Jackie Hoffman, Daisy Eagan, & More Join 'Night of a Thousand Judys,' 6/13

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, called "a riotously funny and campy variety show" by Next Magazine, and "a rollicking, wry affair complete with funny political commentary on current events" by Gay City News, will present their second annual Pride benefit for The Ali Forney Center at Joe's Pub on Monday, June 13 at 7:00 PM. "Night of A Thousand Judys" - which will honor the legendary singer and actress with special skits, tributes and songs from her storied career - will be directed by Ben Rimalower (Project: Lohan, Leslie Kritzer Is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches). The acclaimed monthly comedy/variety show is a gay romp through politics - sexual and otherwise - social news, music, skits, and other important life-changing information. Justin Sayre and The Meeting* were nominated for a 2011 MAC Award for Best Male Comedy Performance.

The show will feature appearances by Jackie Hoffman (The Addams Family, Hairspray), Paul Iacono (MTV's "The Hard Times of RJ Berger," Fame), Daisy Eagan (The Secret Garden), Cole Escola (Logo TV's "Jeffery & Cole
Casserole"), Gay Marshall (Jacques Brel Is Alive...), Ryan O'Connor ("Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star"), Emily Bergl ("Desperate Housewives," "Men In Trees"), Natalie Joy Johnson (Legally Blonde, But I'm A Cheerleader), Randy Rainbow "("Randy Rainbow is Dating Mel Gibson") , Lady Rizo (Grammy winning singer and chanteuse), Jeff Hiller (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, "30 Rock"), Erin Markey (Puppy Love: A Stripper's Tail at PS 122), Kim Smith (Bistro Award for "Outstanding Performer on the Rise") and Summer & Eve (the folk-musical comedy band featuring Nadia Quinn of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

Justin commented, "Every month at The Meeting* we pay homage to a gay icon;
we have done everyone from Bette Davis to Miss Piggy. This year we are
starting a new tradition, and honor perhaps the greatest gay icon of all
time. Judy Garland was born on June 10, and her death at age 47 on June 22,
1969 was said to have been a contributing factor to the Stonewall riots. She
loved her gay fans, and they have worshiped her for decades. For the month
of gay pride, we could not think of a better fit. Night of A Thousand Judys
will celebrate all things Garland and let everyone, performers and audience
members alike, find a little Judy magic."

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre operates under the myth of the "gay
agenda" and is structured as any organizational meeting for homosexuals
would be - business of the day, upcoming events and social issues are
discussed, ridiculed, and interwoven between comedy sketches, musical
numbers, and other "homo-hijinks." In addition to writing the show, Justin
serves as the Chairman of the I.O.S., The International Order of Sodomites,
the centuries-old secret organization of homosexuals and their friends. Past
"agenda items" have addressed current issues such as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
in "Serving In Silence: The Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Story," the
continuing romantic saga of gay penguins at the San Francisco Zoo, and a
guide to the so-called "Gay Panic" defense. The monthly events have featured
popular guest stars such as Frank DeCaro, Murray Hill, Jeffery Self and Cole
Escola, Molly Pope, Bridget Everett, Poor Baby Bree and more.

The Ali Forney Center is the nation's largest and most comprehensive
organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. AFC's goal is to provide
homeless LGBT youths, aged 16-24, with the support and services they need to
escape the streets and begin to live healthy and independent lives. For more
information on The Ali Forney Center, visit www.aliforneycenter.org

"The work that the Ali Forney Center is crucial to young LGBT people in New
York," says Justin. "It enables them to thrive and grow in a healthy and
warm environment, where they are celebrated for their identity rather than
chastised for it. Life may have dealt you a raw hand, but there are people
out there to help you through it. In her film roles and in her personal
life, Judy Garland embodied an innocence and a resilience that still thrills
young and old alike. She had tragedy in her life and yet she continued to
give herself to a public that adored her. If Judy Garland was the comeback
kid, The Ali Forney Center is the comeback place. I can't imagine a better
combination."

Justin Sayre demonstrated a supernatural instinct for "camp" at an early
age. A child of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, Justin moved to New York believing
it was still 1947. He was terribly misinformed. As an actor, he has worked
and studied with some of the finest professionals in New York. As a gay,
Justin has excelled at scarf placement, Judy hands, and a healthy but firm
love of the American musical. He has also performed at Comix, Symphony
Space, as part of Joe's Pub's popular monthly series "Our Hit Parade" and,
most recently, at the Leslie/Lohman Gallery for their Tennessee Williams
100th Birthday Celebration, curated by illustrator Robert W. Richards.
Justin contributed a story about Justin Bond for Radical Faerie Digest - one
of the oldest gay publications in the country - and is currently developing
The Accused May Be Seated, his new play about Marie Antoinette.

Yale University presented a sold-out special edition of The Meeting* last
month as part of their Pride Month. The Meeting* will have a special edition
in the Fire Island Pines this summer and returns to its regular monthly spot
at The Duplex in September. Justin's official monthly podcast of The
Meeting*, co-hosted by I.O.S. Secretary and MAC Award-winner performer Matt
Sigl, is available at www.themeetingpodcast.blogspot.com.

"If you fancy yourself a smart, funny homosexual, you simply have to attend
The Meeting*", according to Frank DeCaro of Sirius XM Radio, "But while
you're sitting there sipping a Brandy Alexander, don't imagine yourself to
be smarter, funnier or gayer than host Justin Sayre because you're not. He's
as sharp as they come, hilarious as all get out and even Oscar Wilde would
have told him to butch it up - which makes this fearless leader of the
I.O.S. a most commanding presence on stage."

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre will have a special presentation of
Night of A Thousand Judys at Joe's Pub, located at 425 Lafayette, New York,
NY 10003, on Monday, June 13 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $25. For tickets,
please call (212) 967-7555 or visit JoesPub.com. The Meeting* hosted by
Justin Sayre is produced by Adam J. Rosen and Dan Fortune.

 

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