On most nights, game night at Hummel’s is lowkey and familiar. You see all the tables joined together, the Uno cards worn soft at the edges, and someone inevitably accusing a friend of cheating. Hummel’s might be a dive bar, but for some of us it is so much more than that. For our community,…
Culture
Missouri’s SB 1164 and SB 1476: What They Mean for Drag Performers and Venues
As Missouri lawmakers continue to introduce legislation targeting “adult cabaret performances,” two bills—Senate Bill 1476 and Senate Bill 1164—have drawn particular attention for their potential impact on drag. While neither bill explicitly bans drag, together they create a legal framework that could significantly restrict where and how drag performances take place across the state.…
You Can’t Judge a Feminist by Her Lipstick
The new nonfiction debut by poet, critic and Washington University writing professor Eileen G’Sell, Lipstick, gets beyond the gloss. Through rigorous research and candid conversations with lipstick fans and haters alike, the book moves past what you’ve already read about the iconic cosmetic’s history, ingredients and occasional double duty as an economic indicator. It explores…
Thirty Years Ago: AMC’s Michael Delaney Pointed to a Pink Triangle
When my mother worked at the hometown Walmart when I was a boy in the 1970s, one rule was chiseled in granite: “Do not call me at work, ever — unless the house is on fire or somebody’s dying!” Mom practiced what she preached, so it was a shock thirty years ago this month when…
The Notebook at the Fabulous Fox Theatre: A Love That Outlasts Time
The Notebook, now playing at the Fabulous Fox Theatre through November 16, is more than a love story. It’s a reminder of how deep connection can last, even when memory fades. Based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel, this stage version could have felt predictable. Instead, it’s beautifully done. The direction by Michael Greif and Schele Williams…
A Conversation with a Legend: Lady Bunny Returns to St. Louis with “Bunny Butchers Broadway”
What started as a formal interview with drag legend Lady Bunny quickly turned into a miniature version of Inside The Actor’s Studio between myself and one of the inspirations behind my own drag career. We talked about the craft of creating a show like her new tour, wigs, and the art of keeping our…
Keenelan: A Poetic St. Louis Love Story
Cami Thomas brings her whole self to her artwork, always. She’s a Black queer St. Louisan and her work lives in that intersection. Her latest film, Keenelan, reflects all this and is also a universal story — a meditation on love in all its messy glory, in which anyone can see themselves reflected. After touring…
“What the Heck Is Really Going on in Alton, Illinois?”
In one of my last pieces, “Art in the Age of Disillusionment,” I mentioned “The Exodus from the Machine,” a phrase echoing the idea of The Great Unplugged. It’s a cultural undercurrent pulling Gen X away from the digital noise and back into the arts. And it’s not just them. Young Millennials, Zoomers, and even the emerging Alphas are…
Life of Pi at The Fabulous Fox: A Beautiful Retelling of Trauma, Survival, and Reframed Reality
The curtain has risen on the Fabulous Fox’s season opener Life of Pi, a tour deforce production that does more than just dramatize a shipwreck. It invites the audience into a profound meditation on trauma, memory, and the human capacity to rebuild meaning in the aftermath of disaster. This magical stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s…
Let’s Do the Time Warp Again: Rocky Horror Turns 50!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with St. Louis’s own shadow cast, Erotic Nightmares! 🫦 This fabulously weird and wildly entertaining troupe will be hitting three local theaters for a string of unforgettable performances: Chase Park Plaza Cinema…