Club 82/’88 Collection

Provenance

Donated by Tony Mendez in 2015.

Scope and Content

This collection contains photographs, flyers, research materials and a program draft for the production of Club 82/’88. Also included are photographs of the original Club 82, featuring its owner Anna Genovese, her partner Jackie, performers including Vickie Lynn, patrons and staff.

History or Bio

Club 82/’88 was a play written and directed by Martin Zone and Justin Ross, starring Adrian, a former Club 82 performer, as well as International Chrysis, Angela Carbonetti and Beverly Hills. The production recreated Club 82 with drag acts that Village Voice theater critic Michael Musto called “saucily bodacious.” It was performed in June, 1988 at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in Manhattan’s East Village, just a few doors down from where the original Club 82 once stood at 82 East 4th Street. The mafia-owned basement nightclub, famous for its elaborate drag revues, was opened by Anna Genovese in the early 1950s and operated continuously for over twenty years.

Folder List