Vive la 'Bearded Ladies' - All Over 'Philadelphie' this month

John Jarboe has been turning in strong performances at several theaters in Philly the past couple of years, playing everything from Shakespearean villains to his brilliant portrayal of gay pioneer designer Rudi Gernrich in "The Temperamentals."

But in between roles, Jarboe is on the cutting edge of cabaret performance with his own troupe called The Bearded Ladies, his company of actor-singer-dancers and performers of 'cabaplays.'

This month The Bearded Ladiess are filling in the summer theatrical landscape with their unique brand of cabaret repertory all around town. They are reviving "No Regrets: A Piaf Affair" on stairway entrance in the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Friday, July 13th; the following day - Bastille Day - they'll be stomping on a guillotine runway, complete with under the prison battlements of the Eastern State Penitentiary in Fairmount with a "Bastille Day Cabaret!"

They conclude the month at the Wilma Theater for their Bond, as in James Bond, 007 spoof "Beards are for Shaving."

Channeling Piaf

Jarboe talked about the show while the troupe was setting up last week in a cramped studio on Broad Street to escaping from brutal 100-degree temps for a dress run-through at the Penitentiary site. The Bastille show has Jarboe as Edith Piaf on a tour French history vis-�-vis "Philadelphie" as Edith pronounces it.

"After performing a few songs last year at the Bastille ceremony, the organizers requested a full show. This Bastille show is all spectacle - big props, big music. It's unlike our normal shows where we challenge images, like in our Bond Cabaret, which is about gender and sexuality, or the Piaf show, which is about being an artist and how it relates to being a lover. Really, the inspiration of Edith's life and spirit," Jarboe said.

The Bearded Ladies' re-enactment of storming the Bastille with French luminaries as Ben Franklin, played by hip-hop dancer Virgil Gadson, and Jessica Hurley playing both a diva steely Joan of Arc and an abused human baguette. Terry McNally is returning as the despised Marie, who appears on the fortress walls with a bevy of Moulin Rouge dancers that hurl Tastycake missiles at the crowd. In this re-imagination, Edith represents the people and squares off with Marie, who is headed for her date with a very un-gayblade.

Queen anthem in French

Jarboe performs the rehearsal in a simple, but perfect Piaf black cocktail dress and low pumps, with lots of lithe chanteuse moves. Jarboe doesn't try to imitate Piaf, he more channels her vocal aura with eerie accuracy especially on Piaf signatures like "Non, je ne regrette rien" and "La Vie en Rose."

He fronts not only Piaf's broken sparrow signature songs but Freddy Mercury's rock belter "We are the Champions" in French.

To tell the story there are not only Piaf songs but French versions of rock hits "Philadelphia Freedom" to a little "La La Libert ala Lady Gaga Revolution." The rock songs are very well translated by company member Mary Tounamen, who also appears as dancy Napoleon in one segment. Pianist Heath Allen is the music director who specializes in French repertoire.

After the rehearsal, Jarboe said the popularity of cabaret, with strong gay and straight following, appeals to all ages."(Cabaret embodies) nostalgia and presenting songs in a different way. We get older people who know Piaf and love her music and we get a lot of younger people who just love wacky cabaret. And it engages with live performance that is accessible and affordable. Especially with a lot of hi-tech (production values), cabaret is more about performer interaction."

Jarboe said "No Regrets: A Piaf Affair" at the museum is "a much more reverent exploration of Piaf's loves and as an artist. At the end all of the company members end up as Edith."

Earlier this year the troupe received a $30,000 Knight Challenge grant that they will use to produce two new shows: the first "Wide Awake: A Civil War Story."

"The other will be about German Expressionism," Jarboe explained with an unmistakable Dietrich glint in his eye.

The Bearded Ladies appear in "No Regrets: A Piaf Affair" on July 13, 2012 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 5:00pm, free after museum admission. On July 14, 2012 they appear in a "Bastille Day Cabaret!" at the Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 4:30pm, free.

"Beards are for Shaving: A 007 Cabaret" runs July 19-27, 2012 at the Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA. For ticket prices & information visit The Bearded Ladies website.