the all-time greats, both male and female.

I happen to be one of those long-time fans, and was in the crowd at Sage the other night, eager to hear some of the best-loved stars of my own youth, and those I had gotten to know through Jimmy’s shows, TV appearances and CDs over the years. There were audible gasps heard in the audience as the unmistakable voice of Billie Holiday came out of Jimmy’s throat, and during the evening, little squeals of delight escaped throughout the crowd when listeners heard long gone, favorite stars as diverse as Elvis Presley and Judy Garland brought to life once again. These vocals were blended seamlessly with present-day artists like Lana Del Rey singing her hit Summertime Sadness. Boy George popped up as well, along with a great story about him that Jimmy delighted in telling to that night's packed house.

Jimmy becomes Cher on stage, in style, at Sage.

A big part of the huge success of Jimmy James is the fact that he totally inhabits his characters, having mastered facial expressions, mannerisms and other attributes unique to each one.

Simple costume elements and props, along with a few more elaborate ones, complete the illusion. Channeling Cher, for example, requires a tall, shimmering, beaded headdress à la designer Bob Mackie, who happened to be sitting next to me at Jimmy’s show that night! He was there with legendary singer Marilyn Maye, who had just come from her own performance at the Art House. Filmmaker John Waters was in the audience that night as well. No one wanted to miss the chance to see Jimmy James in an all too rare appearance in PTown.

Conversely, no costuming was needed when, by simply picking up a cocktail from a front row table, Jimmy skillfully slipped right into the very persona of Judy Garland, carrying on a conversation with the audience, which was equally as satisfying as his superb rendition of her singing voice. Get Jimmy's current CD after the show to hear him, as Judy, singing her quintessential hit Over The Rainbow, along with Cher, and many other stars, songs and styles of music you'll find on the disc. Jimmy will autograph it for you, too, if you’d like.

The right facial expression, along with a bulky pair of eyeglasses and a lit cigarette, brought famed screen actress Bette Davis to the stage, with hilarious results. Jimmy James is not a comic, per se, but he is incredibly funny as he joyfully portrays a number of characters from his wide repertoire, giving us show biz stories and tidbits told in the voices of various. All of that is blended together with jazz, blues, rock and pop from the world’s greatest singers and musicians. In fact, Jimmy had opened the show with the stunning voice of Dame Shirley Bassey, singing her 1997 hit History Repeating, using her original musical track, which had been given to him as a gift. 

Jimmy James as Bette Davis, who did make a record album, as a singer!

When Bassey’s manager, Alex Gifford, saw Jimmy James perform in New York, and met him after the show, he asked if Jimmy had ever considered doing Shirley Bassey’s voice. He later gave Jimmy that original musical track, and after the lengthy process of perfecting her voice and creating a brand new personality for the stage, Jimmy debuted his new show History Repeating, inspired by that worldwide hit. The song had been written for Bassey by the Propellerheads. It had made the Top 10 on Italian music charts, became number 10 on the US Dance Music Chart, and reached number 1 in the UK. And now Jimmy James sings, in Dame Shirley's voice, to that original music track.

It's fitting that Jimmy James makes his return to Provincetown by performing at the Sage Inn, up the walkway at 336 Commercial Street. This spot was the location of the famous Madeira Room at the Pilgrim House, the first hotel in Provincetown. It was a place where many well-known stars had polished their early careers. Lily Tomlin had performed there in 1967, on the same stage where Jimmy had made his Provincetown debut more than 30 years ago.

We thank the new owners of Sage for once again offering this historic spot as a performance space for fabulous entertainment. Tucked away off Commercial Street, up the footpath east of the Purple Feather as we find it today, the original Pilgrim House nurtured many entertainers at the beginnings of their careers, and hosted well-known entertainers of all stripes. Novices as well as big names played the Madeira Room before the original Pilgrim House burned down in 1990.

By the way, we look forward to the formal change back to the name Pilgrim House, in the works already, and to performances by the many great entertainers we can expect to see on this stage once again, in the near future. New owners of the property want to restore the inn to the illustrious performance venue we've missed so much in the last few years under previous management.

The androgynous look of Jimmy James helps him
easily slip between his male and female characters.

Before Jimmy's first Provincetown performances 31 years ago, he had spent two years lip-syncing in Atlantic City, performing with a small company of female impersonators called La Cage. He was not allowed to use his own superb singing voice. That would have proven quite awkward, since each of the other cast members performed by silently moving their lips in synchronization with the recorded music and vocal tracks of big stars. Jimmy couldn't show them up.
His emancipation from lip-syncing came in the summer of 1986, when he arrived n Provincetown to perform at the Pilgrim House, alongside the likes of Wayland Flowers and Madam, and many other performers who were, or would become, genuine stars.
Before long, performing in his own show, Jimmy's own stardom began to blossom. His career really took off when his appearances as Marilyn Monroe brought him national attention on popular television programs like Giraldo, and Donahue, and the Joan Rivers Show, and a host of others. Soon his impression of Marilyn was widely hailed as the best in the world, a reputation that persists, despite Jimmy's retirement of Marilyn from his show in 1997. In fact, in 2014, an African postage stamp honoring Marilyn Monroe was famously minted, having accidentally used an image of Jimmy James as Marilyn by mistake.
Through the years, Jimmy has become known around the world for his uncanny ability to transform his voice, but his global hit Fashionista, which made the Billboard Top 10, has made him famous for his own voice, and for his talent as a songwriter. YouTube users have created all sorts of videos related to the fashion industry, and a few other topics, set to the energetic beat of the song that pokes a little fun while paying homage to the fashion industry. Over 20 million people have viewed these videos. One of my favorites is a compilation showing models stumbling on the runway in a series of catwalk disasters. Visit www.jimmyjames.com to find more of the Fashionista videos, TV appearances, the Marilyn years, CDs, and original songs by Jimmy James.

Jimmy's last PTown performance of the season will be on Sunday, September 3rd, at 9 PM, so you’ll have to get to the Sage Inn before Labor Day to see his remarkable, thoroughly entertaining show. You won’t want to miss it.