Justin Vivan Bond, John Cameron Mitchell and Holly Hunter and More Set for Joe's Pub, Now thru 3/19
By: BWW News Desk Mar. 10, 2014
This week, March 10-19, Joe's Pub at the Public will feature Rory O'Malley, Shannon McNally, Lera Lynn, Benjamin Walker, Mortality Play, Joey Arias Experience, An Evening with Irving Berlin, Justin Vivian Bond, Flamenco Festival 2014, Martha Graham Cracker, Sarah Kay, Banda Magda String Orchestra, Lo Jo, The Meeting with Justin Sayre, Public Forum: Tevye and Chava, Mike Daisey, Winged Victory for the Sullen, John Cameron Mitchell & Holly Hunter, and Paul Loren. Scroll down for details! Visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows.
Monday, March 10 at 7:30 PM
SOLD OUT
You've seen Rory O'Malley "Turn It Off" for his Tony-nominated role in The Book of Mormon. Now see the world premiere of his show PUB CRAWL, Rory's biographical tale of being raised in an Irish pub in Cleveland by his single mom and all the bar's eclectic patrons. Rory tells this hilarious coming-of-age story using classic Irish pub songs from The Wolftones, U2, Van Morrison and more with music direction from Tony and Grammy Award-winner, Stephen Oremus. Kick off your St. Patrick's Day celebration a week early and see why raising an Irish kid doesn't take a village ... it takes a pub.
Monday, March 10 at 9:30 PM
$12 in Advance / $15 at Door
Shannon McNally, along with the legendary Grammy-winning artist and producer Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack, released Small Town Talk, a moving tribute to the genius of Bobby Charles and his catalog, in April 2013. The hit songs Bobby Charles wrote in the '50s and '60s were massive hits for artists like Fats Domino and Bill Haley & The Comets, and are incredible slices of early rock and roll. Small Town Talk features 14 tracks penned by Charles that were handpicked by McNally, Rebennack, and Charles himself before his death in 2010. Special guests on the album include Derek Trucks, Will Sexton, Luther Dickinson, Vince Gill and more.
LERA LYNN W/ SPECIAL GUEST BEN FIELDS
Tuesday, March 11 at 7:00 PM
$15
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Lera Lynn makes her Joe's Pub debut to celebrate the release of her new EP Lying in the Sun. Lera, with raw talent and her distinctive but understated presence, is known for her haunting voice that conjures up country legends and singer-songwriter legends. Opening for Lera is New York's own Ben Fields. Lera's gifts are undeniable. She is a writer in full command of her craft, who never sacrifices emotion for style. It is no surprise that she is attracting so much attention and respect and is being invited to tour with some of the leading artists in Americana music such as kd lang, Punch Brothers, Sarah Jarosz, Jason Isbell, Leon Russell and more. She is a regular guest on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion.
BENJAMIN WALKER'S Find the Funny
Tuesday, March 11 at 9:30 PM
$10
Benjamin Walker, the critically acclaimed star of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and the 20th Century Fox Film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter presents and performs in Find the Funny - which he created and hosts. An event dedicated to providing performance opportunities to new and innovative comics, writers, musicians and performers, Find the Funny is a monthly show that began downtown and has moved from venue to venue as it expanded and matured. Find the Funny is presented by BenRo Service and Inspire Entertainment.
Wednesday, March 12 at 7:00 PM
$25
Todd wants to be a rock star, but he's living in London in 1349, and the plague keeps getting in his way. With ultimatums from loved ones getting him down and the ghost of his former band mate pressuring him to make a choice, Todd tries to navigate the dangers around him and to balance the forces of art and service in his life. Half rock show and half medieval morality play, this new musical follows a young man's struggle to decide between what he wants to do and what he thinks the world needs from him. Come rock out with Todd and the gang at this one-night-only concert reading of Mortality Play, Scotty Arnold and Alana Jacoby's new musical, which has previously been presented at Ars Nova and workshopped at the Yale Institute for Music Theater.
Wednesday, March 12 at 9:30 PM
$25
On the heels of a 2-week European tour, Joey Arias returns to Joe's Pub with an encore performance of The Joey Arias Experience, which enjoyed a sold out residency at the Pub this past November. Drawing on his life-long affinity for music, Arias takes you on a journey across musical genres (jazz, pop, rock, experimental) that spans his earliest musical influences; his days at Capitol Records; his tenure as the lead singer of Strange Party (an influence on the Talking Heads); and his original songs from Jazzo~Lozzo, an album that quite literally made Arias "big in Japan" with the album's release there and subsequent tour. The Joey Arias Experience revives this rich backlog of musical history with Arias as medium and muse. Arias takes this moment to reflect on the roots of his career and redefine his own musical language and history. Joey's special guest for this performance is Zemmoa, a Mexico City-based pop singer and nightlife icon.
