The cast of new play, Harold & St Claude
Thugsy & Harold & St. Claude
Interview by Paul Oswell
Thugsy The Clown is a long time performer here on the scene in New Orleans. As part of the Tennessee Williams Festival, he is presenting a new play, Harold & St Claude (photo above), inspired by the classic cult movie, Harold & Maude. We caught up with Thugsy to find out more.
Out All Day: Thanks for talking to us! You're close to opening night, how are the rehearsals going?
Thugsy the Clown: We have a great cast, an amazing band, and are excited to put on this unique revisioning of the original, but in our version Harold is coming out of the closet, and instead of Maude turning 80, it's the early 1980s. Colin Higgins was the playwright and screenwriter of the original, which is brilliant. He himself succumbed to AIDS in 1988. He also wrote many other classics we all know and love, like 9 to 5, and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. So many clasic movies - noone remembers the people that brought those stories to entertain us.
What is it about that particular film that spoke to you?
When I was 13, my mom took me to see this cult classic 'Harold and Maude'. Sitting in that dark theater, I watched as Harold, a young man grappling with the absurdity of life, met Maude, a vibrant, life-loving older woman. The film’s universal life lessons hit me like a revelation. I knew, in that moment, that I wanted to be like Maude when I grew older—fearless, and joyful
Was it easy to adapt the movie into this re-imagining? How did the process work and was it a project that took you a long time? Did you sit with the idea for a while or did it come out quickly once you'd seized on the idea?
This has been years in the making. I was a teenager in the 1980s, living in L.A. My Mother was a costumer with her own business. We knew lots of gay people in Hollywood and in the early days of AIDS, and we knew so many people that died way early in their lives. I remember being a teenager standing by friends that were dying. Watching the movie and seeing so many people die around me affected who I became. Move forward into the mid 1990s, I myself became HIV+, and I remember thinking "'I will probably be dead by the year 2000". That was a lot to tell you to get to almost three decades later and because of medications and living positively, I am still alive. But so many did not make it. I am now 57 years old and I remember those people, a whole generation of people that would be our elders today. So a few years ago, I started reimagining the story of Harold and Maude into a LGBTQ+ Story. I have written in parts of my own coming out story and there are Queer History Easter Eggs throughout the whole retelling.
What are the main themes from the movie that you've held onto and transferred to this story?
There are Life Lessons being bestowed from an older generation of LGBTQ+ expierenced via St Claude. She is a drag queen that is celebrating being alive, and finds out they have GRID (The new Gay disease). It's 1982 in New Orleans, and Young Harold is struggling to come out of the closet, his overbearing single mother who crosses weird lines, so Harold rebels by committing fake suicides.
Tell us about the other choices - why the 1980s and the backdrop of the AIDS pandemic?
I mentioned before that when I was a teenager coming out of the closet it was much more difficult in the 1980s, we didn't have good role models, All the gay characters on TV were broken, crazy, or would be the bad guys for some reason. Luckily I had all my Gay uncles of Hollywood, and it really isn't like people portray Hollywood these days. I always felt safe. As a queer teenager I went to Performing ARTS High School in LA, and have always loved the arts.
You have a live band, but you say that it's not a musical - can we assume that the band is there for a soundtrack of sorts? How are you using the music?
Well if you have ever watched the movie, Cat Stevens did the soundtrack for the movie. It's amazing and moves us to different feelings and emotions through the different scenes. Since our show is set in the early 80s the music will reflect that time as well. But like I said, it's the soundtrack to their lives. I started with a list of over 90 songs from the 80s that have gay themes or somehow tie into our story. We don't sing the whole songs for most of the show, they are little snippets in response to what's happening on stage. I dont want to give too much away, but people our age are gonna leave smiling.
You've been a performer in New Orleans for some years now - do you feel like an elder of the scene?
Well I am 57, but much like Maude I am living my best life, as it were. I retired from performing for several years after my Mom Dena Delle Passed away, shortly followed by my aunt and grandmother. All these amazing matriarchs of my family gone in such a short time. I wasn't feeling like clowning or performing and I needed a break from the stage. During the pandemic is when I started writing the story, and started performing again with a group of clowns (Thank you Sincerely Fantasy with Stanley Roy Tsarina Hellfire, Juju Cassidy and an ever changing cast of local performers!).
