Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Holiday cheer for adults only: JOE ICONIS and JACKIE BEAT craft Christmastime entertainments that are more naughty than nice

• By drediman
• December 17, 2024
• No Comments

Over the course of the past week or so, I had the chance to take in a pair of Christmastime entertainments for adults, and are by design definitely more naughty than nice. As per usual, read on for my thoughts.

JOE ICONIS CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA
54 Below

First up is the annual Joe Iconis Christmas Extravaganza (RECOMMENDED), the 14th iteration of which literally took over 54 Below last weekend. Those of you expecting your typical cabaret performance (i.e., stripped-down, no more than 90-minutes long), be forewarned. Stretching out well over two hours, Iconis’s Extravaganza is essentially a spectacle, complete with environmental scenery, multitudes of costumes, and plenty of props. If anything, the R-rated experience has more in common with immersive, anything goes downtown theater than it does a cabaret act. Essentially an exploded version of the renegade musical theater composer/lyricist’s Joe Iconis and Family shows, the Extravaganza further incorporates layers of plot and plenty of lore — most of it zany, inappropriate stuff (just take a listen to “Sweet Baby Jesus Theme Song”) — all of which have only gotten more elaborate with each passing year. Suffice to say, the show is a maximalist experience that can occasionally feel excessive and overstuffed — but that’s arguably part of its charm. Performed by Iconis’s wide network of loyal musical theater thespians, the evening’s ample song list is comprised of spiked versions of well-known holiday songs, as well as Iconis’s own concoctions. At the late night show I attended, highlights included Katrina Rose Dideriksen’s searing “Please Come Home for Christmas”, all of the hilarious “Mrs. Claus Christmas Spectacular” segment, and (of course) Jason SweetTooth Williams’ stirring signature rendition of “The Goodbye Song”, which signals the impending conclusion of the long but enjoyable evening.

JACKIE BEAT: BIG DICKENS ENERGY
The Cutting Room

Then there’s Jackie Beat’s holiday show Big Dickens Energy! (RECOMMENDED), which I recently caught at The Cutting Room in Manhattan’s Murray Hill neighborhood. A legendary drag queen in her own right — this year, the shock jock queen celebrates 35 years in the business — Jackie Beat is a wickedly inappropriate song parody guru who’s definitely no stranger to twisting Christmastime entertainment (at some point, you’ll likely feel yourself getting uncomfortable, which is a completely normal occurrence at her shows). Indeed, with more than two decades of holiday shows under her belt, Jackie’s latest holiday show — which draws from the drag queen’s growing repository of Christmas carol parodies — is as razor sharp and irreverent a show as Jackie has put together. Indeed, add to the mix some relentlessly trashy but supremely witty banter and a deliciously cynical attitude that slices deep, and you get some of the most raucous holiday entertainment out there. Don’t be fooled, however — beneath the show’s deceptively laid back quality and predictable layout, there’s substantial rigor and comic mastery that underpins the evening. Commencing the show with “Scrooge Looks Like a Lady”, Jackie bolts out of the gate like a rabid dog on the loose and never looks back, daring her audiences to be repulsed every audacious step of the way. It’s difficult to pick song highlights in the robustly-sung lineup. Indeed, between hilariously provocative creations like “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Syphilis”, “Santa’s Baby”, “Alcoholidays”, “Sleigh Ride in Leather with You”, “Do Some Blow”, and “Go To Hell”, I’d be hard pressed to choose.