Gaiety Theatre, New York (Male Burlesque)

The Gaiety Theatre was a gay male burlesque theater in Times Square, New York City for almost 30 years until it closed on March 17 2005. The name on the awning over the entrance was Gaiety Theatre, but it was also called the Gaiety Male Burlesque or the Gaiety Male Theatre in advertisements. Located at 201 W 46th Street, New York, NY 10036, on the second floor of what was the last Howard Johnson's restaurant in New York City, it opened in 1976 and closed in 2005 and was owned by Denise Rozis.

The building has been demolished but was owned by the Kenneth Rubinstein family (RUBINSTEIN KLEIN REALTY) for many years until it was sold to Jeff Sutton's Wharton Acquisitions. The restaurant closed later at midnight of July 8 2005, after being open for 46 years.

Note that this was not the same Gaiety Theatre that was across 46th Street at 1547 Broadway, which did house burlesque for a time during its long history (1908-82). That Gaiety is probably best remembered as the Victoria cinema, but its final name was Embassy 5, before the building was demolished. [http://cinematreasures.org/theater/9809/ Cinema Treasures entry on the Gaiety]

A New York Times article published on April 24 2005 about the closing of the Gaiety referred to "...the lore that set the Gaiety apart from other clubs: the mainstream attention it attracted after photos of Madonna and some of the club's dancers were included in her 1992 book, "Sex"; the cachet of visitors like John Waters, Andy Warhol and Shirley MacLaine; and the club's unrivaled ability to survive, despite the strict zoning laws instituted during the Giuliani administration, thanks to a location just outside a restricted area."

Blogger Andy Towle said: “The Gaiety opened its doors on a winter night in 1976 and consistently attracted an interesting mix of young hustlers, businessmen, tourists, and celebrities on the DL to its pleasantly dingy, boxy room with its small stage and sparkling curtain.”

The Gaiety survived Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's intense drive to close adult related venues in the mid 1990s. Heavy security was instituted and no sexual activities of any kind were permitted in the theatre.

The Gaiety in Art

Patrick Angus (1953-1992), a late 20th century American painter, created a number of oil or acrylic paintings of the interior of the Gaiety and some of its dancers and customers in the 1980s. Some of the those titles are: Grand Finale (1985), The Apollo Room I (1986), Remember the Promise You Made (1986), Slave to the Rhythm (1986), All The Love in the World (1987), Hanky Panky (1991) ["Strip Show: Paintings by Patrick Angus", introduced by Douglas Blair Turnbaugh. London: Editions Aubrey Walter, 1992. ISBN 978-0854491728] [ [http://www.leslielohman.org/ArtistsPages/angus.htm The Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation entry on Patrick Angus] ]

Notable visitors and dancers at the Gaiety

Madonna's famous 1992 coffee table book Sex ["Sex", by Madonna, Meisel (Photos), O'Brien (editor), Warner Books, 1992 ISBN 978-0446517324] contained many pictures taken in the Gaiety and of the Gaiety dancers. In fact there were pictures from that photo shoot posted on the wall in the theater's Apollo lounge for years. After the book came out, the Gaiety became chic and many dancers and patrons were not entirely happy with the visitors that resulted. Her sexually themed music video Erotica (1992) was also at least partially shot there.

Joey Stefano danced at the Gaiety in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was one of the more famous Gaiety dancers (and porn stars), having been featured in Madonna's Sex book in 1992, as well as having a biography written about him by Charles Isherwood, "Wonder Bread and Ecstasy", that touches on his life as an erotic dancer at the Gaiety. ["Wonder Bread and Ecstasy: The Life and Death of Joey Stefano", by Charles Isherwood, Alyson Publications, 1996, ISBN 978-1555833831 (paperback)]

Some of the porn stars that have danced at the Gaiety: Will Clark, Billy Brandt, Chris Williams, Christian Fox, Gianfranco, Carlos Morales, Rod Barry, Jason Adonis, Tristan Adonis, Hunter James, Mark Dalton.

Other celebrities that have visited the Gaiety: RuPaul, Robin Byrd, Andy Warhol, John Waters, Divine, and Shirley MacLaine.

External links

* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GaietyNYC Yahoo Group #1 on the Gaiety]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gaietymen Yahoo Group #2 on the Gaiety]
* [http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/bestof/2001/detail.php?id=2773 Village Voice's Best of 2001: Gaiety Theatre]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/nyregion/thecity/24gaie.html NY Times article on the closing]
* [http://www.nyblade.com/2005/4-1/news/localnews/closes.cfm NY Blade article on the closing]
* [http://www.libidomag.com/nakedbrunch/archive/gayvue05.html The Rudyized Gaiety]
* [http://towleroad.typepad.com/towleroad/2005/03/the_end_of_an_e.html The End of an Era in Times Square]
* [http://www.unzipped.net/features/0209/U0209_fleshdance.asp Don't Touch the Merchandise]
* [http://cinematreasures.org/theater/9809/ Cinema Treasures website listing for the Gaiety]

References