New York City Performer Series by photographer Giles Clement

Earlier this month I was photographed alongside Muffy Styler in Central Park for photographer Giles Clement's series of images that capture NYC nightlife performers in outdoor locations across the city. From Giles: "As a small way of helping some of the thousands of New York performers during the covid pandemic photographer Giles Clement and performer/producer Kyla Ernst-Alper have created a series of postcards with a few of the very best dancers, clowns, burlesque personalities and aerialists in the city. Proceeds from the sale of the postcards and prints are split with the artists to help ensure that when this is all over, they’re able to go back to their work of making the world a brighter place."  Each image is available as a limited edition print and all ten are available as a complete set of postcards. You can view this series on his website and order through the prints page. December 2020.

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Lost Vegas & the Down Low Variety Show

Six months since the pandemic began and indoor entertainment is still banned in New York City, so a few of us have decided to take it out onto the streets and into public spaces. Needs must. You can find me every weekend in Central Park with Muffy Styler, singing jazz and telling jokes in our street performance combo we call Lost Vegas. Concurrently, I'm co-producing a renegade production performed in secret outdoor locations all over the city named The Down Low Variety Show. Our cast so far has featured jugglers, hula hoopers, comedians, poets, magicians and opera singers! Follow us on Instagram for line-ups, locations and the low down on the down low. September 2020.

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Fireside Mystery Theatre in New York City 1/26

On Sunday, January 26th I'll be guesting with Fireside Mystery Theatre for a taping of their hit podcast — a radio styled audio drama and variety show with a modern macabre sensibility. We'll record at 5pm before a live audience with a full cast, an improvised score, sound effects, and musical acts. If you're in New York, book to be in the audience here.  If you're elsewhere, you can listen and subscribe to the show for free on iTunes, Spotify, Google play, or directly from their website. January 2020.

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Ashley Blaker: Goy Friendly at NYC's Soho Playhouse in February 2020.

In February I'll be directing British stand-up Ashley Blaker's new solo show Goy Friendly for an Off Broadway season which opens February 3rd at the Soho Playhouse, running Sunday to Thursday nightly at 7.30pm (with matinees on Wednesdays and Sundays) until February 23rd. Ashley is one of just a handful of Jewish Orthodox comedians around and the only Jewish Orthodox comedian performing in the UK today. Read about him in this New York Times article, then book to see him in Goy Friendly here. December 2019.

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Giraffes on Horseback Salad album released worldwide 

You can now hear me on the companion album to the graphic novel Giraffes on Horseback Salad, based on the screenplay of the same name, written by Salvador Dali for the Marx Brothers. The album is sublime – composed and produced by jazz multi-instrumentalist Quin Arbeitman, who brings the book to life with song, score and spoken word vignettes from an ensemble of musicians and vocalists from around the world. August 2019.

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Sex Ed back at the House of Yes in Brooklyn, 5/9 & 5/10 

I'll be back with the Visceral Abstractions company for their circus and comedy special Sex Ed in May for two nights only. We have the incredible Julie Atlas Muz joining us for these shows, so please try to book early – the last shows sold out completely. Tickets: Houseofyes.org May 2019.

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Opening for Rick Shapiro in New York City, 4/9 

I'll be performing an opening set at the Slipper Room for comedian, poet and author Rick Shapiro in the April edition of his monthly stand-up show Restless. Rick is one of the most surreal comedic talents and a staple of the NYC and LA underground comedy scenes, beginning his career in the early 1980's performing stand-up at Catch A Rising Star on Broadway. I'll be performing a bit of stand-up poetry and reading my Chelsea Hotel monologue, and introducing Rick to the stage. Tickets: slipperroom.com. April 2019.

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Wilfredo comes to Baltimore, Maryland on 3/7 

The place is the Crown and the date is March 7th. He'll be joined by stand-up magician The Great Dubini and Iceland's first lady of burlesque, Miss Mokki. For one night only! Looking forward to being back in Baltimore once again. Reservations (but hurry!) can be made here. February 2019.

