Lypsinka
I came to realize that the Pyramid was the 1980s equivalent of what the Continental Baths had been for Bette Midler in the early 1970s — a springboard to something bigger. I don’t remember what I performed at my first performance, however.
“Ballet of the Dolls” played the Pyramid in December 1985. When “gay cancer” was in the news, I got focused on various goals I had wanted to achieve. One of those goals was to write that show and get it produced. I wrote the book, music and lyrics, played the piano in the
wings, and made a cameo in the show as “Jonathan Susann.” I financed the production and it was presented under the auspices of TWEED. It played 6 performances: two Thursdays, two Fridays and two Sundays. We thought it wise to avoid the Saturday night crowd, even though we played early in the evening. Sister Dimension was eager to have theater at the space and purchased “gold” folding chairs with red “velvet” seats. She was so pleased with how it went she asked me to write another show. I was happy to be asked, because it meant I was no longer going to her with my hat in my hand! So, I wrote Dial “M” for Model, which played in the fall of 1986, also early evening. In 1987 it moved to La Mama ETC for four performances, and at that time it was also featured on “Andy Warhol’s 15 Minutes,” was reviewed by a theater critic at The New York Times, and I got a one-night gig at La Mama to do a full-length Lypsinka performance, so you can see how I saw Pyramid as a springboard.
Linda Simpson
One of the most fantastic parts about the Pyramid is that there were go-go dancers on the bar, who were often just as big an attraction as the main performers. Most of them were drag queens, and they treated go-go dancing as an art form, each with their own style. Bunny was especially hysterical with all sorts of ridiculous expressions. Because the place had high ceilings, it allowed for even tall queens like RuPaul to dance. I got up on the bar a few times, but I always found it very harrowing. One false move in your high heels and you’d land head-first on the ice machine.