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00:08For a year, I would have parties every night in my dressing room in a theater.
00:13So that became known as Club Cumming.
00:16Everyone's talking about Club Cumming.
00:18I know, it's so funny, isn't it?
00:19It's the hottest party on Broadway nobody can get into.
00:21That's right.
00:22So when the show closed, I wanted to find a permanent location, and guess what?
00:30Hello, everybody.
00:37Welcome to Club Cumming.
00:48That's the only way.
00:52Put your hands together for Michelle Winter.
00:58Club Cumming, how are you doing tonight?
01:03Please say hello to the gorgeous Jake Cornell.
01:19Hi, love.
01:21How are you?
01:21Good, good.
01:22Good, good.
01:22I love your little outfit.
01:24The T-shirts are for sale here.
01:26I love hosting these fundraisers.
01:28They're so nuts and sort of crazy.
01:31I'm not quite sure what the running order is, what I'm going to sing, but I quite like that.
01:39I love the variety show that's sort of filled with guests that are queer and slightly shocking and weird.
01:46And it's sort of the best form of subversion.
01:49Here's your gun.
01:50Make it work, designers.
01:51Make it work.
01:53Your time starts now.
02:02It's Saturday night in New York City.
02:05We're going to do some shows.
02:06We're going to benefit some animals.
02:09It's going to be amazing.
02:10And Alan's here tonight.
02:11It's always an extra special night when he's performing at the club.
02:15Does anyone have a cigarette?
02:17Holy shit, you're the hottest thing I've ever seen in real life.
02:20Yeah, I just wanted to be snatched and tangled to share the stage with the best of the best.
02:24Is your family here?
02:26I think so.
02:27I think they're already here right now, so I'm like, oh shit.
02:31I low-key want to go inside, but I'm like, I'm not going to do that.
02:33Not yet.
02:33I'm not ready for it yet.
02:35I'm so nervous because they've never actually seen me perform as a trans woman.
02:40And I want them to see what I do and be proud of me.
02:43Who of your family is your sister and your...
02:46My sister and my godmother.
02:47I love that.
02:47Mm-hmm.
02:48This is their first time I've ever come in.
02:49Oh, that's so beautiful.
02:50It's like a big moment.
02:54Yes.
02:54Welcome to Club Comin'.
03:02I don't know if you know, but like every Saturday night, I do a thing on Instagram
03:06called Saturday Night on Broadway.
03:10And I'm going to do it tonight.
03:11Do you know the tune?
03:14Okay.
03:15You ready?
03:17Here we go.
03:17Quiet, please.
03:18Quiet, please.
03:19This is for the internet.
03:21And now live from Club Comin' with special accompaniment from James Shepard and all these gorgeous
03:28people.
03:30It's Saturday night on Broadway.
03:34It's Saturday night on Broadway.
03:39It's Saturday night on Broadway.
03:39Oh, yes it is.
03:42Oh, yes it is.
03:46Thank you very much.
03:51Nailed it.
03:52Yes.
03:54Hello, everybody.
03:55Welcome to Coming to the Rescue.
03:57Three, two, one.
04:00Protect the doors.
04:04Once a month we have this hilarious night called Gorge Night and the person who hosts it
04:10is not only touring England, but it's also headlining the Gramercy Theatre.
04:18I'm feeling really excited for this show because this is the last time I'm going to be performing
04:22in New York before I go out to the UK.
04:23And we are so lucky to have her.
04:25Alan's never seen me perform before, which I think will be very fun.
04:28This is kind of my dream, like a big sold out show.
04:31This is like kind of the most fun version of the gig for me.
04:34Please say hello to the gorgeous Jake Cornell.
04:43I'm coming!
04:47If anyone in the room is profoundly not intuitive, I am a gay man.
04:52If I ever had to distinctly define what is a gay man, I think the tightest definition
04:56I can give you is a gay man is anyone who deep down at their core believes they could
05:03make a good television show.
05:04That's the tightest definition I have for you.
05:07I'm actually a gay man who's going through a really huge moment in my life.
05:10I just purchased my first Dyson vacuum cleaner.
05:14There are certain products in this world that it's as though gay men have a microchip
05:19that's like, one day I will purchase that.
05:20You know what I mean?
05:21You remember the commercial?
05:22The like kind of hot English daddy.
05:24And he was like, the Dyson vacuum cleaner.
05:27It's so embarrassing doing a bad British accent in front of Alan.
05:30Look away!
05:31No.
05:32It's like, has turbines to create intense suction.
