The Grove Gang
By Bruce-Michael Gelbert and Susan Freedner

Bruce-Michael Musings

From her post at the grill, Chef Wendy Lewis, fresh from knee surgery, presided over Bring Your Own Meat, the weekly Wednesday community dinner at the Grove Hotel. To mark her convalescence, Mistress Sharon informed us, hotelier Isaac Steven Vaughan made comfort food the theme, so we had chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes, and Jell-O with the meat that we brought. Joe and I sat with Jan Felshin and Edrie Ferdun. The three of them discussed matters Pennsylvanian and we exchanged Bush jokes. Former Arts Project of Cherry Grove President Wendy also serves as dock mistress, as Cherry Grove Community Association treasurer and, through July 2, as stage manager for Island Rep’s zany, strongly cast “Beyond Therapy,” by Christopher Durang, at the Tides. Also recuperating from knee surgery are Lois Fisher and Community House “custodial goddess” Luisa Verde. Best wishes for speedy recovery to all!

Two Saturdays ago, Homecoming Queen Coco Love celebrated the start of her reign by hosting High Tea at the Tides. Glittering beside her was HQ 2004 Donna Piranha. A week later, Donna, in scarlet, was hostess for her own Tides tea. The day after Coco’s tea found former HQs Charity and Ariel Sinclair, in full regalia, enjoying versatile singer Porsche’s knock-‘em-dead show at Sunsets. In fine voice, Porsche dazzled with her tragic heroines Judy Garland (“The Man That Got Away”), Billie Holiday (“Them There Eyes”) and, of course, Janis Joplin (“Piece of My Heart”).

Singing Waiters

On Friday evenings, Island Breeze, decked out in rainbow cloth for LGBT Pride, presents its Singing Waiters, assisted at the keyboard by Jack Aaronson, who will be Music Director for Sal Piro’s “Panzi and Philomena Meet Frankenstein” for APCG during Labor Day weekend. I heard Matt sing “And They’re Off,” from “A New Brain,” and “Seasons of Love,” from “Rent,” and Duke gave “My Funny Valentine” his best shot. Customers are also invited to the mic and I contributed “Impossible Dream” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” I encountered Jack and Matt again a bit later, handling clothes check at the Tides at the season’s first Funderwear, the popular underwear party, coordinated by co-manager Randy Baker. With visiting Pines boys and Grove leathermen in attendance, the sizable group was zesty, diverse, and good-looking. Doors open at 11 p.m. and the cover charge is $5.

Henry Sterling told Grove Gang that his Memorial Day weekend deck sale raised $3,833 and Pierre Galarneau and Frank Santoro said they took in close to $7,000 at their cocktail party for the doctor’s fund.

On Sunday, the Imperial Court of New York held its annual Drag Tag Sale at the hotel, netting ICNY $2,800, and le tout Cherry Grove turned out in search of finery for July 4’s Invasion of the Pines “and beyond!” Sizing up a dress, Tony Bondi cried, “I’m like a 14, this is a 10,” to which Cobra retorted, “You haven’t been a 10 since you were born!” “When my mother gave birth to me, I was an 8!” Tony parried. Former Empresses Ran-Dee and Gianna donated gowns and “items from Marge [Cozzolino]’s [late] beloved Saja Lee,” said Panzi Hansen, who co-chaired the sale with Billie Ann Miller, Wendy and Emperor Fantasia. Ariel, another donor, commented, “Nice to see your old drags become someone else’s new drag.”

Correction: Nicole Pressly Wolf took the photo of Porsche, which accompanied my PAWS benefit review in the last News. Joseph R. Saporito took the one of Panzi, Bella and Philomena, as Panzi led “Happy Birthday” to Bella, incorporating the rudest lyrics. Dr. Jerry Stagg told The News that, despite the announcement from the stage, singer John DeMarco had a node on a vocal cord shaved down, not removed.

Sooz Sez

Additional info regarding the ICNY Drag Tag Sale as related in person on the ferry to Sayville last Sunday and by email on Monday morning… thanxvm Panz…

Special thanks to the Ice Palace for providing their space and Kevin, and his lover, are both very much appreciated for setting everything up… the Ice Palace was great…

Billie Ann, Rose Levine, the boys from Les Boys, Joyce Rogers, the late Dixie, and other notables from NYC donated additional items for sale.

Kudos, huzzah, brava… to Sharon and Angela Mercy as volunteers extraordinaire... Personal Sales Person Angela Mercy assisted in dressing many while telling them how fab they looked… most of those people made purchases… hmmm? Sharon worked the couture floor and did an amazing sales job which produced an extraordinary amount of money…

… the best of the worker bees, Demi-Tasse doing wigs and selling outrageous hairstyles… right off the (wig) block…

Others to be thanked include Bill Patterson, Rich Parisi, Joe Gioa, Pupee, and Craig Hollywood…

I am a cultural dichotomy, a lesbian who loves artistic as well as sports events. Last weekend my identical twin Ruth and I spent many hours at Eastwinds watching World Cup soccer, U. S. Open golf and New York Mets baseball… told friends she had to leave home two separate times to escape the obsessive remote control… Ruth and I are looking forward to attending Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball on a mini-package plan, beginning with opening night against the Staten Island Yankees on Tuesday, June 20, and then Cathy will hopefully join us at the Women’s Match Play Golf Tournament on opening day, Thursday, July 6. With or without my VSO or twin I regularly attend theater/dance/performance at Lincoln Center, City Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music as well as Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway venues and therefore I feel qualified to critique the most recent offerings at the Community House, under the auspices of the APCG on Sat., June 10, and June 17 as equal to or surpassing the talent and performance level of many of those considerably higher cost presentations on the mainland.

This was my first time attending Songs for Solo Dance and Voice, presented by the APCG at the CH on Sat. June 10, although it was their third consecutive year I am now hoping it will be an annual event as I will look forward to their next performance. I was greatly impressed by the technical and artistic expertise of Amy Pivar, dance/choreography, Elaine Valby, voice/piano and Paula M. Kimper, guitar/composition with a very special appreciation for Cherry Grove’s own Edrie Ferdun for an excellent self-choreographed dance. The audience was as enthralled as I and loudly cheered each of the numbers presented. Next time I will take more care in choosing my seat as I sat behind an empty chair with a masculine appearing jacket draped over the back and until this year’s Homecoming Queen Coco Love was presented I did not know I would be sitting directly behind her very big hair.

Ocean Aires by Eight

Last weekend I attended Ocean Aires, presented by the APCG at the CH on Sat., June 17 having previously attended nearly every prior yearly performance. This year the sub-head was Eight at Eight… eight performers, eight composers, eight selections, but only one Philomena… at 8 p.m. There was a wine and cheese reception at 7 p.m., which continued at intermission. There truly is only one Philomena and we are very fortunate to have her host or co-host many Grove events. Ocean Aires has become her personal platform for delivering classical music witticisms in a truly unique and clever manner. As she quite humorously pointed out the concert almost started at eight, there were nine composers, ten performers and yes, one Philomena.