The Lyp Sinc Show at DEFIBRILLATOR | Review + photos
“The Lyp Sinc Show”—think RuPaul’s Post-Drag, Post-Race Cabaret, Sex-Toy Raffle and Benefit—took over DEFIBRILLATOR for a second time on April 1. Proceeds from suggested-donation entry, and $5 tickets for the aforementioned raffle for a Tulip Toy Gallery gift basket, raised funds for “Rapid Pulse,” an international festival of performance-art at the Wicker Park gallery this June.
Two intermissions doubling as PBR and Vella Vineyards replenishment opportunities punctuated 13 acts. Highlights from the first half included Taisha Paggett’s cleanly mouthed recitation from pink cue cards the lyrics to “Obscene and Pornographic Art” by Bongwater; Mikey McParlane’s fiercely committed, Harleqlown performance of “Wow” by Kate Bush; and an homage to Andy Kaufman’s “I Trusted You” by Jake Myers and Joe Sepka.
Two very different solos yinned and yanged to create the show’s dark center of gravity. Rosé Hernandez gave Julee Cruise’s “Falling” a deeply embodied, dimly lit reading opposite English artist Robin Deacon’s parodic chop-and-screw of Richard Nixon’s first Watergate speech on vinyl. Between them, Jillian Soto broke out the full-length mirror, black-and-white headshots and chicken wire for an ode to OMD’s video for “If You Leave.”
Barely clad but for white lingerie, Sasha Hodges faux-blew a saxophone in sync with the tawdry horn solo in the theme song to Roseanne. DEFIBRILLATOR founder-curator Joseph Ravens delivered an appropriately robotic “What’s Inside of Me” by Benny Benassi, with a surprise ending that capitalized on faux fog in the silver space and which earned him a “Holy shit, girl!” from Silky Jumbo, host/ess for the evening. Ben Marcus, a.k.a. Jean Shorts, deejayed and Nayeon Yang created witty “album cover” projections for each act.
Catch the Rapid Pulse International Performance Festival June 1–10 at DEFIBRILLATOR. On April 13, Robin Deacon performs alongside Mark Jeffery and Industry of the Ordinary at a benefit for Vanavevhu at the residence of the British Consul General.
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