Category Archives: Drag
Nick Adams talks Broadway and Drag
Nick Adams is an entertainer on many levels. Acting, singing, dancing, film, stage, and more, he’s done it all.
He’s won Audience Choice Awards from Broadway.com, received an Astaire Award nomination for Best Dancer, and has been honored by the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
He is instantly recognizable by his signature smile, powerhouse vocals, and yes, that body that held Mario Lopez to task.
METROSOURCE did a great story and interview with Nick this month! Check it out here!
Lady Bunny and Bianca Del Rio Team up for Hateful Hags
Hateful, sassy and sometimes lewd and crude! Lady Bunny and Bianca Del Rio team up for a Vimeo event called HATEFUL HATES NETWORK.
(From INSTINCT Magazine)- For drag performers, performing during these challenging times has proven to cause performers to be beyond inventive. From shows direct from their living rooms to Brandon Voss’ Drive ‘N Drag nationwide series, queens have managed to keep their art alive and thriving during this time. Sherry Vine & Jackie Beat for example, have continued their famed Battle of the Bitches shows live online, (the most recent was the Halloween themed Battle of the Witches) and another famed duo is about to hit our small screens with their own patented brand of twisted comedy.
Legendary Wigstock creator/DJ/drag legend Lady Bunny and RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 winner turned stand up drag sensation Bianca Del Rio are co-anchoring HHN: Hateful Hags Network, a roast/cable news channel hybrid, where they will be delivering everything from filthy jokes to a a musical number, in only the way this duo can. They promise equal opportunity hate for RuPaul’s Drag Race queens from all seasons, tossing in some costume changes and…a surprise guest?
Lady Bunny exclusively tells EW “Enough with COVID and politics. It’s time for something really important… back-stabbing drag queens!” while Bianca Del Rio adds: “Due to COVID, some ‘Drag Race’ queens have opened OnlyFans accounts. Bunny and I would never do that. Not because of any moral objections — because we’re ugly!”
Tune in to ‘HHH: Hateful Hags Network’ on Thursday, November 12th at 8PM EST. Tickets are $9.99 at Vimeo.
Pride 2020 Drag Fest Weekend June 19-21
OVER 100 OF NYC’S GREATEST DRAG PERFORMERS JOIN MARTI GOULD CUMMINGS & THE ONLY PRODUCTIONS FOR “PRIDE 2020 DRAG FEST: A WEEKEND TO SUPPORT OUR QUEENS”
NYC PRIDE and GLAAD to Support Three Day Digital Drag Festival to Celebrate Pride and Raise Funds for Local Drag Performers
RuPaul’s Drag Race Stars Jan, Heidi N. Closet, Nicky Doll, Shuga Cain, Brita Filter, Milk, Honey Davenport, Jiggly Caliente, and Dusty Ray Bottoms among Participants
Political activist and New York City drag staple Marti Gould Cummings and The Only Productions today announced the largest digital drag festival during Pride 2020. More than 100 performers are scheduled to appear during “Pride 2020 Drag Fest,” an official event of NYC Pride and supported by national LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD. The virtual performances will run each day from 6:30-8pm EST beginning on Friday, June 19 and through Sunday, June 21, 2020. The video events will stream on NYC Pride and GLAAD’s Facebook pages. Viewers can contribute directly to each performer during their scheduled time through donations to their Venmo profiles and donation platforms highlighted during the broadcast.
For more information: https://www.nycpride.org/events/pride-2020-dragfest
“Since before Stonewall our drag community and our trans community have rallied to stand up and fight for equality and justice,” said Marti Gould Cummings. “As we grapple with the new normal of our daily lives we must continue in the footsteps and carry on the spirit of Pride. We may not be able to meet in person this year but Pride will live on as we gather digitally to celebrate our drag community and honor the legacy of Masha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the activism that so many LGBTQ icons ushered in.”
Performers slated to appear during “Pride 2020 Drag Fest” include RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Jan, Heidi N. Closet, Nicky Doll, Shuga Cain, Brita Filter, Milk, Honey Davenport, Jiggly Caliente, Dusty Ray Bottoms, plus NYC drag stars including Jasmine Rice LaBeija, Sherry Vine, Shequida, Pixie Aventura, Horrorchata, Merrie Cherry, and over 100 others. For a full list of talent visit: https://www.nycpride.org/events/pride-2020-dragfest
According to Vice.com: “While nearly all businesses in the U.S. have been threatened by the outbreak, bars and nightclubs that cater to the LGBTQ community are particularly vulnerable because they already operate under extremely small margins.” Many drag performers have started hosting virtual performances, while several LGBTQ bars and nightclubs have launched crowdfunding pages to support employees.
“You cannot have Pride without a little (or a lot) of Drag. This performance of gender expression has been a staple of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout its history, bringing with it a sense of vibrancy and power that can be felt at every NYC Pride event,” Shawn Kobetz, Partnerships Manager, NYC Pride. “We at NYC Pride are proud to stand with our drag friends and family from around the world during these trying times. We hope this event provides much needed support and entertainment for our community.” Last week, NYC Pride began announcing virtual events to celebrate Pride 2020 and bring NYC’s LGBTQ community together including a special broadcast event with WABC-TV Channel 7.
Marti Gould Cummings is a NYC-based drag artist, television personality, and political activist. Throughout their nearly decade long drag career Marti has been a regular fixture in the nightlife world who uses their platform to spread a message of equality, acceptance, and kindness. Marti has appeared across media outlets including The New York Times, New York Daily News, People and Good Morning America online to speak about LGBTQ issues and, most recently, about COVID-19’s impact on LGBTQ New Yorkers.
