Review Roundup: ARIAS WITH A TWIST at Here Arts Center

Tandem Otter Productions is presenting the return of Arias with a Twist, created and performed by NYC icon, chanteuse, and performance artist Joey Arias with puppeteer Basil Twist presented at the Dorothy B Williams Theatre at HERE Arts Center through November 1.

The cast includes 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. See what the critics are saying...

Loren Noveck, ExeuntNYC: I am, admittedly, more readily charmed by puppets than some, but Arias with a Twist really does offer multiple angles from which to enjoy it: the ingenuity and razzle-dazzle of Twist’s effects; stagecraft that gives plenty of opportunities for transformation even within a tiny space; the architecture of a classic cabaret show; and the tongue—and some other bits—firmly in cheek persona of Joey Arias. Arias, after all his years as an icon, may have to hang up his eyelashes someday, but I’m very glad that day has not yet come.

Sara Holdren, Vulture : Arias is fluent in drag-of-a-certain-era’s essential combination of fellatio shtick and “What’s a girl to do?” flutter. But behind all this commitment to the well-known — if refreshed-by-puppets — bit is a wistfulness and a feistiness that turn this revival into something stranger and more poignant than even, perhaps, its creators intended.

Daniel Hunt & Daniel Diaza, The Daniels Review: By the end, we were moved and happily joined in with the rest of the audience in giving Joey a well deserved standing ovation. For all its outrageous humor and sensory overload, Arias with a Twist felt like a complete celebration of performing art. We left talking about the puppets, the music, the precision and the sheer pleasure of seeing so much imagination brought to life. We want to see it again before it finishes on November 1st. Once was wonderful, but we want more.

Jon Sobel, Blogcritics: The missing piece is that today’s Arias lacks the voice to pull off even kitschy versions of tunes from any of the musical golden ages the show draws from. Thus the important cabaret element suffers. You really want to love this star, perfectly in his element, strutting his stuff with a shimmy and a wink. But the vocals fall short, evoking feelings that I didn’t want to be having at a show with such a warm glam glow.

Deirdre Donovan, Off Off Onliine: There is no deep or hidden moral message behind Arias with a Twist. But there is something truly affectionate at its heart: a love letter to the resilient avant-garde spirit of New York City.

Average Rating: 78.0%