A burst of original talent lit up recently over at the Contemporary Arts

Center, Jade Esteban Estrada performed his one-man musical, "ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol. 1" -- for which he also wrote the text and the lyrics and composed the music. Here's review of Estrada's remarkable solo.

     Decafest (a weekend-long round robin of celebratory events) presented "ICONS." The icons were Sappho, Michelangelo, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Sylvia Rivera and New Orleans' own Ellen DeGeneres. This list includes a wide gamut of personalities, and part of the fun of the show came from the stunning transformations that actor/singer/dancer/writer/composer Estrada pulled off before our very eyes -- for he changed costumes and wigs right up there in the spotlight.

     The set was an attractive, somewhat arbitrary conglomeration of costumes and wigs, lying on a long table and some chairs. The music (mostly keyboard and voice harmonies) was piped in -- but the action was timed carefully so that the music often seemed to punctuate, propel or even obey a gesture.

     Sappho (who gave us "sapphic" love) lived on the isle of Lesbos (which gave us "lesbian") around 600 B.C. She was one of the most acclaimed lyric poets of ancient Greece. 

     Then, all of a sudden, wham! Estrada changed into a stern, intense man -- a painter. Now, he was Michelangelo. Camp went out the window. From here on, the grasp of character was strong, idiosyncratic and purposeful -- as well as immensely entertaining. The characters all explained who they were and sang a signature song about their life and struggles.

     Oscar Wilde did a sort of music hall turn with a bowler hat, cape and cane. Gertrude Stein in a black dress and sensible shoes scowled at us from a chair. She scolded and lectured and won us over with her truculent pomposity -- for she graciously conceded that her friend Picasso was also a genius, perhaps even her equal.

     Sylvia Rivera was a Nuyorican hustler in sparkling green short shorts, with a scarlet blouse tied across the midriff. Rivera also ricocheted between truculence and charm, though in her case the tone was decidedly "street," rather than aristo. Rivera lost her cool in a police raid (one raid too many) at a Greenwich Village gay bar. In fury, she threw her silver slingbacks (with 12-inch acetate heels) at one of New York's finest, thereby starting a riot and unintentionally launching the gay rights movement.

     Finally, Ellen DeGeneres put in an appearance and -- despite the pressures and perils -- boldly "came out" as a lesbian in a national press conference.

     Estrada -- who has worked as a dancer, choreographer (with Charo, no less) and has scored hits as a pop singer -- held the stage effortlessly and put on a slam-bang performance. I hope the rumors that he will return with volumes two and three of his "ICONS" series are true.
 

©2006 Gambit Weekly