MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Lumberjacks have gone out of their way to provide more diverse entertainment options for fans this season.
As team president Andrea Rose says, the Lumberjacks want to attract people with various tastes and interests, and the show doesn’t have to be all about hockey.
If fans haven’t noticed that already, they definitely will on Saturday night during the home game against the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
That’s when the Jacks will host “Viva Las Vegas Night,” and the main attraction will be The Dolls, a popular group of local drag queen performers who work through Muskegon’s Doll House Productions.
Their main performance will come after the first period and after the game, when three members of The Dolls – dressed in full drag attire – will take turns on the ice lip syncing and dancing to popular musical numbers.
[1]One performer, Jeffrey Pienela, who goes by the stage name of Barbie Dior, will perform to “American Woman” by Kelly Clarkson while dressed up as Wonder Woman.
Another performer, who goes by the stage name of The Lady Dior, will perform to Anastasia’s “Back in Black.”
A third performer, who goes by the stage name of Deedee Chaunte, will perform a mystery song, according to Pienela.
“That’s a surprise, but we will all be giving you fabulous looks!” he said.
A fourth member of The Dolls, who goes by the stage name of Charmalina, will also offer some standup comedy on the Bud Light Stage at the arena.
Pienela will also perform the national anthem, in his own voice, wearing “a gorgeous $300 American flag dress,” he said.
[2]One entertainer will be dropping the ceremonial first puck, and all four will be tossing out Doll House Production tee-shirts and holding up prize signs for the “Chuck-A-Puck” competition after the second period.
“The Lumberjacks just contacted us on our Facebook page,” Pienela said. “I don’t really know how they heard about us, but they asked us if we were willing to do a show. We were ecstatic! The team president, Andrea Rose, explained that she wants to provide a fresh look to hockey and the team.
“We’re not really familiar with sports. It’s kind of new for us, but we’re very open to doing anything. We’re very flexible. Hockey is just one more step in our drag careers.”
Rose, the Jacks’ President of Business Operations, said the idea is to be original when it comes to game entertainment, expose different types of people to hockey, and promote diversity and inclusion.
“I think it’s time to actually embrace the idea that hockey is for everyone,” Rose said. “In the past the sport has been incredibly exclusive. That’s why we want to think outside the box by incorporating different cultures and different people into the games and letting them have a great time like everyone else.
“This is going to take the cake. This is going to be the end-all, be-all, the bring-it-all-home. We’re really excited. Muskegon is leading the way in terms of being more inclusive.
[3]“These are local drag queens, people from Muskegon. They are coming here supporting local, and we’re supporting local. This is the largest stage they’ve been on. They have an opportunity to perform in front of 3,000 people instead of 300.”
Pienela, a graduate of Fruitport High School, said The Dolls have been very busy recently, performing and drawing big crowds at a lot of local businesses, including several downtown Muskegon establishments.
“We’ve been looking for more places to perform so we can help the community become a little more open-minded,” he said. “We’ve just been contacting local businesses and asking if we can sell out their business and put on a drag show, and they’ve said ‘Absolutely!’
“We’ve sold out the 18th Amendment, the Red Rooster, Jumpin Java in Grand Haven, and we just sold out the Rake Beer Project downtown last Saturday.”
Pienela said the response to the shows has been overwhelmingly positive. He admits that there have been a few negative comments along the way, but the performers take them in stride.
“We had one lady, who was kind of rude, ask if we were men,” he said. “It’s all how you handle it. You have to be the bigger person. People are entitled to their opinions, but we’re still going to be here and we’re going to be fabulous!”
Rose said fans have been supportive when they heard about The Dolls performing at the game.
“The response has been mostly positive,” she said. “I want people to talk about it. I want them to say that the Lumberjacks are doing something to make a difference. It’s pushing the envelope and helping people understand that this is about more than hockey.”
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