Have you mentored/taken younger performers under your wing? What advice do people mainly come to you for?
We havent talked about this, but our entire cast are from our Trans, Drag, and Gender Fluid communities. At a time when drag performers, trans and gender-fluid communities face escalating violence and legislative attacks, this production is a revolutionary act. Featuring an all-drag, all-trans, gender-fluid cast, Harold and St. Claude isn’t just theater—it’s a roar of existence. We’re reclaiming our narratives, centering our joy, and proving that queer art is a weapon against erasure. When fascism tries to silence us, we answer with creativity, community, and chaos.
What got you into performing in the first place? Tell us a little bit about your artistic journey from newbie to where we are now!
I grew up in the theater and showbusiness, and although I LOVE entertaining people and I am a natural clown on stage, I never had that longing desire to be world famous. Locally Notorious, maybe! But I know many performers that need that in their lives. I just want to make people smile, think, and help people become more conscious living humans. Helping each other. Our four-day run in April is also a fundraiser for our Local Troup LOUD: New Orleans Queer Youth Theater. There will be ways for people to donate directly to them. They are helping raise awareness in our society around LGBTQ+ issues, so I want to be a supportive human.
What can people expect on the night? What do you want your audiences to know, or is it best to just arrive with an open mind?
I hope people will walk away with a little more knowledge of Queer Lives, AIDS history and how many people died of disease and suicide in order to avoid dying the way their friends died. I am paraphrasing but in the early days of ACTUP, in the mornings we would bury our friends, in the afternoons protest, and in the evenings dance. People should expect to laugh at the campy parody of our amazing performers, who have taken it to a heartwarming funny place. Yet the story deals with serious issues about reasons for suiside and death (which are very triggering issues). There are many surprises for our local audience, with lots on New Orleans references (such as video clips of Harold and St Claude around town, that will be projected in between scenes)!
Harold & St Claude has a four-day run at the end of April: Friday 25th @ 7pm, Sat 26th @ 7pm, Sun 27th @ 10:30pm, Mon 28th @ 8pm - click here for more information and ticketing
Interview by Paul Oswell
Thugsy The Clown is a long time performer here on the scene in New Orleans. As part of the Tennessee Williams Festival, he is presenting a new play, Harold & St Claude (photo above), inspired by the classic cult movie, Harold & Maude. We caught up with Thugsy to find out more.
Out All Day: Thanks for talking to us! You're close to opening night, how are the rehearsals going?
Thugsy the Clown: We have a great cast, an amazing band, and are excited to put on this unique revisioning of the original, but in our version Harold is coming out of the closet, and instead of Maude turning 80, it's the early 1980s. Colin Higgins was the playwright and screenwriter of the original, which is brilliant. He himself succumbed to AIDS in 1988. He also wrote many other classics we all know and love, like 9 to 5, and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. So many clasic movies - noone remembers the people that brought those stories to entertain us.
What is it about that particular film that spoke to you?
When I was 13, my mom took me to see this cult classic 'Harold and Maude'. Sitting in that dark theater, I watched as Harold, a young man grappling with the absurdity of life, met Maude, a vibrant, life-loving older woman. The film’s universal life lessons hit me like a revelation. I knew, in that moment, that I wanted to be like Maude when I grew older—fearless, and joyful
Was it easy to adapt the movie into this re-imagining? How did the process work and was it a project that took you a long time? Did you sit with the idea for a while or did it come out quickly once you'd seized on the idea?
This has been years in the making. I was a teenager in the 1980s, living in L.A. My Mother was a costumer with her own business. We knew lots of gay people in Hollywood and in the early days of AIDS, and we knew so many people that died way early in their lives. I remember being a teenager standing by friends that were dying. Watching the movie and seeing so many people die around me affected who I became. Move forward into the mid 1990s, I myself became HIV+, and I remember thinking "'I will probably be dead by the year 2000". That was a lot to tell you to get to almost three decades later and because of medications and living positively, I am still alive. But so many did not make it. I am now 57 years old and I remember those people, a whole generation of people that would be our elders today. So a few years ago, I started reimagining the story of Harold and Maude into a LGBTQ+ Story. I have written in parts of my own coming out story and there are Queer History Easter Eggs throughout the whole retelling.
