THURSDAY
Failure Pride: Idols
Thursday, June 20 at Club Cumming, 8 pm: $10
Queer culture is full of idols: pop icons like Madonna and Lady Gaga, classic stars of the stage like Barbra, drag queens of all sorts, activists like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, the list goes on. Plus, we needn’t forget American Idol, which must at least count for something here. Tonight, the recurring performance series Failure: A Queer Workshop, hosted by Ragamuffin, La Llorona, and Le Petit Dumdum, will present a conversation on idols in all their forms, featuring guest performers Cher Noble, Lu Reyes, Agave Lamour, and Jojo Soul.
FRIDAY
Kweendom
Friday, June 21 at Pete’s Candy Store, 7 pm: FREE (donations will be collected for Immigration Equality)
It’s fun to spend a Friday night sitting in the back room of a bar, listening to seasoned performers tell jokes and comedic stories. But what if that night was also super gay and included free BBQ? Look no further—Bobby Hankinson’s monthly queer comedy show Kweendom is here for you. This Friday’s show is bigger than usual in honor of Pride, featuring not only comedy and storytelling by Jay Jurden, Zach Teague, Kenny Hahn, and Dori Dimplez, but also live music and a hefty handful of drag performances. And yes, there will be free BBQ too, with options to satisfy both meat and veggie-eaters alike.
SATURDAY
Who Made the Potato Salad Queer Takeover
Saturday, June 22 at SVA Theater, 8 pm: $25 advance, $30 doors
Who Made the Potato Salad is certainly not your average comedy show, and I mean this in the best way possible. Created by performer Xochitl Mayo, it’s a sketch comedy show created in 24 hours by a team of only people of color, and it’s performed in a party setting, complete with drinks, DJ sets, and cookout-style food. In honor of Pride month, they’re handing the reigns to a cast of queer people of color (plus two “token whites”) and taking over the SVA Theater for a comedic night to remember.
SUNDAY
Tasteful Nudes
June 21-23 and 30 at Lucas Lucas, 2 pm (June 21 show at 7 pm): $10
“Tasteful nudes” is a phrase usually reserved for fine art paintings, not unclothed mirror selfies, though I support the phrase being used for both if it seems applicable. But in this case, it refers to a new theatrical comedy art experience by Emma Rogers, Harry Beer, and director Sofia Dobrushin. While typically artists are portrayed as male and muses as female, this time the roles are scrambled, with Rogers as Artist and Beer as Muse. The show will allegedly have “all the trappings of an art opening,” including original art to look at, but turns this strange wine-filled scene into something much weirder and (at least purposefully) funnier than any reception you’ve been to before.