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| Joey Arias and Eliot Douglass |
I went and saw Joey Arias at the Triple Door last night…it wasn’t what I expected. I was thinking it was going to be a serious imitation of Billie Holiday and instead it was a funny, touching, bawdy night of cabaret. Joey Arias is a brilliant singer and stage performer. He might channel the vocal stylings of Lady Day, but he never assumes her character; he’s always “Joey Arias” the consummate stage artist. He flirts, taunts, and teases his audience with a lot of interaction with various fans and creating a series of running gags with some of them including a young British woman named Elizabeth who was sitting two seats away from me. Arias had a fun time bantering with her, but things really took off when he found out she was in the British Army and he referred to her several times during the show, much to her delight.
Musically, the show was a delight with Arias’s trademark throaty voice caressing the lyrics of such pop standards as “God Bless the Child” and “The Look of Love”. Equally delightful were the backing musicians, especially the divine talents of pianist Eliot Douglass who moved an old crab like me nearly to tears with his beautiful solo work. The calibre of all the artists involved was of the highest quality and I can warmly recommend any future engagement of Mr Arias, Mr Douglass and Company. A brilliant night of cabaret theater and musicality.
– Michael Strangeways
