For decades, local actor, theater artist, and Pig Iron Theatre cofounder Dito van Reigersberg — known too as his drag alter-ego, cabaret diva Martha Graham Cracker — has been the busiest working person in Philly showbiz. There isn’t a theater, stage, club or live performance venue that hasn’t benefited from a soulful, silly, magnificently forceful performance from van Reigersberg or Graham Cracker.
“I truly understand the character after all this time and the ways to bounce off the audience and the band,” van Reigersberg said of becoming Martha Graham Cracker only after the false eyelashes were applied. “I’m just Dito until they go on… It feels like a freefall skydive every time I do her so the potential for glorious failure is there. Maybe that’s why people keep coming back.”
Very recently, van Reigersberg has been diagnosed with leukemia and is now undergoing treatment. His best chance for a cure can only come a peripheral blood stem cell transplant – a non-invasive bone marrow transplant which requires finding a donor match as soon as possible.
To serve that purpose and have a few laughs, friends, bandmembers and collaborators to the DvR/MGC axis will gather on Dec. 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Bob and Barbara’s on South Street. Here, Glitter & Garbage, PJ Brown, Jess Conda, Mr. Johnny Showcase and other musical friends of Martha will play on while the 1500 block of South Street will be awash in large outside swabbing stations (inside too at B&B’s neighboring Quick Fixx) offering opportunities to aid a friend in need.
“The last thing Dito wants is a somber event,” says Victor Fiorillo, MGC’s longtime keyboardist, musical arranger and the co-arranger of the wild Wednesday event with Stephanie Haynes, executive director/founder of Philadelphia Family Pride.“Dito wants music to bring people hope and joy, the way it would if he were there. And speaking of Dito being there, he will contribute to the music of the evening by curating a party playlist.”
Fiorillo laughs when he states that he and van Reigersberg have been making music since the days of when the keyboardist “had hair and before I had kids, both of whom have now had several chances to perform with Martha before sold out audiences in Philly—invaluable experiences that they will treasure forever.”
Calling Martha an incredibly rare talent who merged innovative theater with an unusual brand of drag (“Dito calls it Monster Drag”) and top-level musicianship, Fiorillo states that “there wasn’t a show like MGC’s cabaret before Martha came along, and she still stands alone in Philly’s wonderful and diverse drag scene.”
Haynes came to Dito after a MGC performance at an Equality PA fundraiser during the DNC Philly Convention in 2016 and was love at first sight.
“I’m a friend and a fan and count myself fortunate to be in the position to be supporting him through his cancer treatment,” she said. “Dito’s performances as Martha feed a part of me I didn’t even know was hungry. His blend of a fantastic voice and fresh takes on familiar songs, wit, improv, politics and kindness is something I haven’t encountered anywhere else.”
Looking forward to the more serious aspects of Dec. 21’s swabbing sessions at Bob & Barbara’s, Fiorillo calls Wednesday’s event a unique opportunity for the city to give back to somebody who had given so much of himself.
“Dito and Martha have never left ANYTHING on the stage. Well, except a heel that fell off of his platforms.”
For information, visit facebook.com/MarthaGrahamCracker
