Who would win in a battle between Atlanta’s drag queens and members of the leather community? No doubt the girls in the make-up.

But how about a battle of wits? Leather aficionados tend to be surprisingly lucid.

The storied rivalry of drag queens vs. leather men reaches new heights tonight, as the two sides square off in the premiere of the “Big Gay Game Show” at Jungle.

A hybrid of games such as “Family Feud,” “Match Game” and “Let’s Make a Deal,” the “Big Gay Gay Show” is a fundraiser for Lost-N-Found, a new organization that helps homeless LGBT youth.

“We were trying to figure out what to do to raise money, and we were trying to do it without it just being another drag show or trivia,” said Paul Swicord, treasurer of Lost-N-Found.

“Some of the stuff we’re doing right now is helping the kids get their GEDs and job searches,” Swicord says of the organization which started last fall. “Once they’re ready, we try to help them find an apartment to move into that’s affordable.”

Tonight’s match-up in the “Big Gay Game Show” features the freshly crowned Mr. Atlanta Eagle Jeff Donaldson and members of the Panther leather club taking on drag queens Phoenix, Nicole Paige Brooks, Angelica D’Paige, Savannah Leigh and Mariah Balenciaga.

Doors open at 7 p.m., folks can register to play along, and the game gets started at 8. The “Big Gay Game Show” will be a monthly event that allows folks to try something different during a night out on the town.

Below you’ll find GlitterBomb’s candid critique of a preview of The Process Theatre’s “Auntie Mame” showing at OnStage Atlanta through May 4.

Initial Reaction
M: That was freaking long. My butt hurts.
S: I couldn’t feel my legs toward the end.
S: A lot of scenes could have been cut.
M: Well that’s a problem with the playwright.
S: One thing—and this isn’t the theater’s fault—it felt like four plays jammed into one.
M: Uh, it’s the director’s fault. That’s whose fault it is, frankly. Go ahead. Sorry.
S: It was a bit disorienting because there were so many different plot lines.
M: Well, the feel of the play at times seemed like it should be a big production in a grand hall. There was no adjustment made for the fact that we were in a small space.

The cast of The Process Theatre's production of "Auntie Mame" showing at OnStage Atlanta through May 4. Image by Tom Gillespie.

Bombs Away
S: There were other notable performances but there was a lot of overacting from some cast members.
M: Topher had such honesty and authenticity in his approach to Mame and some other cast members relied on devices. And the gender swapping became a distraction and a crutch, except in Topher’s case. Nobody really had to connect to anything because they could phone it in. The gender swap was doing the work for them.
S: Yes, some of the actors were too over the top, while others were a tad underwhelming.

Glitter for Supporting Actors
S: I liked the character of Agnes Gooch; Larry Davis did a fabulous job. Bob Smith played Beauregard with a grounded, genuine approach. I loved the relationship between Beau and Mame. The actors made their love believable.
M: Amanda Cucher was fantastic. She was gorgeous on stage. I really loved her physicality with different characters. She was super charismatic, commanding, magnetic, committed and endearing. She played that cartoonish Southern person but she did it with such commitment I believed her.
S: I also liked the character of Gloria. I just loved to hate her.

You Gotta Earn It
M: Here’s my criticism with Gloria. It was a very abrupt change when Mame’s nephew, Patrick, had been this really nice, devoted boy and then suddenly he turned into an ass. Gloria had to have her clutches in him somehow and I thought she was played so one-dimensionally that I couldn’t see why Patrick fell in love with her.
S: Yes, some elements of the play weren’t earned.
M: Boom.
S: The audience can make connections for themselves but Patrick’s shift in attitude toward his aunt should have been earned. It just came out of nowhere.
M: I agree. And, although she was very likable, I didn’t get anything from Kate Graham, who played the young Patrick. The text told me there was love from her character to Mame but I wasn’t seeing it. And there were no stakes. When Patrick was being taken away from Mame, Kate just indicated how upset she was by making a sad face. I didn’t buy what she was selling. Topher’s connection as Mame with Patrick was really beautiful.

