Few performers are as perfectly suited for Pride weekend as Seth Sikes .
The 33-year-old cabaret star has been thrilling audiences with his tribute concerts to Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli for nearly three years. On June 24, however, he’ll go all out with a no-holds-barred show at New York’s Feinstein’s/54 Below featuring songs made famous by the aforementioned divas, as well as Bernadette Peters and Barbra Streisand . (Catch a sneak peek of Sikes performing a tune from the musical “Gypsy ” above.)
“Usually my goal is to keep the songbook alive and celebrate the ladies,” Sikes told HuffPost. “But this time, the goal is to get people in a happy, happy mood to go out dancing afterward... what celebrates Pride more than a bunch of diva songs?”
What began as a “one-night-only stunt” in 2014 has taken Sikes across the country , and even internationally, since then. Most recently, he celebrated what would have been Garland’s 95th birthday with a performance in London a particularly fitting tribute, as the “Wizard of Oz” star capped off her unparalleled career with a string of shows in England’s capital.
Of course, Sikes is aware that his Pride weekend show comes at a time when many LGBTQ people are still reeling from the election of President Donald Trump , who ran on an explicitly anti-queer platform . The performer, who has not shied away from politics on social media , won’t mention Trump during his performance, but rather “have some fun” while reminding people that the LGBTQ community is “mighty and not going away.”
“I talked a little bit about Trump in my last show,” he said. “But frankly, at this point, I’m so sick of hearing about him and talking about him, I probably won’t bring it up at all this time. Let’s forget the asshole for a moment!”
For now, Sikes couldn’t be happier to be honoring Pride with a brand-new show. “I think Pride is about family and community and a celebration of our unique culture. We have a lot of that to celebrate right now including our lady icons and we have a lot to be grateful for, including marriage equality,” he said. “But we can’t take any of it for granted.”
Seth Sikes performs at New York’s Feinstein’s/54 Below June 24. Next up, he’ll visit the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown, Massachusetts on July 8 and Aug. 7.
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