Mae West: Gin, Sin, and O'Neill

Act I, Scene 1 of the stage play "Courting Mae West" begins in Bohemia, inside the gay cabaret that inspired MAE WEST to write her play "The Drag." During the 1920s, Paul & Joe's was an Italian restaurant that catered to people involved at Jefferson Market Court by day — — and then turned into a colorful pansy party after dark. Clues to the cross-dressing scene were planted in The New York Times, for instance, where revelers, notable drag queens, and scene-makers could notice that a "diamond-encrusted pansy brooch" had been "lost" at 62 West Ninth. Hmmm, a missing pansy brooch! Hint hint.
• • On 14 August 2011, to celebrate Mae's birthday, a walking tour will start at Paul & Joe's former location [a restaurant now called The Lion].
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• • Annual Mae West Tribute 2011 • •
• • "Mae West in Bohemia — — Gin, Sin, Censorship, and Eugene O'Neill"
• • Mae West's birthday is August 17th. An upcoming Mae West event that is open to the public will be held on Sunday afternoon, 14 August 2011. The title of this illustrated historical theme walk is "Mae West in Bohemia — — Gin, Sin, Censorship, and Eugene O'Neill." Rare vintage illustrations will show you how the buildings and blocks looked as these two theatre people saw them.
• • Sites will include the Village speakeasies where Eugene O'Neill [1888 — 1953] drank himself into oblivion and met the characters he would put in his plays, and where Mae socialized and bent elbows with Texas Guinan, Walter Winchell, Jack Dempsey, and Barney Gallant; significant theatres; the courthouse where Eugene and Mae battled against censorship; and off-beat addresses that made an impact on the career of these playwrights. Get ready to walk on the wild side.
• • Raffle prizes! Each Mae West walking tour ends with a raffle of Mae-themed prizes. Sponsors may inquire about suitable product placements for August 14th.
• • When: Sunday, 14 August 2011 — — rain or shine
• • Where: This Illustrated Walking Tour begins promptly at 3:00 PM at 62 West Ninth Street, where a gay cabaret once stood that inspired Mae West to write "The Drag" (and hire their drag queens for the cast). This tour focuses on 18 sites around Washington Square and ends at the Eugene O'Neill and Al Hirschfeld exhibition. Time: 90 — 120 minutes.
• • Cost: $10 per person
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• • The legal battles fought by Mae West and Jim Timony are dramatized in the play "Courting Mae West: Sex, Censorship, and Secrets," set during the Prohibition Era. Watch a scene on YouTube.
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Source:http://courtingmaewest.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Courting Mae West
Mae West
• • Photo: Mae West • • Paul & Joe's in 1926 • •
NYC
Mae West.