The fictitious offspring of Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine, Varla Jean Merman is a flame-haired chanteuse with a vocal range somewhere between Shirley Bassey and Kathleen Battle. An evening with Varla Jean Merman is a modern-day drag show that ranges from the operatic to the comedic, often in the same song. Merman starred in the 2011 musical "Lucky Guy" Leslie Jordan and had the New York Times raving, "If Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman had stood in front of the right pair of funhouse mirrors, they might have resembled Ms. Merman and Mr. Jordan in stature as well as comedic talent." Big Gay Hudson Valley welcomes Varla Jean Merman to the region with three shows this month: April 7 at the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center in Poughkeepsie, April 8 at the Rosendale Theater, and April 9 at Helsinki Hudson. Biggayhudsonvalley.com.
