{"id":107164,"date":"2026-01-21T13:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T13:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/107164\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T13:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T13:33:16","slug":"ill-take-manhattan-the-glams-great-service-bargains-and-broadway-buzz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/107164\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019ll Take Manhattan \u2014 The Glams, Great Service, Bargains and Broadway Buzz"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ll Take Manhattan is W42ST\u2019s new column from legendary NYC writer Michael Musto \u2014 a monthly dispatch from the city\u2019s stages, sidewalks and secret corners.<\/p>\n

You used to have to hit up the clubs and bars every single night in order to keep up with what (and who\u2019s) happening, but nowadays, it seems like you can just go out one night a year \u2014 to the annual Glam awards for LGBTQ nightlife \u2014 and be fully sated. The 27th such event, thrown this past Monday at Sony Hall by Cherry Jubilee and Impulse Group NYC (with director Daniel Gold), was the most spectacular yet, with hosts Alaska and Bob the Drag Queen presiding over a room that was fuller than Dolly Parton\u2019s bustier.<\/p>\n

\"GlamAlaska and Lux Noire London on stage at the Glam Awards at Sony Hall. Photo: Wilsonmodels<\/a><\/p>\n

Everywhere you looked there were flamboyantly dressed presenters, performers and nominees, with names like Freeda Kuhlo, Angela Mansbury, Selma Nilla and Janelle No. 5. Each drag star had a big following, and the crowd was deeply engaged with the whole show, screaming and squealing over every sequined moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone at the Golden Globes was owned by a corporation,\u201d Alaska spat at the crowd as an opening salvo. \u201cBut we are our own thing!\u201c How true \u2014 though many wouldn\u2019t exactly mind a big corporation throwing them some cash. The acceptance speeches were gushy and grateful, though Best Drag King winner ShowPonii urged clubs to hire more kings, promoting Bob to ad lib, \u201cFire all those drag queens!\u201d<\/p>\n

The night\u2019s performance numbers were full of shirtless chorus boys writhing around, but Jasmine Rice LaBeija \u2014 a drag Juilliard graduate \u2014 was brave enough to come out alone, belt a serious aria and keep going as the fire alarm beeped loudly throughout. It turned out to be the result of a fire in the kitchen, which had been put out, sparing us a lot of \u201cflaming queens.\u201d Better was Entertainer of the Year winner Essa Noche, who was adorned in feathers and cried as she told the crowd how she lives to make people happy. And suddenly it WAS the Golden Globes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"GlamPeppermint, Alaska and Bob<\/p>\n

\"Glam<\/p>\n

\"Glam Bootsie Lefaris and Nick Adams<\/p>\n

\"GlamJasmine Rice LeBeija<\/p>\n

\"Glam<\/p>\n

\"Glam<\/p>\n

\"GlamSuzie Toot<\/p>\n

\"GlamPeppermint<\/p>\n

\"Glam<\/p>\n

\"GlamVanity LaVain, Olivia Lux and Ivy Fischer<\/p>\n

\"GlamAngel<\/p>\n

\"GlamStella D\u2019Oro and Michael Musto
\nThe 27th Glam Awards 2026 at Sony Hall. Photos: Wilsonmodels<\/p>\n

ONE BAGEL AFTER ANOTHER<\/p>\n

Next year\u2019s Glams will be a little more challenging because one of the best local places to get inexpensive hairspray and face powder at is going bye-bye. The final Jacks 99 store in NYC (223 W40th St bw 7th\/8th Ave) is shuttering, an inevitable event that I thought would eventually be traumatizing, but here\u2019s why, in 2026, it doesn\u2019t matter as much. \u201cValue\u201d goes in cycles, but it never goes away.<\/p>\n

\"JacksJacks is closing down on W40th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

New discount places like Lot Stop have already opened, providing shelves of those wonderful \u201clooks like they fell off the truck\u201d items that are both eye grabbing and penny saving. Reasonable grocery stores like ALDI and Lidl are also popping up in Manhattan, and even my local Trader Joe\u2019s has items (pasta, yogurt, eggs) that are lower priced than the ones at Jack\u2019s were! My cheapness will never go out of style.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t worry, you can feel somewhat safe in the pricier zone too. In fact, I have to shout out Marseille<\/a>, the long running French restaurant (630 9th Ave, corner of W44th St), which does a rollicking pre-theater business, but remains so civil that they gave me my table before the entire party was there and didn\u2019t care that one less person showed up than expected. Two of us kept our table for four \u2014 and they were packed! Why? Because they are actually respectful to their customers!<\/p>\n

\"Marseille\"Marseille, the long-running French restaurant at the corner of W44th Street and 9th Ave, does a rollicking pre-theater business. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

But hold on, the phone\u2019s ringing. \u201cHi, Musto, it\u2019s me, the dealer who was longtime biz partners with the guy who\u2019s angling to reopen that gay hotel on W42nd Street. Can I tell you my whole story, including his trying to arrest me and HIS own very recent arrest? Hello?\u2026.Hello???\u201d<\/p>\n

Ah, sometimes I just need to unplug and relax. I want glamour, so I forced a wealthy friend to treat me to a birthday dinner at Delmonico\u2019s, the legendary FiDi eatery which I\u2019m all too aware of from mentions in shows like Hello, Dolly! Well, not only was the Financial District hype all true \u2014 there are tons of people running around there at night, and they\u2019re not lost \u2014 but the restaurant itself was fab, based on the idea that every customer is a person of great importance. I left with a swelled head to match my stomach.<\/p>\n

\"Delmonico's\"Michael Musto had a glamorous birthday treat at Delmonico\u2019s in the Financial District. Photo: Catie Savage<\/p>\n

And back to the grindstone, I learned that the long simmering Devil Wears Prada musical is planning on coming to Broadway next year, after a run in Germany. I also heard about Del Valle, the one-man play written by and starring Ned Van Zandt (with whom I just did a podcast). It\u2019s the true story of Van Zandt having wound up on a drug charge in jail, where a Klansman recognized him from One Life to Live and decided to give him \u201cprotection\u201d in exchange for acting lessons. It sounds like The Piano meets Shawshank Redemption, and Van Zandt says it\u2019s coming to Broadway this season! Yet another reason why I love NYC.<\/p>\n

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: Congratulations Michael! He was honored at the Glam Awards as Best Blogger\/Writer and told the crowd, \u201cI\u2019m the only one here who wears orthopedic shoes!\u201d He\u2019s pictured here with local drag performer Kizha Carr. Photo: Wilsonmodels<\/a><\/p>\n

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