Carol Channing And Justin Vivian Bond Put On A Show In Cherry Grove

I was out on Fire Island this weekend and was lucky enough to attend this one-night only show at the Ice Palace--Carol Channing and Justin Vivian Bond. I wrote about it for NEXT magazine's blog, which you can read here. It was really a special night to get to see these two performers talking, gossiping and even singing. I had previously seen Carol a couple years ago at a Broadway benefit at the New Amsterdam Theatre where she came out kicking with a line of chorus boys. At 92, she is not a little more frail but still sharp, funny and somewhat wicked too.

She is really quite the storyteller as well--one of my favorites was a touching tale she told about the Kennedy's, post-assasination. She'd been to the White House for a couple dinners and invited Jacqueline Kennedy to bring John and Caroline to see HELLO DOLLY on Broadway. Before the show, they met the star backstage and Caroline fancied one of her prop purses and Carol gave it to her--much to the chagrin of stagehands who said they could not come up with a new purse before curtain. Justin started the night with songs about love and the evening was a true lovefest; the audiences love for this iconic performer and her love of her especially devoted/obsessed LGBT fans.