After Dark (drag act)

Jönsson stage named Maj Gadd (Swenglish travesty of My God!) does an early, somewhat violent parody in 1981 (photo from Lars Jacob Prod).

After Dark is a Swedish drag act founded in 1976, starring entertainer Christer Lindarw who more recently also appears intermittently out of drag and sings with his own voice.

Show history

The group was put together for a special Stockholm nightclub called After Dark Club immediately after Lindarw with Roger Jönsson had appeared in Wild Side Story at Alexandra's in January 1976 and also in February, with an added co-star Lars "Lasse" Flinckman, at the same venue were headlined in Lars Jacob's Monday Night Drag Show. Its immediate appeal with Alexandra's clientel has been cited as instrumental to rapid and early success.[1] Since that time, After Dark has become a major ingredient in Swedish LGBT culture. Jönsson however left the group for another in 1981 and died in 1984. The Lindarw-Flinckman duo had international success, performing in Barcelona, Madrid and San Francisco.[2]

By 2009 Flinckman had retired from the show and was replaced for a tour of Sweden by entertainer Lars-Åke Wilhelmsson also known as Babsan. Their Stockholm version of the show was broadcast by TV4 (Sweden) on New Year's Eve 2011. Remaining in the ensemble (2011) since its start in 1976 is dancer Nils-Albert Eriksson who does male parts.

Eurovision Song Contest attempts

In 2004 After Dark competed in Melodifestivalen, the annual Swedish preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song La dolce vita finished third domestically and did not proceed. A single of the song was a hit on the radio in Sweden and was often played at Swedish day care centers.[3] After Dark did a new show that year, named for the song, at Stockholm's main amusement park.

At a fourth and final televised Melodifestivalen trial in February 2007 After Dark, without Flinckman, did (Åh) När ni tar saken i egna händer, which competed well but did not proceed to the domestic finale. The Swedish lyrics can all be interpreted as relating to masturbation, its repeated title sounding as sung like "onanism, what you have at hand". Four people named as masturbators in it (by their first names only) are recognizable Swedish TV celebrities who according to the Aftonbladet tabloid paper gave their consent. The number was performed "elegantly, intelligently and with style" and could alternatively be interpreted as dealing with home improvement.[4]

They are taking part in Eurovision 2016 with the song "Kom ut som en stjärna".

References

  1. ↑ Westerling, Kalle: La Dolce Vita, Normal Förlag, Stockholm 2006
  2. ↑ Historia, The Official After Dark Website (Accessed March 3. 2007)
  3. ↑ Melodifestivalen 07, SVT.se (Accessed March 3. 2007)
  4. ↑ Så fräck är onanilåten, Aftonbladet, February 23. 2007

External links

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