Photos: EXES: THE MUSICAL At The New York City Fringe Festival

EXES: The Musical written by Anne DiGiovanni (p/k/a deegie) and Joseph Lewczak opened at The New York City Fringe Festival last week. The limited engagement runs until April 8 with remaining performances on Monday, April 7 at 7:40pm, and Tuesday, April 8 at 9:20pm. Olivia Facini directs the New York premiere. See photos from the show!

deegie, a powerhouse pop punk princess, takes a deep dive into her past relationships through her real diaries in the one-woman rock opera, EXES: The Musical. Taking the audience on an unexpected journey through the fairytale romantic myths of popular culture, deegie’s diaries chronicle a range of boyfriends – from men who made clear they never wanted to be serious, to clingy, cloying men who held deegie too tight. Her reliving of how that culture intertwines with rape culture and impacts women as they come of age is a rollercoaster ride with the highs of love and validation and the lows of emotional repression, leaving deegie screaming “Stop the ride!”

With the sound of Olivia Rodrigo’s older sister (or Avril Lavigne’s younger one), each song is an exploration of memory, accountability, and perspective only time can give.

deegie emotional directness and empowering energy have inspired questions like “What makes you so angry?” There’s something about a woman being raw, bold, and fierce with her gut-punching lyrics that makes people uncomfortable despite her anthemic melodies, and deegie’s mission is to shine a klieg light on that truth. deegie is currently releasing songs off her forthcoming EP, Feminism 101, documenting her experiences as a woman in a man’s world.

The Chain Theatre is located at 312 West 36th Street (between 8th & 9th avenue), New York, NY 10018. Tickets are available for $25 (excluding fees, sliding scale tickets also available). www.deegiemusic.com/exesthemusica