|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
Also this issue: Philadelphia Orchestra Instrument Drive Solstice Celebrations Saturnalia Winterfest |
|
|
|
|
 |
|||||||||
December 19-25, 2002
list cap
 |
|
So has holiday cheer left you a little green around the gills? The irreverence of the Big Mess Cabaret should make even the most hardened Grinch crack a smile. Ludicrous and a little insane, this orgy of postmodern vaudeville has become, to the Philadelphia cultural underground, a much-awaited antidote to the season's rampant consumerism. With their piss-take on American culture and some names to back them up, the cabaret has made theater relevant to the nostalgia-drunk, politically depraved 20-something crowd. Over the last decade, founders Greg Giovanni and Andy Bresnan have taken Big Mess through many incarnations -- from playing shows at the Troc, the now-defunct Penguin Place and Killtime, to releasing a CD, A Little Trash Goes a Long Way, in '97. The lineup, Bresnan says, is mutable, changing and growing with Philly's burgeoning alterna-theater scene. Along with the Fringe, Big Mess has played its part in paving the way for young, garage theater companies like Pig Iron, New Paradise Theater and Moxie: This weekend's performance, titled Die Heilige Kuh! (Holy Cow!), features Lee Etzold and Nichole Canuso as well as, amongst others, Grace Gonglewski and drag-punk-diva Helen Back.
Rampant genre-fucking is the method; pomo social commentary the message. The show combines the hedonistic approach of burlesque with rock music, literature, classical music and opera. In the decadent tradition of cabaret, Big Mess picks on easy targets -- pop culture and current events -- and goes for the cheap laugh, but what fun!
Fri.-Sat., Dec. 20-21, 8 p.m., $8-$20, The Trocadero, 10th and Arch sts., 215-922-LIVE
-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there
