It was a sizzling time at Mollyz Diner on July 19 as the gang - a mix of Café veterans and newbies - threw down a new menu in celebration of Halifax Pride week. Keelin Jack and Chris Ferrill joined Garry, Sher, Eric, Andrea Mike & Kim in the Café kitchen to cook up a GLBT (Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Transgendered) Feast. All this while Garry, Eric & Keelin were involved in rehearsing and performing The Pirate Show for Tall Ships Festival; Andrea, Sher & Kim were cottaging; Mike was at the mercy of work schedules; and Kim was also in rehearsal for Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet with Metamorphic.
Earlier in the month, we managed to all gather for a vocal workshop. Unfortunately, the guest instructor was unable to make it but it did give us a chance to brainstorm for DaPride Café, play around with music and have some social time together over food and wine.
Earlier in the month, we managed to all gather for a vocal workshop. Unfortunately, the guest instructor was unable to make it but it did give us a chance to brainstorm for DaPride Café, play around with music and have some social time together over food and wine. 
Keelin & Kim respond to something witty out of frame. See wine glasses foreground.
Eric and Bonnie give the food a good going over.
Andrea and Sher pretend to work. Note the wine.
Garry trades his pirate sword for a fork 
Mike's all business.From there, there were lots of good ideas floated and Garry morphed those and some of his own into an ingenuous menu. The Tuesday before the Café we discussed the draft menu and drilled down to the final version. More work to be done between then and show time as each performer had the task of researching their own GLBT issues for discussion for "DaBawdy Politic," continuing to prepare selections that were either GLBT-themed or created as well as having a bit of information on all the GLBT creators (composers, writers, poets, etc) that originated the material.
The night of, we had a mostly-hetero but still-appreciative crowd, and a fantastic showing by all our peeps. Chris stepped up with a repertoire of at least a hundred (ok, maybe 6) songs in drag... all with different outfits.
Chris (in a dress) serenades Bob
In fact, Garry and Chris spent the better part of the evening in drag. Guys in a dress. Gets 'em every time. Keelin threw in some Drag King into the "Hot-Crossed Songz" department with a very hot duet of Nowadays with Garry.
Keelin and Garry (in a dress and a wig that got around) performing Nowadays
And she likewise found many ways to use her bank of drama-school pieces and her insane library of Broadway tunes. She belted like crazy!
Garry's bona fide "da po-po" was the most popular body part ordered from DaBawdy Politic and he found airing his cheek (the right one) on the sidewalk patio of Mollyz somewhat... interesting, especially during Pride Week ... though the accompanying discussion of the history and implications of the pink triangle were quite satisfying.
Sher coralled many more secrets in the last dash to fill St. Sebastian's Secretz jar and one of the coolest moments for patrons and performers alike was when we were all gathered on the sidewalk at the end of the night to burn the "shame" secrets and read aloud the "pride" secrets. One slightly drunken patron slurred to Kim after the ceremony: "That was awesome!"
Surprisingly, no one ordered any erotic bedtime stories in negligees. Though Kim did have fun reading a GLBT-themed kids story about two penguin boys who become a family and hatch an adopted egg (true story).
Prepping the door for the Come Out of the Closet photos
Sher's idea to take pictures of people coming out of the closet garnered few requests However, all of us had a go:
The Mollyz servers were run off their feet and had to shoo us out by the end of the night, at which point we all made a direct dash to Freeman's for beer (and wine!), pizza, laughs, a bit of a debrief and plans for next week's regular Café.
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