Photo by Kevin Berne.

Blackbird: A Queer Vocal History is a world premiere, full-length, historical, musical hodgepodge of LGBT music written and performed by Seth Eisen (the chameleon / trickster in Keith Hennessy’s Circo Zero productions) depicting gay performers from the 1930s to the present who, despite their then outsider status, found inventive ways to be out, queer, and vocal. According to Eisen, Blackbird is a unique civil rights story featuring a history of maverick performers who gave new voice to the queer underground. From a prohibition speakeasy to the Borscht-Belt, from a Zen priest to a contemporary Bulgarian pop singer, Blackbird will push the boundaries of how gender variance and anti-discrimination is viewed through history. The show ranges from radio and black & white movies to the current YouTube craze. The musical director is Sean Feit, who also starred in Circo Zero’s 2007 critically acclaimed show, Sol Niger.

“I am looking to bring to people’s attention the crux of the story I am telling in my show, which is a tribute to a forgotten queer music history,” Eisen told Bay Times. “This show is about seven characters that I am sure many gay people have never heard of. They are a very important part of our history, and their lives have so many lessons to teach us in these difficult times.”

Blackbird features Jean Malin, a little known performer of the ‘20s and ‘30s who led a movement called the Pansy Craze. Malin brought queer acts into clubs and speakeasies where they were previously forbidden. This trend that he started in the ‘30s crossed the country into many cities until the law caught up with them. He is the star of the show who introduces the other character he plays.

Each of them is equally unique and to some obscure. “I feature the questionably gay Danny Kaye; Tommy Issan Dorsey, founder of the Maitri AIDS hospice; drag diva Sylvester; Ney Matogroso of Brazil; operatic siren Klaus Nomi; and Azis the Bulgarian pop star,” Eisen said. “Despite discrimination, each found their own unique way to express themselves despite oppressive environments.”

Jean Malin led the movement of gay acts in speakeasies and initiated the 1930s cultural phenomenon called the Pansy Craze. He brought gay acts to clubs when homosexuality was illegal on stage. By the age of 18, Malin was one of the top openly gay entertainers of the Ziegfeld follies, and by 23 he was already a huge star with his own nightclub. He died tragically at the age of 25.

“Blackbird is a metaphor for an outcast (singer), and blackbirds are well known for their resourcefulness,” Eisen told me. The show’s title was inspired by Sylvester’s version of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” that he sang in a 1979 historic concert at The SF War Memorial Opera House, encouraging all broken-winged birds to rise, break free, and fly - despite their outsider status. “This theme of the blackbird seemed central to Sylvester’s plight not only because he was discriminated against for being effeminate, gay, and black; but it also spoke to the struggles and successes of all of the characters represented in the show who all helped redefine what is meant to be out, queer, and vocal,” said Eisen. “A secondary layer for the title Blackbird connects with my Jewish heritage and the word for little birdie in Yiddish, ‘feygala,’ which is also the word for gay.” 

“Blackbird is smart, sexy (yes, with some nudity) and touching. It is hilarious at times, musically very diverse, fast paced, and a lot of fun as I transform into all seven of these characters,” said Eisen. “Ultimately it’s a wild ride through the past 80 years of gay music history.” There is also puppetry involved.

Danny Kaye became one of the biggest Hollywood stars of 1940s. He represents the Hollywood actors of that era that played roles doing fag gags and was also known to have had a longterm affair with Lawrence Olivier. Dorsey is the tough 1950s drag queen who became Zen Abbot of the Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco. Later in life, before dying of AIDS he founded of the first Buddhist AIDS hospice, now called Maitri. Ney Matogroso is the  Brazilian rock star, who queered the music scene while living under a repressive military regime. Sylvester was the dazzling, international disco diva phenomenon in the 1970s. When rising political activist Harvey Milk reigned as the Mayor of Castro Street, Sylvester was Queen of the Castro and became San Francisco’s most famous performer. He died of AIDS in 1988. Nomi took NYC and the world by storm in the 1980s as a new wave performer. He was one of the first cult figures to die of AIDS in 1983. Azis, the outrageous Bulgarian pop star, is known for his atypical gender expression and one of the top selling musicians in that country. He has run for public office and had a public marriage to his husband in a country that claims 80% of the population is homophobic.

Blackbird: A Queer Vocal History has a limited engagement – Nov. 14–23, 8 p.m. and Nov. 20-23 at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory, 1519 Mission St. (Van Ness & 11th). Tickets are $20 and available at the door or at brownpapertickets.com.