The Cockettes, San Francisco's original acid-fried gender-benders, are the honorary fairy godmothers of every queen who has flown a freak flag in stilletos, ever since the late '60s and the troupe's legendary midnight performances at the Palace Theater in Chinatown. In honor of the Cockettes' 40th anniversary, Thirllpeddlers stages a revival of Pearls Over Shanghai, the troupe's first original musical production. Loosely based on John Colton's 1926 broadway play The Shanghai Gesture and Josef von Sternberg's 1941 film adaptation starring Marlene Deitrich, Pearls is a decadent tale of white slavery steeped in opium smoke and sex. Original Cockette Rumi Missabu reprises his role as the evil Madame Gin Sling, and Connie Champagne, Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, and Leanne Borghesi alternate in the role of Petrushka, first created by disco diva Sylvester.