More Love (Mostly)
S: The story progress seemed choppy and jolting. The play came off its leash during the montage of Mame switching from one job to the other as a result of losing her fortune. The sequence seemed to come out of left field as she worked as a telephone operator, and it felt abrupt and confusing.
M: Sidenote: phone calls are hard to play on stage. Topher’s playing the switchboard operator was amazing.
S: Oh, he did beautifully. Now let’s throw some glitter. I loved the scene where Beau introduced Mame to his family in Savannah. Very comedic. The scenes where Mame interacted with Patrick’s fiancee’s family were fun.
M: Some of the costumes were great. The set was good, although I thought everyone was going to die on those stairs. The lighting was good. The cast looked like they were enjoying themselves, which is always a plus. The front of house staff was nice and warm.
S: Even with my numb ass and the play’s longevity, I still really enjoyed the show.
M: It was fun.

Reading Audience Members
S: Oh we have to talk about that guy beside me.
M: He had no theater etiquette, and I wanted to punch him in the temple and hide his body in my trunk.
S: He elbowed me twice after intermission and never acknowledged it with an apology.
M: He’s a mean man.

Final Thoughts
Although it missed the mark on editing and a few casting choices, “Auntie Mame” deserves more glitter than bomb thanks to Topher’s stellar portrayal of Mame and several other notable performances. On a glitter scale of 1 to 5, we award this production a three.

The upcoming Human Rights Campaign dinner is often referred to as Atlanta’s gay prom for grown-ups, but it unfortunately tends to show how juvenile our collective fashion sense is. The night is one of our best opportunities to be our fanciest, but so many of us play it safe by looking like a bow-tied penguin.

The motto for this year’s HRC dinner, which takes place May 5, should be: Tuxedos are for teenagers and butlers. It’s time to take risks and show the stylish creativity for which we’re supposedly known.

With a little more than two weeks left before this year’s dinner, you still have time to select an outfit that will help you stand out from the crowd. Here are a few ideas for alternatives to a tux, and remember, a thrift store can be your best friend when pulling off an eclectic look.

Rainbow Sherbert

Does anything sound more boring than black, white and gray? If you’re going to wear a tux or sport coat, at least liven it up with a little bit of color. How about a fire orange blazer with kelly green slacks, or a fuschia vest with a teal bow tie? Have everyone else wishing they spent their days and nights in living color.

The Freddie Mercury

Whether in a leotard or leather jacket, in a feathered suit or floral-print kimono, few people have challenged the standards of fashion more flamboyantly than the late Freddie Mercury. When channeling the rebellious spirit of the former Queen front-man, you can’t go wrong with sequins, velvet, satin, leather, silk, plunging necklines and any variety of form-fitting pants.

Preppyboy Swagg

It’s May in Hotlanta, so why cover yourself up with full-length attire? It’s possible to show off a little skin while keeping it classy enough for the HRC crowd, whether in a pair of pin-striped daisy dukes, or in some tuxedo trousers that have been cropped at the knee. You can also sport a sharp vest on top of a short-sleeved dress shirt to complete the Schoolyard Chic look.

Gender-Neutral Draping

When did pants take over the world? Let’s go retro with the androgynous togas of ancient Greece, or bring some culture to the staid HRC dinner with an Indian dhoti or an African Dashiki. It’s also easy to add flow to a traditional outfit by wearing a scarf instead of a neck-tie.

The Royal Party

Few storytellers take as thorough and candid a look at black gay life as Patrik-Ian Polk, whose latest film, “The Skinny” arrives at Midtown Art Cinema April 6.
Polk, the creator of “Noah’s Arc,” will be in Atlanta for a screening and Q & A on Saturday, and to speak to AID Atlanta’s Evolution Project on Tuesday. Before heading to town, Polk took a few minutes to talk with Fenuxe about “The Skinny”:

Fenuxe: How did the idea for ‘The Skinny’ originate?

