DIRECT FROM SF: Cockette Nouveau – Saturday, April 12

COCKETTES NOUVEAU

APRIL 12 at 7:00pm. Doors open at 5:30PM

Through the heaving dunes of the desert the Cockettes Nouveau journey to Palm Springs with a message of Res-Erection. The Cockettes Nouveau have risen for one show only at Oscar’s on Saturday, April 12 at 7pm.  (DOORS 530PM)

After their sold-out successful shows in San Francisco, Oakland, and New York City, the Cockettes Nouveau are excited to bring their decadent cabaret Res-Erection to the oasis of Palm Springs.

Join original Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn and the new generation of Cockettes Nouveau including Noah Haydon, Birdie Bob Watt, Bonni Suval, Carl Linkhart, Ellie Stokes, Olivia Bratko, Steven Satyricon, and Yaadi Erica Richardson for a debaucherous cabaret celebrating the music created by Scrumbly, Link Martin, Martin Worman, Peter Mintun and others.

“Expect a glamorous and decadent spin around the world with the Cockettes Nouveau,” said producer Dan Karkoska. “There are many Cockettes favorites as well as our hilarious homage to the Rites of Spring in Res-Erection. We are very excited!”

“This is classic material for the Cockettes Nouveau with a special Spring section” said Koldewyn. “I improv on piano with Carl Linkhart, Olivia Bratko sings a new song they wrote,, Erica Richardson joins us with her killer vocals. We all delve to new depths of depravity and just silly, celebratory fun.”

Come see what Jed Ryan from Lavender After Dark, NYC called “Delectably decadent,” “Groundbreaking,” “A night filled with one priceless vignette after another.” “The Cockettes…shocked and delighted the audience…from the opening number right on through to its devilishly funny finale.”

A Brief Cockettes History:

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 Cockette’s sprawling, kaleidoscopic pantheon of colorful personalities included icons Hibiscus and Sylvester and was often augmented by special guests, most notably drag superstar Divine, cult film icon John Waters, and Mink Stole. The Cockettes were ahead of their time, especially in the acceptance of gender fluidity and glittered beards. They changed the face of drag forever. Some of their shows included Pearls Over Shanghai, Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma, Vice Palace starring Divine, Gone With The Showboat to Oklahoma, and their legendary film Tricia’s Wedding.

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 Pearls Over Shanghai to rave reviews 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 and appreciative audience. Over the next decade, The Thrillpeddlers continued recreating Cockette shows under the watchful eye of the original songwriter and Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn.

Fifty years later in 2020, they celebrated their Golden 50th Anniversary with an epic, sold-out event featuring many of their classic numbers and a special appearance by John Waters at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco. Additional shows were booked to continue the celebration, but COVID changed those plans.

After Covid, the Cockettes, now rebranded Cockettes Nouveau, were back with a new generation of performers made up of Thrillpeddler veterans, Koldewyn, and some new blood. They sold out multiple shows at Oasis in San Francisco, PianoFight in Oakland, and Joe’s Pub in New York City for the last two years..

Producer Dan Karkoska, Assistant Director Birdie Bob Watt, and Scrumbly Koldewyn want to continue to spread the word about the Cockettes in San Francisco, New York City, Palm Springs, and beyond.