Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – The expansiveness of downtown nightlife on full display at JOE’S PUB: Rizo, Larry Owens, and Justin Vivian Bond bring their A-game

• By drediman
• September 17, 2026
• No Comments

This September, Joe’s Pub has been abuzz with the excitement of a nightlife scene kicking itself into full gear. This was evidenced by a trio of eclectic shows that explored the expansive possibilities of the art of cabaret.

First up was the no-holds-barred artist known simply as Rizo — and formerly as Lady Rizo — a downtown chanteuse who’s a veteran of the Joe’s Pub stage. In her latest act, entitled Serving Cult (RECOMMENDED), the punk yet glamorous diva embodied a reluctant cult leader, in the process fleshing out one of her most fully-realized premises to date. As such, this latest outing spent as much time world-building through storytelling as it did in the flight of song. Rizo is notorious for incorporating outrageous audience participation, breaking the fourth wall fairly consistently during her shows. Thankfully, the same sensibility pervaded the outspoken cabaret singer’s new show, thereby establishing a sense of likeminded community, which is especially integral in a show such as Serving Cult. Note that those who commit and buy into the elaborate  conceit — which extends to us, the audience, as her adoring cult followers — will likely get the most out of the highly themed show. Additionally, Rizo’s vocals continue to be fueled by bursts of feral energy, imbuing her set list — which was comprised of songs both old and new — with both urgency and voluptuous theatricality.

Then there was Larry Owens, who this September returned to Joe’s Pub with his show Sondheimia (RECOMMENDED), which is essentially a deep dive into the rabbit hole that is the extensive Stephen Sondheim songbook. It’s no secret that those seeking to conquer cabaret regularly turn to the treasure trove of Sondheim’s songs. Their specificity, incisive observations, and  emotional eloquence make them ripe for singers to put their own distinctive stamp on (as intensely focused audiences look on in exposing close quarters). Perhaps best known for leading the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop Off-Broadway, Owens has always been a gutsy singer and actor, invariably a force of nature whenever he’s onstage. For this revisit to Sondheimia, he continued to prove himself a true Sondheim devotee, rising time and time again to meet the master’s exacting demands. Unlike Rizo’s ample banter, Owens’ show inversely opts to breathlessly transition between songs with nary a pause — thankfully without bypassing lesser known gems from shows such as the underrated Pacific Overtures — plowing full speed ahead like a runaway train. At just about an hour, the relentless and explosive show is an astonishingly comprehensive tour of the Sondheim canon. Suffice to say, there’s nothing quite like the performance, and it was all thrilling to behold.

For a while now, one of the centerpieces of Joe’s Pub’s programming had been the inclusion of the legendary Justin Vivian Bond, whose latest show Madame Stanley (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) has been beguiling adoring fans at the downtown cabaret venue. The show is an intentionally fractured recollection of their recent experience in Paris, where Mx Viv has recently chosen to take up residency. Told mostly through hilariously candid tales of their sexual exploits, the show finds Viv at the very peak of their powers as a cabaret artist — both completely (almost recklessly) in the moment yet aware of the overall shape of their performance. Given Justin’s history as queer icon and longtime downtown performer, I took both heed and comfort in their guidance and wisdom. Indeed, these days, you are in good hands whenever Justin Vivian Bond is drolly holding court. In some ways, Madame Stanley is a logical follow-up to Viv’s trilogy of shows that processed their feelings towards the 2024 Presidential Election (Oh, Well; Well, Well; and Well, Well, Well, Well), as filtered through Radclyffe Hall’s classic lesbian novel The Well of Loneliness and the songs of lesbian, trans, queer, and gender non-binary singer-songwriters. Indeed, by moving to Europe, Justin makes clear that how one lives their lives is the most potent act of resistance — all within the naughty guise of their naughty escapades, both fumbling and ecstatic. Throughout the deceptively casual show, the eclectic song selections were filtered through Justin’s seductively gravely instrument and intensely present and purposeful delivery.