Joey Arias and Basil Twist Bring Back 'Arias With a Twist'

Joey Arias and Basil Twist have resurrected their trippy 2008 hit, "Arias With a Twist." Just don't call it drag.

The revival reunites the performer and the puppeteer behind one of downtown New York theater's most improbable successes. The original production premiered in 2008 and became a word-of-mouth sensation, running far longer than anyone expected.

What made the show work in 2008 still drives the new version: the collision of Arias's stage persona with Twist's puppetry and theatrical illusion. The title itself signals the formula — Arias, plus a twist.

The pair's objection to the drag label matters here. Arias and Twist position the show as something broader, an act of transformation and spectacle that exceeds category. That distinction shaped how the original was received and how the revival wants to be understood now.

The return arrives at a moment when audiences and critics are re-engaging with downtown performance lineages. A 2008 hit returning with its original creators intact is rare enough to count as an event.

Whether the resurrection draws the crowds the original did will determine what comes next for the collaboration.