Grab your coats Philly, because the city’s most daring cabaret group, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, is hitting a nearby rink with their internationally acclaimed extravaganza, Beards on Ice, to add some silliness to a sincere conversation about climate change. From Artistic Director John Jarboe and co-writer MK Tuomanen, Beards on Ice tackles the difficult tasks of solving the climate crisis and teaching drag queens how to ice skate.
The hour-long spectacle will come in two exciting varieties: A family-friendly afternoon romp for kids and kids-at-heart titled Family Meltdown, and Beards on Ice: Still Edging, a PG-13, late-night cabaret that’s appropriately titled as it has a bit more edge. The shows will take place between two locations, Tarken Ice Rink (6250 Frontenac St.) on March 15-16 and Laura Sims Skate House (210 Cobbs Creek Pkwy) on March 22-23. Each night, the family-friendly performance will be held at 4:30 p.m., and the PG-13 performance will be held at 8 p.m.
“It feels so good to have some joy and absurdity brought into the climate change conversation, while speaking to the seriousness of the issue,” Jarboe said. “At the end of the performance, we want people to be more involved in the day-to-day climate justice work that’s happening in Philadelphia. It can be hard in a city landscape where everyone is dealing with a lot — how do you help people get rid of the armor they build throughout the day and listen? You show them a beautiful costume, you sing them an amazing song, you make them laugh while acknowledging the radical crisis that we’re in and the great opportunity we have as a species to come together.”
Advance tickets by donation ($0-$40) can be purchased online and there will also be suggested donation tickets available at the door of both show locations. Those in attendance, whether at Tarken Ice Rink or Laura Sims Skate House, will also enjoy a free skate rental and an hour-long skating session after the performance, hot chocolate, and resources from Philly’s climate justice organizations, including Physicians for Social Responsibility PA.
For more information on Beards on Ice or on The Bearded Ladies Cabaret themselves, visit beardedladiescabaret.com
