Graham, Henson, Zuraitis, and More to Headline NIGHT OF A THOUSAND JUDYS at Joe's Pub

Grammy Award winner Nathan Lee Graham (Titaníque, Zoolander), Tony Award nominee Grey Henson (Mean Girls, Shucked), Grammy Award winner Nicole Zuraitis (2024's “Best Jazz Vocalist”), Antwayn Hopper (A Strange Loop, The Life at Encores!), violinist and vocalist Edmund Bagnell (Well-Strung), Tammy Faye Starlite (Nico: Underground), Tim Hughes (Sweeney Todd, Hadestown), Gabrielle Beckford (original Broadway cast of Once Upon a One More Time), and The Boy Band Project (“Good Morning America”) will headline the 12th annual “Night of a Thousand Judys” – the Pride concert to benefit The Ali Forney Center written and hosted by Justin Elizabeth Sayre – at Joe's Pub on Monday, June 3. The performance is at 7:00 PM, with a VIP post-show reception to follow. 

The Ali Forney Center is the nation's largest agency dedicated to helping LGBTQ homeless youth. Called “a rambunctious, uproarious, unpredictable all-star concert” by The Wall Street Journal, “Night of a Thousand Judys” will honor the iconic Judy Garland with songs from her legendary career as movie star, recording artist and stage performer. The show is directed by Peter James Cook and choreographed by Jason Wise, featuring Jeremy Robin Lyons as the event's music director. “Night of a Thousand Judys” is produced by Dan Fortune and Adam J. Rosen, with Dan Fortune serving as executive producer. The event's poster is illustrated and designed by Daniel Nolen. Kyle Kowalewski and Evan Pouch are featured dancers. Additional guest performers will be announced. Tickets are now available HERE.

Anyone who cannot attend the event can still donate to help The Ali Forney Center HERE.

“Night of a Thousand Judys” will present Mx Justin Vivian Bond – the beloved star of downtown star of stage, screen and letters – with the first annual “Judy Icon Award.” The honor recognizes the recipient's contributions to the LGBTQ+ community and achievement of legendary status, following in the footsteps of the award's namesake, Judy Garland. Sayre says: “I've said this loud and often, but there is no other icon than Justin Vivian Bond. Chanteuse, provocateur, artist, sage, truthteller, style maven, V is the icon of downtown. I adore all that she is and all that she does. Even for me, there will only be one Justin: Justin Vivian Bond.” Bond adds: “As a singer and a homosexuellian identified lady of dubious temperament, I can think of no greater honor than to be the recipient of the first Judy Award! It's as if I were being handed the Gay Medal of Freedom. What a terrific way to kick off our 55th Pride Month celebrations and to honor our Lady of the Rainbow.”

In previous years, “Night of a Thousand Judys” has featured the talents of film and TV names Alan Cumming and Bridget Everett; R&B legends Martha Wash and Sarah Dash; jazz vocalists Madeleine Peyroux, Cyrille Aimée and Jane Monheit; singer/songwriters Nellie McKay, Erin McKeown and Bright Light Bright Light, Broadway divas Lena Hall, Alice Ripley and Tonya Pinkins; leading men Adam Pascal, Telly Leung, and Daniel Reichard, nightlife fixtures Karen Mason, Maude Maggart and Karen Akers; downtown stars Cole Escola and Rizo; and New York personalities Michael Musto and Austin Scarlett, among many others.

The Ali Forney Center is the largest provider protecting LGBTQ+ homeless from the harms of homelessness. Through its 24/7 Drop-In Center, “Ali's Place,” and a network of 13 emergency and transitional housing sites, the Ali Forney Center serves over 2,200 LGBTQ+ young people. As a leader in this space, the Ali Forney Center supports organizations to utilize their expertise to replicate their model of success across the country and around the world. 

“Night of a Thousand Judys” will take place at Joe's Pub on Monday, June 3 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $75 (partial view), $100 (Regular), $150 (Premium) and $175 (VIP). The $150 Premium seats include preferred seating, and a ticket to Ali Forney Center's Summer Oasis Party on July 24. The $175 VIP seats includes premium seating, a ticket to Ali Forney Center's Summer Oasis Party on July 24, and an exclusive post-show reception. The event has a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person. Joe's Pub is located at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street (at Astor Place) New York, NY 10003.

