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Draft:Kenneth Marlowe

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Also known as Kenneth Marlowe / Katherine "Kate" Marlowe Bies. November 26, 1926 – April 30, 1990, was an author, entertainer, and hairdresser best known for writing the best-seller Mr. Madam in 1964.[1][2][3]  In 1948 worked as an exotic dancer at Club My-O-My in New Orleans.[4]

During the late 1950s and early 1960s was a hairdresser to such stars as Gypsy Rose Lee, Phyllis Diller, and Imogene Coca. In 1971 he was the host at The Cockettes "The Tricia Nixon Wedding"/Vaudeville Returns show at the Nob Hill Theatre in San Francisco.[5]

In 1975 he transitioned to become Katherine "Kate" Marlowe Bies holding a fundraiser attended by journalist Armistead Maupin at the California Hall in San Francisco calling it "The Ball to End All Balls".[6] Sally Rand performed, and both were featured in the San Francisco Examiner article where Sally said, "If a girl wants to be a girl, why shouldn't she be a girl?"

As Katherine "Kate" they married Robert "Lonnie" Barnes, 29 on June 29, 1977, an inmate at San Quentin Prison, and is cited to be the first transexual to marry in a California State Prison.

A play was written by Donnie first titled "Mr. Madam" which premiered in Portland, Oregon in June 2022 featuring Wade McCollum as Kenneth/Kate. It was then rewritten with additional material from Donnie's book, "US" The Life and times of Kenneth/Kate 2023. The play entitled "Make Me Gorgeous!"  starring Wade McCollum as Kenneth/Kate Marlowe premiering off-Broadway at Playhouse 46 in New York City on November 10, 2023.[7] The play was received with strong critical praise, including "One of the best plays of 2023."[8][9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kenneth Marlowe - Mr Madam". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  2. ^ "Kenneth Marlowe". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  3. ^ Denny, Dallas (2012-09-17). "A Comprehensive List of Trans Autobiographies". Transgender Forum. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  4. ^ Marlowe, Kenneth (1964). Mr. Madam: Confessions of a Male Madam. Los Angeles, CA: Sherbourne Press. pp. 98–99. ISBN 9781127031740.
  5. ^ "Mr. Madam. Confessions Of A Male Madam". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  6. ^ "Armistead Maupin on Saying Goodbye to San Francisco and Tales of the City". KQED. 2014-01-29. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  7. ^ Magazine, Playbill. "Make Me Gorgeous OFF-BROADWAY".
  8. ^ "Best Performance of 2023 in Theatre - Times Square Chronicles". t2conline.com. 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  9. ^ Staff, Queer Forty (2023-12-15). "Catch critically-acclaimed show Make Me Gorgeous! before it closes". Queer Forty. Retrieved 2023-12-29.