GAYLETTER

For those of you that don’t have Internet, or don’t read GAYLETTER to stay informed, Jeffery Self and Cole Escola have been making comedy for a while now, they had a show on the Logo Network that ran for two seasons. It was called ‘Jeffery & Cole Casserole,’ and it was all filmed in Jeffrey’s bedroom, using his iSight camera. When I first saw some of their videos a couple of year ago, I thought these boys were hilarious — I assumed they were dating because they were so great together. Later on I met them and discovered they were both bottoms, and you know it’s rare that two bottoms can date. Jeffery now lives in LA and Cole lives in NY. Last summer their live show quickly sold out and unfortunately they couldn’t add another one because “Jeffery had to go back to lame-ass LA,” as Cole explained me. Jeffrey is back in town and they’re putting on a new “sketch-based” show “with a loose plot. Like a sitcom almost…” Cole also told me that “there will be partial nudity. It’s not much to look at but it’s what we can offer.” We’ll take it... Click here for tickets.  —Abi

The experimental and progressive performance series, created by Ben Pryor, returns to the Abrons Art Center. This year American Realness is celebrating it’s fifth year in existence. Their goal has been to instigate a “cross-cultural exchange, connecting experimental artists with the culture hungry audiences of New York City.” That plays out as 52 performers in 14 productions over 11 days. For the first time it also “includes two off site engagements presented by Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1.” As the name suggests all performers are striving for “realness,” which means you might encounter lots of genitalia, and confronting ideas. Thank god that’s the case — we’ve seen more than enough boring-ass performance art. The list of artists is super long, so I’ll just drop a few names to help you out: Ishmael Houston-Jones, Emily Wexler, Dana Michel, Miguel Gutierrez, Rebecca Patek, Ian Douglas, Chris Tyler, Ann Liv Young, Michelle Boulé, Tina Satter, Juliana F. May, Sam Roeck, Lucy Sexton, Christeene, M. Lamar, Nick Hallet plus many more. Go with your gut and pick a couple of shows to see, you’ll be grateful to experience some real downtown performance...  —Abi

Doing GAYLETTER each week it’s hard not to write about the same parties, venues, and people over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, we write about these people because we love them, and we know our readers will have a great time seeing them perform, but…it’s refreshing to be able to feature new talent. In the same way that a one night stand with a new person can come out of nowhere and just knock your socks off, it’s fun to go see fresh performers, the stars (maybe) of tomorrow. “For two weeks, curator and host Dan Fishback rallies the brashest new voices of the queer stage for a peek into the future of underground, revolutionary queer art-making.” To introduce us to this new crop of talent, each night of Squirts will also feature a guest legend like Penny Arcade (this Friday) or Flotilla Debarge (on Sunday). The list of performers at Squirts is long and soon to be illustrious. It’s a new year, so don’t be afraid to do something new! Click here for tickets and the full calendar.  —tom

“Harsh, abstract, stark, pliant, hyperkinetic, deliberately strenuous… an assault of gesture and angels and extremities” Chroma, the new ballet premiered by Alvin Ailey this season is nothing short of sublime. Originally choreographed in 2006 by Wayne McGregor for The Royal Ballet of London, Chroma is performed here by a predominantly black troupe for the first time — expressing McGregor’s intention for the dance to be “a freedom from white.” No shit. Robert Battle, the Ailey company director, has managed to skillfully honor and respect his predecessors groundbreaking achievements for black artists in modern dance while keeping the repertoire young and fresh with the debut of Chroma and several other dances. Enough about the pedigree of this ballet, take your last chance to see an evening of ALL new works including a piece by the fabulous Bill T. Jones and emerging choreographer Aszure Barton. Start your new year on the right foot.  —Gayletter

The sassy sissy and downtown performer Nicholas Gorham brings us a brand new Christmas show that seems to be filled with lots of holiday insanity and fantasy. The story goes like this: “Newly divorced Hollywood star Nicholas Gorham welcomes you into his Parisian pad as he attempts to get through the broadcast of his brand new Christmas Special and selflessly provides a glimpse into the real spirit of Christmas...wealth and glamour!” Nicholas told me that the show makes an attempt, or many, at a “televised Christmas special.” Expect some classic numbers and a “satirical take on everything.” With music by Greg Potter and Beth Braddock, plus a great cast of performers including Enid Ellen, Shane Shane, Justin Sayre, Martha Lee, Alston Brown, and Stacy Lynn Smith. Have yourself a White! Hot! Christmas!  —Abi

