The 25-year-young Dragapella group The Kinsey Sicks will perform one of its critically acclaimed shows once more before group member Ben Schatz retires.
“Things You Shouldn’t Say” takes the stage July 20 at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center in Delaware.
The show, which was a smash Off-Broadway hit, presents the true story of four friends from San Francisco who had a life-changing epiphany at a Bette Midler concert that led them to form, of course, The Kinsey Sicks. It was an effort to find joy during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis.
“Now that the era of Trumpism is upon us, we’re sharing this hilarious, inspiring and at times heartbreaking tale, and showing that hatred and deceit can be fought with humor and heart,” the members stated.
The Rehoboth performance will be the last hurrah for Schatz before he becomes an emeritus Kinsey.
He has a storied background. While Schatz was an undergraduate at Harvard College, he was torn between pursuing a career as a gay activist or in theater. Eventually he decided that activism was more important and that he didn’t have the talent to be a performer.
Schatz went on to attend Harvard Law School and, upon graduation, started the first national AIDS legal program. He later served as executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and was appointed to President Clinton’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
His story continued when he realized that “activism and theater are not mutually exclusive and making people laugh is much more fun than suing them, and no less effective in making them think.”
As chief writer for The Kinsey Sicks, Schatz is largely irresponsible for the lyrics that, according to him, “have made tens of thousands cringe.”
Another member of the accomplished cast is Nathan Marken, a lyric baritone who studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has performed numerous roles in musical theater.
Jeff Manabat, who joined the group in 2004, writes many of the vocal arrangements while being responsible for the entire group’s “hot couture.” He also has performed professionally in numerous musicals, won awards for his stage credits and has previous a-cappella experience with the UC Men’s Octet from the University of California at Berkeley, which won first place at the National Competition of Collegiate A Cappella held at Carnegie Hall.
Spencer Brown, a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, joined The Kinsey Sicks in 2008. His alter ego, Daisy Buckët, has won various honors, including the 2008 Best Cabaret Show in Kansas City.
Spencer has raised more than $100,000 for local HIV/AIDS organizations with his annual AIDS Walk group, Team Buckët.
For tickets to The Kinsey Sicks’ final performance of “Things You Shouldn’t Say,” visit camprehoboth.com.