HMC Takes on Fringe Festival with Big Gay Sing

Big Gay SingHeartland Men’s Chorus usually takes the summer months off, but this year the group is poised to launch a new event as part of the Kansas City Fringe Festival. The Chorus will present Big Gay Sing, an interactive sing-along variety show for four performances, July 17-19, 2015.

“It will be more of a party atmosphere, as opposed to a concert atmosphere,” says artistic director Dustin S. Cates. “And it’s all about audience participation.”

Lyrics for the songs will appear on the screen for audience members to sing along. The repertoire will feature songs familiar to audience members, including television theme songs (from “Friends,” “The Golden Girls” and “The Brady Bunch,” among others), disco hits from ABBA and The Village People, and karaoke favorites like “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Sweet Caroline.”

Kansas City’s favorite drag entertainer, Daisy Buckët, will emcee the shows and will sing with the Chorus on several numbers. Other drag entertainers, including Summer Tryst, are scheduled to appear and some audience members will be “drafted into drag” live on stage.

Big Gay Sing was a concept originally developed by the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus in 2009. The high-energy, informal, party-like atmosphere of the event made it an audience favorite and reinvigorated NYCGMC’s artistic program. Big Gay Sing became and annual event and brought the group’s music to a wider audience.

Heartland Men’s Chorus will present Big Gay Sing at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 17, 6:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18, and 3:00 p.m. Sunday, July 19. All performances will take place at H&R Block City Stage at Union Station. Tickets are $10 (plus a $5 Fringe Festival button, required for admittance to any Fringe events), and are available in advance at http://kcfringe.org.

About Heartland Men’s Chorus

Proudly singing out in Kansas City since 1986, Heartland Men’s Chorus is a not-for-profit, volunteer chorus of gay and gay-sensitive people who are making a positive cultural contribution to the entire community. HMC performs a varied repertoire of music, including jazz, Broadway, popular and classical works, and regularly performs with more than 130 singers. The chorus performs a three concert season at the historic Folly Theater to an annual audience of more than 7,000, and performs dozens of community outreach performances each year throughout the Midwest.

About the Kansas City Fringe Festival

KC Fringe Festival is an annual 11-day performing and visual arts extravaganza. It straddles a thin, frayed line between mass appeal and eclectic tastes. Fringe links these two worlds together, showing that it is the bridge you take to be inspired and entertained no matter what your taste may be.

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