The new, hybrid in-person stage and online streaming event “Trans-LATE!” kicked off to rousing success on Friday, February 3, 2023 at Bryant-Lake Bowl in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The five hour, sold out show included a late-night Valentine's Day dance party with DJ Drew Untethered and was produced by Atlas O Phoenix. The cabaret was produced by Eun Bee Yes with ze's troupe members and the Newbie Draggons: Handsy and King Kiki Joy.  Atlas O Phoenix co-hosted with Scene’s own Eun Bee Yes of Transcendence Cabaret. Both were a hoot on the mic, and were cracking jokes left and right throughout the night. 

The ensemble cast had a variety of talents on display all night. Each cast member (and co-host Eun Bee Yes) performed twice overall, and everyone’s star shone in their unique way. 

Highlights of the night included:

— A wistful and captivating opening lip-sync from Eun Bee Yes to “Hurts Like Hell” by Fleurie. 

— King Kiki Joy delivering heartfelt live vocals to “Anytime” by Brian McKnight. 

— Handsy having an original, mirror-centric lip-sync take on Lady Gaga’s “Stupid Love.” The self-love vibes were real. 

— Megan the Maneater bringing the house down with high-octane choreography to the great Audien remix of “Kill the Lights (with Nile Rodgers)” by Alex Newell, Jess Glynne, and DJ Cassidy. 

— Oliver Yew had a sensual lip-sync performance of "The Death of Peace of Mind" by Bad Omens. This included stripping off layers before gyrating against the stage itself. At the end, pasties were exposed, as well as chains and a harness. 

— Chad Tayo came out of semi-retirement for this show. He performed a killer lip-sync to a cover of ZAYN and Taylor Swift’s “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.” It was worth coming out of retirement for, and a joy to watch. 

— Seamus Shenanigan dazzled in a red suit-coat, and matching red hair under a black cap. All while nailing every syllable of “The Church of Hot Addiction” by Cobra Starship.

Each installment of “Trans-LATE!” will have a theme. This first installment’s theme was “What is Love?” Performances moved from a dark vibe, to “a mid-point” at intermission, to a light vibe at the end. This light culminated in a screening of the moving short film Ordinary, created by and starring Atlas O Phoenix. Ordinary explored Atlas O Phoenix’s beautiful journey and identity from many angles, and was shot in poignant black and white.

Overall, “Trans-LATE!” is a promising, brand-new show that aims to get on a regular, bimonthly schedule. It will surely succeed by giving existing talent the showcase it deserves — while fostering new talent, like a couple of the new acts that performed Friday. This particular installment of “Trans-LATE!” raised funds for TIGERRS, a Trans, Intersex, Gender-Expansive Radical Resources & Services cooperative organization. TIGERRS has a mission of filling critical gaps in support for youth in Minnesota.

Show produced by Atlas O Phoenix. The cabaret is produced by Eun Bee Yes with ze's troupe members and the Newbie Draggons: Handsy and King Kiki Joy.

Sponsors:  The Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition, RARE Productions, Transcendence Cabaret and Twin Cities Gay Scene. 

You can follow Transcendence Cabaret on their website at transcendencecabaret.com, on Instagram and Facebook. Their upcoming show at their new home at Phoenix Theater will be this Saturday at 1030 pm. You can buy tickets at: phoenixtheatermpls.org/project/transcendence-cabaret

FOLLOW TRANS-LATE!:

www.beautifulboi.com

instagram.com/trans_late_mpls

instagram.com/beautiful_boi_atlas_phoenix