Here's to the Girls on the Go

Once again, Billy Christopher has delivered all the estrogen I could possibly want in one fabulous evening.

Truthfully, he's been my source, my dealer, a reliable estrogen supplier for years now, chiefly by way of his Gender-Reversed Shakespeare performances. Tonight I scored from him with something different: his birthday present to himself, a cabaret, fittingly entitled "My Favorite Richmond Leading Ladies."

So he turns 35 and we get the present (not that turning a mere 35 isn't gift enough). I like the way the man thinks.

The photographer and I found seats down in front so as to have the best possible view of all these talented women, their pretty outfits and, perhaps best of all, their parade of cute shoes.

You haven't heard "Cabaret" sung until you've seen it done in sparkly blue peep-toe platform pumps to open the show.

There was a pop quiz - What is the "Wizard of Oz" about? - given by a woman in sparkly silver t-strap shoes with bows (!) purchased for her by the love of her life.

Answer: The "Wizard of Oz" is about a pair of shoes ("No, this isn't the medication. I'm always this funny," whilst draping herself and those shoes around the piano).

The immensely talented Starlet Knight, her white Mohawk a thing of beauty, did her best to accompany this group of divas on piano, eventually throwing up her hands and saying, "It's a lot of woman...in the middle of a bike race...while I'm trying to do "Hello, Dolly"! I'm doing the best I can."

We felt her pain, but in all honesty, she was doing a bang-up job of playing piano to a host of show tunes, with nary a moment to rest in between songs.

You really had to be there to see the red patent leather pumps straddling devoted theater patron Dennis in his seat while singing "Bring On the Men." If he didn't need his neck brace before that number, he probably did afterwards.

But she wasn't finished, cooing, "Come dance with me, darling," to BC who not only danced her around the stage but dropped her in a magnificent dip.

The fishnet tights-wearing beauty introduced "In His Eyes" by saying, "Someone once asked me to sing a song I never sang outside a crowded karaoke bar with a Broadway veteran" and then did just that, giving the crowd chills at the blending of their two voices.

Another pair of red patent leather pumps crossed herself (maybe in deference to the Pope's visit?) before doing "Don't Rain on My Parade," changing the lyric, "Hey, Mr. Arnstein" to "Hey, Mr. Maupin" in a nod to the birthday boy.

We got topical. There were old fashioned lesbian love stories and laments about every guy a girl tries to date ending up being gay (BC inserting a good-natured shrug at this point).

Only the red dress brought out her guitar, announcing, "Those songs were spicy but I'm going to bring it down to bittersweet," singing the haunting indie folk ballad, "Fighter Dancer."

Props showed up for "The Ladies who Lunch" because a drink is a must for that classic, along with a whole lot of attitude for "Some People."

The pretty pink dress and matching flower in her hair belted out "Love Changes Everything," which was taken into the stratosphere when shiny taupe pumps chimed in with "I Don't Know How to Love Him" (that song alone making my night) and the maternal one on "Unexpected Song," an Andrew Lloyd Webber trifecta that absolutely killed.

When it ended, BC said what the stunned room was thinking: "Holy, shit, that just happened!"

Of course, only the pregnant woman could sing "Little Girls" from "Annie," especially appropriate since she'd just found out that this baby bump will be her third daughter. As one of six daughters, all I can say is, three is nothing, honey.

Last up came sparkly t-strap shoes with double ankle straps, an actress with fond memories of having been cast as a Munchkin in "The Wiz" at 13, her first professional production, only to be given the part of Dorothy instead.

"I'm so glad you moved here and made this your home," she said directly to the birthday boy, who'd spent the night alternately beaming and tearing up.

Of course she had to sing "Home" from "The Wiz", the words made all the more poignant for the Band-aid on her knee.

All the divas in the house and their assortment of cute shoes, sexy dresses and powerful lungs took to the stage for one last song before everyone joined in a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday," celebrating the fact that for two days now, that song is officially in the public domain.

Just in time for somebody's 35th birthday. Just in time to benefit the Richmond Theater Artists Fund. Just in time for Richmond's favorite leading ladies to dazzle us with their unstoppable talent.

Here's to the King of Estrogen! Isn't he a gem? Let's drink to him.

Let's drink to all of them, all his favorite Richmond leading ladies. Then let's bring on the men for the birthday boy.