Review: A VERY LEA EASTER at Joe's Pub Is Uproariously Funny

Lea DeLaria is the queen of out there, in-your-face comedy, and her March 31st Easter show at Joe’s Pub was no exception. The star was brassy and drew laughs from the entire crowd, ad-libbing and rolling with the punches. She decided to put on an Easter show this year partially for scheduling reasons – she normally does a Valentine’s Day show at Joe’s Pub, but this year she was starring in Night of the Iguana and couldn’t. So why not turn to the next major holiday on the calendar? (Read an interview with DeLaria about the show here where she talks more about her inspiration behind the show.)

DeLaria also has a rich depth of experience to plumb for comedic moments, having gone to Catholic school and been forced to don a dress every year to attend Easter services. The singing was phenomenal, with wonderful accompaniment from DeLaria’s 100% queer band (“everyone on stage eats p*ssy and d*ck in the appropriate manner,” she quipped). The band consisted of Shirazette Tinnin on drums, Mario Panacci on bass, and Chris Presso on piano. The show had fun, surprises, gorgeous songs, and quite literally an Easter basket full of treats.

I don’t know if DeLaria is planning to mount this show again next year, in which case you should stop reading this review and set a calendar reminder to stalk her social media next spring for dates. If you keep reading, fair warning that you may have a surprise or two spoiled if you haven’t seen the show yet.

The show opened with the band playing a jazzy rendition of “Easter Parade.” DeLaria strode onstage in a bunny outfit, and a basket of treats, many of which were purchased at a sex toy shop – perfect for a Lea DeLaria Easter. She wandered the audience giving them out to people in the audience she thought looked nice. As a Jew, I had only a dim awareness of what Easter is beyond chocolate eggs, but the show hit everything I knew about the holiday and then some. DeLaria pulled out every showtune that could kind of passably be considered about Easter, including a fun “Heaven on Their Minds” from Jesus Christ Superstar. I saw the earlier 6 pm show, where the star was still openly figuring stuff out, but in such a hilarious way that who could mind? Apparently she had asked her assistant to get her the very cheapest bunny costume they could find, and the cheap polyester caused her to have a hot flash in the middle of the song. She laughed it off, joking that she’d work the kinks out for the 8:30 pm show, and finished the song without missing a beat, which ended in a fun visual gag. DeLaria said at one point that Sondheim himself had told her, when she sung at one of his tribute concerts, that she sung so well that when she was singing, people forgot she was funny, and when she was funny people forgot that she could sing, a high compliment. At Joe’s Pub, she proved again and again that she could, indeed, do it all.

Find more upcoming shows at Joe’s Pub’s website.

Learn more about Lea DeLaria here.

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