THE GAIETY(19?? -- 2005) – ONE YEAR LATER

[Guest gaietyplayer]

One year ago today, March 17, 2006, we lost something very precious in NY gay culture. One day, a typical Thursday, St. Patrick’s Day, was the last day of the many days that people like Hooboy, Cooper, NYObserver, and Foxy have encounter on a weekly, if not, daily basis. That place is 201 W 46th St., 2nd Floor, better know to us as… the Gaiety Theater.

 

I, myself had only frequented this institution since October 2001, but from the moment I stepped into this place, I was addicted from that first dancer I ever saw on the stage(Ronnie Lacour) to the hottest untamed flesh of Ben Versace(then just Ben) to the famous Grand Finales(11-15 hot twinks, jocks, and muscle gods… oh my!).

 

There were days when anything went at the G. And there were days you could fantasize about what was underneath those tight dancer’s pants.

 

Here’s just an example of what I saw at the G:

 

1. Hot, tight, and seXXXy Ben Versace

2. Tall and ripped Tyler(now 20 Club’s Rob)

3. Spiky blond former Canadian Stockbar dancer Nicholas

4. Brooklyn boi jock Michael

5. Short and big muscled Trevor

6. Model wannabe Austin

7. Denise’s “man-b****” Neo

8. Perfect Texan and jailbait Mark Dalton

9. Porn hottie/Madrigal’s dancer Jason Adonis

10. Latin tanned and tattoed 10” exhibitionist Giosolo aka Giovanni

11. Hot Black Export Marlone

 

And that’s all I can think of right now.

 

But I’ve only seen three and a half of over 30 years of hot, ripped, toned, sexual fantasies. Imagine if all the dancers who ever graced the stage were in one humongous grand finale. There would be too many to count. We will miss the G. We will never forget it.

 

To the G. See you later.

 

And if he’s reading this from above… a message to Hooboy, if there is a Gaiety up there, keep it warm until we all get there.

 

Thank you, Denise, Ben Versace, Tyler, Cooper, NYObserver, Hooboy, all the dancers, the managements at Stockbar, Campus, Taboo, Remington’s, Madrigal’s, Nob Hill, Boardwalk, Cupids, Splash who all provide the dancers from there, the hot adult film stars, the wannabes, that one security guard and the DJs who made it what the G is, for what it was, and what will always be… a piece of NYC History.

 

Viva la vie Gaiety! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Long live the Gaiety! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

 

THE GAIETY THEATER

19?? – 2005

 

HOOBOY

19?? – 2005

[baltimore observer]

my first visit was in June 1997. Kirk (infamous, from Remington's) was on stage, and we got together.

 

Many other visits, until what turned out to be my last visit in November 2004.

 

RIP

[tazmanian5230]

WOW GAIETY PLAYER

You beat me to the punch.

One year has gone by and I remember the last nite of the Gaiety like it was yesterday.

 

A young boy (SNOWBOY) was sending me instant messages on Aol asking if it was true that it was the last nite for that Gaiety. Several times roumors went around about it being the last week of the Gaiety but on this nite one year ago Denise confirmed in a crying voice that the rumor was true.

 

I gathered my thoughts and took the trip into the city to see the last ever show at the Gaiety and Iam glad I did.

There were only about 30 people in the theater but everyone there was talking about there experiances at the Gaiety good and bad.

 

Several of the regualar dancers were calling to ask if this could be true and so it was. The security guard and Neo were emptying the contents of the DJ booth onto the street for garbage pickup the next day. (SAD) Denise offered free soda to everyone and that many for there support. A sad nite for her. This was her life.

 

One picture that made me laugh in the days after the closing is below, Iam not sure who the creator was but it was posted by the visual master VDN.

 

This seems like a good time to post some good experiances frome the gaietys past.

 

Will we ever get another Gaiety ? ? Who knows but its worth keeping the dream alive.

 

Where are our favorite dancers ? What has come of them ?

 

http://files.photojerk.com/Rendie/Gaiety.jpg

 

http://www.voguehost.com/ims/u/MSCF/Message%20Center/gaietycloses.jpg

[Cooper]

To the Gaiety, Thanks for the Memories...

 

A couple of weeks ago, Foxy and I took a walk past the Gaiety. The building still stands, but you won't recognize it. The interior has been completely gutted and there is scaffolding around the entire building, but fortunately, nothing can take away those amazing memories.

