THE MEETING Hosted by Justin Sayre Will Be Live Streamed

After being postponed at Joe's Pub due to the unforeseen pandemic, Justin Sayre brings his wild and witty comedy variety show The Meeting* to Livestream on March 22 at 8:00 PM EST. The Virtual show will be filmed in Julian Fleisher's "Gay-sement," a fully working stage and salon room in his home in Bovina Center, New York. The Meeting will feature, Sayre, actor/singer Julian Fleisher and singer/songwriter Terry Radigan. The show will be aired on Youtube Live (https://youtu.be/BWYPFlFjFLU) and a suggested donation of $20 dollars can be paid via Venmo to @Justin-Sayre.

"The show has always been about community," says Sayre, "and right now, my community is all locked up in their homes. Scared and uncertain, so if that means I can tell a couple jokes and sing a couple songs in the basement to lighten the burden, I'm more than happy to do it." The show will feature all the regular hallmarks of The Meeting, plus the talents of Julian Fleisher and Terry Radigan. Fleisher who has a theatre set up in the basement of his home, was happy to host the event. "This house has always been about bringing together artists and friends. This seems like exactly the right thing to do at this moment. I couldn't be happier."

The Meeting* has been called "delicious and delightfully droll" by The New York Post and "hilarious and sardonic" by The Village Voice. Slate.com called the evening "so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight." Originally opening at the historic Duplex in the West Village, The Meeting* also enjoyed successful runs at Feinstein's/54 Below in New York, the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles, and Oasis in San Francisco. Known for a signature blend of outrageous comedy, politics, culture and everything in between - were named among the Top nightclub shows by Time Out New York, and received the Bistro Award for "Comedy Artistry" and a MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance. Each month, the I.O.S gathers to honor an artist or a cultural work that is iconic to the gay community. Justin Sayre, the show's creator, writer and host, serves as the Chairman of the Board of the I.O.S. and brings his singular wit to essential business of the day through such regular features such as "Letters to the Chairman" and "New Rulings from the Board."

Justin Sayre, praised for his "deeply passionate soul and acerbic wit" by The New York Times, is a writer and performer who Michael Musto called, "Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg." He was hailed as one the "Funniest People in Brooklyn" by Brooklyn Magazine and among "LA's 16 Most Talented LGBT Comics" by Frontiers Magazine. Mean, the third in his trilogy of young adult novels from Penguin Books, was released in 2019. Sayre's works for the theatre has been seen at LaMaMa, The Wild Project, Ars Nova, and more. Sayre's Ravenswood Manor was recently produced at LA's Celebration Theater and hailed as "a sharply written and well-acted exemplar of the horror-comedy genre" by The Los Angeles Times. Sayre also writes for television, working with Michael Patrick King on his hit CBS comedy "2 Broke Girls" and for Fox's "The Cool Kids." Sayre also appeared on HBO's "The Comeback" with Lisa Kudrow.

Julian Fleisher is a restless creative spirit: a singer, writer, composer, producer and performer living in New York. Originally from Baltimore, he sings in nightclubs and concert halls across the country with his Rather Big Band and has performed with the likes of Jennifer Holliday, Ana Gasteyer, Martha Plimpton, Molly Ringwald, Michael Feinstein, Justin Vivian Bond, Mo Rocca, Kenny Mellman and Diana Krall. Recordings he's produced include his own Rather Big and Finally, Ana Gasteyer's I'm Hip and Sugar & Booze, and both CDs by the legendary Kiki & Herb. He composed the music for John Cariani's Almost, Maine, the most produced play in America. As an actor he was seen Off Broadway as The Cat in the world premiere of Stephin Merrit's Coraline at MCC and as George Davis in Gabe Kahane's February House at The Public Theater. Julian is the author of The Drag Queens of New York: An Illustrated Field Guide (Riverhead), the host of WNYC Studios' "The Naked American Songbook" as well as 44 Charlton, a monthly variety show performed live at WNYC's Jerome L. Greene Space. As the website Culture Craver put it, "Julian Fleisher is one of New York's treasured talents." More at julianfleisher.com and as @JulianFlei on Twitter and Instagram.

The Meeting* monthly events have featured popular guest stars such as Lea DeLaria, Tituss Burgess, Marilyn Maye, Tonya Pinkins, Bridget Everett, Cole Escola, Robin Byrd, Joe Iconis, Frank DeCaro, Lance Horne, Lady Rizo, Kenny Mellman, Murray Hill, Jeffery Self, and more. According to Time Out New York, "The Meeting* has become a cult hit among a young, festive and culturally aware crowd. Sayre is an avatar of modern-retro cultivation." Edge New York said: "Comedian, raconteur, performing artist, gay rights activist and sexual outlaw: I'm not sure Justin Sayre is classifiable. The veteran performer is on his way to becoming a Downtown Manhattan institution along the lines of Charles Ludlum or Charles Busch."

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre will be presented on Youtube Live on March 22 at 8:00 PM EST (https://youtu.be/BWYPFlFjFLU) with a suggested donation of $20 to @Justin-Sayre via Venmo.

Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff

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