A FUN FUNDRAISER FOR THE
GLORY OF GARLAND & GAY RIGHTS
What a night! So very, very varied – even though there was a specific theme. Night of a Thousand Judys is a loving valentine to the legendary Judy Garland, timed for the second night of Pride Month. It’s a program stuffed with examples of the great Garland’s repertoire–a potent potpourri of outstanding songs and outrageous sassiness; frank thought-provoking commentary on the current political climate; info about the beneficiary, The Ali Forney Center serving queer youth; and appearances by the oldest working drag queen (age 92) and not one, but TWO singers named Debbie (Wileman & Gravitte). It was all quite remarkable and rapturously received.
Rose Levine (Guinness World Record holder for “Oldest Performing Drag Queen”)
Debbie Gravitte
Those who attend concerts and cabaret shows featuring material by the major composers and lyricists of the golden years of the Great American Songbook wouldn’t be surprised by a night with a setlist that included two classics written by Irving Berlin, three by Rodgers & Hart, and three featuring Harold Arlen melodies (in this case, numbers with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, E.Y. Harburg, and Ira Gershwin, who was also represented with one of the standards written with his brother George) and more classics. But it’s not every day that those delivering such repertoire include performers who, among them, not only have won a slew of awards (Tony, Obie, Grammy, Emmy, SAG, GLAAD, MAC, Bistro, Noël Coward, Julie Wilson, et al.) but also presented two awards to acknowledge those who made special contributions to the queer community.
Justin Elizabeth Sayre (center) with Kyle Kowalewski and Ross Rosetti
Justin Elizabeth Sayre
Joe’s Pub was packed. After hearing from event producers Dan Fortune and Adam Rosen, we heard a touching true tale told by Alex Roque, President/Executive Director of The Ali Forney Center, allowing for a specific example of how one particular client has been affected. Irrepressible host/writer Justin Elizabeth Sayre–with a trademark mix of pith, pathos, playfulness, pouting, peevishness, politics, and pluck–reflected on personal despair about the 2024 election, the state of the world and endangered gay rights, as well as the lasting legacy of Judy Garland, and other topics. Overcome by emotion, tears were at hand. However, ever the trouper and decidedly droll masterful master of ceremonies, there were swift switches to cheerful cheerleader mode with appreciative but terse introductions of the numerous guests. This is someone who keeps things moving (in both senses of the word). And, as a high-energy, old-school show biz entertainer, Sayre was full of infectious smiles with a set of songs about smiles. It was a spiffy, splashy mash-up of numbers that Garland had performed at various points in her career with two eager-beaver dancers (the terrific Kyle Kowalewski and Ross Rosetti) spinning and twirling and jumping into the festive fun.
Lea DeLaria
Bruce Villanch
Referring back to the songwriters listed in the first paragraph, here are their works that were presented: The first Berlin treat was “Mr. Monotony,” a number planned as part of the 1948 film Easter Parade; the Judy performance ended up on the cutting room floor, but the footage was rescued for the much-later MGM compilation of clips, That’s Entertainment! The unlucky song was also cut from two Broadway musicals, but finally landed on the Great White Way in 1989 in the retrospective Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, performed then by the dazzlingly delightful Debbie Gravitte. Apparently ageless, especially spunky, in a rendition certainly minus any trace of monotony, she charmed with the same number. The other Berlin treat was one that was NOT cut from Easter Parade: “I Love a Piano”; Rose Levine, who is the aforementioned long-in-the-tooth but not short on vitality drag queen, handled it with audience-cheered style.
Alexis Michelle
Marissa Mulder
The renditions of the three Rodgers & Hart songs were particular pleasures. Natasha Yvette Williams delivered about as much sly humor and fun as one could wish with “I Wish I Were in Love Again”; Lea DeLaria took advantage of “You Took Advantage of Me” with its opportunities for parading attitude and wit; and Bruce Vilanch (who actually met and interviewed Judy Garland in his youth) cheekily chose the love song “You’re Nearer” to revamp with his own LOL Pride-appropriate lyric to turn it into “You’re Queerer.” The Arlen melodies were: “Come Rain or Come Shine,” a bravura turn by Alexis Michelle, alumna of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”; Sayre’s game and gutsy “The Man That Got Away”; and the inevitable Garland trademark “Over the Rainbow” sung by the company and the audience.
BETTY (Elizabeth Ziff, Alyson Palmer, and Amy Ziff)
Molly Pope
The full-of-flair female trio BETTY made “The Trolley Song” sparkle with joy. An attentive hush fell upon the room when Molly Pope delivered a dramatic and intimate, personalized take on “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” (and kudos to her for asking viewers intent on filming the festivities to please put down their phones so that everyone could really share being in the moment together in real time). The always welcome Marissa Mulder found the apt combination of sorrow and putting up a brave front for “By Myself.” Impressionist Debbie Wileman deftly channeled the sound and stance of the icon being celebrated, choosing “If He Walked Into My Life” from the score of Mame, a musical that Judy Garland had hoped to star in.
Debbie Wileman
Drew Wutke, music director
And what an impressive band! Music director was Drew Wutke (pianist), and the other musicians were Erica von Kleist (reeds); Sean Murphy (bass); Brett Every (guitar); and Paige Durr (drums). The presentation was directed by Peter James Cook and choreographed by Jason Wise.
Nathan Lee Graham
Justin Elizabeth Sayre, Jeremy Katz, and Lea DeLaria
Receiving the second annual “Judy Icon Award” (the first at last year’s concert, reviewed here, went to Mx Justin Vivian Bond), Nathan Lee Graham protested at some length about not being in full healthy voice, but soldiered on with a creditable handling of the Gershwins’ “A Foggy Day (in London Town),” even if his sound was foggier than he’d like. (He quipped that he sounded like Marlene Dietrich.) Talent manager and producer Jeremy Katz accepted the first “Good Judy” Award with good spirits. The introduction was made by the acerbic Lea DeLaria, a client and pal, whose irreverent and tongue-in-cheek comments were peppered with so many uses of the F-bomb that this feat might qualify for inclusion in The Guinness Book of World Records along with the concert’s most senior participant, Rose Levine, record holder for “Oldest Performing Drag Queen.”
But ‘twas all in good fun, and the proceeds are for a very special cause to which you can still make donations.
NaTasha Yvette Williams
The cast of Night of a Thousand Judys
photos by Austin Ruffer
artwork illustrated by Patricia Bolaños with poster design by Daniel Nolen
13th Annual Night of a Thousand Judys
benefitting The Ali Forney Center for homeless and at-risk queer youth
produced by Dan Fortune and Adam J. Rosen
Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street (at Astor Place)
reviewed on June 2, 2025
Alex Roque, President and Executive Director of The Ali Forney Center
Adam J. Rosen, co-producer