“COVID-19 has closed LGBTQ safe spaces including community centers, bars, and nightclubs which served as lifelines for so many LGBTQ people, and it has also delivered an unexpected and urgent financial loss to talented performers and employees who worked in these spaces,” said GLAAD Chief Communications Officer Rich Ferraro. “Both during Pride month and beyond, our community needs to join together to support drag performers and other talent who have always supported us.”
More information about “Pride 2020 Drag Fest: A Weekend to Support Our Queens” visit: https://www.nycpride.org/events/pride-2020-dragfest
Paige Turner, Sutton Lee Seymor and Jackie Cox June 27-28
WORLD PRIDE WEEKEND! Get your tickets now – THIS WILL SELL OUT!
See what happens when three fierce drag divas all vie for the spotlight in this hilarious evening of sisterhood and friendship told through the music of Stephen Sondheim, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The First Wives Club , La La Land and More!
Performances are WORLD PRIDE WEEKEND Friday June 28th and Saturday June 29th at 7pm Tickets are $22 ($35 VIP with meet & greet, preferred seating and photo), and may be purchased online at
http://spincyclenyc.com/index.php/pride/479-own-me-pride
The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located inside the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street. There is also a $20 food/beverage minimum at all performances.
Showbiz Spitfire” PAIGE TURNER, Known as the Carol Burnett of Drag, is one the original creators, producers and host of NYC’s live drag reality show “So You Think You Can Drag?” She is a 2 time Glam Award winner and is known for her over the top parodies and comedy. Paige is a regular at the Beechman and has previously been seen in ”Drag me To the Top,” “Confessions of An Un-Natural Blonde,” Make America Gay Again,” “This Show is Gay!” and her annual Christmas and Easter Shows. You Don’t Own Me marks her 10th original show at the Beechman. She tours internationally with Atlantis Cruises and coined the phrase Slurp! She is currently part of the cast of Shade: Queens of NYC, on the Fusion Network.
Known as the “Robin Williams of Drag,” SUTTON LEE SEYMOUR is New York City’s campiest live singing queen of stage and screen, now touring her best selling shows from coast to coast in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, and also the seven seas with Atlantis Events! She is a Glam Award winner as well as Season 4’s winner of So You Think You Can Drag? She has been previously seen at the Beechman in her solo shows Fameish and Camp Queen and as well as Make America Gay Again and She Came Upon a Midnight Clear with Paige and Jackie.
JACKIE COX burst onto the NYC drag scene in 2010 in So You Think You Can Drag and went on to the win coveted role of All Star in 2017. She has headlined her own shows “I Dream of Jackie Part 1 and 2 at the Beechman and is part of the Hells Kitchenette trio. She has also appeared in shows at the Laurie Beechman Theater “Make America Gay Again” and “She Came Upon a Midnight Clear” with Sutton and Paige. and The Crown & Anchor of Provincetown (“Gypsies”). Recently, Jackie appeared on TV in Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live”, winning the title of “Real Queen of Beverly Hills” for her impersonation of TV personality and Depends undergarment spokeswoman, Lisa Rinna and has appeared on ABC’s What Would You Do? As a drag queen coming out to her family.
SHADE Queens of NYC
Where have I been?
My friend PAIGE TURNER asked if I saw her on SHADE – Somehow this flew under my radar until now! Apologies!
Relationships, community, family, and faith are in the spotlight in Shade: Queens of NYC, a docu-follow-musical-reality show that explores what happens to New York’s fiercest, funniest drag queens as they vie for fame, fortune, and love.
Shade: Queens of NYC reveals a side of drag life beyond the usual glam, glitz, and next-level lip syncing, instead focusing on what happens to our queens when the wigs come off.
The cast of queens includes: Justin Nako/Chelsea Piers, Chris Yoon/Jasmine Rice LaBeija, William Bailey/Jada Valenciaga, Nathan McManus/Holly Box-Springs, Kristian Seeber/Tina Burner, Marti Gould Cummings/Marti Gould Cummings, Daniel Kelley/Paige Turner, and Jesse Havea/Brita Filter.
Catch up on YouTube if ya missed it!
RuPauls DragCon 2018 NYC!
During the final weekend of September, tens of thousands of people will fill New York’s Javits Center. Many will be dressed in colorful wigs and fierce heels; they’ll flock to panels for over-the-top makeup tutorials and fashion runway shows. Others will wait in line to meet former contestants from hit reality TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and they’ll buy merchandise such as “Charisma” pins and “Oh, Pit Crew!” underwear. All this for a $40-a-day ticket.
Welcome to DragCon, or more specifically, RuPaul’s Dragcon, the multimillion-dollar extravaganza that’s the drag industry’s answer to comic con.
Debuted on the West Coast in 2015 off the success of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” DragCon now happens twice a year: September in New York — Sept. 28 through 30 this year — and May in Los Angeles, California. And it’s become big business.
“In New York at the Javitz Convention Center, DragCon sold out its first year” in 2017, Fenton Bailey, executive producer of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and co-creator of DragCon with fellow executive producer Randy Barbato, tells CNBC Make It. Andre Charles, better known as RuPaul, is a partner in DragCon, according to the company.
Last September, at the New York and Los Angeles conventions, over $8 million worth of merchandise — particularly wigs, makeup and “Drag Race” merchandise such as T-shirts — sold on the convention floor, he says. That doesn’t include the $40 entrance fee ($70 for the whole weekend) each of the 35,000 attendees had to pay in N.Y.C.
In its near decade on the air, it’s not only entertained, it has also helped introduce much of America to drag and its community. The show features contestants outside of their drag clothes, talking about personal hardships like being unaccepted in society or their family. In addition to Emmys, in 2010 the show won Outstanding Reality Program at the GLAAD Media Awards, for fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and surrounding issues.
