Pamela DeGroff interviews TGForum Contributor Meggan Sommerville about her life, her faith and her contributions to an essay project called Listen to Your Mother. Then Pamela has music news about Georgie Jessup, and David de Alba as well as advance word on some Perpetual Change friends releasing new music. There’s all that and a mini review of the electronic music duo Mackintosh Braun.
So, you are a male who is very attracted to the idea of dressing as a woman. Their clothes, shoes, and hairstyles play a siren’s song at you as you go through your daily routine. “Wear me” they seem to say. Why we get these feelings is a mystery. Research into why men want to […]
In 1980 David de Alba, the Cuban Legend, stepped outside the walls of the famous female impersonation club Finocchio’s to do a special performance at the popular Cuban club Circulo Cubano in San Francisco. He had no dressing room or help so he wore the Judy Garland hobo costume from his Judy show, and a Pierot costume. And then — he sang.
David de Alba graciously allows us to republish his interviews with entertainers that he features on his website. This interview with Stephanie Williams a well known entertainer who worked all across the country and spent a number of years producing shows in New Orlean was conducted in 2000. Ms. Williams is now living full time as a woman and living in Las Vegas.
David de Alba is preparing to take the stage this coming June for a show at The Onyx Theatre in Las Vegas. David sent us this assessment of his female impersonation and vocal skills that was written by his friend, former concert pianist and FI historian Linda La Blanche. David invites all readers of TGForum to […]
Hollywood, CA – What do you get when you mashup Comic-Con, BeautyCon and Hello Kitty Con? RuPaul’s DragCon, of course. It’s the first ever convention that celebrates “the art of drag, queer culture and self-expression for all” and will launch May 16-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. RuPaul’s DragCon will kick off the Gay […]
David de Alba has spoken with many stars of the female impersonation world and his interviews with them help us to learn what it was like in the golden age of female impersonation. Today we turn things around and present an interview conducted by Linda La Blanche with David de Alba. Ms. La Blanche is a […]
David de Alba has done many interviews with female impersonators and other celebrities. He has kindly given consent to reproduce his interviews on TGF. Today we bring you his interview with Brian Keith. (Not the actor in The Parent Trap.) Brian Keith was the last emcee of the show at Finocchio’s famous impersonation club in San Francisco. We also have a video of Keith filling in for Frank Marino in the Divas Las Vegas show.
Fortunately for posterity home video cameras were around in 1980 and David de Alba’s partner Paul Ryner had one. He shot this video in 1980 which documents one of the finale productions featuring The Eve-ettes at Finocchio’s in San Francisco called, A Tribute to Cabaret Night 1980. There is a production number followed by David de Alba […]
David de Alba was kind enough to send us some images from his show at The Onyx Theatre in Las Vegas on June 22.
The stars of female impersonation in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s were all about glamor and beauty. Only an act devoted to comedy would over-do things and exaggerate feminine characteristics in search of a laugh from the audience. The exotic and beautiful female impersonators worked to be indistinguishable from the actresses and singers they portrayed. Thanks […]
Our celebrity female impersonator expert, the one and only David de Alba, has kindly granted us permission to run his interview with former Jewel Box Revue star Robbie Ross. Robbie was on the scene in the 1950s and ’60s. While on tour with The Jewel Box Revue he fell in love with Hollywood, decided to stop touring a settled down to work as a wig and hair stylist. Learn all about his drag career and his work with the stars in David’s interview . And there’s a bonus photo gallery with more rare photos of Robbie.
Friend of TGForum, Cuban Legend David de Alba, has a show coming up on June 22 at The Onyx Theatre in Las Vegas. In advance of the show he has been doing all kinds of promotion, though we know he won’t have a problem filling seats for his Tribute to Judy Garland, A Lonely Stage. […]
In Part One, I noted that to “pass” as a woman is both artful and propitious: propitious and artful in that with the right face and body, combined with skill in “doing” one’s face and taste in picking the best wigs and feminine attire/acessories, many CDs look more attractive, feminine, ladylike, sexy, pretty, lovely, stylish, […]
The Cuban Legend, David de Alba (who has a show coming up at The Onyx Theatre in Las Vegas next month) has series of Celebrity Interviews on his website and he graciously allows TGF to run the best of them every month. The interviews were all done in the early 2000s. This interview is with the […]
They say what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. Well, that may be so in most cases but one of the features of Las Vegas is that it’s home to drag legend David de Alba. You all know that so the knowledge certainly hasn’t been confined to the city limits. Who starts these […]
Gypsy has been performing since 1950. At 82 you think he’d retire, take of those pumps and relax. But that’s not the plan. We met with Gypsy and his manager last week in Los Angeles and they told us about their plan to build an exciting new venue for female impersonation where Gypsy will be the host and M.C. And they’d like your help to get it started. Read all about it in our interview with a super performer — Gypsy.
A new contributor joins us today with her perspective on what it takes to successfully transform into an acceptable, or even outstanding woman. Serena Harris is talking about transformation via makeup, hair styling and flattering attire. She feels that while many men are just to manly to dress up, those with the proper attributes can do quite well en femme.
David de Alba has done a large number of interviews with female impersonators from the golden years of impersonation. He has graciously allowed TGF to re-publish his interviews and today we bring you another of his encounters with an accomplished entertainer named Libby Reynolds. Glimpse the world of female impersonation in the ’50s and ’60s and read about Miss Reynold’s encounter with Perry Mason.
David de Alba, the last of the entertainers from the golden years of the San Francisco impersonator club Finocchio’s to still be performing, has always been aware that unless it is preserved the story of the club and the performers of that era will fade away. In order to keep that time and those people […]
In 2001 David de Alba reconnected with former Finocchio’s star impersonator Holly White. After leaving that premier San Francisco nightclub Holly had gender reassignment surgery, continued to perform in venues in Europe and the USA and has settled down in her hometown state, Hawaii. David talks to her about her history from Finocchio’s to now.
When I see the name René de Carlo I immediately think “International Dancing Star.” I visualize beautiful costumes and many lovely wigs that I had the pleasure of styling for him during my run at Finocchio’s in San Francisco. I remember the great transformation that took place in his dressing room. I also recall with […]
To interview the legendary female impressionist Ricky Renée for me is one of the highlights in my Celebrity Interview Series. A wonderful emcee and friend of mine, Carroll Wallace who I worked with for years at the world famous Finocchio Club of San Francisco, would mention Ricky’s name fondly, along with Danny La Rue’s in […]
David de Alba appeared as Judy Garland at The Onyx Theatre in Las Vegas back in November. Here are some highlights of that concert event. [youtube]nFxg70s9Vtk[/youtube] Tickets are now available from The Onyx Theatre box office for David’s next show in June. Finocchio’s Cuban Legend will appear once again at The Onyx on June 22, 2014 […]
Remember when you were just starting to crossdress? Or maybe you’re at the stage now. What you needed was good information on how to achieve the look you desired. Of course there’s the Internet and there are a few books available that tell how to master the various skills necessary. Today we review the newest “how-to” book to join the pile. A follow up to Carollyn Olson’s first how-to book More Tricks of The Trade brings together a number of experts. Read Gina Vizavi’s review.
Of all the interviews I have done, this is the most difficult for me since I have known Robin Price for so many years. When I purchased my first home in the early ’70s in San Francisco, he lived across the street. We became friends quickly and though he had retired from Showbiz I learned […]