I wanted to tell a story about men who were entering into their adult lives, so fresh out of college. I also wanted to represent the black experience in Ivy League institutions because I have found that that experience is often an interesting and unique one.

The movie explores some similar themes as ‘Noah’s Arc’ and has a similar structure in terms of the group of friends, but it definitely feels like a different story. How did you make sure that it was a unique film and not seen as sort of a sequel to ‘Noah’s Arc’?

I think it’s easy to try to draw comparisons. Most movies are about more than one character, so most movies are about a group of characters. I think these characters are considerably younger, they’ve all gone to school together, and they’re really just getting started in the adult stage of their lives. I think inherently it’s just a completely different story. There are some things that are universal – relationships, dating and friendship – so inevitably there will be comparison, but it’s a very different group of characters this time around.

A lot of the themes and scenes in the movie are explicit reflections of gay life, whether it’s the tutorial on douching, or the assless underwear at sex parties. How important was it for you to authentically bring those aspects of the black gay experience to the big screen?

It’s definitely a bolder film than the films I’ve done before. Because the characters are younger, I felt it was important to be a little bit more realistic about who these people are. I think young people today are just a lot more advanced in certain ways – with technology the way it is now, it’s just not the same as it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. In a way I’m trying to reflect a time, the new millenium, if you will. And I think it’s just a bolder film in that way. I never try to be titillating just for the sake of titillation, I am trying to tell an interesting story, and I want the film to be sexy and appealing. I personally don’t think it pushes the envelope that far, certainly not as far as it could.

There’s also a call to consciousness element of the film, whether it’s discussions about delaying sex in a new relationship or invoking black gay history. Can you talk about the balance of making a film that speaks to the pop culture aspect of black gay lives, but also challenges viewers to think more critically about various aspects of their lives?

For me, everything is rooted in characters. I try not to preach just to preach, I never want to come across as being didactic in my films. It really is about honoring who these people are: they are very intelligent, many of them come from very affluent backgrounds. They are going to be discussing things that are a little bit more analytical and they’re going to have conversations that do seem like a little bit of a dissertation even though they’re talking about everyday subject matters.

The other thing that interests me is to be in New York City and realize that Langston Hughes used to walk the streets of Harlem and he used to live there. There’s a history there, and certainly when I can find opportunities to honor that and show that, then that’s always a good thing.

There’s also this balance of hope vs. reality in the movie, with the idealism of Magnus and Ryan’s relationship in the beginning, and then the reality of how things play out. How do you think that plays out for black gay men? There seems to be the hope in new relationships, how do you think we tend to react once reality challenges that idealism?

I think anyone in any relationship, regardless of sexuality or gender, during the early stages of a relationship we’re looking through rose-colored glasses. Eventually the other shoe drops and you find out who people really are. People tend to put their best foot forward because they’re trying to impress, but the truth of who you are always comes out.

We’re living in a time where there’s so many options at our fingertips: online, or on our phone with applications like Grindr. Everything has become more and more instantaneous, and depending on what you want, not only can you find it, but you can find it in a 50-foot radius. I think it becomes difficult for us to be satisfied in one relationship because there are so many instantaneous options. It’s not a hopeless situation. As Magnus says in the movie, entering into any relationship requires a leap of faith, and it just depends on if you’re willing to take that leap.

I think it’s a good idea, regardless of what it is that you want, to be really clear with yourself about what you want. Be really clear about whether you’re someone who really needs to be in a monogamous relationship or whether you need to be in a relationship that’s more open. There’s no one way to be, obviously. The thing is being true to ourselves about what we truly want, and not just lying to ourselves and saying that we want what we think we’re supposed to want, because there’s no one way.

I think we need to encourage young people to figure out their lives, figure out what they want to do. Not just in relationships, but in careers and family and all of that stuff. We don’t think about this stuff until it’s kind of too late and we just run out of choices.

Finally, can you talk about the soundtrack to the film and what it was like to write and produce a complete album?