Read more about the Money Making Sensation HERE
THREE DAYS OF ART, POP CULTURE, AND ALL THINGS DRAG – SEPTEMBER 28, 29, AND 30
JAVITS CENTER
WIGSTOCK Returns to New York City 201
WIGSTOCK, the legendary annual event that dominated drag culture from 1985 until 2003, is being relaunched Saturday, September 1, during Labor Day weekend by feisty festival founder Lady Bunny and Tony Award winner Neil Patrick Harris.
The day-long event will take place at the gorgeous new Pier 17 Rooftop in New York City’s Seaport District starting at 2PM and going until 10PM. This event will occur rain or shine.
Official Wigstock Design By ©Tabboo! 2018, courtesy Gordon Robichaux, NY
TICKETS– (Click image above for tickets!)
GENERAL ADMISSION
$95.00 + Ticketmaster Fees
(*YES, $95. Fee’s explained below)
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
THE PYRAMID PASS
$250 +Ticketmaster Fees
BENEFITS:
Exclusive surrounded-by-the-action standing ticket in VIP section (Front of Stage & Runway)
VIP post-show backstage afterparty with Drag Queen performers and other cast members
T-Shirt custom designed especially for WIGSTOCK 2.HO by Tabboo!
Commemorative poster
Two (2) Complimentary Drink Tickets
Portion of each Pyramid Pass ticket benefits GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis)
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THE WIGSTOCK VERY IMPORTANT QUEEN EXPERIENCE
$1000 + Ticketmaster Fees (Limited Quantities)
BENEFITS:
Exclusive premium VVIP Seating in the VVIP Riser, the only seated section at the event
Premium Open Bar and Food
Exclusive access to the dedicated VVIP lounge and service area
T-Shirt custom designed especially for WIGSTOCK 2.HO by Tabboo!
Autographed commemorative poster (principal cast members including Lady Bunny and Neil Patrick Harris)
VVIP lanyard
Exclusive VVIP reception directly after the show with Lady Bunny and Neil Patrick Harris
VIP post-show backstage afterparty with Drag Queen performers and other cast members
Portion of each VIQ Experience ticket benefits GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis)
*fee’s explained. People have no idea, what costs are involved in throwing a huge event of this magnitude!
Lady Bunny explains. “Hey! I was thrilled by the positive response to Wigstock returning. I wasn’t thrilled by the disappointment from some when they learned that the cheapest tickets were $95—apart from a few blocks of $18.95 tickets. If you think that’s too high, then you know I think it is. When I post about DJing Sundays at The Monster, my favorite thing to type is “Free!” at the end. When I performed Trans-Jester! for two years at Stonewall Inn, I loved making tickets affordable to most at $19.99.
I shun VIP anything, so you know that way higher than $95 VIP tickets was not my idea. Some forget that when we moved the event from Tompkins Square Park to the much larger piers, the production costs grew and we had two choices: to charge admission or not put on the show. We felt so guilty about charging at all that we donated 1/2 of our net profits to GMHC. This year’s tickets sales also contribute a portion to GMHC. So if you think I’m gouging, please know that gouging just isn’t in my nature.
I hope you’ll understand that the last outdoor, full-fledged Wigstock was around 17 years ago. And I’m sure you’ve noticed that the city has changed a lot since then, and is far more upscale. Tompkins Square Park’s bandshell is razed and that rusty pier is shut. I used to pay a permit fee of $50 to the Parks Dpt. for the use of Tompkins Square. The new space costs $35,000 to roll in equipment and use for rehearsals the day before, and $75,000 to use the day of the show and then roll the equipment back out. A whopping $66,000 go to union wages. I was never in charge of Wigstock’s finances, but lordy did I gag at the over $15,000 “filing fee” on this year’s budget. I was too defeated to even ask what that filing fee was for. But we lost our first location and then found this brand new, rooftop concert venue Pier 17 where Diana Ross will perform later in September. If it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for me, I thought. It is gorgeous, and the view of water in the back and a wall of skyscrapers beside the stage is splendid and unique. But not at all cheap.
We’re also paying performers this time around, which only ever happened the two years we did that Wigstock-themed cruise. I’m happy about that, but paying 50+ performers adds up.
Around 13 of them are from out of town and they must be flown in and housed in hotels for two nights because the show starts at 3PM. They can’t arrive the day of the show from LA or SF, and the show needs Lina and Candis and Glamamore and Alaska and Juanita More and Latrice to rule. And if the oldest performing drag queen in the US—Darcelle XV from Portland–needs an assistant along her trip, then I want to provide two tickets for her. Bianca Del Rio will literally wipe off her make-up backstage and hop a flight directly from the festival to Sweden for a gig which pays her more than I ever could. So if her assistant carrying her extra bags of merch needs to accompany her, I want to pay for that. (I never said her plane would actually land, however.)
A bus for the 8 acts coming from Provincetown costs thousands to hire for 24 hours. But these gals have been doing back to back shows all summer and have taken the day off on their last weekend to lose money at Wigstock, departing at 4AM from P’town and back that same night. To me, they are all drag stars who are doing me a huge favor by appearing at all. I can’t repay them with a crappy bus which signals to them that I’m not concerned with their comfort. And have you seen Dina Martina and Ryan Landry? They definitely need to catch up on some beauty rest en route! Desmond Is Amazing needs edits on his track—that comes out of my own pocketbook and I’m happy to pay it. The festival didn’t last for 20+ years because I have a reputation of mistreating talent–or Flotilla. But the costs incurred by talent and the splashy new venue naturally get transferred to ticket buyers.
Most agree that our line-up is a sensational. And while $95 IS pricey, the show is 6 hours long. I totally understand that it may not be affordable for everyone, but that’s what it costs to bring Wigstock back—which is what people all over the world have begged me to do for decades. So we are back on Saturday, September 1st, and I sure hope you can make it!
