When Leslie Jordan, the openly gay actor and stand-up comic, returns to Feinstein's at the Nikko, he'll be revealing a previously little seen side of himself: Radical activist.
In July 2015, Jordan, 60, made headlines when he stood up to three men who were yelling anti-gay slurs inside a Santa Monica Blvd. Starbucks in West Hollywood. The Southern California city is known as a gay mecca and is in fact the Southland's answer to The Castro.
"I stood up on my chair," the 4'11'' Jordan recalled in a phone interview. "I shouted: You shut the fuck up and get out of my house!"
It was a courageous move: Jordan was a party of one, facing off with three young men who were much taller than he.
The incident inspired "Not in My House," the new one-man show which Jordan brings to Feinstein's on November 13 and 14.
Jordan said the the men were in their early twenties.
"I saw disenfranchised queer youth, strung out, yelling 'There's a lot of faggots in here!' I followed them out the door to talk to them."
It all escalated into a police incident in which, fortunately, no one was hurt. The actor has no regrets about the stand he took.
"I came to Hollywood thirty-three years ago," he said. "I discovered West Hollywood. There were queers hanging from the trees! I was home!"
Jordan says that he'll be talking about the Starbucks incident at Feinstein's, though promises that the show will be comedic. "Comedy was tragedy two weeks ago," he said.
He'll be telling other stories from his colorful life as an openly gay Emmy-winning (for "Will and Grace") actor, and says he plans to share a very personal story as well.
"In 1958 I asked my dad for a rag doll," he explained. "It's a very heartwarming story."
"Not in My House" will be simple. "It's just me talking," Jordan said. "I tell my stories. I'm a cabaret performer, yet I don't sing."
In addition to his now-legendary portrayal of the closeted if effeminate Beverly Leslie on "Will and Grace," Jordan has worked extensively on the stage and has appeared in films ("Sordid Lives" the movie and TV series) and dozens of TV series in everything from "Murphy Brown" to "Pee-wee's Playhouse," and his recent gig as a warlock in "American Horror Story: Coven."
"My ticket sales are predicated on my Hollywood success," he said. " 'Will and Grace' was ten years ago. I now play 45 venues a year. This is my current career."
It's a phase of his life that Jordan is greatly enjoying, and is perfectly happy to be able to pack them in at smaller venues. "I'm leading a very blessed life," he said. "I'm perfectly happy to fill Feinstein's."
Leslie Jordan's 'Not in my House' can be seen at Feinstein's at the Nikko on Friday, November 13 at 8pm and Saturday November 14 at 7pm. $25-$40. 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com