May: Birth vs Death

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor present:
HYPOTHESIS
a night of inventive performance

Come celebrate the death of your winter blues and the season of rebirth with Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor at their monthly performance event, Hypothesis, on Tuesday May 17, 2011 at the Midway.  Hypothesis takes an intelligent, theatrical approach to cabaret while blending highbrow art with a lowbrow aesthetic.  Each month, a new group of artists present work based on a challenge posited by fellow scientists Prof. Honor and Dr. Blazes. These challenges provide an opportunity to ask questions, test new approaches, and make work that fascinates.

May’s show will explore the beginning and the end. Of what, we’re not exactly sure. Our theme is BIRTH vs DEATH and the show may include fetal positions, Frankensteins, new selves, old loves. Our artists will present one work on birth.  Will our performers come out kicking and screaming, or wet and slippery?  Will they go with an epidural or tub birth?  The artists will also perform one piece representing death: perhaps gritty, maybe peaceful, potentially transformative, or possibly blaring jazz funeral.  These performances will investigate the grief and celebration of change.  May’s show promises to be a  fanfare (or dirge) of imagery, stories, and songs about the creative and destructive forces that drive our work and punctuate our lives.

The evening will feature: poetry from local activist Lady Rose, writing from feminist author Jaclyn Friedman, as well as performances from Boston’s most innovative vaudevillians, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor.  The presentation of findings will be followed by a dance party to the smashing sounds of Boston’s own DJ Golden Touch of Audio Chemists.  Feature drinks, appropriately fluorescent and elixir-evocative, will be available at the bar for those scientists over 21.

HYPOTHESIS
Date: Tuesday May 17, 2011
Venue: The Midway, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain 617-524-9038
Admission: $7 at the door, 18+
Doors: 7pm
Show: 8pm
Dancing: 10 pm onward

April: Hot vs Cold

On Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor present: HYPOTHESIS
a night of inventive performance

Could it be? Is that, there on the horizon… Spring? Come celebrate by taking off your long underwear and snowshoes with Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor at their monthly performance event, Hypothesis, on Tuesday April 19, 2011 at the Midway. Hypothesis takes an intelligent, theatrical approach to cabaret while blending highbrow art with a lowbrow aesthetic. Each month, a new group of artists present work based on a challenge posited by fellow scientists Prof. Honor and Dr. Blazes. These challenges provide an opportunity to ask questions, test new approaches, and make work that fascinates.

Boston is notorious for jumping straight from Winter to Summer, with barely a nod to Spring. And what better way to celebrate that microsecond of vernal bliss than with Hypothesis’s April theme: Hot vs Cold! A truly divisive topic, there may be no rivalry more hotly contested and frigidly defended. Are you a summer or winter baby? Do you like your coffee steaming or iced? Do you want ice cubes or candle wax dripped on you? Warm or cool colors? Do you have a hot temper or give the cold shoulder? Come see our artists grapple with this conundrum; they promise to run hot and cold on you.

The evening will feature: poetry from local activist-legend Letta Neely, chamber music for the modern era from duo of misfit classical musicians Goli, (perhaps sexy) slam poetry from Boston’s own prodigal son Kit Yan (also known as the more vegan half of Good Asian Drivers, and Mr. Transman 2010), as well as performances from Boston’s most innovative vaudevillians, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor. The presentation of findings will be followed by a dance party to the smashing sounds of Boston’s own DJ Golden Touch of Audio Chemists. Feature drinks, appropriately fluorescent and elixir-evocative, will be available at the bar for those scientists over 21.

NEW THIS MONTH! Hypothesis will feature a new, EARLIER start time for you folks with so-called “day jobs” on Wednesday mornings…

HYPOTHESIS
Date: Tuesday April 19, 2011
Venue: The Midway, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain 617-524-9038
Admission: $7 at the door, 18+
Doors: 7pm
Show: 8pm
Dancing: 10 pm onward

Questions? contact.hypothesis @ gmail.com

March: PREDATOR VS PREY

March is said to come “in like a lion and out a lamb.”  What better month for the theme PREDATOR/PREY?  This ages-old relationship has many names: the circle of life, the food chain, survival of the fittest.  There is the hunter and the hunted.  But in human relationships, are the lines quite so clearly drawn?  Are predators always villains and prey always victims?  Our artists promise to chomp, gasp, hiss, whimper, growl, run, roar, scream and otherwise explore the bounds of this duality.

