Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bay Windows - April 3, 2008
Laura Kiritsy, Editor-in-chief
And why do bowlers make good drag queens? "I'm not sure they do," confesses Mark Roy, the show's producer and a league member for more than two decades, with a laugh. "That's part of the charm of it all to tell you the truth. I got a couple this year that are in bikinis with their hairy backs and it's just, you know, a lot of camp and comedy."
Those hirsute performers harbor hidden talents, apparently: the show, which will benefit the Boston Living Center and Community Servings, has already sold out the 500 seat theater - although Roy says there will likely be extra tickets available at the door - and last year's event raised $24,000.
If hairy bowlers in dresses aren't your bag, you'll also be treated to the talents of professional drag diva Corvette, along with professional comedy and musical acts. The evening also includes a silent auction, where bidders can throw down for a Burberry bag, Red Sox tickets or a baseball autographed by Coco Crisp, or a raffle with a first prize of $1000.
Over the past 22 years, the Monday Night Bowling League's benefit shows have raised a total of more than $250,000 for a variety of local HIV/AIDS organizations, said Roy. The show began as a way for league members to do something about the AIDS crisis in the early days of the epidemic, when few resources were available to those living with the disease. The first show at the Paradise club in Cambridge featured six league members performing on a plywood stage balanced atop cases of beer bottles, Roy recalled. "Those six bowlers just decided they wanted to try to do something, and what they thought was to put on some dresses and get up and lip sync and have some fun," he said.
For more information on the Monday Night Bowling League's 23rd annual benefit show, visit http://www.mnbl.net/benefitshow.html.
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