Ruby Powers celebrates the music and mischief of the Continental Baths and Pangea NYC. Music Director Yasuhiko “Yaz” Fukuoka at the piano and Bill Solomon on Percussion.
QLife magazine calls the show “sweet,” “funny,” “scandalous,” and “hopeful.” “Believe me, you ain’t lived till you’ve seen a drag queen blowing a melodica!”
Says Brent Lomas, the man behind Ruby Powers.
“I was always mesmerized by stories of wild nights at the Baths. Now that I’ve done the show live, I get that titillating taste of freedom and fun that was so thrilling to research. When I first envisioned the piece, I wanted to help preserve an important, explosive period in queer history. The joy factor became the easy part.”
Bette Midler has always been a heroine for Lomas, though he notes “At the Baths” is not a tribute show.
“I adored ‘The Rose’ as a kid and just thought Bette was fearless. My show will celebrate many of the artists who performed at the Baths, but Bette obviously shines bright as a reference point and inspiration-especially since you can see a 1971 black and white version of her full set with Barry Manilow on youtube!”
Watch the entire performance at the video below
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