LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Christopher Peterson Comes Back for More |
by Kelli Steele |
I found myself surrounded by virgins and sluts on a recent Friday night at the Renegade. And who else but Christopher Peterson, a fabulously creative and hysterical female impersonator, could draw such a standing-room-only crowd?
Going into his fourth season of entertainment in Rehoboth, Chris quips, "I keep coming back for the money. Okay, so maybe it's the people that I keep coming back for...the people are great." Peterson has been doing female impersonations for 18 years. "I began drag in Halifax, Nova Scotia," said Peterson during a phone interview prior to last Friday evening's show. "Vancouver, British Columbia, though, was really the birth of Chris Peterson. That's where I started building my career and learning from amateurs and professionals alike." Peterson's repertoire is made up of 20 performers including Marilyn Monroe, Carol Channing, Madonna, Tina Turner, Barbara Streisand (all of whom you'll read about in this article), and many other divas. He presents 6 performers in each show. Speaking of shows, last week's hour-long show was my first. So...believe it or not, I was one of those virgins (someone who have never seen the ever-so-popular entertainer). Mind you, there were plenty of sluts (people who have seen Chris a bazillion times), in the room. Before even entering the stage, Chris began his monologue by telling the audience that, "the performer likes to be flashed." He of course was referring to anyone with a camera. The show began with Marilyn Monroe "swishing" onto stage wearing the infamous white dress singing "I Want to be Loved By You" very seductively. When the song ended, the wind came along and uplifted Marilyn's white dress as she asked the audience, "Does anyone feel a breeze?" Chris then began a dialogue with the audience that included a lengthy conversation with a woman named "Princess." "How coincidental," Peterson began. "You're a princess and I'm a queen...maybe we'll find a BIG KING later." A roar of laughter, of course, then erupted from the audience. In between acts, Chris changes on stage from his "magic closet" while he interacts with the audience and delivers a running monologue about his life. So with what seemed like a simple flip of her wig, Carol Channing was suddenly standing on stage singing "Diamonds Are A Girls' Best Friend," although Chris changed the words so that the actual lyrics were "a kiss on the glands could be quite detrimental, that's why condoms are a girl's best friend." Next on the list of performers was Madonna. The audience howled with laughter as she sang a medley of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and "Vogue." The lyrics to the former went something like this, "don't cry for me I'm Madonna," and instead of "vogue, strike a pose," it was "vogue, strike a pose, pick your nose...oh shit, I have a run in my hose." Peterson then took a moment to deliver a message to his lover of 16 years, "honey, you are the wind beneath my sheets!" Following Madonna came Joan "Rappin'" Rivers and a Bette Davis parody. Then it was time for a most perfect Barbra Streisand to sing one of her greatest hits from 1982, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." Peterson also sang Neil Diamond's part as he turned his face away from the crowd. The number that brought the house down, in my opinion, was Tina Turner. In a typical Tina wig and short, gold, glittery dress, Chris sang "Proud Mary" just like Tina nice and slow and easy and then nice and fast and rough. As the tempo of the song erupted so did the audience as most everyone got to their feet to sing along. As Peterson left the stage he commented, "how in the hell did that bitch do that? It must have been all that running away from Ike!" If you have never seen Chris Peterson, call the Renegade now at 302-227-4713, and make reservations to do so. If you have seen him, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And as Chris says, "I'll probably keep doing this until I drop dead." |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 7, June 15, 2001. |