Pines People - Seth Sikes
Seth Sikes: From the Pines with Love
Seth Sikes will be the first to tell you he’s still a work in progress. But his rise as a young cabaret performer with a big voice and bigger heart is a story shaped by timing, talent, and a little unexpected Fire Island Pines magic.
Born in the small town of Paris, Texas to a conservative Southern Baptist family, Seth’s first spark of inspiration came from his Aunt Stacy, who introduced him to the Technicolor world of MGM musicals. It was love at first sight.
From singing in the cafeteria line to performing in school musicals, Seth found joy (and himself) through music. Though rural Texas was no Broadway, he remembers his high school years fondly. “I wasn’t bullied,” he says. “I got to sing and perform and be a theatre kid.” It was also where he first realized he was gay, and where he had his first (secret) boyfriend at age fifteen.
When he was outed to his parents by an anonymous source, the fallout was difficult, but not final. In time, they worked through it, and when Seth graduated, it was with their support that he packed his bags for New York City. He enrolled at the Circle in the Square Theatre School and upon graduating landed a role in Fame on 42nd Street. But despite the promising start, he struggled. Worried that he might come across as too gay to be cast in major roles, and struggling with doubts about his dancing and acting, Seth found auditions exhausting and disheartening. Yet, despite these doubts, his love for the stage endured.
Unsure of his path forward he did something bold; he wrote a letter to Stephen Sondheim, the towering figure of American musical theatre known for answering fan mail.
Sondheim wrote back.
That letter marked the beginning of a long and important relationship. Sondheim became a friend, mentor and advisor. At his suggestion, Seth shifted gears and became an assistant and later associate director on Broadway, working on acclaimed shows like The Nance and the Tony-winning The Band’s Visit.
He learned a lot, took pride in the work and rejoiced in the successes of the productions. At the same time, he still found himself gravitating to a stage, spending his free nights singing show tunes at piano bars like the Townhouse and Marie’s Crisis. Over time, people began to take notice.
In 2012, Seth caught a break when he met Andrew Tobias in Fire Island Pines. A noted benefactor and mentor, Tobias was struck by his talent and encouraged him to give it his all. With his help, Seth made his official cabaret debut in 2014 at 54 Below with Seth Sikes Sings Judy Garland.
The show, featuring a seven piece band, was a sensation. Despite not being on stage in over a decade, Seth delivered a bold, heartfelt tribute to Judy that brimmed with authenticity and humor. His unfiltered emotion, comic timing, and sheer vocal power brought the house down. Even legendary critic Rex Reed raved. A new cabaret star had arrived.
After such a success, it would be easy to imagine a Cinderella story, with doors swinging open and New York embracing an emerging star. But that wasn’t the case. To his credit, Seth wasn’t disappointed. By then, he understood the fickle nature of the performing arts and carried no lofty expectations. What he didn’t anticipate, however, was how the experience would change the way he looked at success and what he truly wanted from life.
The 54 Below gig revealed to Seth that performing wasn’t just a job for him, it was a passion. And, more importantly, it proved that he could indeed hold the stage as a solo performer, something he had never seriously considered before.
Instead of opening doors, the show’s success opened Seth’s eyes to new possibilities, and he embarked on a period of re-evaluation, reassessing what success really meant. It was in this way that he came to realize it wasn’t the fame and fortune he had once imagined, but rather the joy of doing something he was truly passionate about. After careful consideration, he made a life-changing decision to step into the spotlight as a solo performer.
This new path meant leaving behind the security of a thriving backstage career and embarking on a highly risky path where neither talent nor connections guaranteed success. He began doing parties and private gigs, and later summer shows in Provincetown at the famed Crown and Anchor.
While there were setbacks and moments of doubt and fear, Seth persevered. What sustained him was not just his love of performing, but also a love affair that had been quietly unfolding since he was twenty, his enduring relationship with Fire Island Pines.
That romance had a painful beginning. On his very first visit, Seth, young, sweet, and a bit naive, ran into bad company and endured a traumatic experience. He fled the island and stayed away for three years. However, a return visit with friends changed everything. He fell in love with the place, its culture, and the people.
