The Stonewall

A few months ago I blogged about the Pride March.   It was while researching the Pride March that I first discovered the Stonewall Inn.  On June 28, 1969, the night/morning following Judy Garland’s funeral), an openly gay club known as the Stonewall Inn was raided by police.  Police often raided gay clubs, especially the Stonewall as it was the largest openly gay club in the U.S. at the time.  On June 28, 1969, however, the Stonewall fought back.  They fought back for six days and nights, and fought so mightily that the police fought back and the gay rights movement was born. 

I assumed that the Stonewall Inn I frequently walked past when strolling in the Village was the same Stonewall Inn involved in the riots.  The truth is, the Stonewall Inn was actually closed later in 1969, and the space was used for various shops ranging from a shoe store to a Chinese restaurant!  In the 1990’s the space returned to a gay club, simply known as “Stonewall.”  In 1999, it was registered in the National Register of Historic Places for its historic significance to gay and lesbian history.  It thrives for a few years, but was eventually neglected and closed again in 2006.  A year later, in 2007, the club reopened under the supervision of Bill Morgan and Kurt Kelly.  The club regained popularity and continues to pay homage to its rich history steeped in LGBT cultures.

This week I actually had the opportunity to perform at the Stonewall Inn.  I had never set foot in the establishment, but once I did it did not let me down.  It was everything you could want from the Stonewall.  The club is two floors.  The bottom level is a basic bar with a billiards table.  The upstairs is a cabaret space!  I was performing in “Lavinia and Chocolatina’s Laugh Lounge.”  

This cabaret was everything you would expect from the Stonewall Inn. Lavinia Draper is a character played by the brilliant Susan Campanaro.  Lavinia is an oversexed “hot mess” of an emcee who does impressive splits while doing hilarious renditions of well-known songs.  She also tap dances and plays the ukulele!  Chocolatina is a drag queen character played by Erik Kraft.  Chocolatina is a wonderfully impressive character who sings and dances her ways into audiences’ hearts.  Perhaps more importantly, Erik Kraft is a professional chef who specializes in chocolate.  At the end of this particular performance, Chocolatina pelted the audience with delicious homemade artisanal chocolates!  The audience was also treated to eggnog shots and cookies.  What more could one want from a holiday performance at the Stonewall than drag queens, chocolate, cookies, shots, and Lavinia Draper singing “They know that Saaaaanta’s on his way.  He’s loaded lots of chains and whips and paddles on his sleeeeeiiiiigh….”

I was performing with a group called “Bad Kitty the Series.”  They are a burlesque dance company with a cat theme.  We danced to “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Santa Baby” - at one point starting a conga line snaking through the audience.  Through this, I got to a dance with a gentleman dressed as Santa who seemingly managed to wander to the Stonewall’s cabaret space by accident.  He was thrown off guard but seemed to be having the time of his life.  In all seriousness, who couldn’t.

I’ve had trouble recommending places to visit in the Village.  I spend shamefully little time there.  Well, from now on I will seriously recommend that everyone goes to the Stonewall and enjoy a bit of history as well as really whacky off-beat wonderful cabaret performances!