It was definitely fun, and it was a stretch artistically. I’m always looking for ways to stretch myself as an artist, and the idea of doing an entire album of music was definitely a challenge, but one that I really enjoyed.

It was as much work as making the film, and I’m very proud of the album, in general, separately from the film. I can’t wait for that to be out there in the world as an album, because even though it’s the soundtrack for the film, a lot of it is written from a very personal point of view – my own relationships and situations I’ve been in.

Influenced by his father’s love for cooking, Joshua John Russell pursued a culinary arts degree at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. For the past 10 years the Mississippi native has created cakes and desserts, with his most recent gig as a cake artist for Highland Bakery. One of 31-year-old’s new projects for the year is leading an online cake class for Craftsy.com, which launches in early May.

Here’s what Joshua had to say about his passion for making sweet stuff.

Fenuxe: What do you like most about making cakes?
Joshua: I love the science behind it. I think, for me, it’s the collaboration between science and design. I’ve always been creative so this is the best way for me to express myself artistically inside the cake and out.

Fenuxe: What are some of your career highlights?
Joshua: Well, being on Food Network Challenge for four years and “Last Cake Standing” helped spread my name. But the coolest thing I was able to do was make the cakes and cupcakes for the movie “Life As We Know It.” I got to teach Katherine Heigl how to decorate a cake!

Fenuxe: What is the most memorable cake you’ve ever made?
Joshua: It changes from time to time. Right now I’m most excited about the wedding cake I made for Kim Zolciak from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” She was so fun to work with.

Fenuxe: Have you made cakes for any celebrities?
Joshua: At Highland Bakery we make cakes for celebs all the time. With all of the filming happening in the city, we have had the opportunity to make cakes for Cameron Diaz and Chase Crawford, just to name a couple.

Fenuxe: What’s your personal favorite flavor of sweet stuff?
Joshua: Anything with salted caramel! Actually, I don’t have a sweet tooth at all. So I tend to go for the salty sweet dishes.

Want to keep up with Joshua? Become of fan of his on Facebook by clicking here.

Shannon Jenkins, Associate Writer, Lifestyle & Culture

If it weren’t for people like Susan Mickey, actors would be forced to do their jobs in the buff. Fortunately for them, the Austin costume designer makes it her business to cover up their business.

Sketch of Andy's costume from "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County"

In 1979, Susan designed her first professional show, and her work has been seen in television, film and print ever since. One of her favorite jobs starred Alfre Woodward and Laurence Fishburne.

“I loved working on ‘Miss Evers’ Boys’ for HBO,” she said. “It was a wonderful cast and a remarkably talented group of people.”

Another favorite design gig includes her “long relationship with The Oregon Shakespeare Festival doing everything from new plays with living playwrights to a very seldom seen production of ‘Henry VIII’ in all of its Tudor splendor.”

Her talent has carried her all across the country, and she is certainly no stranger to Atlanta. Beginning this month, her work with the “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” will mark her 58th creative endeavor with the Alliance Theatre. Her first design gig with the Atlanta theater was in 1982 for the production “Billy Bishop Goes to War.”

Sketch of Drake's costume from "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County"

Returning to the Alliance was a simple decision.

“I was asked to design the play by Susan Booth,” she said. “She is one of my favorite directors and collaborators, so I immediately said ‘yes.’”

For this particular show, Susan (the costumer, not the director) had the task of helping bring to life a ghost story created through the collaboration of American icons John Mellencamp and Stephen King. Set in a small Mississippi town, “Darkland County” follows the story of two brothers and a young girl who died tragically in 1967. The events of that night became a local legend over the next forty years, but one character knows the truth, which could potentially help save his own troubled sons.

To find inspiration for her designs, Susan took a straightforward approach.

Sketch of Frank's costume from "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County"

“We used a lot of Robert Frank photography and many research photos of small town America from 1940 to the present,” she said. “I also ordered 1967 high school yearbooks from small Mississippi towns on E-bay to really capture that moment in time.”

Susan described the style of clothing for the show as a “very American culture aesthetic with a worn edge of textural memory.”

