Finocchio’s Queens are in Vegas, baby
David de Alba
Two of the great female impersonators from Finocchio’s in San Francisco have packed their boas and moved to Las Vegas. Lavern Cummings (Paul) and David de Alba, who were both inducted into the TGForum Gallery of Greats several years ago, are now living in the sunny climes of the Nevada desert. Lavern, now in her 80s, no longer performs in drag but de Alba is still active doing his Judy Garland act. Both performers are from the old school of impersonation in which the best performer was the one who could actually sing the songs in their own (or Judy Garland’s) voice.
Lavern Cummings
Recently the two greats were interviewed by The Las Vegas Weekly. You can read the interview on the newspaper’s website. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the history of female impersonation.
David de Alba has let TGF know that later this year he will be doing a show, and he and Paul Cummings will be doing a live onstage interview in August talking about their careers in drag. Watch TGF for more info.
This report below from KSNV features some clips of both men performing at the peak of their careers.
Video from KSNV, Channel 3 Las Vegas
Category: Transgender Community News, Transgender History
About the Author (Author Profile)
Angela Gardner is a founding member of The Renaissance Transgender Assoc., Inc., former editor of its newsletter and magazine, Transgender Community News. She was the Diva of Dish for TGF in the late 1990s and Editor of LadyLike magazine until its untimely demise. She has appeared in film and television shows portraying TG characters, as well as representing Renaissance on numerous talk shows.Subscribe
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