“You can meet trouble anywhere,” he says now. “But I’m glad I didn’t let that first experience define what the Pines could mean for me. There are some amazing, wonderful people in this community.”
In the Pines, he found more than beauty and community. He also found champions. People like Andrew Tobias, Daniel Nardicio, Eric Luftig and others encouraged him to keep performing, to believe in himself, to hone his craft. In a world where criticism can come easy and kindness is often rationed, their belief in him mattered. It helped keep the dream alive.
“I am so grateful for finding a group of people who were supportive,” says Seth, shown here with friends Brian Gatens and Andrew Tobias, “Plus, the people in the Pines are so incredibly creative, it’s hard not to be inspired and motivated here.”
Then came COVID. Clubs shuttered. New York went silent. For a performer, it was like losing oxygen. Like many others, Seth sought shelter in the Pines. Staying with friends he found himself in a bubble of support, surrounded by nature, creativity, and the quiet reassurance that here, he belonged.
Even in isolation, however, Seth’s desire to perform couldn’t be contained. With no clubs and no crowds, he got creative. He decided to make Fire Island Pines his stage. Armed with an iPhone, a wardrobe of vintage beachwear, and a mischievous sense of humor, he crafted a series of parody videos that captured the absurdity, resilience, and joy of queer life during lockdown. It was the right call at the right time.
Tapping into his buoyant optimism and cheeky sense of humor, Seth burst forth with a reimagined the opening number from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, titled Belle and set in Fire Island Pines.
Seth portrayed Belle navigating the village without a mask, while locals, from muscle boys to drag queens, sang reminders to “keep your mask on always,” blending humor with a poignant nod to the community’s collective care during the health crisis. It went viral, quickly becoming a community favorite and gaining favorable notice on social media.
In Fire Island Ferry, set to On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe, he delivered a bouncy tribute to the boat that carries sun-seekers across the bay. In Howdy Gaybor! he drove a tractor and danced masked down the boardwalks, celebrating connection even at a distance.
And in Fire Island Goodbye offered a bittersweet farewell to a summer like no other, thanking the island for saving his spirit.
What made these videos so impactful was they that weren’t just parodies. Rather, they were emotional time capsules, part comedy, part catharsis at a time when the normally vibrant community was in virtual lockdown. They went viral, making people laugh and cry, and serving as a reminder that chosen family and creative joy can thrive even in dark times. In those months, Seth became more than a performer; he became part of the Pines’ queer resilience.
After the pandemic eased, Seth returned to the stage with a renewed voice and growing national audience. While his solo performances, as well as collaborations with Nicolas King and Billy Stritch, often take him across the country, he returns to the Pines every summer to reconnect, reenergize and find inspiration. Today he is a familiar face around town, and for the past five years, he’s been a highlight of the annual Invasion of the Pines, singing his gay parody of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, wearing just a speedo and a smile, to thousands who gather to celebrate freedom, identity, and fabulousness.
Twenty years since his first visit, Seth has something he is deeply grateful for - a place that sees him, supports him, and brings out the best in him. Fire Island is now part of his soul and his story. And the truth is most of that story is still unwritten. Seth doesn’t claim to know exactly what comes next, but in a community full of dreamers, doers, and dazzling talent, he’s found the courage to keep singing.
And that is why Seth’s is an important story, because for over 70 years this is a story that has unfolded in the Pines on countless occasions. His story is a Pines story.
It’s a story about what the Pines can be for a young man from a small town with a big heart - a place of freedom, inspiration, joy and community. While you know nothing is guaranteed, you come away with a glimpse of what could be. And that spark is all that some need.
Today, when Seth steps onto a stage, whether it’s 54 Below, a ferry dock, or a makeshift boardwalk set, you can feel the love and gratitude radiate from him. He sings not just for himself, but for everyone who’s ever found healing, humor, and hope in the magic of Fire Island. With his first four decades in the books, Seth approaches life today with hope and optimism. Grateful, inspired, and supported by the Pines community, he takes his funny, joyful career seriously. He is in every sense building his future, one note at a time.