Pioneering Sydney Showgirl Robyn Lee To Be Remembered At Memorial
Image: Simone & Moniques Playgirls Revue/Facebook
A memorial for pioneering showgirl Robyn Lee has been announced for next weekend.
One of the founding members of Sydney’s drag scene and beloved by the industry, Lee passed away Monday August 4 at 10:30pm.
Lee was a regular performer at multiple venues around the city, including Stonewall, Newtown Hotel, and Oxford Street’s Albury Hotel. She brought high camp energy and over-the-top costumes to the stage, and will be remembered for her word perfect lip-syncs.
She was inducted into the DIVA Hall of Fame in 1991, in recognition of her profound and long-lasting impact on Australian entertainment and drag industry. Lee was only the second performer to ever receive such an award, a testament to her legacy as a pioneering figure in the Sydney gay community.
A memorial will be held in her honour at the Stonewall Hotel on Oxford Street, at 2pm on Saturday 23 August.
Community and friends remember an icon
Friend and fellow showgirl Doreen Manganini met Lee in 1984 through the Playgirls Revue, and talked about all the fun they had together.
“One of the things I’ll always remember is how she used to walk up to me every time and say, ‘you, I never liked you’, and she’d push her hand on my forehead and push me over. And then we’d laugh and go at the bar together,” Manganini told Star Observer.
“She had brilliant laugh — and her smile. You know, she was out on stage… the way she could dance and do a high kick on stage. She was always fun.”
Showgirl Penny Clifford told Star Observer that Lee was a kind and beautiful friend, and an incredible performer.
“Whether I was standing at the side of the stage or in the show with her, her showgirl arms and hands and fingers were always just something that mesmerised me,” she said.
“She was cheeky too, and if you if you got in the way of her after a few scotches, and she decided she didn’t like someone, everyone would run. Luckily, I was never one of those people,” laughed Clifford.
Robyn Lee leaves behind a legacy as one of the first legends of the Australian drag community, and as an ultimate showgirl.
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