Siouxsie Q Brings 'Fish Girl' Musical to Portland

PORTLAND, Ore.—Performer/writer Siouxsie Q is taking her critically acclaimed mermaid musical, Fish Girl, on the road again. The play, which has been staged in New York City and Los Angeles, hits the stage in Portland as part of the Come Inside Festival, running Oct. 4-7. “I've been working on this play throughout my entire career in the adult industry,” Siouxsie Q explained. “The first songs came to me nearly the same week I first had sex for money. While the songs and the story have stayed essentially the same, the nuances of the work has grown by leaps and bounds as my career and my relationship to the sex industry has evolved.” Described by BroadwayWorld.com as “on the cutting edge of fantasy,” Fish Girl is a story about an enchanted mermaid plucked from the sea and doomed to sing for her supper. This unconventional fairy tale sings the story of a lovestruck tourist who falls into the deep end when he meets the “girl” of his dreams. The original production is a fully realized dream on stage created by Siouxsie Q and Sean Andries. By restaging Fish Girl now, its creator believes, it will serve as an allegory for the current state of affairs, exposing the deeply personal stakes of sexual politics. “We workshopped and premiered the show at Portland's Fertile Grounds Festival in 2012, and we are so pleased to bring this revamped version back to where it was born,” explains Q. “Additionally, we have been blessed with the opportunity to collaborate with my longtime friend, Penthouse Pet and fellow member of the APAC Board of Directors, Olive Glass, who has released a brand-new set of illustrations that will be premiered on an antique slide projector as part of the show.” Fish Girl received the “Best of the Fest” Award at the 2013 San Francisco Fringe and drew praise from the San Francisco Chronicle and SF Weekly. The show will be held Oct. 4-7 at the Coho Theater. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at this link.