The Wilma Theater Presents The Bearded Ladies Cabaret's YOU CAN NEVER GO DOWN THE DRAIN

Philadelphia's Bearded Ladies Cabaret returns to The Wilma Theater with You Can Never Go Down the Drain after their New York City run at La MaMa and Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. Mr. Rogers always said: no matter how bad things are, "You can never go down the drain." Using and abusing iconic songs from the children's show, John Jarboe, Artistic Director of Philadelphia's Bearded Ladies Cabaret, puts this idea to the test. For this performance, expect a goldfish funeral, gay romps into the land of make-believe, and some earnest questions about irony. You Can Never Go Down the Drain runs for ten performances between June 20th to July 1st at The Wilma Theater.

Well known for his children's program, Fred Rogers is less known as a prolific songwriter. Beyond "It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," many of the songs he wrote for Mr. Roger's Neighborhood are memorable classics that provide a template for how to be a good person. You Can Never Go Down the Drain pays homage to both the musicianship and the message of Fred Rogers, while questioning the role of irony in 2018. "The Bearded Ladies are reclaiming some of the lessons Fred Rogers taught to us as children. Some lessons feel contemporary, some forgotten completely, and some are completely absurd. No matter how the show is, unlike when you were five, you can legally drink during this Fred Rogers program. " says John Jarboe.

You Can Never Go Down the Drain is written and performed by John Jarboe with musical direction by Heath Allen, who provides brand-new arrangements and accompanies Jarboe. The design is provided by Bearded Ladies resident costume designer Rebecca Kanach, with dramaturgy by Associate Artistic Director Sally Ollove. Suli Holum, a co-founder of Pig Iron Theatre Company and co-Artistic Director of Stein | Holum Productions directs. You Can Never Go Down the Drain made its debut at La MaMa in February of 2018.

About the Bearded Ladies Cabaret

The Bearded Ladies Cabaret is an interdisciplinary troupe of artists who reinvigorate and redefine the form of cabaret in the 21st century by fusing it with theater, opera, and dance. They play with nostalgia and humor to question the embedded social messages in popular culture and tackle the politics of gender, identity, and artistic invention with sparkle and wit. Their work has been seen all over Philadelphia including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Eastern State Penitentiary, Opera Philadelphia, The Wilma Theater, and FringeArts and they have brought their cabaret revolution to Miami, Seattle, Paris, Maryland and Delaware. In New York they have performed at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater and Ars Nova as part of ANT Fest.

Tickets: For You Can Never Go Down The Drain, tickets range from $40 - $15. General Admission tickets are only $25. Seats for the on-stage café tables are $40. All student and theater industry tickets are $15, with student ID or proof of theater industry work. Tickets are available at the Wilma's Box Office by visiting wilmatheater.org, calling 215.546.7824, or by coming to the theater at 265 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Mission: The Wilma Theater creates living, adventurous art. We engage artists and audiences in imaginative reflection on the complexities of contemporary life. We present bold, original, well-crafted productions that represent a range of voices, viewpoints, and style

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