There I was last Sunday, deep into the second season of Scandal, still in my pajamas at 1:30PM when the phone rang — my friend Beth scored an extra ticket to ‘The Life and Death of Marina Abromovic’ at 3PM at the Park Avenue Armory, and did I want to go? I leapt at the opportunity to see the 2 hour and forty minute collaboration between Marina and director Robert Wilson with music by none other than Antony Hegarty from Antony and the Johnsons. Although it’s theatre the stories told in this biographical piece are true, drawn from memories Abromovic shared with Wilson about her early years in the former Yugoslavia, her difficult relationship with her mother, tribulations as an international art star and fragments about past loves. Brilliant actor Willem Dafoe deftly plays the motor mouth narrator of the performance that culminates in Wilson’s imagined funeral for the artist with Abromovic ascending into the air suspended by thin wires flanked by two bodies in similar dress. The show is a minimal masterpiece, conceived and directed by Wilson who’s aesthetic and linguistic choices are hauntingly austere and profoundly moving. Treat yourself to this quasi opera, a rare chance to see a collection of world renowned artists performing at their peak.  —Gayletter

Choreographer Elizabeth Streb loves pushing human boundaries and therefore people’s buttons. She had a piece in her latest show FORCES in her performance space in Williamsburg called S.L.A.M. (Streb Lab for Action Mechanics) whereby a spinning steel girder was suspended from a chain just millimeters above diving dancers landing on the floor barely evading the metal’s crushing blow, I can’t! “Once called the Evel Kneivel of dance Elizabeth Streb’s choreography which she calls ‘Pop Action’ intertwines the disciplines of dance, athletics, boxing, rodeo, the circus and Hollywood stunt-work.” As they say in entertainment you have to see it to believe it. The meticulous syncopation of movement as the dancers navigate a huge hamster wheel, spinning floor panels and flying harness apparatus is nothing short of awe inspiring. The titillating experience is further heightened by the close proximity of the audience to the action AND the delicious male dancers with their ample crotches. We were quite horny when we exited the theatre bouncing off cars and buildings as we merrily disappeared into the Williamsburg night, truly a performance I will not soon forget.  —Gayletter

Presented by ‘the feath3r theory,’ and in part by Dance New Amsterdam, comes the world premiere of the performance ‘Andy Warhol’s DRELLA (I love you Faye Driscoll).’ It’s a “movement-based drag performance essay inspired by Andy Warhol’s alter ego ‘Drella’ — a contraction of Dracula and Cinderella, envisioned by Warhol Superstar Ondine.” I heard from François Leloup-Collet, who’s assisting the main coordinator of the event, artist Raja Feather Kelly, that he’s obsessed with Warhol and has been working on it for about a year now. This performance is mainly about Warhol but also about Raja’s “obsessions with self-worth, sexual identity, race, gender-bending, mind-fucking, consumer culture, celeb worship…” In other words a very pleasant Thursday night filled with drag, smashing vogue, cabaret and ballet.  —Abi

If you follow us on Instagram (as you should), you probably saw a photo of us with Sharon Needles last week. We love that queen, she is one creative cunt. So it turns out she’s releasing a music video for her new song. To celebrate she’s collaborating with Frankie Sharp and Brandon Voss and putting together a “two story dance asylum.” There’s going to be all sorts of madness going on; from a performance by Sharon and her full band to Demented Nurses by Daughters of Devotion, music by Jon Jon Battles and Unhinged NutJob Dancers (I swear, some of the shit I write for GAYLETTER could have come out of the mouth of Stefon from SNL.) This is going to be a pretty ratchet party for sure. Expect plenty of drag, divas and I want to say dick (cos I love alliteration) but I can’t promise that. You’ll love it.  —tom