NYC Pride 2018
NYC Pride 2018 is almost here! The 49th Year!
SO MANY things going on for 10 days of Pride.
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We all celebrate Pride in different ways, which is why NYC Pride offers something for everyone during NYC Pride Week. Click through the event listings here for an in-depth look at each unique event we have planned for this year.
Rick Skye as Liza! Nov. 25th
RICK SKYE STARS AS LIZA MINNELLI
IN
DON’T TELL MAMA’S NEW HIT SHOW
BAZAZZ!
A SEQUINED VARIETY
Saturday, November 25th
Rick Skye, who won the 2017 MAC Award for “Best Impersonation,” opened Don’t Tell Mama’s new monthly variety show Bazaaz! A Sequined Variety last month to a sold-out audience and the media is buzzing. In New York magazine said, “There’s a new sequined variety show in town that is a must see!”
The show features Skye’s heralded impersonation as Liza Minnelli singing in his own voice and showcases award-winning impersonations, guest performers and Skye’s Kit Kat Boyz. Bazaaz! A Sequined Variety will next play on Saturday, November 25th at 8:00PM.
Liz Smith said, “Save your Saturday nights every month, from now on. Why? Because down at New York’s famous Don’t Tell Mama cabaret,Rick Skye is the host with the most at Bazazz! A Sequined Variety. Skye’s impersonation of Minnelli is sensitive, boisterous and moving although ’impersonation’ is too banal a word for his affectionate, on-target work.”
Skye is well-known in London and New York for having written and performed in a series of outrageously comic, award-winning shows including The Flip Side of Neil Sedaka, which earned him a Bistro Award, A Slice O’Minnelli and The War of the Mama Roses. His show Its Madame with an E! played Atlantic City and Las Vegas and brought him to television where he appeared on Watch What Happens, Live! With Andy Cohen and Celebrity Apprentice as well as Fox & Friends and the WB. His most recent success was Judy and Liza Together Again which closed after an unprecedented seven-year run at Don’t Tell Mama’s and garnered two MAC Awards.
He has performed in many shows as Liza Minnelli in a number of hit shows that played internationally. He co-starred with Steven Brinberg in the London production of Barbra and Liza LIVE! which played the Dublin Gay Theater Festival and he toured with Liza LIVE! playing the New Players Theater in London and many spots in England. A Slice O’ Minnelli enjoyed successful seasons at the Apollo Theatre in London’s West End, The Dublin and Edinburgh Festivals, and from cities New York to Chicago. Critics called Skye “Masterful…Astonishing…
Skye’s special guests in November’s Bazaaz! A Sequined Variety will include Steven Brinberg as Barbra Streisand and entertainer Sidney Myer. Cabaret favorite Rick Ritzel is the evening’s Musical Director.
Bazaaz! A Sequined Variety will also play on:
Friday, December 29 – Guest stars TBA
Sunday, December 31 – Guest stars TBA
Don’t Tell Mama’s is located at 343 West 46th Street in New York City. There is a $20.00 Cover/2 Drink Minimum (Cash only). Reservations can be made at www.donttellmamanyc.com.
Charles Busch August 12th
FOR most of his adult life, Charles Busch, the playwright, actor and drag artist, has lived in one room near Abingdon Square in the West Village.
“I’ve been on this block for 26 years,” said Mr. Busch, who became legendary in New York in the 1980s for Off Broadway plays like “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom” and “Psycho Beach Party,” which he wrote as star vehicles for himself. “My first apartment was around the corner on West 12th Street. When it came time to buy, I only looked at places within a three-block radius. I saw a nice apartment on Fifth Avenue and 11th Street, but it was too far away.”
Now, he has finally traded up by turning his apartment into a duplex. “I persuaded the lady upstairs to leave,” he said ominously, raising an eyebrow in femme fatale fashion. Check out article and renovations HERE.
Invasion of the Pines..Gay New York / Fire Island
Mascara, Mirth & Mayhem is a collection of photographs taken by renowned photographer Susan Kravitz over the past thirty years at the annual LGBTQ event known as the Invasion of the Pines.
The Invasion of the Pines occurs every July 4th and involves participants from the Fire Island communities of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. It began in 1976, when a member of the Cherry Grove community had been refused service in a Pines’ restaurant because he had been dressed in drag. In protest, a small group of Cherry Grove residents cross-dressed and took a water taxi to the Pines on Independence Day of that year, to stand up against this “height of insult” by “invading” their neighboring community. Four decades later, the Invasion has evolved into a uniquely raucous event that joyfully celebrates human rights and freedom of expression by thousands of people, straight and gay.
Kravitz’s photographs capture the rebelliousness, the high camp, and the joy of the Invasion. They are provocative, introspective, sad and funny, and tinged with sexual innuendo. Yet they also reflect another journey, one that gives insight into the LGBTQ movement itself.
From the fearful, AIDS-ridden years of the 1980s and 1990s, to the joyous years of this decade when LGBTQ people are out and proud (and, if they choose, legally married), these Invasion photographs celebrate a day to be free, to be whoever you want to be, and to be gay.
“My photographs are as much about the times I which they were taken as they are about the people who populate them. Ultimately, they are about human rights and freedom of expression seen through the lens of the Invasion.” said Kravitz of her eighty-eight color and black and white photographs.
Susan Kravitz is a social documentarian of daily life. Over the past thirty years she has exhibited her photographs in galleries and museums in the United States and abroad, including China, South Korea, Russia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and the Czech Republic. Her Cherry Grove photographs were recently featured on the New York Times Lens blog (A Gay Haven on Fire Island) and in the International New York Times, Paris edition.
