Celebrate Sex And Freedom With New York Performance Legend Penny Arcade

In a year in which the grande dame of downtown New York, and Andy Warhol Superstar marks 50 years of performance; the undisputed queen of the underground Penny Arcade, returns to Adelaide to celebrate the 25th Australian anniversary of her infamous sex and censorship show BITCH! DYKE! FAGHAG! WHORE!.

Running from Friday, February 15 to Saturday, February 23 at RCC Fringe, BITCH! DYKE! FAGHAG! WHORE! is an international anthem for free expression. Part nightclub, part theatre, and part political provocation, the show blends outrageous humour, razor sharp satire, theatre, cabaret and erotic dancing with an uplifting audience dance break in a club setting.

The timeless 'rock 'n' roll' anthem has played in over 30 cities across the world and includes Penny's infamous monologues featuring the daily life of a receptionist in a brothel, the upbringing and rearing of a faghag, the evolution of the New York gay scene and the heartbreak of HIV and AIDS. The show was originally created as a retort to censorship in the arts in 1992 and since then, has included guest performers including Marianne Faithfull, and picked up fans including the late great Joan Rivers, U2's The Edge and former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Artistic Director and leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti attended the show when it was last in Adelaide in 1994 where Penny performed wearing only an American flag.

"She was Bukowski and mother nature; the bearded lady at the fair and the siren all at once. She is a flare - sit up and take notice" Tognetti says.

BITCH! DYKE! FAGHAG! WHORE! retains its satirical impetus and political clout in an international climate where debates rage over government funding cuts, the separation of church and state, gay marriage, sexual freedom and reproductive rights.

Produced by leading independent arts producer Jeremy Goldstein and co-directed by her long- time collaborator Steve Zehentner BITCH! DYKE! FAGHAG! WHORE! is a runaway success, propelling the anarchic into the mainstream and wowing critics from Alaska to Australia.

Penny Arcade climbed out of her window at the age of 13 to join New York's fabulously disenfranchised worlds of queers, junkies, whores, stars and geniuses. By the age of 20 she had thrown bricks at the Stonewall Riots and become a darling of Andy Warhol's Factory. Part of the counter culture rock n' roll circle of David Bowie, Patti Smith, and the Velvet Underground, Penny was named by Quentin Crisp as the woman he most identified with. 50 years since Stonewall and her debut with Andy Warhol and John Vaccaro, Penny, the little sister of the American avant-garde, remains among the most influential performers in the world. In Adelaide in 2016, her hit show LONGING LASTS LONGER was crowned with a Fringe Award.

Penny Arcade will perform at the Scott Theatre at the University of Adelaide, RCC Fringe's new home. Tickets are on sale now through FringeTIX and are available to purchase here or for further details visit rccfringe.com.au.

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