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Upcoming NYC shows at the House of Yes, Slipper Room and at Lincoln Center 

Very pleased to be guesting in Sex Ed by the talented team behind Visceral Abstractions at the House of Yes on February 6 & 7. It's a puppetry, circus and comedy spectacular – tickets are available at the venue's website. Meanwhile, before that, on the nights of January 11/12/13/14 I'll be playing host at the Slipper Room under the guise of Wilfredo. On January 22 I'll be with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus at the Mirror Room at Lincoln Center for one night only, performing in their very special Best of Bindlestiff show. January 2019.

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Wilfredo a Go Go! Holiday Special 12/17 at the Slipper Room, New York City

Excited for the festive edition of the Wilfredo show on Monday 17th December. It's a truly epic line-up of downtown talent: the great Dirty Martini, the legendary Julie Atlas Muz, the amazing Lil' Miss Lixx and my dear pal Hovey Burgess who – at 78 years old – will be performing his foot juggling, stripping, polar bear act. Take a look at what Broadway World has to say about the show here. Tickets are available at slipperroom.com. December 2018.

 

Jack and the Beanstalk back Off-Broadway at the Playhouse at the Abrons, opens 12/14

Our hit panto is back later this month for another season at the Abrons presented by ONEOFUS, who say: "This holiday season is the time to experience a radical, joyful, uproarious family extravaganza promoting equality in all forms, featuring a spectacular cast of 20 talented Lower East Siders". Tickets are limited and selling quickly. Get yours at the Abrons website here. December 2018.

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Wilfredo a Go Go! debuts 11/19 at the Slipper Room, New York City

My brand spanking new monthy variety show Wilfredo a Go Go! launches next week in the Lower East Side at the world famous Slipper Room, with special guests Deity Delgado, Pinkie Special and The Maine Attraction on 11/19. This will be followed by a Holiday special on 12/17 featuring Dirty Martini, Julie Atlas Muz and circus legend Hovey Burgess with Lil' Miss Lixx. Tickets: slipperroom.com November 2018.

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Work-in-Progress performances of Charles Mee's Not–Knowing in NYC opening 9/7 at 3LD 

September 7-30 I'll be performing in Not-Knowing, an immersive performance work and experiential exploration of human intimacy conceived by director/designer Kevin Cunningham, working with playwright Charles Mee. The work is developed by 3-Legged Dog (3LD) at their headquarters and theatre space in the financial district of downtown New York City. In Not-Knowing, Cunningham will stage an intertwined mix of Mee’s theatrical fragments in a large-scale, immersive and technologically virtuosic playground in which audience and performers intermingle to collaborate in their common experience. Combining the immersive worlds of gaming engines, the lushness of cinematic media, the spectacle of holographic projection and the immediacy of live performers, Not-Knowing is a groundbreaking realization of Chuck Mee’s dreamlike textual worlds, in which characters are adrift in time, space and memory, but bound together by the universal experience of human intimacy. August 2018.

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The Cocoanuts opens at Heritage Theatre Festival 7/20 at the University of Virginia

Rehearsals are in full swing for the Marx Brothers musical The Cocoanuts here in Charlottesville, VA. The 1925 musical, written by George S. Kaufman with music from Irving Berlin, finds the brothers at the helm of a fourth-rate 1920's Florida hotel where they do their very best to swindle gullible tourists with various shady land deals. Frank Ferrante directs and stars as Groucho, Seth Shelden plays Harpo, Sam Reeder plays Zeppo and I'm playing Chico! We play the Culbreth Theatre from Friday July 20 through to Sunday July 29. A preview performance will be presented on Thursday July 19. Tickets start at $15, available online at or in person at the box office. July 2018.

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26-date US Tour with Tainted Cabaret opens 3/16 in Washington D.C

I'm joining Ula Uberbusen (US), Miss Ekaterina (Russia) and James and the Giant Pasty (Canada) for Tainted Cabaret – a new variety experience – in a huge tour of US cities kicking off in D.C. and travelling to Atlanta, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Denver, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Philadelphia (among others) before we close in New York City on 4/15. We're on the road for a month, visiting all kinds of places! You can read my thoughts about all this for my Gorilla Arthouse column here. Also, please take at look at the Tainted Cabaret company website for the full schedule and more information. We hope to see you too, somewhere along the way. February 2018.

