Simply Steven....

Steven Brinberg was our guest star for this show. To be honest, I'm not a huge Barbra fan, so I wasn't over the moon like some of the boys in the chorus, but I must admit I was extremely impressed with his talent and his down to earth nature.

It's funny because some interesting conversations arose based on our guest star. The day we met Steven, Norman and I were having a conversation about dating someone who does "drag". I must admit, my answer was no (Norman said it wouldn't be a problem for him). I said I would just have a hard time telling my family what my boyfriend did for a living. I wasn't proud of the answer, but it was the truth. This all occurred before I met Steven and had the chance to watch him in action.

During our first rehearsal (pictured above) we had to sit and watch Steven as he did his set. It's funny because Joey loved my "pose" and thought I just looked completely enthralled with Barbra, which is the look he was going for. Truth be told, I was extremely tired and this was a pose that I felt I could rest my head in and still look like I was interested...go figure!!

As Steven rehearsed, I was taken aback by his talent. His range and falsetto are really amazing. I realized how much I enjoyed his voice when he sang in his Neil Diamond manly voice. This guy is definitely gifted. As I looked at him I realized how slight of frame he is and wondered what it was like for him in school. Here is a small Jewish boy who sang and dressed like Barbra Streisand. If that wasn't a recipe for being hung by your underwear in the locker room, I don't know what would be.

That afternoon we had lunch with Steven and got to know him. He was so pleasant and truly a kind person. I think just because he was playing a diva, I was expecting a diva. I was pleasantly surprised.

The next day we had our dress rehearsal. Again we assumed our spots on the stage but this time Steven arrived in all of his Barbra regalia. It's amazing how much taller he looked (and not just from the shoes) when he was dressed like Babs! Not only had he taken on her look, he also embodied her larger than life personality.

This time as I sat and watched (still extremely tired by the way, so of course I assumed my pose) I thought not of his slight frame or how he must of been beaten up, now I sat there in total admiration. Here was a guy who took all of the items that could have been considered liabilities or challenges and he channeled them into a passion ~ and he truly came across as a STAR. Instead of seeing a "drag performer" I saw a consummate professional ~ someone who crafted his raw talents into a fantastic persona. It was truly touching. It made me reconsider my conversation with Norman and second guess my answer.

Would I go out with someone who dresses up as a female entertainer, I'm not sure, but I do know that I wouldn't be able to give a definitive "no way" anymore. It also doesn't seem fair to label him as a drag queen. This was a talented singer and performer who wasn't just lip syncing to one of the classic drag queen tunes.

Now I would need more data, I'd want to know more about the person, were they kind, were they cute without make-up, what was their character. I have to admit though, the person being slight of frame and short in stature would still be a problem for me :)