ARIAS WITH A TWIST to Return to HERE Arts Center for Limited Engagement

Tandem Otter Productions (Barbara Busackino, Producer) will present the return of the 2008 downtown phenomenon Arias with a Twist (2009 Drama Desk Award-nominee for Unique Theatrical Experience; 2009 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Off-Off-Broadway Production), created and performed by NYC icon, chanteuse, and performance artist Joey Arias with renowned puppeteer Basil Twist presented at the Dorothy B Williams Theatre at HERE Arts Center (145 6th Ave, New York, NY 10013), September 17-November 1.

Part cabaret, part fever dream, part visual spectacle, this unforgettable theatrical fantasia unleashes Joey Arias's electrifying voice inside Basil Twist's wildly imaginative puppet universe. Surreal, funny, emotional, and unlike anything else on stage, the cult sensation Arias with a Twist is a theatrical experience not to be missed.

Recognized as a landmark work of contemporary visual theater, Arias with a Twist has earned enduring acclaim for its unique fusion of cabaret, puppetry, spectacle, and performance art. In 2026, nearly two decades after its world premiere, the production returns to HERE Arts Center, bringing this celebrated collaboration back to the theater where it all began.

"Eat your heart out, Madonna. The chanteuses who play Madison Square Garden and football stadiums have never experienced the imaginative heights of spectacle with which Basil Twist surrounds Joey Arias." Ben Brantley, The New York Times

The cast will include puppeteers Jessica Scott, Matthew Leabo, Ash Winkfield, Maria Camia, Ben Elling, and Rosa Elling, directed by Twist. The creative team includes Vision & Music by Joey Arias, Production, Set & Puppetry Design by Basil Twist, Lighting Design by Ayumu Saegusa, Sound Design by Greg Duffin, Projections Design by Daniel Brodie, and Musical Arrangements by Eliot Douglass & Jean Houle Francoise with Original Songs by Alex Gifford. The production Stage Manager is Neelam Vaswani.

Tickets are available for advance purchase at https://here.org/shows/arias-with-a-twist-2026/. The performance will run approximately 80 minutes, with no intermission.

Basil Twist is a MacArthur Fellow, puppeteer, director, and visual artist whose groundbreaking work has helped redefine contemporary puppetry for the 21st century. He continues a family legacy as a third-generation puppeteer. He holds the distinction of being the only American to graduate from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette (ESNAM) in Charleville-Mézières, France. Twist has built a wide-ranging body of work that includes acclaimed productions such as Symphonie Fantastique, Petrushka, Dogugaeshi, Rite of Spring, Hansel & Gretel, Arias with a Twist, La Bella Dormente nel Bosco, Sisters Follies, and A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he also served as co-director at La Comédie Française. His extensive international collaborations include working with Les Arts Florissants on TITON et l'AURORE at the Opera Comique and Theatre Royal de Versailles. He also served as director and designer for Huang Ruo's The Book of Mountains and Seas with Beth Morrison Productions, which premiered across Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, and New York City. On the West End, Twist is currently the puppetry designer and director for My Neighbour Totoro. His other notable London credits include creative team roles for Winter's Tale at the Royal Ballet, Aida at the ENO, Kate Bush's Before The Dawn, and the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, along with several premieres at The Barbican and with the London International Mime Festival. In 2025, he designed the puppetry and set for the San Francisco Opera's new production of The Monkey King. Throughout his career, Twist has been honored with a MacArthur Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Rome Prize, and a Creative Capital Award. His accolades also include an Obie, a Henry Hewes Award, recognition as a Doris Duke Performing Artist, and numerous Bessie and UNIMA Awards, with support from the Asian Arts Council. He is also the founder of Dream Music Puppetry at HERE Arts Center, one of the nation's longest-running laboratories for new puppetry and visual theater. Basiltwist.com

Joey Arias is an internationally acclaimed singer, actor, and performance artist whose singular career has made him one of the defining figures of New York's downtown arts scene. For more than four decades, he has forged a unique artistic path that bridges cabaret, theater, music, and avant-garde performance, earning a devoted international following and widespread critical acclaim. Arias first came to prominence as a collaborator and protégé of the legendary Klaus Nomi, becoming a central presence in the creative explosion that transformed New York nightlife and performance culture in the late twentieth century. He went on to create the role of the Mistress of Seduction in Zumanity, Cirque du Soleil's groundbreaking Las Vegas production, where his unforgettable performances helped define the show's provocative and theatrical identity. For nearly three decades, Arias has also been the creator and host of Bar d'O. Drawing inspiration from jazz, opera, popular song, and experimental theater, Arias has collaborated with leading artists across disciplines while remaining fiercely original. Revered for his transformative Stage Presence, improvisational brilliance, and fearless reinvention, he is widely recognized as one of the most influential and enduring voices in contemporary performance.