What are the main themes from the movie that you've held onto and transferred to this story?
There are Life Lessons being bestowed from an older generation of LGBTQ+ expierenced via St Claude. She is a drag queen that is celebrating being alive, and finds out they have GRID (The new Gay disease). It's 1982 in New Orleans, and Young Harold is struggling to come out of the closet, his overbearing single mother who crosses weird lines, so Harold rebels by committing fake suicides.
Tell us about the other choices - why the 1980s and the backdrop of the AIDS pandemic?
I mentioned before that when I was a teenager coming out of the closet it was much more difficult in the 1980s, we didn't have good role models, All the gay characters on TV were broken, crazy, or would be the bad guys for some reason. Luckily I had all my Gay uncles of Hollywood, and it really isn't like people portray Hollywood these days. I always felt safe. As a queer teenager I went to Performing ARTS High School in LA, and have always loved the arts.
You have a live band, but you say that it's not a musical - can we assume that the band is there for a soundtrack of sorts? How are you using the music?
Well if you have ever watched the movie, Cat Stevens did the soundtrack for the movie. It's amazing and moves us to different feelings and emotions through the different scenes. Since our show is set in the early 80s the music will reflect that time as well. But like I said, it's the soundtrack to their lives. I started with a list of over 90 songs from the 80s that have gay themes or somehow tie into our story. We don't sing the whole songs for most of the show, they are little snippets in response to what's happening on stage. I dont want to give too much away, but people our age are gonna leave smiling.
You've been a performer in New Orleans for some years now - do you feel like an elder of the scene?
Well I am 57, but much like Maude I am living my best life, as it were. I retired from performing for several years after my Mom Dena Delle Passed away, shortly followed by my aunt and grandmother. All these amazing matriarchs of my family gone in such a short time. I wasn't feeling like clowning or performing and I needed a break from the stage. During the pandemic is when I started writing the story, and started performing again with a group of clowns (Thank you Sincerely Fantasy with Stanley Roy Tsarina Hellfire, Juju Cassidy and an ever changing cast of local performers!).
Have you mentored/taken younger performers under your wing? What advice do people mainly come to you for?
We havent talked about this, but our entire cast are from our Trans, Drag, and Gender Fluid communities. At a time when drag performers, trans and gender-fluid communities face escalating violence and legislative attacks, this production is a revolutionary act. Featuring an all-drag, all-trans, gender-fluid cast, Harold and St. Claude isn’t just theater—it’s a roar of existence. We’re reclaiming our narratives, centering our joy, and proving that queer art is a weapon against erasure. When fascism tries to silence us, we answer with creativity, community, and chaos.
What got you into performing in the first place? Tell us a little bit about your artistic journey from newbie to where we are now!
I grew up in the theater and showbusiness, and although I LOVE entertaining people and I am a natural clown on stage, I never had that longing desire to be world famous. Locally Notorious, maybe! But I know many performers that need that in their lives. I just want to make people smile, think, and help people become more conscious living humans. Helping each other. Our four-day run in April is also a fundraiser for our Local Troup LOUD: New Orleans Queer Youth Theater. There will be ways for people to donate directly to them. They are helping raise awareness in our society around LGBTQ+ issues, so I want to be a supportive human.
What can people expect on the night? What do you want your audiences to know, or is it best to just arrive with an open mind?
I hope people will walk away with a little more knowledge of Queer Lives, AIDS history and how many people died of disease and suicide in order to avoid dying the way their friends died. I am paraphrasing but in the early days of ACTUP, in the mornings we would bury our friends, in the afternoons protest, and in the evenings dance. People should expect to laugh at the campy parody of our amazing performers, who have taken it to a heartwarming funny place. Yet the story deals with serious issues about reasons for suiside and death (which are very triggering issues). There are many surprises for our local audience, with lots on New Orleans references (such as video clips of Harold and St Claude around town, that will be projected in between scenes)!
Harold & St Claude has a four-day run at the end of April: Friday 25th @ 7pm, Sat 26th @ 7pm, Sun 27th @ 10:30pm, Mon 28th @ 8pm - click here for more information and ticketing