By Alix Cohen
In 2008, unique artists, friends and co-conspirators Basil Twist and Joey Arias decided to collaborate. “I wanna be abducted by aliens, I wanna go on an acid trip (both artists have experience with psychedelics), and I wanna a Busby Berkley number,” Joey suggested. “Ok,” Basil responded with the nonchalance of being asked to have a beer. The show was Arias with a Twist.
Curtain after curtain peels away as white haloed lights shimmer. “After tonight, you may question your own faith, draw your own conclusions.” A (3’) flying saucer careens across stage air space. On her way to a gig, Z Chromosome (Joey Arias) is vividly sucked up into it.
Splayed across a rotating hoop – “Whee!”, the scantily clad ‘specimen’ is puzzled over by big-eyed aliens. Translation appears in supertitles. “The human female is strange…her skin is so soft…” Defending her virginity, Z warns them to keep probing away from her “cherry pie.” The show is amiably raunchy, it’s star blithely amoral. Everything cylindrical is stroked, licked or sucked with appetite and appreciation.
High wattage screaming partners a lengthy free-fall (think Alice down the rabbit hole) as the ship dumps Z, bottoms up, in a sumptuous (fabric) jungle inspired by a trip Twist made to the Amazon rainforest. (Note the red soles of her ostensibly Christian Louboutin high heels) Colorful blossoms open, a sinuous snake weaves in and out of dense growth, a gaping Venus Flytrap snaps at the heroine’s derrière.
“I was born in the jungle of Eden/A garden where few ribs are spare/What ain’t walkin’ is usually eaten,” sings the odalisque draped on a moss covered rock. …” (song by Alex Gifford of The Propellerheads)
A red mushroom sprouts. “Holy Shitake! Look at that protein!” Starving, Z digs in. It’s psychedelic, of course. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) follows with kaleidoscopic projections.Z morphs into a goddess (the Hindu Durga?) with four additional, undulating arms. Mandalas frame the deity. Arms become waving, cradling octopus tentacles and then, giant stroking hands. Z lays on her back, legs spread like a cat in heat. .
There are songs written for the piece, selections from pop charts, and some out of American Songbook. “All By Myself” (Eric Carmen) joins Wardell Gray’s “Twisted” and “Take It to My Baby.” (Steve Cropper/Isaac Hayes/David Porter)
Arias has a smokey, late Billie Holiday-like voice that insinuates, celebrates, and soars, emitting the occasional Betty Boop squeak. He sings like he does everything else, with shameless exuberance and fierce style. Appealing vulnerability shines from bravado. There’s no fourth wall. Love is in the air.
Accompaniment is, in part, provided by The Dream Music Orchestra made up of 90 year old, hand-carved wood marionettes belonging to Twist’s big band leader grandfather, Griff Williams. (Lighting – Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa – is especially evocative.)
Z’s journey continues with cinematic return to a sprawling, stage-encompassing Manhattan. City-wide media (voice-overs- David Ilku and Edgar Oliver) and iconic movie stars (talking heads) celebrate.
A production number with synchronized Ziegfeld chorines- wait till you see’m! – singing “You Gotta Have Strings” (Walter Donaldson/Harold Adamson) is observed in Busby Berkeley fashion.
Imagination is off the charts; manifestation virtuosic. Arias is a unique and brazen talent. Twist is a magician. Not to be missed.
Joey Arias and Basil Twist
Production Photos by Richard Termne
Arias with a Twist was first performed in 2008 at Dorothy B. Williams Theatre – HERE Arts Center. I attended the 2011 “deluxe” version at Abrons Art Center.
My recent article on the origin of the piece: https://theaterlife.com/the-extraordinary-arias-with-a-twist-two-legends-again-collude/
Arias with a Twist
Conceived by Joey Arias and Basil Twist
Directed by Basil Twist
Production, Set & Puppetry Design: Basil Twist
Puppeteers: Jessica Scott, Matthew Leabo, Ash Winkfield, Maria Camia, Ben Elling, and Rosa Elling, Rachel Schapira
Vision & Music : Joey Arias
Musical Arrangements- Eliot Douglass & Jean Houle Francoise with Original Songs by Alex Gifford.
Lighting Design: Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa
Sound Design: Greg Duffin
Chimerical Projection Design: Daniel Brodie
Costume Concept- Thierry Mugler- Cleverly executed by Designer Fritz Masten
THROUGH NOVEMBER 1, 2026
Dorothy B. Williams Theatre at HERE Arts Center 145 Sixth Avenue
Tickets: https://here.org/shows/arias-with-a-twist-2026/.