The evening will feature: smut-theater from Cameryn Moore the Phone Whore, radical puppetry from Philadelphia-based “whimsycore” artist Geppetta, sexy poetry from fierce femme Idalia, modern dance from Marsha Parrilla/Danza Orgánica as well as performances from Boston’s most innovative vaudevillians, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor. The presentation of findings will be followed by a dance party to the smashing sounds of Boston’s own DJ Golden Touch of Audio Chemists.  Feature drinks, appropriately fluorescent and elixir-evocative, will be available at the bar for those scientists over 21.

Tuesday March 22, 2011
The Midway, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain MA
$7 at the door, 18+
doors: 8pm
show: 9pm
dancing: 10:30 pm onward

February Hypothesis: HUMAN vs MACHINE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor present:
HYPOTHESIS
a night of inventive performance

Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor are on a roll with the post-Valentine’s Day installment of their monthly performance event, Hypothesis, on Tuesday January 18, 2011 at the Midway.  Hypothesis takes an intelligent, theatrical approach to cabaret while blending highbrow art with a lowbrow aesthetic.  Each month, a new group of artists present work based on a challenge posited by fellow scientists Prof. Honor and Dr. Blazes. These challenges provide an opportunity to ask questions, test new approaches, and make work that fascinates.

Whether you’re suffering post-Valentine’s stress disorder or still basking in the glow of your perfect night of chocolate fondue and Barry White tunes, Hypothesis is sure to help you recover.  To bring you back to reality, art/scient-ists will give you their interpretations of “Human vs. Machine.”  Each performer will bring two pieces: one expressing something about humanity, perhaps its fallibility, emotions or anatomy.  The second will address machines: anything from robots to hairdryers.  After all, what greater love affair is there than between Man and Cellphone?  Who or what else do we clutch so fervently so often throughout the day?

The evening will feature: potent and joyful autobiographical storytelling from Amanda Ali, political musings from Spectra, spell-binding shadow puppetry from Woellert and Clark, as well as performances from Boston’s most innovative vaudevillians, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor.  The presentation of findings will be followed by a dance party to the smashing sounds of Boston’s own DJ Golden Touch of Audio Chemists.  Feature drinks, appropriately fluorescent and elixir-evocative, will be available at the bar for those scientists over 21.

HYPOTHESIS
Date: Tuesday February 15, 2011
Venue: The Midway, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain 617-524-9038
Admission: $7 at the door, 18+
Doors: 8pm
Show: 9pm
Dancing: 10:30 pm onward
Website: www.HypothesisShow.wordpress.com

Questions: contact.hypothesis @ gmail.com

January Hypothesis: PAST vs FUTURE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor present:
HYPOTHESIS
a night of inventive performance

Fresh from their sold-out smash hit “The Buttcracker”, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor have returned to the laboratory to blast Boston into the new year with their monthly performance event, Hypothesis, on Tuesday January 18, 2011 at the Midway.  Hypothesis takes an intelligent, theatrical approach to cabaret while blending highbrow art with a lowbrow aesthetic.  Each month, a new group of artists present work based on a challenge posited by fellow scientists Prof. Honor and Dr. Blazes. These challenges provide an opportunity to ask questions, test new approaches, and make work that fascinates.

To break in the new decade,  art/scient-ists will explore “Past and Future.”  Each performer will bring two pieces: one expressing the artist’s past, and another imagining their future.  Perhaps in the first half we’ll hear poetry written at a tender age, witness a post-modern remix of pre-adolescent ballet recitals, or experience burlesque from a bygone age of five years ago.  The latter half may bring flying cars, cities underwater or a robot world takeover.  (Or perhaps the robot world takeover will take place in February for “Human vs. Machine”!)

