BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Laurels from countless luminaries began pouring in this summer, after word came down that Laurie Beechman Theatre (407 W. 42nd St.) would close for good come the end of August. Thankfully, the legendary downstairs performance space got a reprieve through October, as has the ground-level West Bank Cafe that sits above it.

Hoping in their hearts for the theatre’s decades-long run to extend past next month—but hedging their bets—PR, marketing & special events company SpincycleNYC began populating the Beechman’s calendar with performances from many top-tier drag queens who’ve grown accustomed to premiering solo shows there, or making it their venue of choice when a tour takes them to NYC. Among those having graced the tiny but iconic stage as of late: Jackie Beat (Aug. 17), Scarlet Evny (Aug. 17), and Miz Cracker (Sept. 11). Upcoming are Plasma (Sept. 29), Kylie Sonique Love (Sept. 29), and Honey Davenport (Oct. 19).

But before that, on September 21, the Beechman will be bursting with some of the biggest names in showbiz—among them, several or all of the following: Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Adele, Reba McEntire, Lady Gaga, and Cher. Of course, none of them are 100% confirmed; but don’t go blaming that on the fickle nature of a quick-tempered diva. It’s simply that one never knows for sure who’ll be on the bill, when Big Wigs rolls into town.

Big Wigs, for those who’ve been living in a cave (or under a very big wig) for the past two decades, is the much-loved Las Vegas-style impersonation show starring drag queens Mrs. Kasha Davis (RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 and RP’s All Stars Season 8) and Aggy Dune (Drag Me to Brunch). As the show’s advance press notes, “It’s two men… and many women… Impersonations are subject to change in each performance.”

But that wasn’t nearly specific enough for Chelsea Community News—so we appealed to Mrs. Kasha Davis for details about Big Wigs, as well as thoughts about the Beechman. The result yielded the below Q&A. Enjoy!

Scott Stiffler for Chelsea Community News (CCNews): The press material for September 21’s Big Wigs notes, “Kasha and Aggy have been performing this show to sell-out crowds for over 20 years.” What about the show, and your partnership with Aggy, accounts for the long run?

Mrs. Kasha Davis (Kasha): Big Wigs started in a small party house and moved on to theatres, casinos, and restaurants in the Upstate region. We’ve done many characters new and old, theme shows, and we’ve enjoyed sell-out shows for the holidays. We have a very good chemistry on stage and could almost finish each other’s sentences and jokes at this point! (Every time we are on stag, Aggy gets me to have at least one unanticipated belly laugh when I least expect it!) We bill our show as a Quick change, comedy-impersonation show because a big response from our audiences is one of shock that it’s just two of us! Often our impersonations are quirky and comedic—but there are two we take very seriously. (Tina and Cher!)

CCNews: How did the show get started, and what are some of the most memorable (read: cherished and infamous) places you’ve brought it to?

Kasha: The show started in an Italian buffet party house. Aggy Dune had been booked to impersonate Cher all night and needed someone to fill in between costume changes.  I got the call while Mr. Davis and I were on vacation in Rehoboth Beach and I was so excited, star struck, and HONORED to be on stage with Aggy, a ROCHESTER DIVA!  I didn’t care if I had to open, close, or even just carry her bags!  THIS WAS MY BIG SHOT and I was taking it. I was a fan and I could NOT believe I was asked to share the stage with her. Mind you this is years before RPDR [RuPaul’s Drag Race] and legendary cabaret shows were the goal and I immediately thought we could be the next Varla, Richfield or CoCo Peru!!! (Still working on that.) But nonetheless we hit it off and I filled the spaces in between her changes with Tina, Judy, Ethel Merman, and Bette Midler, and both Aggy and the audience was tickled.

CCNews: As impersonators, drag artists, and an on stage duo, what do you and Aggy Dune each bring to the mix?

Kasha: Both Aggy and I are very determined hard workers who take the art of drag seriously. (See the documentary Workhorse Queen.) But we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Aggy taught me that we are the sometimes the only voice or bridge between the queer and straight communities and if we can gather people together and share our similarites vs our differences along with a laugh or two, we’ve done our job! Then it’s off for a burger & laugh or if it’s a really good night, to look at a donut. We have costumes to fit in.

CCNews: Talk about the show/shows you’ve brought to the Laurie Beechman Theatre: What stage was the work in (World premiere? Mid-tour? One-off?)? If being at the Beechman influenced the material or your performance moving forward, how so?

Kasha: “NYC!!!! What is it about you!!!!”—a line Laurie Beechman sung in Annie that I must verbalize every time I’m on the stage. Let me tell you that way long before I began dressing or working as Mrs. Kasha Davis, I parked at “Convention Center Parking” and walked past the Beechman and saw the shows that were advertised and in my head I thought, “Someday I will perform there!” I didn’t know why or how and I wasn’t even OUT OF THE CLOSET yet, but my instincts were on fire. Fast forward to my one-woman show post-RuPaul’s Drag Race: multiple versions of There’s Always Time for a Cocktail, Big Wigs with Aggy Dune, Rocky Horror with Blackfriars Theatre, 80’s Ladies and Bosom Buddies with Darienne Lake—and each one I had an absolute HOOT AND A HOLLAR!  I felt that vibe, that NYC energy, something from Laurie or who knows leftover shade from Joan Rivers, but no matter what I knew I was HOME!

CCNews: Let’s play a game called Sweeping Generalizations: Are there things about the Beechman and/or NYC audiences that set them apart from other venues/towns you’ve played?

