Arts & Entertainment
Drag/puppet stew
New Woolly production eye popping but underdeveloped
‘Arias with a Twist’
Through May 6
Woolly Mammoth
641 D Street, NW
$30-$55
202-393-3939
Joey Arias in ‘Arias with a Twist.’ (Photo courtesy Woolly Mammoth)
While very different, drag and puppetry actually have some things in common. To be good, both require artifice, heaps of imagination and a little magic. In co-creating “Arias with a Twist” (at Woolly Mammoth through May 6) New York drag performer Joey Arias and master puppeteer Basil Twist bring together their respective, formidable talents to create a wild ride.
The 90-minute, psychedelic odyssey kicks off in outer space. When we meet the show’s beleaguered heroine Joey (portrayed by Arias as a mix of dim damsel and hard-boiled party girl), she’s been abducted by aliens. Strapped to a metal wheel, she unconvincingly objects “I’m a virgin,” as the glow-eyed extraterrestrials introduce her to their biggest mechanical probe. From there, Joey, falls to earth and lands in an Eden-like jungle where — “Holy Shitake!” — she gobbles down a sparkly disco mushroom (hallucinogenic, of course), and the most trippy part of her journey ensues.
Twist (the show’s designer and director), lighting designer Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa and projection designer Daniel Brodie surround Joey with outsized flowers, pinwheels, kaleidoscopes, Muppet-like dodo birds, butterflies, disembodied white-gloved hands, and, most impressively, 20-foot-long, purple octopus tentacles. The magic mushrooms experience explodes from mellow to fiery, taking Joey straight to a flame-filled hell where she performs a Vegas-y number (and more) with two muscly, massively endowed backup demons.
Inevitably Joey crashes. From a darkened stage, she awakens alone and weakly asks the audience “What time is it?” before seguing into a torchy rendition of pop hit “All By Myself.” (Throughout the show Arias sings a mixture pop standards and bluesy ballads dotted with low growls and ear-piercing Yma Sumac squeaks.) But like Dorothy, Joey realizes “there’s no place like home,” and for her that means Manhattan.
In no time, our high-heeled star hilariously descends upon Gotham like the 50-foot woman, clomping her way downtown, taking out a few cabs and assorted commuters on the way. Despite a raucous return, she’s welcomed home with open arms: a spinning collage of headlines announces “Joey Arias Returns From Outer Space!” Her triumphant comeback entails a singing engagement at a smart club. Joey flirts with the cute band members (charmingly crafted 80-year-old puppets passed down from Twist’s bandleader grandfather) and naughtily banters with the audience (a real Arias strength). Before the final curtain, she is joined by a chorus of big-legged beauties and ultimately appears half-naked atop a multi-tiered cake in an elaborate number inspired by 1930s Hollywood.
Arias’ bag of tried-and-true tricks (that vintage pinup appeal, the Billie Holiday rasp and those hilarious deadpan double takes) along with Twist’s whimsical, wildly inventive puppetry expand a one gal show into something vast (including a cast of dozens animated by six unseen puppeteers) and delightfully unpredictable.
Manfred Thierry Mugler (the famed French couturier added the “Manfred” when he dramatically transformed into a massive bodybuilder a few years back) dresses Joey in a restricted wardrobe of punishing foundation garment with strategically placed black bands, and later a gorgeous black mermaid gown. The look creates a sort of chic armor; but despite her fierce attire, Joey is vulnerable and amusingly susceptible to all sorts of temptation.
“Arias with a Twist” premiered in New York in 2008. And though the show has been tweaked since then, it’s not without its clunky moments, most notably some serious pacing problems. Still it delivers some spectacle and merrily salutes much from 20th century show biz — Ziegfeld Follies, Busby Berkeley, big bands — but its DNA can be traced specifically to the downtown New York club scene where gay artists Arias and Twist cut their teeth. It’s raunchy, clunky and fun and there’s a “my dad has a barn, let’s put on a show” quality to it only the barn is a night spot in the East Village and the kids are drag queens, budding artists, and a couple of muscle boys (to do the heavy lifting).
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
It’s been a year filled with drama and music, re-imaginings and new works. There was a lot on offer in 2025, and much to enjoy. Here are 10 now-closed productions that come to mind.
