Chuck Squier's latest original work, Gaylord's Last Happy Hour at the Gilded Cage, premieres at Jump-Start Performance Co. this weekend.
Squier originally created Gaylord Kaiser — "an aging drag queen with all that entails" — as part of Jump-Start's 8x8 performance series, in which participants stage eight-minute performances inside of an eight-foot cube. Gaylord and his drag persona Dina Simone took on a life of their own, and Squier soon expanded his material into a full-length production.
Forced to face the reality of "Growing Old While Gay" by an "alcohol-related mishap," Gaylord decides to retire Dina and begin take the stage as himself instead. Behind the scenes, while Gaylord soaks up the spotlight, Johnny — Gaylord's ex-lover, makeup-artist, pianist and bar-owner — and barback Petey, a shy Jersey girl, keep the Gilded Cage running smoothly.
Yet, as it turns out, Petey is secretly quite the songstress, and Gaylord takes her under his wing, becoming her self-appointed "Drag Momma" and pulling her out of her shell in what is essentially a gayer version of A Star Is Born.
Gaylord's Last Happy Hour at the Gilded Cage stars Squier in the titular role with Russell Jackson as Johnny and Kimberlyn Montford as Petey.
$10-12, 8pm Fri May 31 & Sat Jun 1, 3pm Sun June 2 through June 9, Jump-Start Performance Co., 710 Fredericksburg Rd., (210) 227-5867, jump-start.org.
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