Kasha: The STAFF! You arrive from the road or plane and everyone is happy to see you, work with you to get your tech right, and put on a spectacular night. Where else can you sing, lip sync, tell jokes, and do it on a fabulous stage in front of patrons enjoying CALAMARI and COCKTAILS?!

CCNews: Have you experienced any “anomalies” during Beechman performances, i.e. laughter or audible reactions to a part of the show that never got that reaction before? Conversely, did something flop that usually killed? Do you recall any improvised quips, saves, or audience interactions that became “keepers”?

Kasha: I worked for years in telemarketing and our home office employees were out of Mahwah, NJ and when I came to town they’d come to support. This one boss of mine loved to drink (There’s always time for a Cocktail or 20) and she was HAMMERED!  SO MUCH SO that she was asked to leave and I insisted she stay because I knew her and frankly, she was harmless just LOUD! I made her part of the show which truly helped me with crowd work and after the gig we sat upstairs and let her sleep on the floor under a table until she was well enough to ride home on the train (with friends and cameras of course) I’m not an ANIMAL! One other thing: My beloved director from my college theatre program came to see me at the Beechman before she passed and got to see me do DRAG!

CCNews: Any lasting memories, life lessons, miscellaneous thoughts, and/or anecdotes, regarding off-stage aspects of the room such as tech rehearsals, pre-show rituals, post-show goings-on, meet-and-greets, Beechman drinks, menu items, staff, etc.?

Kasha: CHITA RIVERA!  She and I never chatted but I saw her enjoying dinner upstairs twice with family and I got a wink on my way down to the show. Talk about a brush with ROYALTY!!!!! She must have been thrilled to see me. LOL

CCNews: Not to get morbid, but are there other venues you’ve played that are no longer with us? If so, what did their presence contribute, and what about their absence is felt?

Kasha: I’M OLD of course places I worked at closed but that’s a cycle of life and of course of business. It’s tough, sad, and melancholy but it’s better to be remembered fondly vs. having pity or frustration for a venue that hangs on and loses its magic.

“Bigs Wigs” is performed at 7pm on Saturday, September 21 at the Laurie Beechman Theatre (located inside West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street at 9th Avenue). Tickets are $25 general admission / $36 for VIP tickets that include reserved seating and a meet-and-greet. For tickets, click here to visit the “Big Wigs” page at SpinCycleNYC.com. There is a $25 food/beverage minimum, with a full bar and dinner menu available.

​BIG WIGS started in 2005 when Party House asked Aggy Dune and Mrs. Kasha Davis to put together a dinner show at their Greece, NY facility. So they packed a few bags and BIG WIGS was born. A year later, Kasha’s husband Steven joined the show as sound and lighting designer and took the show to a new level. Over a decade later, BIG WIGS is still going strong in Greece and it has also been seen Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Massachusetts.

MRS. KASHA DAVIS (Edward Popil), a Scranton native, now calls Rochester, NY her hometown. Davis was a contestant on Season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 8. Kasha is a theatre gal who has played Frank ‘N’ Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, Elizabeth Fuller in Me and Jezebel and The Mystery of Irma Vep with Blackfriars Theatre. As her alter ego “Ed,” Kasha has appeared with JCC Centerstage as Eddie Ryan in Funny Girl and Roger Debris in The Producers. Past credits include Off-Off Broadway productions of The Diary of Anne Frank and True West.Ed also proudly posed as a straight man during his younger years at Ballet Theatre of Scranton as a principal dancer. Davis travels her cabaret performances, Drag Brunches, college bingos and positivity talks but nothing is more soul satisfying than work with her story hour for children entitled Imagination Station. A documentary about Davis, “Workhorse Queen” can be found on Starz, Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play and Vudu (www.workhorsequeen.com). For more info, visit www.mrskashadavis.com.

AGGY DUNE is currently a regular featured comedian at Comedy at the Carlson and the FunnyBone Comedy Clubs nation-wide. She has performed across the US, Canada and Great Britain. Aggy was one of the four queens spotlighted on VH1’s documentary Boys Will Be Girls, and was also featured in the award winning documentary film Workhorse Queen from Breaking Glass Pictures. She is a founding member of the Drag Me to Brunch touring troupe as well as the co-creator of the BigWigs show with Mrs. Kasha Davis. Aggy has competed on a national level for the Miss Gay America and the Miss Continental pageant, where she placed in the top ten.

BEECHMAN BIO: West Bank Cafe opened on West 42nd Street in 1978 at a time when Hell’s Kitchen lived up to its name. Owner Steve Olsen opened The Laurie Beechman Theatre downstairs from the Cafe, which staged plays and hosted events nightly. A young Lewis Black was named playwright-in-residence; Howard Stern aired his third-annual live birthday broadcast from the theater; and the restaurant’s regulars included Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Bruce Willis, among others. It has been a launching pad for countless Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Tony, and MAC Award-winning musicians, actors, comedians, and writers. The Beechman stage is where Joan Rivers performed her final set, where the original cast of Sunday in the Park With Georgerehearsed, where the Tony Award-winning play Side Man debuted, where Aaron Sorkin’s first two works were produced, where The Who gave four live performances while their musical Tommywas debuting on Broadway, and where countless stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race (including Jinkx Monsoon, Jackie Beat, Sherry Vine, Shangela, Alaska, Courtney Act, BenDeLaCreme, Trixie Mattel, Latrice Royale, and Alyssa Edwards) premiered shows. And where countless Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Tony, and MAC Award-winning artists have developed and performed new works.

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