Tickets are available at Joe's Pub HERE.

Justin Elizabeth Sayre (Writer / Host) is a playwright and performer who Michael Musto called, “Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg.” Sayre is a fixture of the downtown cabaret scene in New York, first with their long-running variety show, The Meeting (Bistro Award winner and two MAC nominations). They are currently in residency at Joe's Pub at the Public with their new variety show, “Assorted Fruit.” As a playwright, Sayre's work has appeared at Dixon Place, The Wild Project, Celebration Theatre, Dynasty Typewriter, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre. Their 12-part-epic Ravenswood Manor, a camp-horror-soap-opera, was called “a sharply written and well-acted exemplar of the horror-comedy genre” by The Los Angeles Times. Sayre has written a series of YA novels, Husky, Pretty, and Mean, released by Penguin Books, and From Gay to Z: A Compendium of Queer Culture, just released by Chronicle Books. Sayre has written for television, working with Michael Patrick King on his hit CBS comedy, “2 Broke Girls” and Fox's “The Cool Kids.” Sayre also appeared on HBO's “The Comeback” with Lisa Kudrow. They are an NYCLU artist ambassador and a 2023 MacDowell Fellow. @justinelizabethsayre

Peter James Cook (Director) is a director of plays, cabaret and site-specific performance. His work has been presented at Ars Nova, Joe's Pub, The Brick, the New York International and Philadelphia Fringe Festivals, Stella Adler Studio, Dixon Place, P.S. 122, The Hangar Theatre, and Playhouse on Park. He has directed for companies including Virgin Voyages, Lesser America, The Play Company and Opera Theater of Yale College. Peter is a Drama League directing fellow, and Artistic Associate at Theatre for a New Audience.

Jeremy Robin Lyons (Music Director / Piano) is honored to be a part of Night of a Thousand Judys. Touring: Anastasia (MD/Conductor) and The Sound of Music (Key 1/Asst. Conductor). Off-Broadway: The Mad Ones (Assoc. MD/Assoc. Conductor). International: The Sound of Music Suite (Pianist, world premiere in Salzburg, Austria). Orchestrations: The Songs of Henry Krieger (Lincoln Center, American Songbook); Getting to Know You: The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein (92nd Street Y, Lyrics & Lyricists). Regional: On the Town (Asst. MD/Key 1, Barrington Stage Company/pre-Broadway). Other favorites: Next to Normal, Fiddler on the Roof, The Secret Garden, and 42nd Street. Work in development: The Bad Years; JUNK: A Rock Opera; REPUBLIC. JeremyRobinLyons.com

Jason Wise (Choreographer) Favorite choreographic achievements include Anything Goes with Andrea McArdle and Sally Struthers at Gateway Playhouse and Ogunquit Playhouse, Mamma Mia! at ACT of Connecticut, Bayside: The Saved By The Bell Musical (New York Times “Critics Pick”), Showgirls: The Musical (Out Hotel), Full House: The Musical starring Perez Hilton (Toronto World Premiere and off-Broadway), Cole Escola's Thicker Than Water (Ars Nova), and American Showstoppers: Irving Berlin, where he staged musical numbers for Brent Barrett, Lee Roy Reams, David Elder, and Karen Ziemba. More recently, he developed The Peter Gennaro Project in collaboration with the Manhattan School of Music, skillfully recreating four iconic television numbers by Peter Gennaro, additionally reconstructing Peter Gennaro's ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer' for Debbie Wileman's “We Need A Little Christmas” at Carnegie Hall. Jason has shared his expertise as faculty and/or guest faculty at institutions such as Broadway Dance Center, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, The American Musical & Dramatic Academy, The Joffrey Ballet School, The National Ballet School, Peridance Capezio Center, CAP 21, and Jacob's Pillow, at the invitation of Chet Walker.

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