The book comes out next week! 148 pages, available in softcover or hardcover.
Book is available now on http://www.
Lady Bunny @ Stonewall EXTENDED
“Watching Lady Bunny perform at Stonewall Inn feels like sitting down at a dance club and listening to someone artfully complain; that’s exactly what the show is.” –Refinery29“Bunny throws down the gauntlet by making a distinction between her post-Holly Woodlawn badass drag self and the gay-world trans stereotype that some people relegate her to.” -The New Yorker
Trans-Jester is written by Lady Bunny and Facebook sensation Beryl Mendelbaum.
53 Christopher Street
Lady Bunny Does Stonewall Bar
TRANS-JESTER starring Lady Bunny
The hardest working drag queen in the world is DOING STONEWALL!
“Long running drag star Lady Bunny is currently doing the most screamingly, gratifyingly, crap-your-pants funny show in town. Upstairs at the Stonewall which was always a riot , Bunny is appearing in Trans-Jester, poking merciless fun at pc normatives. She spins and shimmers in amazing voice. The show is all like that–raunchy and eye opening, fetidly appealing yet thought provoking.” – Michael Musto, OUT
“A scream for sanity from the nastiest, most big-hearted comic performer around.” -John Cameron Mitchell
“A gag-worthy show you can’t miss.” – Huffington Post, Gay Voices
In addition to new parodies of selections from Adele, Rent and Bruno Mars to hilarious, effect punctuated by zany Laugh-In style zingers, Bunny has widened her repertoire to include insightful social commentary. (Well, she thinks it’s insightful, anyway.) Targetting the current overemphasis on political correctness, Bunny breaks down some of the latest buzzwords that we’re all supposed to remember for every for every occasion as we “evolve.” Sometimes, Bunny feels, that we’re actually evolving away from common sense! Take the new name for our community–LGBTIA. Does anyone even know what that means?
While Bunny shies away from politics in this performance–because one train wreck on stage per night is enough and we all need a break from this toxic election–she doesn’t shy away from gender politics and the new pronoun we’re forced to learn every time Will Smith’s son puts on a dress. After Caitlyn Jenner reached out to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz to become his “trans ambassador”, Bunny feels that it’s time for the gloves to come off while addressing that car crash. You don’t want to miss Bunny doing Cait’s twisted version of My Favorite Things.
Bunny may also shock you with revelations about her own gender identity. “She” asks pertinent questions about cultural appropriation prior to declaring her undying love for black cock in a vulgar version of Uptown Funk which has left recent audiences in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London reeling with mirth.
Theater queens rejoice! In her loooooong career in nightclubs, Bunny has never delved much into show tunes, but in Trans-Jester, Bunny brings it on home with a show-stopping finale featuring two classics from Gypsy and Follies. The eclectic evening also resurrects songs by country star Lynn Anderson, Millie Jackson and even an original tune which pokes fun at the dating life of whatever sex it is you want to call this “Lady”.
Back by popular demand, the show is now back for one month from August 31st-October 1st. Performances are from Wednesday to Saturday at 7PM. Please note: no shows on Thursday September 8th and September 9th. Stonewall is an intimate venue, so please reserve now to guarantee seats! The tickets are a low $19.99–as cheap as her humor–and there may be tickets for cash only at the door after the online sales close nightly at 5:30PM. (There usually are.) There is a two-drink minimum and the drink prices range from $7:50 (beer) to $12 (well drinks). There is no drink maximum, and Bunny’s singing will drive anyone to drink. Doors open at 6PM and seating is first come, first serve.
Please note: This show is raunchy. Not politically correct by definition–that’s the whole point. So if that’s not your cup of tea, you should honestly skip it. Or prepare to grab a drink and laugh, cheer and possibly even be challenged by a salty old kook who isn’t afraid to express herself from a viewpoint which is often unique.
Trans-Jester is written by Lady Bunny and Facebook sensation Beryl Mendelbaum.
53 Christopher Street, New York City, NY 10014
Bushwig in Brooklyn New York
BUSHWIG THE BIGGEST DRAG & MUSIC FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD 2016 IS HERE
BUSHWIG is holding its fifth annual festival of drag, art and music this year (Saturday, Sept. 10th and Sunday, Sept. 11th) at The Knockdown Center (52-19 Flushing Ave, Queens), a departure from Bushwick–the Brooklyn neighborhood that inspired the name of the event. Since its creation 5 years ago by Brooklyn artists Horrorchata and Babes Trust, BUSHWIG has pulled an international audience in and has curated lineups with some of the most well-respected names in the alt-drag community. Bigger names are set to perform and larger crowds are expected to show this year at the new venue. Headlining acts this year include legendary Lady Bunny and RuPaul icon Latrice Royale with music from Tim Sweeney (Beats in Space), with even world renowned artist Wolfgang Tillman on deck duties!
The ambitious programming for this year includes art installations, projection art mapping, international DJs, live music and diverse food offerings on top of more than 150 drag performances. At BUSHWIG 2015, Lady Bunny (close friend to world renowned RuPaul, who has brought drag to the mainstream), handed off ‘the torch’ to Horrorchata–symbolic of passing the legacy of drag down to a new generation of NY performers. The festival is going on strong as it marks its 5th anniversary and continues on to becoming an NYC iconic event likes its predecessors (Studio 54, Warhol’s Factory, Wigstock, etc) while also engaging a wider and more diverse audience.
“Right now we are in a drag explosion. BUSHWIG is part of this revolution; the new wave of drag and the next generation of queens. The creativity in New York is always evolving and what really matters is the art will always be here. We are beyond excited to celebrate our fifth year,” said Horrorchata, co-founder of Bushwig.