LET YOURSELF GO: AN EVENING WITH IRVING BERLIN
Presented in association with Ball State University
Wednesday, March 12 at 11:30 PM
$10
Under the guidance of two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster, Let Yourself Go: An Evening of Irving Berlin is the culmination of a cabaret course taught during the Fall 2013 semester at Ball State University. "Let Yourself Go" will feature 11 graduating musical theatre BFA seniors in NYC's most celebrated showcase venue for live music and performance. In addition to the iconic music created by the incomparable Irving Berlin, the show will also feature several Berlin-inspired medleys and "mash ups" of contemporary songs with Berlin classics. This unforgettable evening of music, comedy, and story will sure to be an evening you will not forget! Partial proceeds from the performance will benefit the Ball State Department of Theatre and Dance Scholarship Fund.
JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND's THE DRIFT
Thursday & Friday, March 13 & 14 at 7:00 PM
$25
Longtime Joe's Pub favorite Justin Vivian Bond returns to the acclaimed downtown venue for a new long-form show based on the work of Tennessee Williams. In The Drift, JVB creates a new, free associative, collage of spoken word and song inspired by Williams' novella The Roman Spring of Karen Stone about a retired actress who drifts from one space to another through couture, bed, or her own mind. Performances run on select dates through mid-April.
FLAMENCO FESTIVAL 2014: ROSARIO TOLEDO¡¯s PINTORESCA
Thursday, March 13 at 9:30 PM
$25
This explosive young dancer presents a tour-de-force exploration of her path to flamenco. Not only a master of the form, Rosario Toledo is a performer of star caliber. So much joy comes across in her dancing that it is hard not to love her at once! Rosario will present Pintoresca, a breathtaking show of Nuevo Flamenco in the collaboration with guitarist Dani de Mor¨n, a prominent new name in flamenco today.
Friday, March 14 at 9:30 PM & 11:30 PM
9:30 PM ¨C SOLD OUT
11:30 PM ¨C $20
Following a slew of sold-out shows in 2013 at Joe¡¯s Pub, the Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret returns with two different shows in one night. This balls-to-the-wall drag cabaret is hosted by Martha Graham Cracker, who may be the world's tallest and hairiest drag queen. Backed by a four-piece live band, Martha Graham Cracker, hailed as "The Drag Queen King" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, performs new arrangements and mashups of songs by artists ranging from Prince and Crowded House to Motley Crue and Nina Simone, and a bit of everything in between. Martha Graham Cracker is played by Dito van Reigersberg, co-founding co-artistic director of Philadelphia's Obie-winning Pig Iron Theatre Company. The character was born in van Reigersberg's East Village kitchen while he was attending the Martha Graham School of Dance.
Saturday, March 15 at 7:00 PM & 11:30 PM
SOLD OUT
Join best-selling author and spoken word poet Sarah Kay for a night of poetry, music, and celebration, as she officially releases her debut collection of poems, No Matter the Wreckage. Exclusive advanced copies of the new book will be available at the show, and Sarah will be accompanied by a roster of talented friends including Arthur Lewis, Andy Suzuki, and other surprise guests!
Saturday, March 15 at 9:00 PM
$18
Led by Greece-born singer, film-scorer and composer Magda Giannikou, Banda Magda¡¯s songs (sung in five different languages) hearken back to the golden age of Brazilian bossa, the best of cinematic arranging, and the lush chic of vintage French pop, all while drawing on the band¡¯s global background. Trained in film scoring at Berklee, Giannikou¡¯s film music finesse has won her awards and caught the attention of everyone from Kronos Quartet to Louis C.K. (she sang a duet with CK for the comedian¡¯s TV show). Banda Magda bursts with humor and quirky sensibility, powered by a unflagging energy, onstage. This group of musical friends turn Giannikou¡¯s songs into engaging romps that have landed them onstage at venues ranging from Celebrate Brooklyn to the Kennedy Center to Carnegie Hall. At this show, the band will debut an expanded formation ¨C the 8-piece Banda Magda String Orchestra. Players will take on Magda's string arrangements of traditional music from Mexico, Colombia and Greece, as well as songs from their critically acclaimed debut album Amour, t¡¯es l¨¤?
Sunday, March 16 at 7:30 PM
$20
Lo-Jo has developed its unique world music profile ever since singer and keyboardist Denis P¨¦an and violinist and kora-player Richard Bourreau first got together 30 years ago in their hometown of Angers, western France. The six-piece band¡¯s stated obsession has remained the same - to make music unlike any already in existence. Lo¡¯ Jo freely crosses stylistic boundaries, its kaleidoscopic sound bringing together French chanson, elements of jazz and sophisticated pop, reggae and dub, circus and cabaret music, as well as a spectrum of inspirations from klezmer and East European Roma tunes to West African and Maghrebian traditions - not forgetting maloya from the Indian Ocean island of R¨¦union. And P¨¦an¡¯s rough-edged Tom Waits-like voice contrasts beautifully with those of sisters Yamina and Nadia el Mourid, Lo¡¯Jo¡¯s compelling fusion of poetic words and imaginative music celebrates a sense of multicultural community beyond and before globalization.
