Sara Bareilles, Grace McLean, John Behlmann & More to Join ISAAC OLIVER'S LONELY CHRISTMAS at Ars Nova
January lineup includes new work by Marinda Anderson & williambryantmiles, Jacinta Yelland & Trey Lyford, Jean Rohe & Jennifer Jancuska, and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 07, 2023
Ars Nova has revealed an all-star lineup of special guest artists for Isaac Oliver’s Lonely Christmas, a benefit to support Ars Nova, plus eight new one-night events in January. All of these shows continue Ars Nova’s season-long expansion of premiere, genre-defying work in its original home at 511 W 54th Street and on its digital platform, Ars Nova Supra, underlining the organization’s commitment to supporting groundbreaking new work from New York City’s newest talent. Tickets are currently on sale at www.arsnovanyc.com.
Isaac Oliver’s Lonely Christmas, a holiday tradition at Ars Nova, has announced its special guest lineup, which includes John Behlmann (Shucked, Tootsie), Jen Kirkman (I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine), Just Keep Livin’?) Grace McLean (Bad Cinderella, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) Ben Moss (Oratorio for Living Things), and the voice of Amanda Duarte (Snatch Adams) on Monday, December 11, and Sara Bareilles (Waitress, Into the Woods), Christian Brailsford (Pretty Woman), Ben Moss (Oratorio for Living Things), Josh Sharp & Aaron Jackson (Dicks: The Musical), and the voice of Amanda Duarte (Snatch Adams) on Tuesday, December 12. Isaac Oliver’s Lonely Christmas is a special benefit performance with tickets starting at $75. All ticket revenue from these performances go directly to support Ars Nova and its mission.
SHOWGASM., Ars Nova’s untamed recurring variety-show-meets party, is back on January 11 with comedian and writer Julio Torres (SNL, Problemista,Los Espookys) as host. Audiences can expect to meet the who’s-who of the weird and wonderful. The January 25 edition is hosted by comedian, singer, and activist Esther Fallick and will be interpreted in American Sign Language by Pro Bono ASL.
On January 12, the dynamic duo of Marinda Anderson and williambryantmiles take audiences on an unbelievable journey through song and storytelling in The Incredible Drunkertons: From the Bottom to the Top, to the bottom back to the Middle. This rag-to-riches-to-rags-again revue stars your favorite drunk aunt & uncle: legendary former child stars Sizzle and Funk Drunkerton.
Fresh off a hit run at Philadelphia Fringe, performer Jacinta Yelland presents KOAL, a one-woman climate-catastrophe clown show on January 20. Directed by Trey Lyford, KOAL brings the audience from laughter to tears as it explores what is lost when your home is erased.
On January 23, Ars Nova Vision Resident Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez curates 74 Corridor, a time-bending memoir musical by songwriter Jean Rohe, told via bus stops. Under the direction of Jennifer Jancuska and with help from band members Chris Tordini, Jason Burger and Caroline Davis, 74 Corridor is a bus ride down memory lane.
Actor, writer, comedian, and Ars Nova Vision Resident Chris Murphy presents another edition of Roots on January 24. This genre-bending talk show—packed with comedy, music, dance, drag and more—explores where we came from and where we’re going.
On January 26, Brandon Kyle Goodman brings audiences The Heaux Church, a rousing shame-free service on the birds, the bees & eating booty that was inspired by his Instagram series, “Messy Mondays.” Goodman is best known for his roles on Netflix’s Big Mouth and its spin-off Human Resources.
In Works & Progress on January 27, Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez, a Vision Resident at Ars Nova, jams out with composers from all over the globe sharing music and exploring the creative process behind every ballad.
All tickets for regular performances are Name Your Price, starting at $5, with all proceeds going directly to the artists. These shows will also be available to stream live and on demand on Supra, Ars Nova’s streaming platform, for $15 a month. Tickets are general admission and currently on sale at www.arsnovanyc.com.
All performances begin at 7:30pm with doors open at 6:30pm. Ticket buyers have access to the happiest happy hour from 6:30pm to 7:30pm with food and beverage combo specials and the cheapest drinks around! All shows take place at Ars Nova, located at 511 West 54th Street in Manhattan, and stream live and on-demand on Ars Nova Supra.
Please visit www.arsnovanyc.com for more information.
Event Details
December 11 & 12 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Isaac Oliver’s Lonely Christmas
Isaac Oliver, Jason Eagan & Jack Serio
Ars Nova’s beloved holiday tradition returns this December! Everyone’s favorite yuletide gay Isaac Oliver brings his holly-jolly-melancholy show back to the stage for two very special benefit performances, co-directed by Jason Eagan and Jack Serio, to lift spirits and support Ars Nova.
Monday, December 11: Featuring John Behlmann, Jen Kirkman, Grace McLean, Ben Moss, and the voice of Amanda Duarte
Tuesday, December 12: Featuring Sara Bareilles, Christian Brailsford, Ben Moss, Josh Sharp & Aaron Jackson, and the voice of Amanda Duarte
January 11 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Hosted by Julio Torres
Showgasm. is Ars Nova’s untamed recurring variety-show-meets-party, serving up comedy to burlesque and everything (and anything) in between. Comedian and writer Julio Torres (SNL, Problemista, Los Espookys) is back by popular demand, hosting Ars Nova’s first ‘gasm of 2024! Expect to meet the who’s-who of the weird and wonderful; you never know what’ll happen at a SHOWGASM.!
