Just a girl in the world

After spending years traveling the globe to entertain audiences from Provincetown to Australia, what's a songbird to do? Put on a show about the experience, of course. At least that's what big girl Varla Jean Merman (big as in larger than life, natch) has done. The hilariously ditzy drag queen's new show, Varla Jean Merman Loves a Foreign Tongue, will take you around the world and back (or is that on Varla's back?) with a masala of chansons from surtout le monde. Ne c'est pas dankeshoen?

If you haven't caught Varla's act before, or seen her film Girls Will Be Girls, prepare to be amused, amazed, and perhaps a little afraid. A deliciously realized comic creation, the Cheez-Whiz chugging chanteuse channels classic sex kittens like Ann-Margret and Goldie Hawn with her kitschy outfits and dumb bunny act; with her retro vibe and Amazonian frame, it's like she's escaped from an Iron Curtain version of Laugh-In. In addition to her peerless comic timing, Varla is a bona fide singer with an operatic range, and her earnest delivery of her wacky songs is as impressive as it is funny.

And as if Varla's towering talent weren't inducement enough, the show is a benefit performance for Out Film CT. For over 20 years Out Film has been supporting LGBT cinema with a variety of events and programming, most notably its annual Connecticut Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. So come have a laugh and support the arts Friday, February 15 at 8 p.m. at Cinestudio at Trinity College, 300 Summit St., Hartford, Conn. $40 tickets include a special VIP reception; general admission is $25. This show will certainly sell out, so get your tickets in advance!

info: www.outfilmct.org