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Jack and the Beanstalk opens to Off-Broadway at the Playhouse at the Abrons Arts Center — NYT Critic's Pick

First major panto seen in NYC for over a century! Honoured to be participating in this very special production presented by ONEOFUS, written by my fellow Brit Mat Fraser and directed the neo-burlesque star Julie Atlas Muz. A radical, inclusive and joyful family show, we’ve already won the all-important New York Times Critic’s Choice this week. With a phenomenal cast that includes Downtown artists Dirty Martini, David Ilku and Michael Lynch, with puppets by Basil Twist and costumes by David Quinn, it’s a spectacular theatrical experience for all generations. Here’s what people are saying: Jack and the Beanstalk receives Critics Pick in The New York Times. Trav S.D profiles Jack and the Beanstalk in The Villager. Rave reviews in both Time Out New York and the Financial Times. December 2017.

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Marxists of the World: Unite! Marx Brothers Weekend on Governor's Island, NYC 

NYC and beyond: keep September 9th/10th in your diaries for a special weekend celebrating the Marx Brothers on Governor's Island. I'll be reuniting with the cast of I'll Say She Is : The Lost Marx Brothers Musical for a special reading of Cracked Ice – the original rough-draft screenplay that eventually became Duck Soup. Admission is free! September 2017.

 

Writings in Gorilla Arthouse Magazine 

I recently did a Q&A with the good people at Gorilla Arthouse ("Unleashing underground culture: experimental art, perfume, literature and music") about art and creativity. Gorilla Arthouse is a division of the Lush company (the good folk who produce the handmade cosmetics). Happy to say I'll be writing regularly for them over the coming months. Firstly, fill your boots here. August 2017.

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The Secret Variety Society Presents: Matt Roper, Sabrina Chap and The Great Dubini at the Slipper Room, 8/30

This is a one-off variety performance from just the three of us at my second home, The Slipper Room, in Manhattan's Lower East Side. I'm going to be performing some new stuff and (spoiler alert/trigger warning – delete where applicable) might even be wearing a suit. Blurb: The Secret Variety Society is proud to present three of New York’s most wonderfully weird variety artists for an evening of debaucherous and insignificant joy. Featuring the charming British comedian Matt Roper, the slutty yet somehow celibate songstress Sabrina Chap, and the magical wonder known as the Great Dubini. Come revel, laugh and feel morally superior to three of the hardest working variety artists on the scene. Tickets are priced at $12, $15 and $20 and this includes entry to the Slipper Room's excellent in-house variety show Glitter Gutter, which follows ours. Amazingly for NYC, there is a no drink minimum! Buy Tickets! August 2017.

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On The Road Again: Prague, London, Montreal, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia / Return to Reykjavík at the National Theatre, Iceland September 15/16 

I'm a lucky fella. The last few months have taken me all over the place. In April I headed to Prague for shows in the Czech Republic. The venue was the Royal Theatre, a beautiful art deco theatre, formerly a cinema – the first of its kind in Prague in the Twenties. Then to London Town for Duckie at the RVT (the oldest LGBTQ venue in the world) and finally to Reykjavík, Iceland for Miss Mokki's spectacular Reykjavík Kabarett. In June I was up at The Wiggle Room in Montreal, Quebec, followed by a short tour of US cities with Wilfredo's Wild Ride in the company of Boo Boo Darlin', Lil' Miss Lixx and Pinkie Special to Baltimore, D.C., Richmond and Philadelphia. I will returning to Reykjavík, Iceland for two more shows September 15/16 at the National Theatre with the Reykjavík Kabarett family. July 2017.

 

Support the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

I visited the town of Hudson in upstate New York last month to work with my friends in the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus at Club Helsinki and I hope to be getting involved again before too long – it's no secret that I'm nuts about circus life. With the closure of the Big Apple Circus and the recent news of Barnum & Bailey playing their final shows soon, the circus absolutely needs your support. To learn more about the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and how to support circus arts, please head here. February 2017.

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There's Something About Mary at Brooklyn Union Hall

On February 14th I'll be performing again with Jeff MacKinnon, Natalie Storrs and a bunch of other comedy folk in a live, staged reading of the Farrelly brothers romcom There's Something About Mary - with the cast and the audience drinking along to moments throughout the script. I'll be playing Tucker. Come down and get boozy with us – Valentines style. Tickets. January 2017.

