San Francisco's legendary, genderbending theatrical troupe, The Cockettes, are bringing their bawdy, colorful, cabaret show to Joe's Pub celebrating the music of original Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn.

In 1969, The Cockettes debuted at the Palace Theater in San Francisco with their midnight sensation, the Nocturnal Dream Show starring a genderbending, glitter-encrusted, drug-induced theater troupe who took drag and old Hollywood musicals and turned them inside out and upside down, attracting the attention of the American underground culture

The Cockettes’ sprawling, kaleidoscopic pantheon of colorful personalities included icons including Hibiscus and Sylvester and was often augmented by special guests, most notably drag superstars Divine and Mink Stole. The Cockettes were ahead of their time, especially in accepting gender fluidity and glittered beards, and they changed the face of drag forever.

Although the Cockettes disbanded in 1972, its many members kept the group’s spirit alive; in 2009, a theater troupe called the Thrillpeddlers helmed by Russell Blackwood revived a legendary Cockettes show called Pearls Over Shanghai to much acclaim and a long 22-month run.

Playing on the interest already garnered by David Weissman & Bill Weber’s The Cockettes documentary released in 2002, interest in this troupe was reawakened and entertained an entirely new & appreciative audience.

Over the next decade, The Thrillpeddlers continued recreating Cockette shows under the watchful eye of the original songwriter and Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn.

In 2020, they celebrated their golden anniversary with an epic, sold-out event featuring many of their classic numbers and a special appearance by cult film icon John Waters at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco.

Producer Dan Karkoska, Assistant Director Birdie Bob Watt, and Scrumbly Koldewyn continue to spread the word about the Cockettes and are excited to return to New York City.

It’s time the world knows about the Cockettes, Scrumbly Koldewyn and their musical legacy.

Photo credit: PhotosbyGooch.com 

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