Broadway Babes At The Historic Cheyenne Saloon

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On December 12th of 2012, there was a one night Broadway Babes extravaganza at the Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House, 128 West Church Street, Orlando FL. Joshua Eads-Brown, AKA, Ginger Ming, was the hostess along with The Minx.  They began the evening in lusty red can-can girl outfits. For this one night only the old otherwise abandoned saloon sprang to life.

Rainbow banners were hung with pride. The saloon is an absolute gem. It is a shame it hasn’t found a new owner yet. There was a small army of talented performers that night. I was seated on the second level near the stairs down to the main floor. Many numbers began at the top of the stairs, so at times I was blinded by the spotlight. Jimmy Rossi helped throw together the incredible talent in the show. Heather Barbor gave a particularly campy performance. Many performers came from Hamburger Mary’s (110 West Church Street Orlando, FL) next door, where Broadway Brunch happens every Sunday at Noon.

The show tunes were followed by a dance party with Cap’n Kirk Hartlage spinning the tunes. I slipped out as the dancing heated up.

Broadway Brunch

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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!”

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

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Jeremy Seghers invited me to sketch the dress rehearsal for Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Abbey. I was excited because Joshua Eads-Brown who plays Hedwig had agreed to let me sketch as he put on his make up. When I entered the Abbey, a rock band was warming up on stage. I didn’t know where the dressing room was but, I assumed it had to be back stage. When I tentatively peaked around the back curtain, I practically ran into Joshua who was wearing a knit cap over his hair and not much else. His whole body seemed to be covered with a white dust. The stage manager took me back to the dressing room.

Janine Klein who plays Yitzhak was working on getting her hair tied up. She was dressed as a man. The dressing room was cramped. I stood right behind Janine as I sketched Joshua’s metamorphosis from a man to a woman. He had a bright pink zebra patterned makeup case and open pans of color were scattered on the counter before him. The face makeup was applied thickly. He darkened under his jaw line and boldly accentuated his cheeks with Alizarin Crimson. He put crimson and blue around his eyes then bright red lips outlined in black. His lips and eyes sparkled. The fingers of white gloves draped over the counter’s edge. Janine was getting into a leather jacket and Joshua delicately used an eyeliner brush to give her a mustache and goatee. She became handsome and rugged while he became gorgeous. Large fake eyelashes, the wig and a red white and blue gown finished the transformation. She slipped on the star shaped sun glasses and went on stage.

The dress rehearsal was delayed because a guitar player hadn’t arrived yet. I used the time to block in a second sketch. Hedwig came out wearing a large red white and blue cape. He raised his arms and on the inside of the cape, the words, “Yankee Go Home”, “With Me!” was emblazoned.

The show is staged as Hedwig’s musical act in which he tells his life’s story. He was born in the divided city of East Berlin. A U.S. Soldier falls in love with Hedwig. To get out of East Berlin, a sex change was needed. As he put it, “You must give up part of yourself for love.” The operation is botched leaving an “Angry Inch.” The soldier leaves Hedwig after a year for a man. Recovering from separation she form a rock band called, “The Angry Inch”. She meets Tommy Speck and they write music together. Tommy never accepted Hedwig and he leaves her taking all the songs becoming a very successful pop star.

Yitzhak was a cross dresser. Hedwig insisted he must never again wear woman’s clothes if they were to be together. He would have to give up that part of himself. All her life Hedwig searched for her other half. She couldn’t find anyone who could make her whole. The revelation is that she needed to accept herself. Once she did that she was whole again. We can’t fall back on others to complete ourselves. In the final scene Yitzak came out on stage dressed in a gorgeous black gown with a slit reveling her left leg. She was resplendent and whole. The audience went wild.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is being performed at the Abbey through January 23rd. Check the website for dates and times. This musical will blow your socks off!