THE VILLAGE SUN, Jan 2023
Night of Oh, So Many Stars: Wendy Stuart’s Birthday
Feted at Pangea
By John Pietaro
The scene was unmistakably Pangea, that home of outsider
hip, as the bar and club overflowed with a timeless sense of bacchanal. The occasion
on Sunday January 15 was the birthday fest of Wendy Stuart, actress, model and
comic, tenacious social activist, deliberate night owl, planetary traveler, author,
and host of her own television and radio shows. Stuart is also highly active in
the Imperial Court of New York, so the opulence of birthday cake and libations
paled in comparison to the surplus helpings of camp.
Rapidly, the space filled with well-wishers and others
of glitter and glam, including fashionista Nick Lyon, as both front stage and cabaret
room swelled with performers from on- and off-Broadway. Joe Preston, a friend
of Stuart’s and the official guardian of Jackie Curtis’ estate stated: “There’s
no more magnificent place to be than right here, right now”, adding that Pangea
alone stands as “the new Max’s” within a sea of venues in the city.
Stuart initially took on MC duties, wryly informing
the room, “I’m still trying to figure out why I’m not famous yet.” She then performed
an original send-up of Nena’s “99 Luftballons”, exchanging its Cold War disconcert
for coronavirus anxieties. But the message was far from grave, in fact, Stuart--who
began by assuring all that she’s no singer—burnt through the parody with tongue
firmly planted in cheek. Stuart added: “In 2020 we were set to produce a sit-com
and it turned out to be covid. So, instead, I wrote a book about not
being famous” (her Last Model Standing remains a favorite in such quarters).
Among the performers was powerhouse vocalist Darius
Anthony Harper who took time off touring (was that with Kinky Boots?) to
set this house on fire. Others on hand included Tym Moss, singer-songwriter and
red carpet reporter who is Stuart’s co-host on If These Walls Could Talk,
sensational young vocalist AVIVA who belted out Four Non-Blondes, stand-up
comic Ike Avelli (also serving as host), vocalist/dancer and a founder of the
vogue movement Coby Koehl, celebrated drag artist Gio Michaels lampooning Judy,
recent cabaret sensation Cecile Williams and off-Broadway vet Brian Alejandro
who sang a dazzling rendition of “That Old Black Magic”. Stuart’s husband, fashion
photographer and artist (whose paintings adorn the walls of Pangea) could be
seen out front, shooting the performers and surrounding merriment. ICON Magazine’s
Lothario DeAmour, commenting on the honoree: “What can I say about Wendy? She’s
old school in modern times.” And one pair of revelers, Peter and Zach added
that “The range of people Wendy brings together, every shape and face, everyone
being themselves, it’s just amazing.”
If These Walls Could Talk,
Wendy
Stuart and Tym Moss’s weekly one-hour entertainment interview show with
celebrities, authors, cabaret artists and personalities, airs Wednesdays at 2pm
EST on
www.youtube.com/@WendyStuartTV
, and is also broadcast on UBC TV https://ubctvnetwork.com/
and Glewed TV https://www.glewed.tv/
Stuart’s radio program, Triversity Talk
can be heard each Wednesday evening at 7pm EST: https://w4cy.com/shows/triversity-talk/
. For more information on these shows as well as Stuart’s many ongoing projects
visit https://wendystuarttv.com/
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