MABELINE'S YOU REALLY ARE A HEEL to Play The Ruba Club

This holiday season, Whoville's celebrated cabaret star, Mabeline "Grinchester" Diorio, better known as the ex-wife of the Grinch who stole Christmas, comes to Philadelphia for a limited-engagement cabaret experience that's sure to light the tree and spill the tea on the holiday's most notorious villain. Produced by The Bearded Ladies and The House of Diorio, Mabeline's You Really Are a Heel will play The Ruba Club (416 Green St, Philadelphia, PA) from December 9-18, 2021, just in time for the holiday season.

Emerging from Whoville's underground cabaret scene, Mabeline "Grinchester" Diorio is a storyteller, rapper, vocalist, and recording and cabaret artist. She was born in a small, fabled mountain town, where her claim to fame is being the ex-wife of mining magnate Louis Grinchester III, better known as "The Grinch". Her one one woman show, Mean Green, won critical acclaim by the Greater Whoville Theater Critics Association and was nominated for "Best Solo Performance" by the Whoville Shining Star Awards. Her show That Who Over There garnered rave reviews from the Mount Crumpit Daily Ledger, where they claimed Mabeline was "triumphantly changing the face of Whoville cabaret from mountain grey to vibrant chartreuse."

Since moving to Philadelphia, Mabeline has released her debut EP and has performed at FringeArts' Get Pegged cabaret, World Cafe Live with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, and The Barnes Foundation. She has also starred in her online show, Untold Stories of the Fabulous X-Mrs. Grinch. Guests are invited to join the green goddess this holiday season as she reclaims her showbiz dreams and spreads holiday cheer with her favorite carols and jams from her self-titled EP.

Mabeline's You Really Are a Heel features original music by Mabeline (AKA, Cookie Diorio) and is directed by award-winning theater artist Brett Ashley Robinson. The cabaret also features Jess Conda as DJ Cindy Lou.

Special Events

Only Regrets: A Piaf Holiday Affair: Mabeline is joined by everyone's favorite dead French chanteuse, Edith Piaf, as channeled by Bearded Ladies Artistic Director John Jarboe, for a themed performance event on December 11 at 10PM.

Green Eggs and Ham Brunch Show: Get a side of Mabeline after your Sunday brunch with a special early afternoon performance of Mabeline's cabaret on December 12 at 1:00PM.

Ticketing

Advance VIP seats: $40 (Includes reserved table seating.)

Advance General Admission and Day of Show: $10, $20, $30, and Pay-What-You-Can

December 9 Preview performance: $10, general admission, no VIP seating.

For all performances, pay-what-you-can tickets will be available at the door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Ticketing for all additional programming will be available at point of sale. VIP tickets include reduced admission to additional programming. Tickets available at https://www.beardedladiescabaret.com/works/mabeline/

COVID Safety

Proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test is required for admittance.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Cookie Diorio (Mabeline; she/her/he/him) is a Philadelphia-based drag performer, a classically trained vocalist, a songwriter, an activist, a husband, music teacher and lover of all things sparkly. She mastered walking in 5-inch stilettos in the night clubs of Boston, achieved her hair fantasy by studying vintage videos of Grace Bumbry and founded the giving project Art of the Heel.

Cookie grew up in historic Auburn, New York with gospel in her ears, civil rights in her blood, and many songs in her heart. She trained at Ithaca College in the voice studio of Angus Godwin and learned the many different skills of western classical music from master teachers such as Carol McAmis in vocal pedagogy, Lawrence Doebler in choral arts, Dana Wilson in composition, and Patrick Hansen in opera coaching. While Cookie has been in and out of the drag scene since 2002, she began performing regularly in the Philadelphia area as host of the Art Song Repertory Theater Company's salon series "Saturday Afternoon Drinking Songs" in 2013. Since then, she has produced the shows Fire In My Bones: A Gospel Jubilee, Beauty From Our Sorrows, Telling Herstories, Forces of Nature, Music: The Food of Love and I, Too, Sing America. She has also been a soloist for events, galas, concerts, and on the cabaret stage. Cookie is the mother of the Philadelphia drag collective House of Diorio, in which she is also all of the children.

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