Poets take turns being silly and serious in Poetry Cabaret. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)
By DCist contributor Allie Goldstein
Reminds us of: Def Poetry meets DC Gurly Show; A Trump tirade at a new decibel.
Flop, Fine or Fringe-tastic: Fringe-tastic.
The strength of Poetry Cabaret, a mix of performances compiled by Asheville-based Poetry Cabaret Collective is in its variety; from a rock-n-roll cellist to a stand-up comic to burlesque, you never know what is coming up next. (Well, okay, the burlesque finale was anticipated.) The show is slightly different each night, but the common denominator among all performers is their voracity. On Friday night, the poets’ spit cascaded visibly from mouth to mic during several performances, so passionate was the delivery. This intensity is all the more impressive given the intimacy of Trinidad Theatre, which feels like a cozy living room. As host Caleb Beissert noted at the beginning of Poetry Cabaret, all the artists get naked on stage—in one way or another.
Beissert — a skilled poet in his own right — is an engaging guide throughout the cabaret, introducing each performer with a mix of hype and “alternative facts.” Aaron Price’s original melodies on the keys and the guitar interlude between acts back up the poets at just the right moments, highlighting emotion and sometimes adding humor. The mash-up of performances does include plenty of laughs, but the more moving performances strike a serious tone, such as Kevin Barger’s spoken word piece about an HIV scare. Kevin Evans also bellowed out a darker piece “for those who can’t make love”—a line that took on new meaning with each refrain. And, if you can catch it, Poetry Cabaret is worth seeing just for Justin William Evans’s absurdist poem about our president, with its satisfying combination of howls, obscene imagery, and mean whispers.
Where to See It: Poetry Cabaret is playing at Trinidad Theatre in the Logan Fringe Arts Space, July 11 and 12 at 9:45 p.m. Buy tickets here.
See here for all of DCist’s 2017 Capital Fringe coverage. All shows are $17, with a button ($7) required for entry.
