Earlier this month, the Gateway Men’s Chorus held its annual major fundraising bash. The May 5 event at Mad Art Gallery featured louche and lovely performances, cocktails and a silent auction. Lovely Lola Van Ella produced and emcee’d. Ken Haller sponsored the VIP reception entertainment, Macspertise brought the dessert reception, and Michael Simon sponsored the…
Long before speaking truth to power became standard operating procedure for those of us on the margins, St. Louisan Mabel Thorpe was doing it with panache. Her first official scrape with the law was in 1913 during a strike by female telephone operators downtown. She was arrested for disobeying and insulting a police officer. Then,…
It’s finally time to hit the Moonrise rooftop, and what better way to kick off St. Louis party season than with a fundraiser for down-on-their-luck doggos? Well, maybe a fundraiser like that but with a drag show. Luckily, that’s just what Stray Rescue has planned for this Sunday Funday afternoon. Spring for Strays takes over…
For the 2018 edition of the Metro Trans Umbrella Group’s annual art show, the group is returning to where the tradition began five years ago: Koken Art Factory in the Fox Park neighborhood. Curator Alex Johnmeyer says that for a suggested donation of $5, guests can catch a stage show featuring variety acts, live music…
Here’s a rare collaboration between two niche communities: In mid-April, The Blue Max leather club and the Show-Me Bears are hosting a Cigar Social at JJ’s Clubhouse & Bar — their first-ever joint event. There will be a 50-50 raffle, with half the pot benefiting the clubs and the other half going to the winner.…
If you have a thing for callus-knuckled rugby players, you’ll be able to cheer on (and maybe check out) more than 70 of them on April 7 in Forest Park. At the Spring Fever tournament — an event organized by International Gay Rugby — five teams will be competing, all with incredible names: the Dallas…
The deeper you venture into Wonderland at 2720 this weekend, the curiouser and curiouser it will feel. The organizers at Xhibition Art (Lola Von Ella, Mimi Le Uke and others) are promising three floors of immersive erotic art experience. The theme: Alice in Wonderland, with a “decidedly adult twist.” All guests are strongly encouraged to…
When St. Louis-born burlesque artist Jeez Loueez staged her first annual variety show here several years ago, she had to recruit performers of color from other cities. There weren’t enough locals. But this Friday, she says, about half the acts in her show, “Jeezy’s Juke Joint,” will be homegrown. With the Saint Boogie Brass Band…
Adria Nicole, 40, is a presence — physical, metaphysical, even olfactory. On a bitterly cold night in January, she welcomes me into her office at the Nebula co-working space off Cherokee Street. Her scent is beguiling. Is that…sandalwood? Frankincense maybe? I don’t ask, not yet. As we wend our way through the building to her…
Charlotte Sumtimes talks, walks and acts like it’s the 1920s. She’s a middle-aged drag queen running St. Louis’ underground jazz scene, rubbing elbows with bootleggers and staying clear of the Klan. She drinks bathtub gin, she curses, she fights, she meanders on cobblestone streets past breweries and brothels. In reality, Charlotte shares a body with…
