September 3–10, 1998

cover story|fringe festival

A Fringe Of Their Own

These independent souls have concocted two of the most eclectic lineups in the festival.

by a.d. amorosi

Josh Cohen: Dada & The Kids

Stravinsky and Dr. Seuss. Tristan Tzara and Teletubbies. Dadaism, David Bowie, milk, cookies and rabbits run amok. Is this a bad dream or has Marcel Duchamp thrown up? No. This surrealist mishmash is Break Even Productions' idea of entertainment: "a penumbra of fun," as Josh Cohen likes to call his 11-day Fringe stint at Jake & Oliver's. The director/performer/producer, questionably in his 30s, is a Philadelphian who spent a decade performing and producing shows at NYC avant-perf-art spots ABC No-Rio, Webster Hall and the Knitting Factory. His aesthetic discipline is no discipline at all; he likens his omni-directional work to that of the dadaists.

"I try to open people's minds up to their own artistic possibilities as well as making their hearts leap," says Cohen about Break Even's diversity. "The goal of dadaism was to look inside oneself, beyond complications of Victorian thought and world wars, to create work based in dreams."

This work ethic shines through with multi-disciplinary projects for adults and kids alike. Musically, Cohen and assorted local bands'll spend three evenings celebrating David Bowie, Robert Fripp and Brian Eno with records and cover versions: an avant-rock sock hop complete with sing-alongs, theremin players and old-school synths. Another evening sees klezmer locals Ken Ulansey, Paul Butler and Ed Nardi jamming good on everything from Stravinsky to samba. For kids, Cohen and co. will present a "pre-verbal" Astro-Turf-surrounded interpretation of the PBS kiddie show Teletubbies that turns the two-dimensional program into three dimensions with dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet, jugglers and live chefs-a-chefing. "I think it's important to serve kids as well as parents who have 'em," laughs Cohen.

No matter what else goes on, each evening's 8 p.m. centerpiece is Cohen's interpretation of the first dadaist theatrical—Tristan Tzara's The Gas Heart, featuring infamous performance art identi-twins Michael and Thom Dura and others as "eye," "nose," "neck," "ear" and "eyebrow." The rarely performed play is eerily mesmerizing and psychedelically tryptophantic.

"I think all these events are linked by their psychedelic spin on things," says Cohen. "Even the social aspect of my pre-event parties full of food and drink—meeting and seeing friends, strangers and journalists combined with what surprises I have planned—should be magically absurdist. Maybe even a little scary." Having watched fellow journalists eat, I know the fear Cohen can only anticipate.

Break Even Productions at Jake & Oliver's, 22 S. 3rd St., Sept. 9-19.

Moon Fire Tower: The Faerie King

Say what you will about 25-year-old radical faerie MoonFire Tower, but the kid—responsible for a theatrical troupe, drag management company, record label 'n' multi-purpose Turtle Studio—knows how to get busy. Besides bringing his stable of luscious, lascivious drag starlets (Jewish jazz princess Trinity, Manhattan mauler Joey Arias, musical comedienne Sherry Vine) and dominatrices (Mistress Athena) to the Fringe, MoonFire will weave his own mean true tale at the Khyber called MoonDoggie IsReal.

"It's the story of my life made farce," says MoonFire of the autobiography he's been writing for the last five years. "It's a comedy about a character named MoonDoggie who's a superhero psychic drag queen faerie who's being pursued by a right-wing group who want to destroy radical faerie-ism."

Adapting his wacky 15-character script for just hisself, MoonFire reveals the personal edge to the story. Tower grew up in Montana with an abusive Christian minister father and a closeted lesbian mother until he was abandoned by them. Left homeless, MoonFire began the search for Familiars. "I was a bit of a pagan," says Tower. That led him to a group of earth-based communal-dwelling radical faeries from Tennessee, which forever shaped his existence. How does the story end? "I don't know," he laughs. "I haven't finished the script."

Maybe it ends when MoonFire's fat ladies sing. His four-day solo show at Khyber is framed by performances from Trinity (Sept. 9) and Squeezebox fave Sherry Vine (Sept. 10), withJoey Arias doing tracks from his upcoming torch song trilogy Sisters at Khyber Sept. 11.

Before the Arias/MoonFire show on Sept. 11, Tower will celebrate the opening of his Turtle Studios with a pre-party there at 5 p.m. and a post-party at Shampoo featuring a retinue of masters, servants, leather and lace. Chanteuse Raven O closes out the Tower epoch at Khyber Sept. 12 with a spankingly good after-show at Bonaparte's Saturday night special, Bastille!

Bring the baby powder. MoonFire Tower is back!

MoonFire Tower, MoonDoggie IsReal, Sept. 9-12, 8:30 p.m., The Khyber, 56 S. Second St. Fringe box office: 413-2070.