Greater than a half-century after her dying, Judy Garland continues to be regarded by many as the last word queer icon ― the various causes for which is able to little question proceed to be analyzed by followers and popular culture historians for years to come back.
New Yorkers will get an opportunity to kick off LGBTQ+ Satisfaction Month with songs from Garland’s catalog subsequent week when “Night of a Thousand Judys” returns to the Manhattan stage as soon as once more.
Now in its twelfth 12 months, the one-night-only live performance on June 3 will happen at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater and have performances from a bunch of stage and display screen abilities, together with Nathan Lee Graham, Gray Henson, Natalie Pleasure Johnson and Nicole Zuraitis.
MGM Studios by way of Getty Photographs
As in earlier years, 2024’s “Night of a Thousand Judys” will likely be hosted by writer-performer Justin Elizabeth Sayre, whose TV credit embrace “2 Broke Girls” and “The Cool Kids.” Proceeds from the present will profit the Ali Forney Heart, a New York-based advocacy group for homeless LGBTQ+ youth.
This 12 months, queer cabaret legend Justin Vivian Bond will likely be readily available to simply accept the inaugural Judy Icon Award, which honors performers who, like Garland, “exemplifies what it means to be a true gay icon.”
Sayre gave HuffPost a sneak peek at what to anticipate from “Night of a Thousand Judys” by sharing a video of Tony-winning actor and singer Lauren Patten performing a chilling model of “The Man that Got Away” from 1954’s “A Star Is Born” ultimately 12 months’s present.
Take a look at “The Man That Got Away” beneath.
“Judy Garland always made an impact,” Sayre, who makes use of they/them pronouns, instructed HuffPost in an interview. “She gave you her all. She gave you her heart and her talent. She inspired.”
They went on to notice: “It was a powerful transference of emotion and truth that still inspires people like me to talk about her as we do. I want the people coming to ‘Night of a Thousand Judys’ to have an experience like that. And I know they will.”
To fashionable audiences, Garland stays greatest identified for her portrayal of Dorothy Gale within the 1939 traditional “The Wizard of Oz.” That breakout function led to a streak of indelible performances in movies like 1944’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” and 1950’s “Summer Stock.”
Bettmann by way of Getty Photographs
By her late 30s, Garland had additionally established herself as an exhilarating live performance act, most notably in 1961 when she carried out at New York’s Carnegie Corridor. The latter years of her life, nevertheless, have been publicly outlined by her experiences with drug and alcohol abuse. In 1969, she died of an unintentional drug overdose in London at age 47.
Sayre says they’ve come to view Garland’s life not as a tragic story however, reasonably, a reminder that “how we care for each other [and] how we are present for each other matters” ― which is why they’re blissful to host “Night of a Thousand Judys” annually.
“As someone who loves Garland and someone who loves live performance, it’s always a thrill,” they famous. “Judy said, ‘There’s no place like home,’ and everywhere we want to make that statement true for more LGBTQ kids all over this city.”
“Night of a Thousand Judys” performs Joe’s Pub on the Public Theater in New York June 3. For extra info on the right way to assist the Ali Forney Heart, head right here.
