Review: THE DORIS DEAR CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Live (Online) From The TRIAD Brims With Holiday Cheer

Doris Dear, The Perfect American Housewife, Hands Out Songs And Cocktails In Her Christmas Special, Live From The Triad For Our Streaming Covid Christmas!

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow Tribe! Bobby Patrick your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in cabareT to bring you all the T!

Well, my lovelies, normally Bobby does not backdate a review - if the show is over and there are no upcoming performances to buy tickets for, this girl will pass on the keyboard time. But, as with all things in the time of that witch with a capital C, RONA, we must be flexible, and in the case of the enchanting Doris Dear it is no keyboard chore, it is a pleasure. A drag creation of actor/singer/host Ray DeForest, Doris was born in the wake of Ray's beloved mother, Taffy, succumbing to the dreaded Alzheimers Disease. Artistically developed as a way to feel close with Taffy, DeForest performs to honor her memory and brighten the lives of his audiences with a little laughter, a little song, and a lot of whiskey sours. This holiday candy box of a show streamed live from the stage of the historic Triad Friday night. La Dear transferred her Staten Island rumpus room uptown to 72nd street for some (Covid Safe) cheer. This Yule Tide edition of the Rumpus Room was absolutely a housewife tested, mother approved evening full of stories and songs with egg nog that's lite on the egg and heavy on the nog. A good old fashioned Christmas party featuring songs around Blake Allen's piano sung by Doris and her guests: Karen Mason, Benny Benack III (and his trumpet), Amra Faye Wright, Sean Harkness (and his guitar), Lisa Yaeger, Kristina Nicole Miller, and Dear's Director, Lina Koutrakos. All the guests sang and played festive faves and novelty features and this lineup of pros meshed beautifully with Doris and Musical Director Allen from a safe social distance with a Covid stage lackey, Jim McGinnis, wiping down and adding new mic covers between each number. Everyone was spot on with Mason singing her husband, Paul Rolnick's, gorgeous It'll Be Christmas Before You Know It, and Amra Faye voicing a celebratory Sittin' On Top Of The World as the real standouts of the party guests.

Since the performers were playing to an empty Triad, they were bringing their all, safely, to a virtual audience, but this is one of the areas in which Doris & Koutrakos showed their smarts about their show. Bringing these fantastic artists together to perform only for the camera, but from a real theater space, allowed us at home to see a show with depth and breadth. The other smart thing Doris did (with guidance from Koutrakos no doubt) concerned her own personal performance. As a drag artist, the need for a live audience is magnified 10 fold over any other kind of performing. With an empty house, there were no laughs, no applause, no groans over bad drag puns, no nothing, but Ms. Dear kept her plates spinning at a furious clip by almost never pausing or even slowing her quippy banter. Her whiskey and cigarette vocals on her solos reminiscent of your inebriated great-aunt holding forth at the last stop on a neighborhood Christmas block party added touches from pleasant to pathos.

DeForest is a 3 time MAC award-winning cabaret artist whose creation of Doris Dear has become the jewel in his crown. With this Christmas special having, of necessity, gone virtual, we must confess that it was an adjustment watching from home with no audience responses; but this is 2020. One hopes that Doris, who is an online personality with her Rumpus Room YouTubes, will be back live next year at a Christmas where we can all attend and enjoy the party because it will be well worth it. For this year Bobby can't be a Scrooge and so we award The Doris Dear Christmas Special ...

4 Out Of 5 Rainbows.

To see photos from Friday Night's performance go: HERE

Tweet Doris' Twitters: HERE

Follow Her On The Gram: HERE

Check Out Her Webby: HERE

And Followe Her On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

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