MY KINDA CABARET ACT
It was the decade that changed our nation forever. What began as nothing but promise — victors of a World War and a young forward-thinking President — suddenly shifted with JFK’s assassination. A time of innocence and hope soon began to look like a time of anger and violence. Americans protested: End unfair treatment of black citizens; end the war in Vietnam; end inequality for women. The nuclear family broke down just as it began, giving rise to long-hair rebellion and love. The clash between American puritanism and basic rights began in earnest. And just when you thought the Sixties couldn’t get worse, Judy Garland died for chrissake.
Yet it was this turbulent decade that gave rise to an explosion of culture that still resonates today: Art, dance, and TV reflected shifting demographics, while Broadway positively flourished. And from the Great White Way to the Silver Screen, The Beatles to Burt Bacharach, and Joni Mitchell to Henry Mancini, Leslie Bricusse to Stephen Sondheim, music hit an apotheosis of human expression.
In the middle of all this was a young Charles Busch, who was being raised in Manhattan by his gutsy, game, gallant Aunt Lillian (a little Auntie Mame, but more like Charles Dickens’ great-aunt Betsey Trotwood in David Copperfield). Now, employing all of his skills as both performer and playwright, writer, actor and drag legend Busch is bringing his newest show, My Kinda 60’s, to three cities on the West Coast: SF, PS and LA (“Kind of the Billie Holiday heroin tour,” Charles tells me). Stripped down to the man we love and the music he loves, expect to get the essence of this top-drawer entertainer. This will be the first time he’s performing in Los Angeles NOT in drag (“Well, what I call out of drag, some might call full drag. But well…you know what I mean.”)
Appearing with his long-time musical director, arranger, and hunky harmonist Tom Judson, Charles will offer stunning new interpretations of the great songbook from Broadway to Pop, including “Two for the Road,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Supporting the tunes will be his trademark amazing stories, which, as always, will be a blend of pathos and humor, making this an appealing, uplifting evening. Now, more than ever, do we need his kinda 60’s.
Charles Busch — My Kinda 60’s
Oasis in San Francisco March 7 and 8, 2018
The Purple Room in Palm Springs March 9 and 10, 2018
Rockwell Table and Stage in Los Angeles March 12 and 13, 2018
for more info, visit Charles Busch
to get Busch’s brand new cabaret CD Live at Feinsteins/54 Below, visit Amazon