The evening will feature: exquisitely crafted burlesque clowning and a few surprises from “Busty” Keaton of Rogue Burlesque, truth-telling lyrics and enchanted harmonies from Lady Enchantress and Kabluna, the haunting, evocative sounds of Singer Mali of Jaggery, as well as performances from Boston’s most innovative vaudevillians, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor.  The presentation of findings will be followed by a dance party to the smashing sounds of Boston’s own DJ Golden Touch of Audio Chemists.  Feature drinks, appropriately fluorescent and elixir-evocative, will be available at the bar for those scientists over 21.

HYPOTHESIS
Date: Tuesday January 18, 2011
Venue: The Midway, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain 617-524-9038
Admission: $7 at the door, 18+
Doors: 8pm
Show: 9pm
Dancing: 10:30 pm onward
Website: www.HypothesisShow.wordpress.com

Questions: contact.hypothesis @ gmail.com

International Hip Hop Sensation B DOLAN to Join Hypothesis in November!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor present:
HYPOTHESIS
a night of inventive performance

After hitting the ball out of the park twice in a row, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor are convinced that the third time is the charm.  Leaving no metaphor unmixed, no cliché unclinched these intrepid scientists present the third installment of their monthly performance event, Hypothesis, on Tuesday November 16, 2010 at The Midway.  Hypothesis takes an intelligent, theatrical approach to cabaret while blending highbrow art with a lowbrow aesthetic.  Each month, a new group of artists present work based on a challenge posited by fellow scientists Prof. Honor and Dr. Blazes. These challenges provide an opportunity to ask questions, test new approaches, and make work that fascinates.

In the third installment of Hypothesis, art/scient-ists will explore “Failure and Triumph Over the Impossible.”  The glory in art and science is always in the result: the hypothesis proven or dis-proven, the performance polished and refined.  This month’s theme will allow the audience a glimpse into the process of refining and experimentation.  In the first half, the performers will allow their failures to be seen, their protective coatings of perfection removed.  The second half of the show will be an uplifting triumph!  Perhaps successful version of  an earlier number, a performance that defies the laws of physics, or a number that overturns some other mundane notion of what is possible.

The evening will feature: modern dance from activist/educator Shawn Paulling, music from Brian King of the ever-transforming Boston collective What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?, soulful drag from Sapphira Cristál, spoken word from Rhode Island’s famed rapper B. Dolan, as well as performances from Hypothesis’s lead investigators, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor.  This month’s performance will be followed by a hip hop set from B. Dolan, fresh from the European tour of his new record “Fallen House, Sunken City”.  The presentation of findings will be followed by a dance party to the smashing sounds of Boston’s own DJ Golden Touch of Audio Chemists.  Feature drinks, appropriately fluorescent and elixir-evocative, will be available at the bar for those scientists over 21.

HYPOTHESIS
Date: Tuesday November 16, 2010
Venue: The Midway, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain 617-524-9038
Admission: $7 at the door, 18+
Doors: 8pm
Show: 9pm
Bonus! Hip hop set from B. Dolan: 10:30 pm
Dancing: 11 pm onward
Website: www.HypothesisShow.wordpress.com

Questions: contact.hypothesis@gmail.com

Breaking News! Matter Wins!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Tuesday, October 26, 2010 Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor present:
HYPOTHESIS
a night of inventive performance

Dr. Blazes and Prof. Honor preparing for the spectacle

After blowing minds with their explosive premiere, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor are back with the second experiment of their monthly performance event, Hypothesis, on Tuesday October 26, 2010 at The Midway.  Hypothesis takes an intelligent, theatrical approach to cabaret while blending highbrow art with a lowbrow aesthetic.  Each month, a new group of artists present work based on a challenge posited by fellow scientists Prof. Honor and Dr. Blazes. These challenges provide an opportunity to ask questions, test new approaches, and make work that fascinates.

