If you are in the mood for an intimate evening with Cher and Patti Labelle, then head to the Bamboo Lounge on Saturday night and enjoy the fabulous craftwork of Eddie Green and the glamorous world of his Puppet Divas.
The evening is a fundraiser for Mama’s Kitchen and although many of the tickets for the 7:30 p.m. dinner show have sold out, there is still plenty of room at the bar and a second cocktail show that begins at 10 p.m.
Eddie Green has been making puppets, entertaining thousands and giving back to the community for more than 25 years. His shows are personal and old-fashioned but they are also comforting and authentic in this cynical age filled with heavily-produced entertainment.
Eddie Green and The Puppet Divas is a variety show, bits of scripted banter between the puppet-maker, with his infectious Southern drawl, and his puppet characters, most inspired by pop singing idols from the past 30 years. Classic LGBT songs are lip-synched by his Diva’s drag-style and each show involves musical guests. Imagine Carol Burnett and the Muppets rolled into one!
Eddie’s act has evolved over time and despite its homey charm, it has clearly made an impression at different levels of the entertainment industry. Eddie and his puppets have been invited to participate on America’s Got Talent more than once and he might show up on the summer show again.
Visiting Eddie at his relaxing, plant-filled home and seeing his life-size puppets up close in a storage space that resembles a real-life nightclub dressing room, I realized how much artistry goes into each puppet creation. The wigs are perfect, every sequin on every gown glitters just right and the expressions sculpted into each puppet’s face are both humorous and strangely real.
This life-long vocation is clearly a labor of love for Eddie Green and one that has given him strength over the years to overcome his own set of challenges. As we sit chatting, Eddie tells me that he makes it a point to perform as many HIV/AIDS events as he can each year and that he is still committed to fighting the spread of the disease.
Eddie is particularly excited about this upcoming Mama’s Kitchen benefit because of the intimate setting. Most clubs and performing spaces are not ideally suited for the scale of the Diva’s show, but the Bamboo Lounge felt right. Eddie imagines a cozy evening of song and laughter and dinner with friends all for a great cause that has and always will be close to his heart.
And for those of you already familiar with Eddie Green and The Puppet Divas, you are not going to want to miss his newest invention. Watch out, because Eunice is coming!
Bamboo Lounge is located at 1475 University Ave. Call 619-823-5791 for tickets.
The dinner show is at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $30. The cocktail show is at 10 p.m. with $10 tickets.
