The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret at Union Transfer in Philadelphia PA

Fresh off his memorable performances on America's Got Talent, Johnny Showcase and his band The Mystic Ticket join Philly drag legend Martha Graham Cracker and her band for a blockbuster double bill that will go down as one of most dazzling concert spectacles at Union Transfer this year. Opening the night is the awesome brass band Snacktime Philly.

 

After Snacktime Philly gets the party started at 8pm sharp, The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret will take the stage, with Johnny Showcase joining Martha for a song during the set. And then Johnny Showcase & The Mystic Ticket will bring on the full-on dance party, with Martha returning the duet favor during that performance. Point is, you want to get there early, because there won't be one minute of this show that you'll want to miss. It's a Snacktime / Martha / Johnny sandwich of epic proportions.

 

The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret, fronted by Pig Iron Theatre Company co-founder Dito van Reigersberg, has been a fixture of the Philadelphia concert scene since 2005, bringing a unique combination of drag, theater, comedy, and rock-and-roll cabaret to audiences all over the country and in Europe. Martha and the band play inventive arrangements and mashups of everybody from Black Sabbath and Prince to Nina Simone to Lana Del Rey. No two shows are ever the same.

 

Absurdist funk-soul-rock ensemble Johnny Showcase & The Mystic Ticket is fronted by Johnny Showcase, the charismatic and often-sweaty showman and bandleader. They are known for their joyful, high-energy performances that blissfully toe the line between performance art and a psychedelic soul revival. During America's Got Talent audition, which the band made it through, notoriously grumpy judge Simon Cowell deemed Johnny Showcase one of his "favorite acts." Johnny Showcase didn't win AGT, but here in Philly, where we know a winner when we see one, he's nothing but.

 

Funky brass band Snacktime Philly spent the pandemic spreading cheer all over the city, including in Rittenhouse Square, where police showed up more than once to tell them to scram. (Booo!) No police at this show. Play on, Snacktime!

 

Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. Available without service fees at the Union Transfer box office or at Long in the Tooth Records (2027 Sansom Street).