January 12 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
The Incredible Drunkertons: From the Bottom to the Top, to the Bottom Back to the Middle
Marinda Anderson & williambryantmiles
The Incredible Drunkertons: From the Bottom to the Top, to the bottom back to the Middle is a rag-to-riches-to-rags-again revue starring legendary former child stars Sizzle and Funk Drunkerton. Portrayed and created by Marinda Anderson and williambryantmiles, this dynamic duo will take you on an unbelievable journey through song and storytelling of having nothing, having everything, losing it all and (almost) making it to the top, again.
January 20 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Jacinta Yelland & Trey Lyford
Fresh off a hit run at Philadelphia Fringe, KOAL is a one-woman climate-catastrophe-clown-show for the end of the world. As wildfires tear through Australia, a baby koala, a coal miner and an Indigenous girl desperately strive to hold onto their homes before all burns and turns to ash. Performed by Jacinta Yelland and directed by Trey Lyford, KOAL takes the audience from laughter to tears as it explores what is lost when your home is erased.
January 23 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Curated by Ars Nova Vision Resident Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez
74 Corridor is a memoir musical by songwriter Jean Rohe, told via bus stops. Through the windows of a secret time-bending schedule of the #74 New Jersey Transit bus, Jean guides travelers on a tour of her late father's life in the cities that shaped him, from Paterson to Newark, all the while collecting evidence that he was more than the pile of letters he left behind. Under the direction of Jennifer Jancuska and with help from band members Chris Tordini, Jason Burger and Caroline Davis, 74 Corridor is a bus ride down memory lane.
January 24 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Curated by Ars Nova Vision Resident Chris Murphy
Why are you the way that you are? What’s your root? And most importantly, when Tyra said “I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you” did she mean it? Actor, writer, and comedian Chris Murphy is back and once again getting to the root of our issues, our problems, and our desires. Packed with comedy, music, dance, drag and more, Roots is a variety-meets-talk-show featuring some of NYC’s hottest acts that explores where we came from and where we’re going.
January 25 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Hosted by Esther Fallick
SHOWGASM.. is Ars Nova’s untamed recurring variety-show-meets party, serving up comedy to burlesque and everything (and anything) in between. Hosted by comedian, singer, activist and musical theater writer Esther Fallick, you can expect to meet the who’s-who of the weird and wonderful. You never know what’ll happen at SHOWGASM.! This performance will be interpreted in American Sign Language by Pro Bono ASL.
January 26 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Brandon Kyle Goodman & Lisa Owaki Bierman
On the first night of taking over his late grandmother's parish, “The Pastor” has decided to “answer the call” and lead the church in a new direction--one where SEX is spoken about with celebration and reverence, but as The Pastor leads the congregation through Heaux Prayers, demonstrations, and sermons, the spirit of his grandmother makes him confront another topic: Death. Inspired by Brandon Kyle Goodman’s Instagram Series, "Messy Mondays", The Heaux Church leads us through a rousing shame-free service on “The birds, The bees, and Eating Booty.”
January 27 at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Works & Process: Michelle J. Rodriguez
Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez
Curated by Ars Nova Vision Resident Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez
In Works & Progress, writer and performer Michelle J. “Micha” Rodriguez jams out with composers from all over the globe, sharing music and exploring the creative process behind every ballad. This evening of songs and stories — packed with performances by some of NYC’s greatest songwriters — will be moderated by Bushwick Starr Associate Artistic Director Machel Ross (HOUND DOG).
About Ars Nova
Ars Nova exists to discover, develop, and launch singular theater, music and comedy artists in the early stages of their professional careers. Our dynamic slate of programs supports outside-the-box thinking and encourages innovative, genre-bending new work. Dubbed by The New York Times as a “fertile incubator of offbeat theater,” Ars Nova blurs genres and subverts the status quo. With our feverish bounty of programming – which spans from one-night performances to developmental programs like Play Group, Makers Lab, Vision Residency and CAMP to world premiere productions – Ars Nova is a stomping ground and launching pad for visionary, adventurous artists of all stripes. By providing a protective environment where risk-taking and collaboration are paramount, Ars Nova amplifies the voices of a new generation of diverse artists and audiences, pushing the boundaries of live entertainment by nurturing creative ideas into smart, surprising new work.
Ars Nova has been honored with an Obie Award and a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle for sustained quality and commitment to the development and production of new work. Notable past productions include: three-time Lortel Award-winner Oratorio for Living Things by Heather Christian, directed by Lee Sunday Evans; “Outstanding Musical” Lortel Award-winner and The New York Times’ “Best of 2018,” Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future, created by Andrew R. Butler, directed by Jordan Fein; The Lucky Ones, created by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher, directed by Anne Kauffman; “Outstanding Musical” Lortel Award-winner KPOP, created by Jason Kim, Max Vernon, Helen Park, and Woodshed Collective, directed by Teddy Bergman; “Best New American Theatre Work,” Obie Award-winner and “one of the best new plays in the last 25 years” (The New York Times), Underground Railroad Game by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard, directed by Taibi Magar ; The New York Times’ and New York Post’s “Best of 2015,” Small Mouth Sounds by Bess Wohl, directed by Rachel Chavkin; the Tony Award-winning smash-hit Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 by Dave Malloy, directed by Rachel Chavkin; the world premiere of the 2009 season’s most-produced play boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, directed by Alex Timbers; the show that put Bridget Everett on the map, At Least It’s Pink by Everett, Michael Patrick King, and Kenny Mellman, directed by King; and Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail’s first New York production, Freestyle Love Supreme by Anthony Veneziale and Miranda, directed by Thomas Kail (Broadway 2019).
Please visit arsnovanyc.com to learn more.
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