Sketch of Jack's costume from "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County"

“I really love the simple white (aged) T-shirts and jeans that have the perfect fit and cut for the actor,” she said. “The most successful costumes are not the flashy ones but the ones that are perfect for the character being played and the story being told. If I cannot imagine the actor/character in anything else but what they have on…then that is my favorite costume.”

When it comes to any given arts event, it’s safe to say at least one member of the LGBT community is involved. We realize we’re being presumptuous, but we truly believe even in the deepest depths of the Bible Belt there’s a closeted gay bringing art to his or her corner of the world.

Although very open about its gayness, Atlanta is no different. Just take the Dogwood Festival for example. On the board sits Chairman Jamie Ensley, the first openly gay chairman in the festival’s long history. And just so you know, the festival celebrates its 76th anniversary this year with the April 20-22 event.

Jamie Ensley, the first openly gay chairman of Atlanta's Dogwood Festival

“It’s actually the third oldest fine arts festival—and one of the largest—in the United States,” he said. “It’s something for all of us Atlantans to be proud of.”

Not only is it a monumental event, it’s a diverse one as well. Representatives from about 20 countries participate in the festival each year, he said. That should come as no surprise considering the number of people involved on an annual basis.

About 250,000 people visited the festival last year, and between 250,000 and 275,000 are expected this year. With that many patrons walking the paths of Piedmont Park, it takes a healthy number of vendors, volunteers and artists to cater to them. Jamie said it takes about 500 people to make the festival a reality.

Of course, quite a few artists make up the number of those people who make it possible.

“We have about 1,100 artists apply for booths every year,” Jamie said. “We can only pick about 265, so we have a different panel every year that judges the artwork and selects which artists can show at the festival. That’s why our fine arts work is such high quality.”

In addition to the art booths, the festival also features food, music and, after last year, rides. A concert is also planned this year, with the legendary Roberta Flack as the headliner. Although he did confirm there will be rides again this year, Jamie kept the specifics under wraps.

“We had the Ferris wheel from the Seattle World Fair last year; it is the largest portable Ferris wheel in the world,” he said. “We’re not going to have that this year but we’re going to have some additional rides. We haven’t announced them yet but they’re going to be spectacular.”

That’s what we call a “tease.” You’ll just have to attend the festival to check out the undisclosed rides. And you’ll enjoy the art and music anyway. You know, because you’re gay. There we go being presumptuous again.

76th Annual Dogwood Festival
When: April 20-22
Where: Piedmont Park
Details: www.dogwood.org

Dear Mary,

I caught my longtime roommate in an awkward position with a cantaloupe the other night in our kitchen. After years of sharing apartments together, we’re pretty open about everything, but this caught me off guard. He’s had a “love affair” with food for quite some time. We talked it out and he swears he never returns items to the community space and never touches anything I purchase. I trust him but now walking into our kitchen makes me feel dirty. What should I do?

No More Fruit Salad

Dear NMFS,

You think you feel dirty? I have a delicate head and stomach this morning due to misjudging the appropriate dose of medicinal sippin’ rum last night. Dealing with fruit love in this condition is overwhelming, and I may need to lie down.

I have so many questions. At first, I took for granted that the cantaloupe was on the receiving end of the love, but as I mull this over, I realize there are other possibilities…horrifying possibilities. Actually, you know what, let’s just dismiss that possibility.

My biggest issue is location. Had he and the vegetation gotten bored in the bedroom? Seeking to spice things up by moving into the kitchen? Or did he open the refrigerator, see the cantaloupe sitting there on the white wire shelf, so delicate and tempting, and succumb to overwhelming lust? Oh wait, was the cantaloupe whole or cut up? Was he doing the horizontal tango with a bowl of cut cantaloupe? Maybe he was just trying to make a smoothie.

To be fair, if you walked in on him enjoying a private moment in the kitchen without a cantaloupe, it would still be weird. Buy him a mini fridge for his room and encourage him not to be shy to lock his door. And for God’s sake, don’t tell the GOP about this. No need to throw gas on the “If we allow gay marriage, what’s next—a man marrying a piece of fruit?!” flame.