THE MEETING, hosted by JUSTIN SAYRE
Sunday, March 16 at 9:30 PM
$20
The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, begins its next three-month engagement at Joe¡¯s Pub with a night honoring Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Justin Sayre, the show¡¯s creator, writer and host, serves as the Chairman of the Board of the International Order of Sodomites and brings his singular wit to essential business of the day through regular features like ¡±Letters to the Chairman¡± and ¡°New Rulings from the Board.¡± The show, which is a monthly celebration of an iconic artist or cultural work in the gay community, is known for a signature blend of outrageous comedy, politics, culture and everything in between. Special guests include Kim Smith, Christian Coulson, Diana Kazakova, Chris Tyler, Mark Dommu and others to be announced. Tracy Stark serves as Music Director. The remaining two shows at the Pub include tributes to lauded actor, writer and director John Cameron Mitchell (Sunday, April 20 at 7:00 PM) and pop diva Janet Jackson (Sunday, May 18 at 9:30 PM).
DRAMA CLUB: AN EVENING WITH TEVYE AND CHAVA
Monday, March 17 at 7:00 PM
SOLD OUT
Inspired by Alisa Solomon¡¯s Wonder of Wonders, a new cultural history of Fiddler on the Roof, the evening will trace how successive generations of storytellers used Sholom-Aleichem¡¯s characters to reflect changing concerns about family, identity and more. Harvey Fierstein, who played a celebrated Tevye in the 2004 revival of Fiddler, will be joined by the show¡¯s co-creator, Sheldon Harnick, original Broadway cast member Austin Pendleton, and author Alisa Solomon for an unforgettable night of songs, stories and conversation.
MIKE DAISEY: STORIES FROM THE SPEAKEASY
Monday, March 17 at 9:30 PM
SOLD OUT
The Irish say that there are two tellings to every story¡and more if the Pope¡¯s not listening. On the occasion of Saint Patrick¡¯s Day, a story about drinking, parties, stories, and storytellers. For one night we¡¯ll dim the lights, pour some drinks, tell unbridled tales, and make mistakes as though we were young again.
Mike Daisey, hailed as ¡°the master storyteller¡± and ¡°one of the finest solo performers of his generation¡± by The New York Times, is the preeminent monologist in the American theater today. He has been compared to a modern-day Mark Twain and a latter-day Orson Welles for his provocative monologues that combine the political and the personal, weaving secret histories with hilarity and heart. This fall he performed a critically acclaimed 29-night live theatrical novel, All the Faces of the Moon, onstage at The Public in Joe¡¯s Pub. He has performed in theaters across five continents, ranging remote islands in the South Pacific to the Sydney Opera House to an abandoned theater in post-Communist Tajikistan. He¡¯s been a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher, the Late Show with David Letterman, a longtime host and storyteller with The Moth, as well as a commentator and contributor to The New York Times, The Guardian, Harper¡¯s Magazine, Newsweek, WIRED, Vanity Fair, Slate, Salon, NPR and the BBC. He is currently at work on his second book, Here at the End of Empire, which will be published in 2015 by Simon and Schuster.A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN
Tuesday, March 18 at 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM
$20
A Winged Victory for the Sullen is the first installment of a new collaboration between Stars of the Lid¡¯s Adam Wiltzie and L.A. composer Dustin O¡¯Halloran. Using an array of rare nine foot grand pianos that could deliver extreme sonic low end, the duo developed the recordings in large acoustic spaces around the world. They also used traditional instrumentation including string quartet, French horn and bassoon, but always juxtaposed is the sound of drifting guitar-washed melodies. The artists pushed themselves to dangerous territory, realizing that clear thinking at the wrong moment could stifle the compositions. The final result is seven landscapes of harmonic ingemination. Notable guest musicians include Icelandic cellist Hildur Gudnadottir, as well as Erased Tapes label comrade Peter Broderick on violin.
JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL & HOLLY HUNTER: A GOOD READ
AN EVENING OF SOUTHERN DYSFUNCTION AND TRANSCENDENCE
Wednesday & Sunday, March 19 & 23 at 7:00 PM
$30
This evening is the first installment, or volume, of A Good Read, a no-frills reading series of classic works of prose and poetry presented by performers from all walks of the verbal arts curated by John Cameron Mitchell. Holly Hunter joins Mitchell for Volume 1, entitled Large and Startling Figures, which celebrates the classic Southern American short story.
Wednesday, March 19 at 9:30PM
$14
Leading the new generation of soul crooners, Paul Loren sings songs that will make you move. Raised on the rich legacy of soul music, Loren is a talented songwriter and producer, who takes elements from classic R&B, Pop and Jazz, and makes them truly his own. With a dynamic and powerful stage show, Loren evokes the great Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding at their prime.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride
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