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The Secret Variety Society plays a residency at Pangea Supper Club, East Village NYC 

That's me, Miss Ekaterina, Magic Brian, Jenny Lee Mitchell and Sabrina Chap. Happy to say this collective of neo-vaudevillian fools are booked for a monthly residency at Pangea, the East Village supper club and home to much of NYC's alt-cabaret scene. A variety show with a difference in an intimate setting, it brings together "five artists from New York City's downtown scene for an evening of satirical, surreal and sublime entertainment." We play 7th November and 7th December – discounted tickets are available if purchased in advance. Do it! November 2016.

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Miss Behave's Gameshow – Live in New York City! 

My mate Miss Behave is coming to NY for one night only on October 12th with her gameshow at the People's Improv Theater and I'll be lending her a hand. It's part gameshow, part variety show, and part disco…with phones – and everyone’s a winner. It comes to New York following sell-out shows in Las Vegas and San Francisco and it's not to be missed. Remember to bring your phones! October 2016.

 

Young Frankenstein at Brooklyn Union Hall 

On October 27th I'll be performing with Jeff MacKinnon, Natalie Storrs and a host of other funny folk in a live, staged reading of the Mel Brooks comedy Young Frankenstein - with the actors and audience drinking along to classic lines and moments throughout the spookily silly script. This is a faithful recreation of the film (not the musical) with balls-out performances and lots and lots of drinking – for you and us. Tickets. September 2016.

 

North American Cultural Laboratory Theater 

Over the weekend of July 9, 2016 I'm travelling upstate with the Slipper Room crew to perform at the NACL Theater in Highland Lake, NY.  The event is called The Return of The Slipper Room and will also feature Cassandra Rosebeetle, Camillicious, James Habacker, Matthew Holtzclaw, Gigi BonBon and many more.  The downtown ensemble of players consistently sell out houses with their intelligent and visually stimulating burlesque nouveau and variety show—a delicious amusement for risk-taking adult audiences, writes the NACL here. (Click for tickets). July 2016.

 

I’ll Say She Is: The Lost Marx Brothers Musical: Restored 1924 Broadway Hit is a Success in NYC! 

Come and see me play Chico Marx, eldest of the iconic Marx Brothers, at the Connelly Theater here in New York City until July 3, 2016! Here’s what the critics are saying: I'll Say She Is receives Critics Pick in The New York Times. Adam Gopnik hails I'll Say She Is in-depth at the New Yorker. David Cote gives I'll Say She Is Critics Pick in Time Out New York. Film/feature about I'll Say She Is in The Wall Street Journal. June 2017.

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Wilfredo in Time Out New York 

My unfettered alter-ego Wilfredo is photographed backstage at the Slipper Room – where else? – in Manhattan's Lower East Side, with an accompanying interview by Dana Varinsky for Time Out NY's 'In Character' series. It's a print-only feature, available for one week only. Pick up a copy – it's free! – all over NYC this week until Wednesday. March 2016.

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The Malcolm Hardee Awards, Edinburgh Fringe 

I was given the award for Cunning Stunt of the Year (for my Copstick prank) at the ceremony held at the Counting House Ballroom. The evening ended with a performance by circuit hero Chris Lynam, who – in writer Bruce Dessau's words – "performed the legendary banger-up-the-bum routine in which a firework is inserted between the buttocks and lit to a recording of Ethel Merman singing There’s No Business Like Show Business. The performance set off the building’s smoke alarm system." Full coverage here, here and here. August 2015.

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Routines at the Edinburgh Fringe 

I'm joining fellow comedians Will Mars (BBC's Stand-Up for Comic Relief), Dana Alexander (BBC's Russell Howard's Good News) and Stephen Carlin (Comedy Central's Alternative Comedy Experience) for Routines, a new comedy concept show which opens at the festival on August 6th. Created by Will Mars (whose award-winning Joke Thieves has become a bona-fide festival smash), it's a new and immersive fusion of stand-up and theatre that allows you to see the full picture. It's stand-up comedy seen from both sides of the curtain. Directed by Fringe First award winner Michael Eriera (The Afterlife of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore). July 2015.

