Sxip's Hour of Charm

This weekend I went to the first local incarnation of Sxip's Hour of Charm at the Zero Arrow theater. It's... a cabaret, I suppose, a variety of acts ranging from musical to acrobatic. It's running for three weekends, with mostly different performers each weekend, and uses the stage and bar from The Onion Cellar last year (bring ID to purchase alcoholic beverages; they check).

This weekend, the performers included

• Una Mimnagh (who performed on a single rope (er, corde lisse), and later used loops from a scaffolding to walk on the ceiling; she has amazing upper body strength, not to mention grace)
  
• Reggie Watts (who played with sound, laying down track after track of his own voice, then started playing with the layered results)
  
• Jonas Woolverton (spinning in a Cyr wheel; totally fabulous)
  
• Jason Webley (described as a "gypsy punk accordionist," which seems about right)
  
• Sxip Shirey (master of ceremonies and player of the obnoxiophone, including a performance of the requiem he wrote for himself, and an intense song about living in NYC (with Reggie Watts))
  
• Amanda Palmer (playing mostly solo songs, plus a bit of Dresden Dolls stuff; her voice blows me away, as always)
  
• Ms. Meow Meow (singing Miss Me with incredible style, once she made it to the stage and had a sufficient crew of the adoring public onstage holding things for her and giving adulation as requested :-)

The end of the evening included all the performers singing a cover of St Vincent's Marry Me, all of them (except Amanda, who was already onstage) appearing in wedding dresses (Sxip with his frock coat over his, Jason with his trademark hat on). Also, Reggie Watts sang a song about how to give a bj (with Amanda on keyboards) that was incredibly funny.

Also realized: it is very easy for me not to hear the lyrics of songs unless they're very distinct, or I've heard them a number of times. Which makes it a rather different experience, getting only phrases here and there rather than the whole thing.

ETA And for the didactic, the show is noticeably longer than an hour.

Zanna, Don't!

Also this weekend, I went to a performance of Zanna, Don't! (Jim Acito, also Alexander Dinelaris), put on by the SpeakEasy Stage Company at the BCA. It's described as "a musical fairy tale," which is pretty accurate, as long as your fairy tale world includes ( spoilers )

I didn't realize until afterward that almost all the performers are students at the Boston Conservatory; I should pay more attention to performances there.