05:35And the vacuum is also on a swivel so it can reach places never before reached.
05:39And I was like, that vacuum cleaner is amazing and also gender is a spectrum.
05:45I think Jake is a brilliant performer.
05:47He's really clever.
05:48And he's going to a place that is very au fait with American culture.
05:53So I think Jake should just go and just be himself and do his act.
05:57And you know, they are also very au fait with American people doing bad English accents.
06:01I do just want to quickly acknowledge before I go, I know we're in the same space.
06:05We're hearing the same things.
06:06We're seeing the same things.
06:07I know you can see my nipples through this shirt.
06:09I know that.
06:10I wasn't like a woman to do nipples for Club Cummings tonight.
06:12It's every shirt.
06:13You know what I mean?
06:14It's sort of, you can see my nipples through chain mail.
06:16I've been Jake Cornell.
06:17Thank you all so much.
06:18Mwah!
06:21Mwah!
06:25Jake Cornell, everybody!
06:31Now, please welcome to the stage a woman who started a Club Cumming as a little
06:38seedling of queerness.
06:41And over the years, she has blossomed and grown.
06:45And we have nurtured her and encouraged her.
06:48And now she is the showgirl fantastique, Michelle Winters!
06:57I think it means a lot to have family support, but I'm kind of nervous, low key.
07:02We are more of a conservative family, and I don't have any idea what I'm about to see here.
07:08I've seen Michelle on social media.
07:11She's usually wearing next to nothing.
07:13Maybe she will put on clothes this time.
07:16Here she is, boys!
07:18Here she is, world!
07:21What's up, Club Cummings?
07:24Y'all like drag?
07:25Yes!
07:28Y'all like dogs?
07:29Yes!
07:31Y'all like drag and dogs?
07:32Yes!
07:33I want to make my family feel comfortable.
07:37So I told some dog jokes, which was cheesy as hell, but really funny.
07:40What do you call a zoo with no animals?
07:45A shit zoo!
07:53Oh, man, I cracked myself up.
07:55What did a dog say to his enemy?
07:58I'm gonna rough you up.
08:01All right!
08:02Let's get this number started.
08:03Y'all ready?
08:04Let's do it!
08:13You do something to me
08:19Something that simply mystifies me
08:25Tell me why should it be
08:31You've got the power to hypnotize me
08:37I find it really moving that Michelle's got a place to bring her sister in,
08:41yet she's proud of the work she does here and wants her to see and be a part of it.
08:46You know, that's just perfect to me. That's perfect.
08:49And that's what this place is about.
08:52Something to me
08:54And nobody else can
09:20All right, y'all. I just want to give a shout out to my beautiful and loving actual sister, Eden!
09:30If you notice we look the same, it's because I saw her mascara. Thank you.
09:34And where's my godmother? She's somewhere around here. I'm gonna embarrass her ass, too. Where's she at?
09:37Just want to give a shout out to my godmother. Give her a round of applause to my godmother, too.
09:40She's fucking amazing.
09:43Okay, mic-wielding deep. Give it up for Michelle Winters, everybody.
09:49I know Michelle's family hasn't actually seen her perform, so it's gonna be interesting to see how they respond.
09:55But I think they're gonna see what a star she is and be enchanted like everyone else always is.
10:01Wait.
10:01Oh, yeah.
10:02Oh, yeah.
10:07Oh, yeah.
10:08Oh, yeah.
10:10So pretty.
10:11So, did y'all enjoy it? I was nervous. Were you? You still doing this nervous thing about us?
10:17Not anymore, because now y'all seen everything. Did you see your sister? She was like, I need to be
10:21in the front.
10:21Yeah.
10:22She was pushing people.
10:24She was pushing people.
10:25And she was like, excuse me, you're in the way. I was like, that's my sister. You don't do it.
10:30Relax.
10:30And she went, excuse me.
10:32Oh, my god.
10:34I was way behind. I can't go. I'm gonna stay right here. I don't know what's happening up there.
10:38I'm like, oh, boy. Here she goes.
10:41That was great.
10:42As a sibling, I always knew who Michelle was. Like, it was no question in my mind.
10:48So, this is the first time I've seen her perform since her transition. And I love her, so it's no
10:53different to me.
10:55She's just happier, and I'm happy that she's happy.
10:58I'm happy I can't miss out what I do now, because it feels nice. So, to have some, like, family
11:02support and whatnot, so.
11:04Seeing a loved one in pain, especially the way the world treats her, that's very hurtful to me.
11:10I just wanted to come and make sure that she knows that whatever iteration of who she is, I will
11:17love her.