BUSHWIG takes great pride in being a celebration of anyone for everyone. Founded by a group of artists deeply involved in the Brooklyn drag scene, the festival provides a creative safe space for everyone to get involved. The drag community has grown immensely as television show RuPauls Drag Race, just nominated for three Emmy Awards, has brought it to the mainstream. The festival functions first and foremost as a community event, giving all a part of the stage and an opportunity to get involved. The artists at BUSHWIG travel far to showcase their very best work, with some acts traveling from Europe. The festival was founded in 2012, its original lineup had 60 acts and 5 years later, more than 150 acts will perform this year during the two-day festival.
Official Website
Link to Purchase Tickets
Facebook page HERE
Watch videos HERE of past performers!
New Music from Lady Bunny
INTERNATIONAL LGBTQ STARS COLLABORATE ON NEW DANCE ANTHEM ’KEEP ON DANCING (UNTIL WE’RE FREE)’ // HOUSE OF WALLENBERG
HOUSE OF WALLENBERG TEAMS UP WITH YO MAJESTY AND LADY BUNNY
PROCEEDS FROM THE NEW SONG WILL GO TO THE PULSE ORLANDO FUND, SUPPORTING THE FAMILIES AND VICTIMS OF THE RECENT NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING
Swedish artist, DJ and producer Petter Wallenberg (aka House of Wallenberg) has teamed up with Jwl B from queer rappers Yo Majesty, and drag superstar Lady Bunny on a new song ‘Keep on Dancing (Until We’re Free)’. The track has been recorded specifically for the Pulse Orlando Fund, in support of the families and victims of the massacre at took place at Pulse Nightclub on June 12.
Petter Wallenberg said: “Queer clubs used to be safe spaces where we could be free. The Orlando shooting changed that. Now when we go out we find ourself prepared for the worst. But its important to not let fear win. As our song says, we need to keep on dancing, loving and fighting. This is our tribute to the Orlando victims but also a manifest for everyone’s right to be free.”
Jwl B said: “I’m from Florida and I lost friends and family from the gay community in the Orlando massacre. I felt I had to do something positive to bring happiness and create a fund raiser. I say to all my angels that lost their lives that we’re gonna keep on dancing until were free.”
Lady Bunny said: “The gay community has remained strong in the face of discrimination, bashing and AIDS. While the shooting at Pulse was grim, it renewed our desire to bond together and fight. A big part of our spirit comes from a club culture in which we gather to dance and celebrate the freedoms we do have. That will never die!”
House of Wallenberg is the music project from Swedish artist Petter Wallenberg.
BUY IT!!! iTunes: https://goo.gl/WIXuUs
Spotify: https://goo.gl/1duLdz
YouTubeVideo: goo.gl/fPfs25
EVEN MORE BUNNY NEWS!! The hardest working drag queen in the business!
Magnus Hastings new book!
WHAT A GORGEOUS BOOK! And for a coffee table art book, its very affordable at about $35! Why Drag?
You saw the exhibit last year…now buy the book! 224 pages of the biggest and most diverse queens across America and beyond, all answering the question, Why drag?
Everyone loves to gag over photographs of their favorite queens, and chances are, some of the photographs have been taken by talented drag queen photographer, Magnus Hastings. His popular Facebook page, Dragged Around the World, archives some of his best work.
This celebrated artist has been photographing drag queens for the past 10 years- and his artwork showcasing queens is taking the world by storm! LAST YEAR, Hastings’ first photo exhibition in New York, Why Drag?, ran during Pride, at the OUT HOTEL. The best part about this unique exhibition is that each queen he photographs explains why it is that they do drag (but you’ll have to the exhibit to see that!) – Now, you can get the book!
Magnus Hastings came up through the London Gay scene and quickly gained recognition as one of the forerunners of his type of the pop art photography. playing with campy ideas when it was not fashionable to do so and embracing drag queens as a subject and study. He says, a “child of drag,” prone to putting on his sister’s clothes and dancing around his childhood home. But he didn’t truly discover the drag world until much later, long after he himself had stopped dressing across gender lines.
He completely revamped the Gaydar franchise in 2009 and has been published worldwide in magazines such as Glamour (uk), GQ (uk), Cosmopolitan (Italy),People (usa) , US weekly (use), Attitude (uk) ,AXM (uk), Bent (uk), QX international (uk), Blue (australia), Boyz (uk), Nois (spain) to name a few.
In 2003, on a visit to Sydney, Hastings walked into the Arq nightclub and saw the drag queen Vanity Faire lip-syncing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz in a flawless Dorothy outfit. The experience changed his life.
“I started shooting drag because it’s my home and my world and it feels like my family,” Hastings said.
Watching that performance connected Hastings to a part of himself that he’d abandoned due to social pressures as a child but that he still longed to explore.
With Vanity’s guidance, Hastings began photographing the city’s vibrant drag scene and developing a polished, dynamic style of portraiture reflecting his subjects’ creativity and humor.
As he traveled the world, he continued capturing local queens with a focus on those who best represented the art’s diversity and daring, from the bearded to the “fishy,” or ultrafeminine.
His images attracted a larger audience when he started posting his photos to his Facebook group, “Dragged Around the World.”
Magnus now lives in Los Angeles with his Jack Russell named George and is heavily involved in photographing the drag scene.
‘Why Drag?‘ with photographs by Magnus Hastings and a foreword by Boy George, was published in May by Chronicle Books. BUY THE BOOK!
Why Drag?
Lady Bunny @ Stonewall Inn – EXTENDED
If you ain’t seen it yet – you MUST!
LADY BUNNY @ Stonewall Inn with her new show, Trans-Jester!
EXTENDED Now thru May 18th!!
