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People ask what makes Brighton - England, Greenwich Village - NYC, or Amsterdam - Holland so open-minded and socially tolerant of certain cultural differences which ordinarily dismay most societies, who brand "eccentricities" such as homosexulaity to be a deviation and unacceptable in a cultured society - except as a humourous curiosity personified by Noel Coward, Oscar Wilde and Lord Byron to name a few - otherwise these 'diversions' would turn into something more socially revolutionary and destroy the status quo of civilized culture.

No history lesson is necessary to show that over the generations, certain pockets of society have embraced the different - whether the issues at hand are sexual, political or even drug related. Very few of these pockets openly celebrate these new found freedoms (which, though liberating come with their own set of risks - including incarceration). It was one thing to quietly accept mixed race and same sex intimacy, but it was another thing to flaunt it.

In the UK, the bohemian mecca that started to openly embrace these new human freedoms was Brighton, where being different from the social norm was not only allowed, but eventually protected and even celebrated.

Brighton's nightlife which included cabaret and an assortment of performers which included men dressed as women - not for the archaic reasons of Shakespeare's time - but because some men wanted to go further to publicly celebrate their homosexuality by impersonating women - with increasing acumen I might add.

This sort of alternate vaudeville - often accompanied by a piano - celebrated Brighton's intense belief not only to accept being individual - but to rejoice in it. This 'Brightonesque' attitude was accepted along with supporting legislation for gay rights, and celebrated with parties and parades honouring many alternative lifestyles. This fervour for greater individual expression did not remain centred in Brighton but eventually spread throughout most of the UK.

So we proudly label these veteran performers which include drag queens and transvestites and club owners (who were actually passive social activists for greater tolerance toward homosexuality) and their many understudies the "Brightonesque Prestige" because of their historic importance and their uncanny ability to combine liberal social expression with fantastic entertainment helping communities become more accepting of individual differences. They may not all be still living in or performing solely in the greater Brighton area but often visit while still performing in many venues and towns throughout the UK.

What follows are mini-bios, performing schedules, links to websites and contact details of these prestigious people so we can keep in touch with what they're doing and where they'll be performing....

 

 

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