11:19One of my other hats that I wear is I am a dog walker.
11:24And I've been lucky enough to watch Lala, the very one of this t-shirt.
11:28Miss Lala girl over here.
11:30$30.
11:32$30 at the door.
11:34Thank you all so much for coming tonight.
11:42It is such a great organization. I just wish there was an equivalent of Social T's to protect queer people.
11:54Because I don't know if you've noticed everybody, but living in America right now is pretty hard if you have
12:05a brain, if you have a queer sensibility, if you have difference.
12:13Like, it blows my mind that some of the people you've seen on stage tonight, the government has legislated that
12:21they do not exist.
12:25Imagine that.
12:28And so I think probably the best thing we can do right now is at the count of three, let's
12:36all scream as loud as we can.
12:38One, two, three.
12:41One, two, three.
12:52That felt better, doesn't it?
12:56Bravo, everybody.
12:57You know, also, at the same time, the sun will come out, tomato, bet your bottom daughter that's tomato, there'll
13:14be sun.
13:17Just thinking about, maybe we could change the keys, I would agree, yeah.
13:20Just thinking about, tomato, clears away the cobwebs and the subtle, please join us.
13:30Alan really does end up singing tomorrow at the end of things a lot.
13:36It's always pretty great, and you might think it's cheesy, but like, somehow it twists into like something that feels
13:41uplifting.
13:43The sun's gonna come out tomorrow.
13:50Here we go.
13:50When I think of a day that's great and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin and sing.
14:08The sun's gonna come out tomorrow, so you've gotta hang on till tomorrow, come on me.
14:23Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you.
14:28Tomorrow, you're only a day away.
14:36Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you.
14:42Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, you're only a day away.
14:50Tomorrow, you're only a day away.
15:05Good night.
15:06Thank you for coming.
15:08Just be kind.
15:10Thank you very much.
15:15Club coming feels like a real-life Kit Kat club.
15:21We're seeing a rise in fascism in response to people on the margins of society attaining more rights,
15:29and then really, really dark shit is happening in response to that.
15:37Figuring out how to deal with it through the lens of community and through the lens of performance
15:44is one of the most important things that this place has done for my life.
15:48And that's something that I'm always going to carry with me, even when I leave club coming.
15:55Hello, my darling.
15:57I've got an extra visitor for you.
15:59I love you.
16:00Teagan and I talked about my idea to move to Iceland,
16:04and we decided that given the worsening political climate,
16:08it's best to stick to the plan and live abroad right now.
16:12What's this?
16:13Oh, yeah, these are big old wings.
16:15Love that.
16:16Do you want to try them on?
16:17Yeah.
16:19Ooh.
16:19It's time to start letting people know that I'm leaving.
16:22Yeah.
16:22So I'm going to tell Alan that I am leaving for Iceland.
16:28It's very, um, Chicago.
16:30Yeah, the, um, all right, carol, butter, cars.
16:34I'm such a terrible musical media, because I don't know the words to anything.
16:38Alan is such a special person.
16:40He's always been so, you know, supportive and encouraging.
16:43So I want to tell him first.
16:47I was telling you I was traveling.
16:49The last stop on my travels was Iceland.
16:51Oh, great.
16:51And I've always wanted to just, like, expand out of the U.S.
16:56And so I have a bit of a plan.
17:00Um...
17:00You think I'm going to Iceland?
17:03I'm going to apply for the University of Iceland.
17:06Whoa.
17:06Ooh.
17:07And it's a one-year diploma in Icelandic as a second language.
17:11I'm going to go try it out.
17:13And...
17:13That's great, Daphne.
17:15Yeah.
17:16It's really exciting to think about.
17:17When are you planning to do this?
17:18It would be in August.
17:20It would be in August.
17:21Um...
17:21And honestly, like, I'm excited for what I'm moving towards, but I'm also, like, a little
17:27It's a lot, yeah.
17:28A little sentimental about, like, walking away from Club Cumming.
17:32Walking away from Club Cumming is sort of walking away from New York.
17:35Right.
17:36You've been there since the beginning?
17:38Yeah, since Eastern Bloc.
17:39So you've been there all through it, and grown and grown, and become, not just Daphne sometimes,
17:45Daphne always.
17:47Yeah.
17:47Yeah, you remember.
17:48Yeah, and look at you now, and I think that's beautiful that you're blossoming and blooming
17:54and flying off.
17:55It's gorgeous.
17:56It's intimidating.
17:57I bet.
17:57Yeah.
