Fire Island Pines went into a time warp, traveling to Transylvania with Magenta, Rocky, Janet, Brad, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Riff Raff, Meat Loaf, Columbia, and more.
The party hosts were James Dale and David Lam. James sang Sweet Transvestite. He was so good, he could understudy Luke Evans on Broadway. Frankfurters and cupcakes were served.
The mood and atmosphere throughout the evening were so authentic; we felt like we were actually on a Rocky Horror movie set. What a fun night it was!
Larry Kramer lived in the Pines in the 1970s and 1980s. His play The Normal Heart opened on Off-Broadway on April 21, 1985, at the Public Theater. It was revived there again in 2004. In 2011, it opened on Broadway. In 2014, HBO filmed the movie adaptation in Fire Island Pines, with Mark Ruffalo and Julia Roberts. It was an exciting evening at White Hall on August 22, when it was performed once again with a talented group of actors, including two-time Olivier winner Andrew Scott and Broadway’s Andrew Rannells, along with Tony Award winner Francis Jue, Katy Sullivan, and Ben Levi Ross. Also, with Don Lemon and a supporting cast featuring many members of our community, including three-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell.
Something old is new again. In the 1940s, a New York sensibility was alive in various neighborhoods. Friends would gather to play canasta. When they moved to Florida, the tradition continued and still does with certain groups, including one in the Pines, founded by Nick Politis, Alan Kramer, and Gene Cook. Three years ago, PJ MacAteer learned about the group and offered The Bistro on Tuesday nights, when the restaurant is closed, for them to play. The group has grown, with nine tables set up this year. It has become a new social enjoyment, with a game already scheduled in the Grove. What’s next? Mahjong?
The Pines Conservation Society will hold its annual brunch and silent art auction on Sept. 6 at Whyte Hall at 11 a.m. Tickets are $150. Allan Baum and Frank Liberto will be honored for their contribution to the Pines.
Seth Sikes has had a busy schedule this season, performing in Cherry Grove shows as a guest with Rose Levine and Marilyn Maye, and will also appear with Jim David on Sunday, Aug. 23, after returning from a gig in Provincetown. Bingo continues every Thursday at the Pines Fire House through Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.
