Without a doubt, the best entertainment dollars I have spent this year went to

ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol. 1 by the brilliant entertainer Jade Esteban Estrada. Soon to be an icon himself, Jade has been hailed by Genre, Advocate, and Out not just for being a gay entertainer, but for entertaining people with gayness.

     "What's that?" Gayness as entertainment? Gay history, gay spirit, gay pride ... pink triangles, Stonewall: these are the foci of a show that might have been as dry as the pages of a history book, as uplifting as a Hillsborough commissioners transcript. Except ...

     Except we are talking about gay history here, folks. Oscar Wilde and Ellen, Michelangelo and Sappho. If there is one thing gay icons are known for throughout history it's arts and entertainment. Nobody is more suited to sharing this history of our glitter and oppression than Estrada, a fully accomplished singer, dancer and hilariously fearless stage personality.

     The show opens with the complete removal of any fourth walls as Estrada engages the audience in a quick chat about their favorite gay icons. Then, before your very eyes, on goes a wig and BZAM! Meet Sappho.

     If I were a lesbian, I think I could have related to Sappho. As a gay man, I know I could. Estrada bookends his show with Lesbian icons, and his impersonation of Ellen drew thunderous approval from women in the audience.

     Don't worry, this isn't a drag show. Not really. Sappho evaporates before your very eyes into a stunningly handsome young artist, who paints lyrics in the air that would melt the hardest stone.  

     "A world that is changing, It’s not about God anymore, It’s about us and where we’ve been, Renaissance open the door."  

     Suddenly, Estrada becomes the embodiment of that special passion that burns within us all, turning the spotlight on the effervescent soul, gay or not. As Gertrude Stein pauses to remind us a bit later, "It's not a gay thing." It's a rose, dummy!

     It's also amazing how much history Estrada can slip in when he's wig-swapping and shoe-shifting his way through one great song after another. Estrada's wit and on-stage banter could possibly rival Oscar Wilde, who sings:

     Then fate said, “Hey, Oscar take a ride with me downtown!
     It’s really very silly how we’ll turn this place around.
     Then I said “Fate, Why, I’d love to!
     Shall I get my hat and cane?
     My soul will be lost but theres so much more to be gained!

     Estrada should be recognized as a historian and educator, as well as an entertainer. He works the miracle of both in a seventy-minute, one-man extravaganza, a work of art and labor of love launched by the ballsy artist in small town Ohio - not that something like this could stay there for long. Like Warhol, Estrada makes you laugh, think and believe; he says there is something wonderful in each of us. The world is ready for these ideas, and has been for a long time.

     Walking in the back gate at home, we were still talking about the characters, passion and talent literally jumping off the stage. Most of all was the happy, satisfying feeling of an extremely well rounded meal - one that was made with ingredients that are good for you too! Somehow, in between the drag gags and world-class song and dance numbers, Estrada teaches us that the struggle for rights and equality is age-old ... and continues today in a county near you!

     Too bad for you, too, if you missed "ICONS" (or any of the other amazing shows to be seen in Gypsy Productions' beautiful theatre). Estrada is truly a masterful writer and entertainer, multilingual and multi-talented, and absolutely worthy of sharing a stage with the greats of gay art and history. Like fireworks, he dazzles and dashes on to his next lucky audience - leaving our beaches for Pride events across the country and then a world tour.

     We can only hope that Estrada comes back to the Gypsy stage with "ICONS 2." You won't want to miss that one either.