17:58And it feels like time.
18:00It's a very scary time to be a queer person in the United States, and that's part of why
18:06I want to go to Iceland.
18:07I don't feel great about being in the United States.
18:12It's scary how dire and terrifying things are right now.
18:18What can you do?
18:19I mean, we've tried everything.
18:21Mm-hmm.
18:21Voting, protesting, all these things obviously help.
18:24Yeah.
18:24But it's, what can you do?
18:27Like, look after yourselves.
18:29Yeah.
18:29It's sort of so, it was not left field, but it felt like, what?
18:34You're moving to Iceland?
18:35But yeah, why wouldn't you?
18:37Do you know what I mean?
18:37Why wouldn't you if you're worried about even if you're going to have access to your medicine,
18:43your hormone medicine and everything?
18:45I mean, that's, just to even exist is going to be difficult.
18:48Is difficult.
18:49But it's going to get progressively difficult.
18:52I realize how lucky I am because I literally have another life in Scotland.
18:56But most people in our community don't have that option.
19:00I don't know.
19:00I think she's definitely got a plan, which is good.
19:03Have you told anyone else?
19:05I haven't told Darren yet.
19:07Oh.
19:08Oh.
19:08That one's going to be hard.
19:10He's just like such a father figure to me and a brother figure to me, a friend.
19:15And like, I don't know how he's going to take it.
19:19I'm sure he would only want the best for you.
19:42We are in New Jersey.
19:44We're here to see a photo gallery exhibit of Alan through the years.
19:51Steve.
19:52Hello.
19:52How are you?
19:54I've known Steve since 1999.
19:56Come on.
19:56Let's go.
19:57Let's go, everybody.
19:58Come on.
20:04This is kind of like a fever dream, whatever you look.
20:11I mean, I think when you look at a photograph of yourself, I remember what I was doing at
20:14that time in my life.
20:16Sort of like a, I mean, some weird look to discuss with my therapist this week.
20:25It's really cute to just know him, but then also, like, place him in all of this.
20:29Yeah, just so weird.
20:29Like, you don't think of them as being famous.
20:32And then you see them in the wild.
20:35Yeah.
20:35Like, it's like, oh, yeah.
20:37He's famous.
20:38That's filming televisions, Alan.
20:41There were pictures from late 90s of Alan being, like, really visibly queer.
20:48And, like, really punk and edgy and sexy.
20:51He was just doing it when he was one of the only people doing it.
20:55It's easy to forget how much Alan has done.
20:58He's been out here being publicly and unapologetically queer.
21:03He was doing that at a time when people were much less accepting.
21:07It renewed my appreciation for, like, how he's been about it.
21:13Thank you so much, everybody.
21:15You know, seeing all these pictures from all this time, it's a kind of amazing thing,
21:20because it is about me getting older and me in different phases of my life.
21:24But also it's about friendship.
21:26And I've got here tonight so many friends.
21:28Some of them have known me for longer than Steve has.
21:31So to have all these friends with me here tonight is a really beautiful thing to share it with.
21:36So thank you all.
21:37But thank you, Steve.
21:38I love you.
21:41Getting older is great in that you have these rich, rich relationships with people.
21:50I love that.
21:51I love the kind of richness of it.
21:52I love, like, even now at Club Cumming, it's our 10th year, I suppose.
21:56And so there's, you know, great changes have happened in various people's lives.
22:00And as I say, you see people like Daphne and Michelle blooming.
22:04That's what I like about getting older.
22:06It just is proof that, you know, you can make your own family.
22:14I love New Jersey.
22:16New Jersey.
22:18I grew up, like, 15 minutes from here.
22:20Cheers.
22:21Cheers.
22:22It's a cute event.
22:23It's sweet.
22:25Yeah, I didn't realize it was going to be such an event.
22:27Um, there's something I've been avoiding talking to you about.
22:33What's happening?
22:39Um, I don't know.
22:40I've been waiting on telling you just because, I don't know.
22:46What?
22:46You're the hardest person to tell.
22:48What?
22:48Hey.
22:53I'm about to go to England to do five shows.
22:55Alan was like, you have to address, like, the American shit at the top.
22:59Like, I acknowledge how fucked up America is right now.
23:01You have to call it out.
23:02With the madness that has taken over our country, I've known some people who have left already.
23:08You'll always be in my heart.
23:12Hahaha.
23:16Wait, agreed.
23:17I'll be confused again.
23:19Everyone does visit us in 2019.
23:24I want to ask if you are just doing next thing.
23:25So why do I make things work?
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