 

On March 17, 2005, following the 10:30pm show. The doors at the G closed for the last time. The dancers on stage that night were:

 

Jaguar

Devon

Nick the Dick

Taylor

Nate (new)

Johnny

Stephano

Sasha (new)

 

Funny, but you knew who these dancers were by just their first names. Many of the G dancers still perform, most in MTL, others at Madrigal's and clubs in FLL. Hopefully, we'll be seeing more in NYC at the 20 Club.

 

In the year since the G closed, there have been a few people willing to take on the challenge of keeping that dream alive. Through "private parties" and Chelsea bars, you made a difference. THANK YOU for all your hard work. It's most appreciated.

[Arik]

Taz: the pic of the Gaiety was originally mine with some wise soul photoshoping the dancers popping out of the windows and cars. I had come into the city to escape St. Patrick's day in CT (forgetting what NYC does for St. Patrick's day) and decided a G run was the thing to make me forget shamrocks and green beer. I had intended to take some pics to replace that one pic of the sign above the door that was so often posted in our forums that it was becoming as faded as whatever that picture was in the Gaiety ad in the Village Voice.

 

After being there a bit, I heard that the place was closing that night. I ran and got a confirmation from a tearful Denise, who suprised me that she remembered me the few times I was there a year. She took my phone number to call when she reopened a new Gaiety and I gave her a hug. I asked her permission to take a strand of that mylar streamers that framed the stage which I am looking at while I write (it's wrapped around a little Statue of Liberty figure next to my desk).

 

The rest of the night was kind of wierd with the strange energy about what was happeneing next. That and Sasha's "dancing". And watching Nick the dick get cornered by some lipstick lesbian who wanted him to fuck her girlfriend (it was nice to see a real hard on somebody at the Gaiety not assisted by viagra or rubber ties even if it was under his clothes). But cutie pie Devon made it all better.

 

The ONE single regret I have is that I didn't go into the side prep room for the dancer before they head on stage and either lick the walls (well not really) or take a picture. The dancers I talked with used to laugh about how "you guys are obsessed with that room." My repsonse was always "it's a magic room; the dancers go in clothed, come out naked and hard."

 

To me the Gaiety was one of those places a lot of strange and strangely wonderful things happened. I've talked ad naseum about how I saw Joey Stephano & Tony Davis there the night I lost my virginity (NOT to anyone there). Back then anything went on anywhere. Year later when I became a semi regular, I remember you could tip the dancers in their socks until that too became verboten (I think it was the fault of the dancer who tried to give me a foot job, lol). I've met some awesome people and some real psychos both on and off the stage. I even got caught when Clinton's motorcade shut down Times Square and noone could leave or enter and Denise threw open the upper doors and I got to watch a presidential motorcade from a historic Times Square gay strip joint.

 

My memory of the Gaiety would be best represented by:

Austin

TJ

Billy Brandt

Matthew (marry me!)

Miguel the Greek god from Montreal

Thomas the giant Swede

Andre the giant

and a host of latin hotness and Montreal goodness

I never did get to see Tyler, Dominic, Vito nor Ben Versace and missed one of my most favorite porn stars Travis Wade. I did used to touch the stage with my open hand when some completely naked hottie was on it just to let the sexual energy of 30 years of Gaiety-dipty flow towards me.

[tazmanian5230]

Gaiety Player, Arik, Cooper and Snowboy

Its nice to see your all alive and well.

With such a hot topic I am suprised to see such few replys or comments.

 

Even the negitive "move on with your lifers" have gone away.

 

Our strip club forum was one of the most popular on this site and nothing less than the Buffboyzz being raided or the $15 Club 20 drinks can get people talking.

 

Where have all the posters gone? NYO, FOXY, VDN, Tony Tender the list could go one forever

 

Cooper..... Why do you have a little head next to your name....I want head too!!!

[+ Lucky]

Taz, I miss the Gaiety. Even if I couldn't go, the reviews were always fun to read. I guess we didn't know how good we had it. Cooper has it right, though. We have to support those who try to keep strippers on New York stages, however limited it is.

 

I can at least take comfort that I was never a Giuliani supporter!

[Cooper]

"Cooper has it right. We have to support those who try to keep strippers on New York stages, however limited it is."

 

The Gaiety was unique in that it was called a theatre, not a bar. No liquor was served and no touching of the dancers (while on stage) was permitted. With high rents and maintenance fees, I doubt if anything like that could be profitable today.