Recently Susan Sarandon took a front row seat at Bunnys new show. BOTH are fellow Bernie Sanders supporters.
Says Bun Bun, “It’s Thelma and Sleaze! I was pleasantly surprised that Susan Sarandon popped by my show Trans-Jester at The Stonewall Inn last night. She popped backstage and said the show was “so smart.” Now I might have believed her if she hadn’t been snorting poppers at the time.
Anyhow, it was lovely of her to come and she is both lovely and sweet. And although we are both Bernie Sanders supporters, it was far from a #feelthebern rally. This show is pure comedy and barely mentions the election or politics. I save those toxic posts for Facebook!”
In the last five years, Bunny’s performed two sold out solo shows at La Escuelita. But that venue closed! So Bunny has brought her blend of raucous, irreverent comedy to the even more legendary venue Stonewall.
In addition to new parodies which re-work selections from Adele, Rent and Bruno Mars to hilarious, effect punctuated by zany Laugh-In style zingers, Bunny has widened her—don’t go there!–repertoire to include some actually insightful social commentary. (Well, she thinks it’s insightful, anyway.) Trashing the current overemphasis on political correctness, Bunny breaks down some of the latest buzzwords that we’re all supposed to remember for every for every occasion as we “evolve.” Sometimes, Bunny feels, that we’re actually evolving away from common sense! Take the new name for our community–LGBTIA. Does anyone even know what that means?
Theater queens rejoice! In her loooooong career in nightclubs, Bunny has never delved much into show tunes, but in Trans-Jester, Bunny brings it on home with a show-stopping finale featuring two classics from Gypsy and Follies. The evening also resurrects songs by country star Lynn Anderson, Millie Jackson and even an original tune which pokes fun at the dating life of whatever sex it is you want to call this “Lady”. A proud slut, Bunny lampoons her own senile attempts to keep up with technology in order to still get sex, and the folly of a mature showgirl who appears to be teleported from a 1960s TV set dating the youth which the internet of 2016 yields.
Wednesday thru Saturday evenings. The showtime is 7PM sharp. “I know this show is in a bar and it’s by a drag queen–we are often late–but each performance must end by 9PM so that Stonewall can get back to it’s regular nightly programming. So please arrive a little early and we will start very close to 7PM if not at 7PM”
For more info/tix:
http://
Sherry Vine’s Queer TV Network
Drag Darling Sherry Vine Launches Queer Network, gaySVTVworld
The Internet is getting a whole lot gayer! International drag darling Sherry Vine and former Here-TV executive Josh Rosenzweig are combining their style, humor and sensibility into a one-stop, digital destination for all of the world’s LGBTQ entertainment needs. gaySVTVworld premieres February 14 with original shows, specials, music videos, short films and more: all free at YouTube.com/MissSherryVine.
“The world needs gaySVTVworld because they are hungry for original programming from top queer talent,” says Sherry Vine. “We got ‘em all: Haus Of Mimosa, Pickles, David Serrano, Chris Semers … and this is only the beginning.”
“gaySVTVworld is created by and for LGBTQ audiences,” adds Josh Rosenzweig. “Nobody is going to tell our stories like we will. While our visibility has increased enormously over the last decade with the launch of several LGBT television networks, it is essential that the community have an online space to call our own. A destination where we can go to find like-minded artists and feel the power of the collective.”
While gaySVTVworld draws inspiration from a traditional television model, it also presents a modern digital age spin with all shows under-seven minutes long. “We’re offering short content so people can view several episodes in the same amount of time as one traditional TV show,” explains Vine. “Maybe you only have five free minutes on your way to work or during a lunch break. That’s enough time to catch a hilarious episode of Fashion Puhleez on your smart phone!”
The network will kick off its first season with a slate of eight programs, releasing daily, beginning with Sunday’s Sherry and the Greek, an original talk series starring Vine and Chris Semers, discussing a variety of fun topics and performing skits, characters, and musical numbers.
On Monday, queer notables share their pop culture picks on EduGAYtion. Then Tuesday, The Rachel Zoe Show meets Project Runway in Fashion Puhleez, with lead players in the beauty industry discussing fashion, club couture and styling.
House of Mimosa presents The Anita & Gina Marie Show, a comedic show that chronicles the daily antics of two women as they cause mayhem throughout Astoria, Queens (singing out – or rather, airing out – all their dirty laundry) gets viewers over hump day. Then its Throwback Thursdays with Pickles, a look back at a public access show that offers a glimpse into the gay, downtown art and nightlife scene of New York in the nineties.
Celebrate the end of the workweek with The Flames of Hell’s Kitchen, a telanovela about the life of Sherry Vine, her manager Gloria, assistant Busted and sexy Latino boyfriend, Diego. In the first season, Sherry wins big, loses everything, slips back into a life of drugs, and faces an intervention. The show stars David Serrano, Busted, Patty McKeever and Al McKeever.
Finally, on Saturday, it’s movie night as gaySVTVworld presents The SVTV Short Film Fest, an online festival dedicated to spotlighting the very best LGBTQ filmmakers from around the world. Each week is a new short film along with interviews from the filmmakers and special bonus features.
In addition, What’s In Your Purse?, a hilarious two-minute segment featuring Vine cornering nightlife celebrities and forcing them to reveal the contents of their bags, will run throughout the week.
“We knew launching a network was an ambitious endeavor but there are so many things we didn’t think of,” admits Vine. “Josh and I and our amazing team have literally been working every day on gaySVTVworld for almost a year now.”
“So much of that time has been spent on brainstorming ideas, reaching out to people we wanted to work with and deciding on a slate we felt confident about,” continues Rosenzweig. “We have several shows that are in various stages of development. Our intention is to continue to keep rolling out new programs, music videos and comedy sketches.”