 

Wilfredo Unchained: Live In California – Second Album Release on July 6th Worldwide

Recorded live and complete, this open-air rooftop concert was recorded in April of last year in the town of Petaluma, California on the US leg of a World Tour, Wilfredo is accompanied by Chris Vibberts on guitar. The setlist includes his signature songs 'The Child Is Not Mine' and 'Woman Is Like A Flower (The Compost and the Seed)'. It will be available as a download-only release from iTunes and Amazon worldwide. This follows the release of The Wonderful World of Wilfredo last year – also available worldwide. June 2015.

 

Wilfredo: Springtime Tour of the Asia–Pacific

Wilfredo heads off on tour, Down Under and All Over in An Unforgettable Evening with the Magnificent Wilfredo which opens in Australia at the Adelaide Fringe on 1 March then travels to the Manila International Comedy Festival in the Philippines 17–18 March, the Magner's Singapore International Comedy Festival 19–21 March and finally plays the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 25 March–19 April. Look out for appearances in the hit comedy set-swapping show Joke Thieves which plays both festivals at Adelaide and Melbourne. January 2015.

 

Wilfredo’s Festive Single Banned by the BBC

Wilfredo and Carmella's festive single 'Peace All Over The World (At Christmas Time)' has been banned from the hallowed airwaves of the BBC, as reported in Bruce Dessau's column in the London Evening Standard. Comedian Pippa Evans, who co-wrote and recorded the song with the toothy one, was told by BBC Radio 2 that "sensitive daytime listeners would be offended". You can download the single here and view the spectacular video, filmed and directed by Charlie Henniker and Bob Pipe, here. Our previous release Happy Goddamn Christmas – endorsed and released by BBC Three – can be found here. December 2014.

 

Save Soho: Protecting Performing Arts In London's Soho Neighbourhood

It's true, folks. Madame JoJo's and the iconic Raymond Revuebar are to be demolished and now Denmark Street is at risk. The ongoing corporate development of Soho – which has long been the bohemian and creative pocket of London – is happening right beneath our noses. I'm proud to be a member of the Save Soho movement – a coalition of performers, residents and politicians whose aim is to halt the destruction of our iconic venues. Please support us. November 2014.

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Stand & Deliver Magazine: First Edition Published

Stand & Deliver magazine – celebrating the art of comedy – has hit the shelves and I'm in it with a feature from New York City called 'The Promised Land'. Tony Law is the cover star, with musings inside from JoJo Smith and Gavin Webster among others. Also there's also a nice piece about the emerging comedy scene in Berlin and a sweet feature on Carl Chapple's paintings. It's available from independent booksellers in the United Kingdom – stockists include Foyles on Charing Cross Road and the Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. If you're outside of the UK you can order a copy yourself, online here. November 2014.

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The Greatest Show On Legs in Leipzig

I've just returned from the former DDR (East Germany) where I had the honour of joining the line-up of Martin Soan's legendary surreal sketch group The Greatest Show on Legs in Leipzig where we played the KarliBeben Festival at Feinkost on September 15th. I'm back onstage with the group at the Scala Cinema in London on Sat 25 Oct: Tickets. Also in Totnes, Devon on November 21st (Wilfredo too): Tickets. October 2014.

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Husband's Half Hour in the Tommy Cooper Room, Museum of Comedy 

So I'm teaming up with the brilliant Susan Husband for a series of podcast recordings from the Tommy Cooper Room at the Museum of Comedy. Guests will include Pippa Evans, Rosie Wilby, Dan Tambling and many more to be confirmed. The ticket price includes entry to the museum, lovingly curated and maintained by the good folk who run the Leicester Square Theatre. My first recording is October 12th. September 2014.

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Wilfredo: Deconstructed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Beer was spilled, songs were sung, the petals of flowers showered the masses… and hearts were won. Following a tour of Central Europe – you can read the bit of press we had in Hungary here – to Budapest, Brno (we played a comedy night set in a bar at the back of a launderette and it was fantastic), Bratislava (not nearly enough time there) and Hradec Králové (in a cinema!), Wilfredo and his accompanist Uncle Ignacio (the wonderful Kris Howe) have finally opened for a three-week marathon run at the Fringe. Excellent reviews for Wilfredo: Deconstructed from The Skinny, The Scotsman, Three Weeks and Fringe Guru. A cheeky trailer for the show can be found here. August 2014.

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