Vagina Jenkins’ Holiday Spectacular: The Big Tease Delivers in “The Big Freeze”

By Summer Stanley.

Call me Ebeneezer Scrooge, but this particular holiday not even Mariah Carey’s Christmas album on loop was contagious enough for this grinch to catch the merry bug buzzing around the block.  Vagina Jenkins, Atlanta’s premiere prima donna and Creative Loafing’s “Best Burlesque Dancer” finally launched me into the spirit of the season.  The Big Freeze: A Holiday Spectacular, starring the Lady Miss Jenkins herself and local playwright Johnny Drago, is a blitz (bling+glitz) of local talent at the Eyedrum, the non-profit performance art space located just south of downtown.

The celebration begins with a variety show including Dickie Van Dyke’s groovy drag performance as Elvis singing “Santa Claus is Back in Town.” The show also included trapeze, by aerial artist Mel Mushill, and valiant effort by ambientdischord (Vivian Elliott) to rouse the crowd with her song “Queer Revolution.”

Honorable mention goes to Sadie Hawkins for her lyra routine – trapeze hoola-hoop – simultaneously the ribbon-wearing girl-next-door with the thousand-watt smile and the vixen showcasing a bicep strength I had previously attributed only to Madonna, as well as to Alex Abarca and Corian Ellisor for lavishing the audience with their man-on-man, packed muscle-on-muscle contemporary dance routine.

After the cabaret is Johnny Drago’s play, “Little Fruitcake’s Non-Specific Winter-Holiday Miracle,” which follows the plight of male prostitute Little Fruitcake – performed by Drago – in his efforts to escape his pimp, Sweet Nuthin’ (Emma Crandall).  In an admittedly “low-brow” twist on “It’s a Wonderful Life,” former Mayoral candidate Kyle Kaiser pokes fun at himself in a surprise cameo. He plays Little Fruitcake’s laptop toting, blackberry-texting “Non-Specific Winter Holiday Angel.”  Nods to infamous locales such as the recently ill-fated Cleremont Lounge charm, receiving enthusiastic cheers of recognition.

Ever classy and ever Atlanta’s own, Vagina Jenkins delivers in an unforgettable burlesque, the soundtrack of which began with the classic “Carol of the Bells” and slowly transitions into funkier tunes the closer Ms. Jenkins becomes to pasties.  With a lengthy set, multiple costume changes, and a lovely silhouette number performed behind a backlit sheet, the tease is complete in this fabulous finale to a heartwarmingly unconventional holiday extravaganza.

Tags: Atlanta, Atlanta Entertainment, atlanta georgia, Atlanta nightlife, atlanta tourist attractions, attractions atlanta, burlesque, concerts, Creative Loafing, entertainers, events atlanta, indie artist, music, performing arts, Summer Stanley, things to do atlanta, Vagina Jenkins

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This article was published on Monday, January 4th, 2010 and is filed under Artists, Atlanta Character, Attractions, Comedy, News, Reviews, Theater. You can follow any comments to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.