Sherry Vine’s hilarious video parodies have made her a YouTube sensation, being viewed over 14,000,000 times! She got her start in downtown NYC but today tours the world with her live singing and comedy shows. Vine has appeared on the off-Broadway stage, in numerous films including Stonewall and Wigstock and she starred in two seasons of Here TV’s variety show, She’s Living For This, produced and directed by Josh Rosenzweig.
Josh Rosenzweig served as SVP of Here TV for ten years where he produced over two hundred hours of television programming including She’s Living For This and Heart of Broadway: An Inside Look at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He was also the host of the hit TV talk show Just Josh. Rosenzweig has directed many music videos, award-winning films and over forty productions for the theater. He has been nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards.
gaySVTVworld premieres February 14 at YouTube.com/MissSherryVine.
WIGSTOCK Returns August 16
Wigstock’s Sea Tea Cruise Sets Sail on Sunday August 16th!
Ahoy! It’s been over 10 years since the last Wigstock festival was held. The famed NYC drag Labor Day bash attracted 30,000 revelers at it’s height and became the subject of the film Wigstock: The Movie in 1995. But after 20+ years of sequins, fake lashes and immaculate coiffures, organizers Lady Bunny and Scott Lifshutz needed a break. A long one! But the celebration of wigs hasn’t completely curled up and dyed.
On August 16th, the gang will take hi-jack Michael Fesco’s Sea Tea for a 4 hour cruise to recapture some of the wiggy magic from festivals past. Bunny will host, emcee and perform, along with many of the event’s most celebrated acts, including downtown legends Sister Dimension, Linda Simpson, HRH Princess Diandra, Flotilla Debarge, Sweetie, Sugga Pie Koko, David Ilku and Ffloyd. DJ Johnny Dynell of Jackie 60 fame will recreate the 90s club sound from when Wigstock was at it’s peak, along with DC’s Ed Bailey. So prepare to boogie to the sounds of CeCe Peniston, Ultra Nate, Crystal Waters, Barbara Tucker and all of the tunes that made going out such a non-stop blast during NYC’s golden club years. Think The Love Boat on acid with a killer new soundtrack of classic NYC house music.
To kick it off, Linda Simpson will present her 90s Drag Explosion photo exhibit complete with her hysterical commentary. It’s basically a retelling of every time Linda was sober enough to pull out a camera and snap it during her My Comrade days with pics of every queen from RuPaul to trans model Page.
Why revive a Wigstock-themed event now?
Says, Bunny: “Someone recently sent me an photo spread from the UK’s Guardian featuring Michael James O’Brien’s shots from Wigstock during the 90s, calling it “New York’s hair-raising 90s drag scene.” It made me nostalgic, just as people are nostalgic for clubs which don’t only play top 40 tunes and drag acts which focus more on talent than on contouring ability. Then I got wind of a new Wigstock party in South Africa in addition to other annual events in Tel Aviv, Sweden and Melbourne, Australia and had to ask myself “Why should everyone else have all the fun?” and “How much should I sue for?” Everyone is always telling me “Bring back Wigstock!” so this Sea Tea cruise will test the waters, literally, and relive the party on a smaller scale. This may lead to other full-scale Wigstock festivals in the future. I’ve performed on Michael Fesco’s Sea Tea in the past and this boat ride seems like the perfect way to reunite the crazy crew of very gifted performers. And to show that the Wigstock vibe is unsinkable! This cruise offers a unique opportunity to relive one of the Village’s maddest moments, since many considered Wigstock to be a hipper version of gay pride day for decades.
A lot of people complain about how the Manhattan scene has lost it, so we’re trying to recapture some of that zaniness by doing something about it. Revelers are encouraged to come in costume—and we’ll award $250 for the freakiest wig. I always marveled at wigs’ powers to bring out people’s crazier sides—whether they’re real women, body builders or even dogs. But enough about Linda! Nothing makes a “girl” feel more “fish” than gliding along the sparkling waters of the Hudson. But please, wear wedges or sensible heels! Rock The Boat isn’t just a song and this ride is definitely ill-suited to spikes!” No VIP nothing and no tired bottle service. Just a rollicking, wigged out bash!
The Hornblower boards at 6PM promptly, sails at 7:30PM and is back on the dock at 10PM. It departs from Pier 40 near Christopher Street. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at Pier 40 the day of. 21 and over. Admission includes a free dinner buffet, two decks with deejays Johnny Dynell and DC’s Ed Bailey spinning actual music and an hour and a half of entertainment in the typically wacky Wigstock style which ranges from singing live, lip-synching the house down, live singing, comedy, and of course one of those filthy Laugh-In skits that Bunny still milks in her own act!
Don’t miss the boat on this one—come and join us!
FOR TICKETS
Ru Pauls SuperStars in New York March 5th
THE BIGGEST DRAG TOUR EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s About TO GET REAL BITCHES!
RuPaul’s Drag Race Battle of The Seasons “Condragulations” Tour in a city near YOU, (NEW YORK CITY MARCH 5th!!)
featuring a night of show-stopping performances by the world’s most talented drag performers, including winners and fan favorites from Logo TV’s hit series “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Over 40 cities in the US, Canada and Europe. The largest drag tour in history!
Adore Delano, Alaska 5000, Ben Dela Crème, Bianca Del Rio, Courtney Act, Darienne Lake, Detox, Ivy Winters, Jiggly Caliente, Jinkx Monsoon, Manila Luzon, Pandora Boxx, Phi Phi O’Hara, Raja and Sharon Needles. Plus Special Guest Cary NoKey and host Michelle Visage. (Lineup varies by city and is subject to change.)
NEW YORK CITY MARCH 5th ! GET TICKETS before they are gone!!
