Joey Arias – Three Floors of Madness

Joey Arias – Three Floors of Madness
Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Festival Theatre Stage. 14 June 2018

As the house lights rise ever so subtly Joey Arias slinks her way to the stage in black platform stilettoes, wrapped in green velvet. Accompanied by multi-instrumentalist and very talented Charly Zastrau, her opening number is the Beatles classic A Hard Day’s Night, which perhaps could be a caution for the rest of the show.

Joey Arias, resident of Greenwich, New York is best known as a drag artist, comedian, singer and performance artist. He was a regular at the infamous Club 57 in Manhatten, a venue that attracted many musicians, performers and artists, including Cyndi Lauper, RuPaul, The B52s, and Madonna. Ann Magneson who managed Club 57 for many years described the aesthetic as being “Punk-Do-It-Yourself”. In 2017 the Club was immortalised in an exhibition by the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Arias informs us on more than one occasion that as a result she too is a workincludi. Maybe that is why she repeatedly insists on audience members taking her photograph.

Three Floors of Madness sets out to revive the spirit of Club 57 so perhaps the aforementioned “do-it-yourself” punk aesthetic of the Club can explain Arias’ costume choices. Once the wrap is teasingly cast aside a black satin “toga” is revealed, paired with bandage “gloves” and bandage waist “cincher”. It is revealing but not in a particularly attractive away and it’s certainly a distinct departure from Arias’ previous highly glamorous guises.

Arias performs a number of “original” songs that draw influence from the music of Bernard Hermann, best known for his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock. Zastrau’s arrangements breathe new life into the music, to which Arias has added lyrics. The songs are combined with projections from movies, such as Jason and the Argonauts, and a very engaging sequence of Janet Leigh in Psycho.

The original numbers were mixed with classics such as Peggy Lee’s ‘Do Right by Me’, Tom Wait’s ‘ This One’s  From the Heart’, George Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ and The Beatles’ ‘I Am the Walrus’.  Lyrics were sometimes replaced by yapping, squealing, and guttural moans accompanied with Madonna-esque vogueing.

Although songs were interspersed with sexually charged banter and largely reluctant audience participation, more anecdotes from Arias about his time at Club 57 would have added a much-needed narrative element to the evening, which seemed lacking, disjointed and uneven.

Jenny Fewster

Photographer: Claudio Raschella

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