Mary Makers-McMark

Shannon Jenkins, Associate Writer, Lifestyle & Culture

Much like the sustenance he needs to survive, Kyle Rose can’t imagine his life without the jet black Greyhound he named Star. Ensuring she remains with him, however, isn’t a decision that rests entirely in his hands.

His situation stems from the fact that Kyle has lived nearly 20 years longer than expected. When he was diagnosed with HIV in 1989, he said the life expectancy for those infected with the virus was about three years.

“The people I started out with in support groups and the friends I had back then are all dead,” he said.

Despite the seemingly inevitable death sentence, Kyle kept plugging along, and in 1996 his illness progressed into AIDS. Over the years he’s battled a long list of health issues, including DVTs, a pulmonary embolism, hyperthyroidism, neuropathy in his hands and feet, broken bones from falls and a heart attack. At present, though, Kyle’s health is in good shape thanks to his dedication to exercise, yoga and eating only organic foods. But, the same can’t be said for his finances.

“Largely I’m at where I am financially because when you find out at age 30 you probably only have three years left you do not invest in retirement accounts, life insurance or longtime career goals,” he said. “You live in the moment. After you make it through those three years that extra year that comes one at a time is not enough to catch up. But all of a sudden there it is, and you’re 50 years old.”

At a little more than $900 a month, Kyle’s disability income keeps him on an extremely tight budget. So, he counts on various charities and organizations to maintain his simple lifestyle. One such organization is P.A.L.S., a non-profit which provides free pet food and basic veterinary care for senior citizens and critically ill and disabled Atlantans with pets.

“If it weren’t for P.A.L.S. I could not afford Star,” Kyle said.

He discovered the pet-oriented company about four or five years ago while he was still going through the process to go on disability. At the time he had his first Greyhound, Turk.

“I’d spent all my savings, I was flat broke and I needed help,” Kyle recalled. “I went online and looked for different services that could help. P.A.L.S. was one of the ones that came up.”

Kyle spoke with the organization’s executive director, Kevin Bryant, who helped his new client with the cost of caring for Turk until the canine passed away two-and-a-half years ago.

“I’ve got a soft spot for P.A.L.S., and Kevin is a great guy,” Kyle said. “He’s always been there for me. I think it’s really important what he and the organization do. If I had money to leave, I’d leave it to P.A.L.S. They fill a need no one else does.”

The organization filled his need once again when Kyle found Star shortly after Turk’s death. Two years later, she has become a loyal and comforting companion.

“When you’re not feeling up to it or you’re tired you still have to take care of her,” said Kyle, who walks the Greyhound three times a day. “She really is a very important part of my life. Sometimes I do meditation and they tell you to think of something that makes you happy and her face comes to mind.”

Unfortunately, Kyle recently faced the fact that Star could easily be extracted from his life. Last July he moved to Midtown after spending years in Newnan. Kyle moved from Ohio to the quaint town around 2002 to care for his father, who died of cancer nearly four years ago. With the help of The Living Room, an agency that offers financial assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS, Kyle secured a compact one-bedroom apartment near Piedmont Park. In July that assistance ends, and Kyle has been looking for another resource to keep him in the neighborhood he considers home.

Kyle began the process of housing assistance with another high profile Atlanta charity but discovered in an interview that he’d be forced to relocate to Sandy Springs—without Star.

“Midtown has become my home; I love it here and feel good here, and Star is my family,” he said. “I’m not going to just cast her out of my life. I wrote them that the cost of their housing was too high a price in my life.”

Meanwhile, Kyle continues living his life as he explores options for future housing. He exercises routinely and enjoys his yoga classes. He also reads, dabbles in photography and he admits he watches too much TV at night. And, whenever possible, he prefers to spend his time outside in the park with Star.

Please visit www.palsatlanta.org to find out more about P.A.L.S.