In the sophomore installment of Hypothesis, art/scient-ists will create work around the theme “Matter vs. Antimatter.” Each artist will present two works: in one, they will play a character they love, admire, or cherish; in the other they must play a character they despise.  A more nuanced version of Good and Evil, the performances promise to be thought-provoking and soul-scraping. Recent science has shown that matter wins out over antimatter. But what will happen when these forces collide at Hypothesis?

The evening will feature: musical alchemy from famed Boston songsters Walter Sickert & Edrie of Walter Sickert & the ARmy of BRoken TOys, capitalist-critical performance art from Zayde Buti, galvanizing solo work from actor/activist Cathy L. Draine, as well as performances from Hypothesis’s lead investigators, Johnny Blazes and Madge of Honor.  This month will also include a new experiment in artistic simultaneity: live painting during the performances by TAiNA Vargas-Sosa.  The presentation of findings will be followed by a dance party to the smashing sounds of Boston’s own Audio Chemists.  Feature drinks, appropriately fluorescent and elixir-evocative, will be available at the bar for those scientists over 21.

HYPOTHESIS
Date: Tuesday October 26, 2010
Venue: The Midway, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain 617-524-9038
Admission: $7 at the door, 18+
Doors: 8pm
Show: 9pm
Dancing: 10:30 pm onward
Facebook invite here

Questions: contact (dot) hypothesis (at) gmail (dot) com

Photographic evidence of Hypothesis: Re-invention

Dr. Blazes and Professor Honor have been mulling over the findings from our very first experiment…and the conclusion is: HAWT! The properties of HAWT are potent, daring, and sexy. Those properties behaved all over the stage all night long.

Fellow scientist Ernesto Arroyo photographed our groundbreaking research and we’re including his photos as attachments in our final report to you.

Kirby bits + instrument.

Madge of Honor’s parts that matter in a state of undress.

Alicia Greene presenting convincing data to the audience.

Simón Rios utilizing vibration to probe deep into brain matter.

Johnny Blazes demonstrating safe laboratory technique.

Ben Reynolds revealing his very own Man-with-hat-tan Project.

These cunning and cutting edge researchers successfully re-invented their own definitive work by changing it’s mood, tone, genre, and/or perspective. Sort of the way water becomes steam.
Thank you for a mindblowing first Hypothesis!

Boston Improv Star Gives Glowing Review of Hypothesis Premiere!

A shining star of Boston’s improv theater scene, Misch Whitaker (ImprovBoston, Improv Asylum, and author of this year’s GoreFest) gave our show an in-depth review that glows brighter than Panellus stipticus on a cloudy night!

Read the entire review here.

Read some enticing quotes below:

“Each artist’s attempt at subverting themselves in their re-invention of their “classic” piece, was met with laughter, gasps, tears, murmured affirmations, and sometimes even outright shouts of delight from the crowd.”

“Asking creators to think about what message they are sending in their art produces bold and inspiring new works, that might otherwise not have come into being.”

“There’s no other show in Boston where you will cry as a songwriter bemoans himself for his hypocrisy, and moments later laugh out loud as a drag queen grandiosely gestures towards her tiny, sparkled, limp member.”

Enormous thanks to Misch for her complimentary words, and we hope her words compel you to come see what we have in store for Tuesday October 26!

Check out Misch on the Mainstage at Improv Asylum on Sept 30 and Oct 2, and keep an eye on www.improvboston.com for news of the premiere of Cirque du Slaughte, her original, splash-guard-required, slash-fest!

jojo the burlesque poetess Sings Hypothesis’ Praises

Hypothesis Show première

Once upon a childhood paleontologist–
i mean middle school marine biologists–
i mean all grown up burlesque

Inquisitive minds must combine
Experimental tassel twirling, subverting
The strip tease, tighty whiteys

And poetry of womanism, faces on flour and syrup
Food product like Frank-n-Furter’s
Garter’d lovechild with Marie Antoinette

Singing phallus, beckoning to be
Lap partners–
i mean lab partners

See the original here: http://locksmithy.livejournal.com/116133.html