by Patti Harris

Cleveland--The 33rd annual Womyn�s Variety Show last weekend hosted over 500 women at a new location that was as well received as the performers taking the stage.

The pastoral setting and winding road leading to Park Synagogue�s Kangesser Hall treated women to a private viewing of a group of deer as they made their way to the Cleveland Heights venue.

Once inside, the auditorium was filled to near capacity, while a large room behind the last row of seats was prepared to host the Fabulous Variety Show Party afterwards.

The February 16 show, which lasted about an hour and a half, was emceed by Iris Bishop.

�She�s been doing this for years,� said producer Marcia Sindelar of Oven Productions. �Iris was relaxed, confident and so very funny, pulling from her own personal experience and talking about things we can all relate to.�

The show opened with the Jane Dean�s high energy performance of �Don�t Say It� and AC/DC�s �You Shook Me All Night Long.� The popular women�s band was a great way to open the show and set the pace for a memorable evening.

Next up was a comedy routine by Amber Womack. She began by letting the audience in on a secret.

�Hi. My name is Amber and I�m an addict,� she began.

�Hi Amber!� the audience responded in unison, then a chuckle at their familiarity with recovery programs.

Maura Rogers treated the crowd to her �Mae West Girl� and her rich vocals and skillful piano playing.

Emcee Bishop, in addition to introducing each number, spent a few moments testing sign language interpreter Dawn Barbey, seeing how she would sign some of the more colorful words used to describe parts of a woman�s anatomy. Barbey�s response was as quick-witted and funny as anything the audience would see as many hoped Bishop would continue to test her skills.

�Dawn�s been our interpreter for years and just really pulls it together, said Sindelar. �I find myself watching her a lot too because she�s so visual and expressive and beautiful!�

Longtime performer Jan Held shared her poem �A Walk Down Lesbian Lover Lane� that had many in the audience laughing or sighing, empathizing with her feelings of longing and loving.

Newcomer Judie Wimmer played guitar and sang her �Ghost in the Mirror� number embracing healing and survival.

The talent just kept on with the thunderous crowd welcoming renowned national recording artist Alexis Antes, flawlessly performing Cindi Lauper�s �I�ll Be Your River.�

Michelle Inks proved that Elvis is alive and well and indeed in the house with her lip-synced version of �Suspicious Minds.�

The trio Telling Point garnered a standing ovation following their two song set of �Darker� and Pink�s �Dear Mr. President� while marking their first appearance at the show.

Fans of the Cleveland blues group Swamp Boogie Band were treated to a standout performance by member Betsy Marshall singing and playing piano on �Down and Out� while delighting the audience with her playful interaction with interpreter Barbey as she sang, signed and danced.

Peggi Cella�s talent-filled quartet also played two classics, �You Took Advantage of Me� and �Cry me a River,� that had the crowd on their feet.

Another recording artist, Robin Stone, performed her original �When You Go Home Today,� soulfully recounting her first and last visit to her mother�s grave.

The evening�s line-up concluded with the Cleveland Kings and Gals� performance of �Don�t Want to Go to Work.� An audience member was overheard making the ultimate compliment for female-to-male illusionists: �I thought only women were performing tonight.�

�The talent seemed elevated this year,� Sindelar noted. �Everyone was so different and yet so spectacular in their presentation and sound.�

The final curtain call signaled the start of the Fabulous Party, where the crowd was treated to DJs Freeze and Debra offering a large variety of music to cover many musical tastes on the dance floor.

Partygoers enjoyed a tastefully decorated room with a spacious dance floor, bar, sober support space and booths featuring merchandise from some of the performers and information tables staffed by campaign workers for LGBT-friendly candidates.

Elizabeth Berry read a statement from the non-partisan Oven Productions, reminding attendees to vote. She predicted that �whoever wins Ohio will likely become president.�

Sindelar offered kudos to the expertise of the people behind the scenes on the show.

�The whole crew was wonderful--the stage crew, lights, miking, sober support, door and party crew, clean-up and stage manager Debra Hirshberg all just really enhanced the talents of all the performers,� she said. �And although many of the same people come back to help each year, we�re always looking for new people who want to help with the show. It�s so important for the longevity of the show to teach women how to do this so we can pass it on and keep the show going.