Bash Compactor: On a ‘Casserole’

We were only munching on sliders, but last Wednesday night, Jeffery & Cole Casserole was what really filled me up. I was at VIG27 for a party celebrating the premiere of the second season of the LOGO sketch comedy show, which is nothing like your mother’s tuna fish surprise.

The show stars Jeffery Self and Cole Escola, who write, direct and edit the series, which is filmed on their webcam. They were discovered by LOGO executives, broadcasting their VGL Gay Boys videos on YouTube. “Jeffery and Cole have a DIY-style that makes them really funny,” said performance artist Erin Markey, who’s appeared on the show.

Escola is tiny and adorable, with big, saucer-shaped eyes. Self is handsome and tall. Their show is called “casserole” because it’s a mash-up that they make. The protagonists undergo absurd, Kafkaesque situations in a world gone mad. Their friends and fans, including Project Runway winner Christian Siriano, performer Bridget Everett, singer Kim Smith, actress Jenn Harris and more, filled the room with laughter and after the screening, the room was abuzz. This was a good party, I thought, as I was preparing to leave. “Visco, don’t leave now!” a friend of mine commanded. “No, I have to go,” I said. “There’s an open bar and food!” he added, seated with a posse noshing on crab cakes and champagne. Well, maybe I could linger.

A few G&Ts later, we were out on the dance floor and the boys were going mental, that kind of quirky dancing that only the truly trashed can pull off with aplomb. Wearing an open crisp white shirt, Self revealed a lovely and chiseled chest. “I never knew you were so handsome,” I gushed, picking him up as we danced. I lifted Escola, also; he was light as a feather.

Taking a breather from the dancing mob, some of us lounged out front in the hot summer night at the café tables, where playwright Ben Rimalower and I attempted to sing Supremes songs but had trouble with the lyrics. It was getting late.

And what about the show? Self told me they hope to keep the vibe from the first season, though they’re shooting in a new apartment. “I got evicted from the old one,” he said.

The season premiere aired Friday at midnight, featuring everything from a faux trailer for a movie called Babies With Money to a celebration of both moms and watersports. “There’s something for everyone!” Self said.