On Sunday July 21st I finally had the chance to experience “Broadway Brunch” at Hamburger Mary’s (110 West Church Street Orlando, FL). Mark your calendar, every Sunday there were show tunes, drink specials, and an
amazing show with Broadway performances by The Minx, Ginger Minj, and
special guests. Seating at 11:00am with show starting at Noon. If you want to jump start your Sunday, this is the place to do it.
Joshua Eads-Brown, who performed as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, first told me about “Broadway Brunch”. When I arrived, the place was already packed. I asked for a table with a decent view of the stage. My table in Siberia wasn’t ideal, but it didn’t matter since performers circulated around the room. At first an artist named Timothy Thomas, Aka Snaps, was doing a painting of the Brooklyn Bridge live on stage. He was fast. He finished one bridge painting and started another while I waited for my burger.
The show began with Ginger Minj and the Minx warming up the crowd. They asked, “How many gay men are in the house?!” Should I be gay for the day? No, I kept my hands busy on the sketchpad. There was some serious clapping in the audience. They asked, “How many lesbians are in the house?!” One woman clapped. “Lets try that again! How many lesbians are in the house!?” The same woman clapped, but this time a two year old girl started clapping as well. There was plenty of laughter. “I guess it’s true that we know or ‘orientation’ since birth!” “Alright, how many straight people are in the house?!” I was surprised that more than half the audience clapped.
April Fresh danced and lip synced to “Everyone is Beautiful at the Ballet“. The over the top performance was hilarious and endearing. There was a cast of about a dozen performers all singing for the love of music and tips. If you have ever secretly wanted to slip some bills down a mans cleavage, this is your chance. Ginger Minj referred to one actress as “the Face” since she is so expressive. It is true that when she was on stage you had to watch every emotion as it flickered across her face. The whole cast came out in nuns habits and sang “Raise Your Voice!” There were people celebrating birthdays and they were asked to go on stage to share shots of NyQuil and turpentine. Ginger raised her glass and said, “We tried this at a McDonald’s once, but we got arrested in the ball pit”. In closing the show, Ginger said, “Do something special for someone and, if men can look this good, there is no excuse for ugly women!”