On Valentine’s Day at Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill, out actor Holly Twyford served as narrator for “The Love Birds” a Folger Consort work that melds medieval music with a world-premiere composition by acclaimed composer Juri Seo and readings from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “A Parlement of Foules”
Standing behind a podium, Twyford beautifully read Chaucer’s words (translated from Middle English and backed by projected slides in the original language), alternating with music played on old and new instruments.
While Mosaic Theater’s “A Case for the Existence of God,” closed in mid-December, it’s proving a production not soon forgotten. Precisely staged by Danilo Gambini, and impressively acted by Lee Orsorio and Jaysen Wright, the soul-searching two hander by out playwright Samuel D. Hunter, tells the story of two men who form an unlikely friendship based on single-fatherhood, a specific sadness, and hope.
The action unfolds in a small office in southern Idaho, where the pair discuss the perplexing terms of a mortgage loan while delving deep into their lives and backgrounds. Nothing is left off the table.
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s spring production of “Uncle Vanya” gave audiences something both fresh yet enduring. Staged by STC’s artistic director Simon Godwin, the production put an impeccably pleasing twist on Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s classic. It ranks among the very best area productions of the year.
Featuring a topnotch cast led by Hugh Bonneville (TV’s “Downton Abbey”) in the title role, the play was set on an unfinished stage cluttered with costume racks and assorted props, all assembled by crew uniformed in black and actors in street clothes. Throughout the drama tinged with comedy, the actors continued to assist with ever increasingly period set changes accompanied by an underscore of melancholic cello strings. It was innovative and wonderful.
GALA Hispanic Theatre’s production of Manuel Puig’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” was an intimate and affecting piece of theater. Staged by José Luis Arellano, it starred out actors Rodrigo Pedreira and Martín Ruiz as two very different men whose paths cross as convicts in an Argentine prison.
Arena Stage scored with a re-imagined and updated take on the widely liked musical “Damn Yankees.” Directed by Sergio Trujillo, the Broadway bound production has been “gently re-tooled for its first major revival in the 21st century,” moving the action from the struggling Washington Senators baseball team to the turn-of-the-century Yankees lineup. Ana Villafañe’s charmingly seductive Lola and a chorus of fit ball players made for a good time.
Also at Arena, out playwright Reggie D. White’s new work “Fremont Ave.” was very well received. A semi-autobiographical glimpse into home and the many definitions of that idea specifically relating to three generations of Black men, the work boasts a third act with a deeply queer storyline to boot.
Before his smash hit “Hamilton” transformed Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote “In the Heights,” a seminal musical set against the vicissitudes of an upper Manhattan bodega. Infused with hip-hop, rap, and pop ballads, the romance/dramedy takes place over a lively few days in the vibrant, close-knit Latin neighborhood, Washington Heights.
Signature Theatre’s exciting take on “In the Heights” featured a talented cast including out actor Ángel Lozado as the bodega owner who figures prominently in the barrio and the action.
Studio Theatre’s recent production of lesbian playwright Paula Vogel’s newest work “The Mother Play,” a drama with humor, is about a well put together alcoholic mother and her two gay children living under difficult circumstances in the less glitzy parts of suburban Maryland. With nuanced performances and smart direction, the production was terrific.
Keegan Theatre surpassed expectations with its production of “Lizzie” a punk rock opera about Miss Borden, the fabled axe wielding title character. Performed by a super all-female cast, they belted a score that hits hard on subjects like money, queerness, and strained (to say the least) family relationships.
Round House Theatre impressed autumn audiences with “The Inheritance,” a two-part drama sensitively staged by out director Tom Story and acted by a mostly queer cast that included young actor Jordi Bertrán Ramírez in a breakout performance.
Penned by out playwright Matthew López, the epic work inspired by E.M. Forster’s novel “Howards End,” explores themes of love, legacy, and the AIDS crisis through the lives of three generations of gay men in New York City.
Prior to opening, Story commented that with the production’s predominately queer cast you get actors who “really understand the situation, the humor, and the struggle. It works well.” And he was right.
What to watch for in 2026: midterms, Supreme Court, and more
A reminder that Jan. 6 was ‘textbook terrorism’
Claudia López criticizes Trump over threats against Colombian president
Tim Walz drops out of Minn. governor’s race
Blade travels to Colombia after U.S. forces seize Maduro in Venezuela
A look back at the best books of 2025
D.C.’s 10 best theater productions of 2025
The year in photos
Safer Ways to Pay for Online Performances and Queer Events
