Musician Cidny Bullens revives his one-man show of music, loss and transition

Trans Musician Cidny Bullens Revives One‑Man Show at Portland’s Hill Arts

Portland, Maine – Sept. 17, 2026
The Hill Arts, 76 Congress Street, is set to host a rare return of a stage‑special that has long resonated with fans of rock, performance art and activism. Cidny Bullens, the trans performer, singer‑songwriter and author, will present his autobiographical one‑man show, “Somewhere Between: Not an Ordinary Life,” on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Tickets sell for $35 in advance and $40 at the door.

Bullens, who has made his home in Maine after a career that began in Los Angeles in the mid‑1970s, brings a 90‑minute multimedia performance that blends music, video and photo slides to trace a life marked by transition, tragedy and triumph. “The reason I’m bringing this show back is because of the times we’re living in,” Bullens told reporters. “I feel attacked personally, and I feel my community is attacked. I’m not unique, I just happen to be in a certain group of marginalized people that is particularly out in front today.”

The show, originally staged in 2016 and performed in five states—including a past run in Portland—was revived after Bullens began contemplating a return in 2024. “I’ve been thinking about it since 2024, about the need for sane voices, centered voices about the trans experience,” he said. “I feel a need to be a voice. My story is all I have, and my story is unique because I lived for 60 years as a woman, had a career, had children and lost a child. I’ve been through a lot in my life as a woman. Then at a later age I decided to transition into who I knew I was since I was three years old.”

The show’s set list includes seven songs that chart different chapters of Bullens’ life. It opens with “Sensible Shoes,” and features the autobiographical ballads “Boxing with God” and “Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth,” the latter played after Bullens shares the story of his daughter Jessie’s death from Hodgkin’s disease at age 11 in 1996. The performance closes with the upbeat “Lucky for Me,” a track from his 2023 album Little Pieces that celebrates survival and joy. Between numbers, the stage lights shift to showcase home videos and photographs, including rare footage of Bullens performing with Elton John on three tours in the 1970s and clips from the 2019 documentary The Gender Line that chronicles his life.

“Somewhere Between: Not an Ordinary Life” is as much a cultural statement as it is a musical showcase. Bullens said, “The show is my small way of letting people know that trans people are just people.” He hopes to shift the thinking of even just one audience member, offering a narrative that counters the “false information, vitriol and hate” he says is increasingly directed at trans people.

Bullens’ career has spanned four decades. A two‑time Grammy nominee, he sang lead on the 1978 Grease soundtrack songs “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” “Mooning” and “Freddy, My Love.” He performed with the band The Refugees and released ten solo albums, most recently Little Pieces (2023). His memoir Trans Electric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star (2023) and the documentary The Gender Line (2019) further document his journey.

The 2026 revival arrives amid a national conversation about LGBTQ+ rights, media representation and the safety of transgender people. Bullens, who came out publicly as a trans man in 2012, uses the stage to confront the hostility he and his community face. “I feel attacked personally, and I feel my community is attacked,” he said. “I’m not unique, I just happen to be in a certain group of marginalized people that is particularly out in front today.” His message is one of resilience and normalcy, encouraging audiences to see trans individuals as people, not as “other.”

For those looking to witness the performance, tickets are available through the Hill Arts website. The venue, known for its commitment to diverse programming, welcomes an audience ready for a blend of music, storytelling and visual art.

The Hill Arts, 76 Congress Street, Portland, Maine. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $35 in advance; $40 at the door.