[cityguy]

The Gaiety was indeed a unique place, and is sadly missed. When I visited New York, I used to love calling in at the G to see some amazing looking guys on stage (sometimes I would head there almost straight from the airport!).

 

I have some wonderful memories of TJ, Andre, Ray, Zack, Gianni, and many others. But NYC is just not the same for me without the G.

 

cityguy

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

I feel vulgar that I haven't made a post in this thread sooner. Life and work consumes me and I find it rare when I have the time for my former pleasures and habits.

 

I miss the Gaiety tremendously. It's obvious we all miss the men .. the naked men .. the men available to spend time with us after they danced (well, some just moved a bit or stood there with an attitude). I miss the chit chat and the fun in the lounge. I miss the trashy fun times at Stella's (the post-Gaiety show). I am forever grateful of the awesome people I met through the Gaiety and through this message center. Ups, downs, e-fights, e-hugs, and all of the scandalous posting and banter about the Gaiety was truly fun.

 

For me, there are three performers that I will always remember for different reasons.

 

Johnathon of Montreal: I don't have any pictures of him but I have his straight porn tape (that's good enough). He popped my cheery and he went where no man, or medical team, has gone before with me. He deserves a plaque just for that subterranean trip he took. God Bless that French Canadian.

 

Marco of Chicago: He had a wicked sense of humor. Though I never shared time with him out of the Gaiety we had grand times in the lounge. He was funny indeed. I think I reminded him of the crazy cousin every family has, but no one talks about because a full battery of tests have never been completed.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5724/018zf.jpg

 

Kevin aka Benoit: He's crazy. So many discussions have been done on this board about what kind of conversation you should have when you discuss how you will spend your time and currency with a performer at the G. With Kevin, I simply said "let's go" and the rest was history ... disturbing, yet fun history. I think he is the only G performer I took a train into the city to see but not at the G. If some of you remember, I went home from that visit with no socks.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/2126/kevinbenoit098te.jpg

 

If the G will ever rise again is a question only Eros knows the answer to. Bloomberg, and his Quaker values, have all the zippers up. Sad indeed. Until the G is reborn, or until another G-like venue opens, sharing stories is still fun. And, with all good stories, pictures help weave the tale.

PEACE!

VDN

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/3328/gaietytheater5onstage8lm.jpg

[Chuck50]

Thanks for the Pics HUGS Chuck miss then on a more regular basis

[Guest JohnPela]

>VDN:

>I feel vulgar that I haven't made a post in this thread

>sooner. Life and work consumes me and I find it rare when I

>have the time for my former pleasures and habits.

>

>I miss the Gaiety tremendously. It's obvious we all miss the

>men .. the naked men .. the men available to spend time with

>us after they danced (well, some just moved a bit or stood

>there with an attitude). I miss the chit chat and the fun in

>the lounge. I miss the trashy fun times at Stella's (the

>post-Gaiety show). I am forever grateful of the awesome

>people I met through the Gaiety and through this message

>center. Ups, downs, e-fights, e-hugs, and all of the

>scandalous posting and banter about the Gaiety was truly fun.

>

>For me, there are three performers that I will always remember

>for different reasons.

>Marco of Chicago: He had a wicked sense of humor. Though I

>never shared time with him out of the Gaiety we had grand

>times in the lounge. He was funny indeed. I think I reminded

>him of the crazy cousin every family has, but no one talks

>about because a full battery of tests have never been

>completed.

>http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5724/018zf.jpg

>

>If the G will ever rise again is a question only Eros knows

>the answer to. Bloomberg, and his Quaker values, have all the

>zippers up. Sad indeed. Until the G is reborn, or until

>another G-like venue opens, sharing stories is still fun.

>And, with all good stories, pictures help weave the tale.

>PEACE!

>VDN

>http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/3328/gaietytheater5onstage8lm.jpg

 

VDN:

 

I just read this thread and you and Gaiety Player had excellent posts that sort of summed up the Gaiety and what most if not all of us patron's experiences were there over the years.

 

My first visit was Christmas week in 1997, two days before I traveled to Portugal for the holidays. I was dazzled there by the guys on stage on one hot first-timer young patron in the audience who was also obviously dazzled by the experience. It took me 5 years before I had my first private with a dancer.

 

BTW, your post about Marco brought back some fond memories and hanging around him, Marlone and Ben in NYC and Chicago at several bars. It was a wicked, fun guy!