Performers from the Pine ‘N’ Sandy drag troupe cemented their reputation as standard-bearers for glamour and goodwill during the group’s two-act holiday revue on Dec. 16.
The Fab-Yule-Us show at the Raven’s Cry Theatre rounded out the group’s second year of existence while raising $16,500 for the Sunshine Coast Affordable Housing Society.
“Our organization doesn’t get any ongoing funding,” explained Kim Darwin, president of the Sunshine Coast Affordable Housing Society. “So these types of things are what keep us operational — the Pine ‘N’ Sandy troupe partnered with us again, and we couldn’t do this without them.”
Darwin highlighted Gibsons-based housing projects funded by the Affordable Housing Society, including long-term rental units on Franklin Road (now fully occupied), and 40 housing units on Shaw Road due to open in 2024.
The live show, paired with a silent auction fundraiser, featured 11 characters whose personas are pillars of periodic Pine ‘N’ Sandy lounge acts at the Gibsons Legion. As protagonists, Poisyn Mercury and Randy Darlin’ assumed familiar seasonal archetypes: a bah-humbug Christmas skeptic and an overworked holiday devotee. Darlin’s performance embodied wide-eyed wonder and sunny affection for his mercurial employer.
Musical numbers advanced the plot as it careened toward Mercury’s inevitable redemption. Manly Nipkiss, who lip-synced while wearing shimmery cowboy garb, performed a reverse strip tease to become a svelte, silver-haired Santa Claus. Hot Carl and Bindiya House, in complementary fur stoles, danced to an irony-drenched version of Baby, It’s Cold Outside.
Divas Candi Strutts and Shaylo, in iridescent gowns and capes, belted a duet reflecting the affection and support, which group members say have become hallmarks of the Pine ‘N’ Sandy community since its establishment last year.
“Sometimes you get the odd person [from the public] mumbling their own homophobic stuff under their breath,” observed Shayne Forster, the group’s coordinator — and portrayer of Shaylo. “But that’s a rarity. We’ve never had any formal negative feedback. Our fan base has grown and we do a lot of volunteering as well.”
Earlier this fall, Pine ‘N’ Sandy participated in a Gibsons event called Drawn to Drag. Performers modelled for artists in a variety of outfits and poses, with proceeds dedicated to the queer youth drop-in and gender diversity network programs of Sunshine Coast Community Services. Members have led drag storytime at local libraries. Candi Strutts offers lash tutorials at London Drugs.
The group’s fans have also chosen a collective name: the Pine Cones. The sobriquet was officially endorsed by the Pine ‘N’ Sandy artists at its October show. “Now we have supporters of us — the Pine Cones — who are always asking if they can help,” added Forster.
Each routine in Saturday’s spectacular reached new heights, sometimes literally. Davis Gay danced to It’s a Marshmallow World adorned in a rhinestone-studded suit, teal cape and a towering topper apparently fashioned from sugar candy. Van De Weller, sporting a crinoline, waistcoat and a prodigious beard, crooned to mammoth snowballs. During intermission, children ran to the performers, flushed at their brush with celebrity.
The artists triumphed over minor snafus. When a St. Lucia crown worn by Davis Gay tumbled to the stage, scattering greenery and candles, Gay shrugged, leaned in, and brought the routine to a scintillating climax.
Details of Affordable Housing Society projects are online at affordablesc.org; aspiring Pine Cones can follow Pine ‘N’ Sandy via Instagram: @pineandsandydrag.com.
