There’s only so much I can take – and I say that for those of you who think I am insatiable.  Let’s face it, we’ve all been through a lot this past year.  But, frankly, a cold and rainy July Fourth in Provincetown was more than I could bear (and especially days before Bear Week).  Despite the inclemency, I managed to amuse myself with a number of shows – to say nothing of some less presentational activities which will go unmentioned.

Any opportunity you get to see Judy Gold, grab it.  You would be hard-pressed to find anyone funnier, smarter, quicker, and as engaging (modesty prevents me from placing myself in her category).  Even with a monsoon raging outside and some drunken straight people babbling inside, Judy made us feel as if we could get through anything.  She’s at the Art House all summer – PtownArtHouse.com.

Varla Jean Merman is a national treasure.  Whenever I think she can’t top herself – a feat I’ve only seen a handful of times on various international editions of the Got Talent franchise – Varla does it.  This year’s show, Varla Jean Merman’s Little Prick, is a fast-paced, uproarious romp through the (hopefully) post-pandemic world.  The comedy is crisp, the songs are catchy, and the costumes defy the laws of gravity – to say nothing of good taste.  She’s at The Crown & Anchor – OnlyAtTheCrown.com.

There are new operators of the venerable Post Office Café and Cabaret, and they’ve refurbished that spiffy little room with sound and lights and paint and curtains.  The season kicked off with Del Shores and Debby Holiday.  I hope there’s no need for me to extol the virtues of these artists to you, my dear readers.  Del, of Sordid Lives fame, has endless anecdotes from his prolific career.  And Debby’s powerhouse vocals are surpassed only by her formidable personality.  Her tribute to Tina Turner killed on every level, and she made each song her own.  The venue has great acts all summer, so check out PostOfficeCafe.net.

I will be in and out of Ptown with alarming regularity, and plan to see Thirsty Burlington and Edmund Bagnell (at The Crown), Simply Barbra and Marilyn Maye (at The Provincetown Art House), Jason Dottley and Seth Sikes (at The Post Office), Miss Richfield and Steve Grand (at The Pilgrim House), and numerous others, I’m sure.