I have been following both Joey Arias & Sherry Vine for a few years now & have seen them each perform separately.

When I found out that they were teaming up for a holiday show surrounding the Crawfords (Joan Crawford & her family), my interest was piqued.

In this joint interview, both Joey & Sherry answered my call to share:

• What excites them about starring in Christmas with the Crawfords
• What they hope audiences come away with after seeing the show
• Their favorite things to do during the holidays in NYC
• What original lifesaver flavor they'd like to be
• So much more

Joey Arias and Sherry Vine will be starring in Christmas with the Crawfords at the Abrons Arts Center in NYC (466 Grand Street) through December 27, 2014! 

After a 12 year hiatus, Christmas With The Crawfords returns to New York City! This riotous camp classic is based on the actual Christmas Eve live radio broadcast from the Crawford family’s Brentwood mansion in 1949.

Filled with exaggerated silver screen icons, this mash-up musical parody is a loving homage to Hollywood’s “Golden Age” and features appearances of Tinsel Town divas such as Judy Garland, Carmen Miranda, Gloria Swanson, Hedda Hopper and the Andrews Sisters. 

Christmas With The Crawfords is a delightful alternative to the usual saccharine fare offered during the holidays and is guaranteed to make anyone who sees it feel much better about their own family this time of year.

1. This December you will be performing in Christmas with the Crawfords, a holiday show based on the actual Christmas Eve live radio broadcast of the Crawford family from their Brentwood mansion in the late 1940s. What excites you about starring in this show?

Joey Arias: I love the idea of a crazy Christmas gathering...Its an alternative to all the other shows. And it brings back the old days of Hollywood...that the new generation are forgetting about…its almost like a history class in movies and a time when the world was at war….And in this case the war begins at home...When Joan starts to slip when every thing starts to go wrong.

Sherry Vine: What excites me most is being onstage in a big theatre again! I love acting and playing with all these talented fools is pure joy!

2. Joey, it's been 12 years since Christmas with the Crawfords has played NYC. What are you looking forward to most about coming back to NYC with this show?

Joey Arias: I was thrilled to do this role again after 12 years. I was excited to work with Richard Winchester [producer] & Donna Drake [director]. And to see and work with Chris March and hopefully other members of the Original cast…unfortunately...Most could not come from San Francisco. Only Connie Champagne who plays "Judy Garland" did…Its all so exciting!

3. What do you hope audiences come away with after seeing the show?

Joey Arias: I hope most people walk out with a SMILE on there face. That the day they had was finished and they were transported into a world that we never knew…HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY!!

Sherry Vine: A pain in their gut from laughing so hard.

Cast of Christmas with the Crawfords
Photo Credit: Jim Moore

4. Joey, you are playing "Joan Crawford" and Sherry, you are playing "Baby Jane Hudson" & "Hedda Hopper." What do you each of you identify most with about your characters?

Joey Arias: I feel like Joan Crawford because I actually walk around making sure everything is in order and perfect!!! I think of myself as perfection at certain times…when I'm getting ready to make an ENTRANCE or on STAGE!!!

Sherry Vine: Well, playing someone soooo much older than me is the greatest challenge. And of course not being pretty - the non-glam, old age make up takes hours!!

5. What's it like to play such icons? How do you feel you bring your own flair to your portrayals of them?

Joey Arias: HAD TO STUDY Joan Crawford to watch her facial expressions and the way she found the light…It's pretty tuff actually…because I want to bring her to life!! Not a cartoon..but you do have to go over the top because of the nature of this play….I'm exhausted after the show…It's scary when you realize that you've become this person…I look in the mirror and start to trip out…LOL. I'm looking at Joan...The movie Star!!!

Sherry Vine: Well for "Baby Jane" I felt a need to go method as that character is so iconic. I have to nail it and then of course heighten it a bit but I watched the movie over and over. "Hedda" was a bit easier as she's not so recognizable. I did watch and listen to her but tried to make that more my own.

Joey Arias (Left) and Sherry Vine (Right)
Christmas with the Crawfords

6. Since this show takes place during Christmas, what is your favorite part about celebrating the holidays in NYC?

Joey Arias: I LOVE CHRISTMAS in NYC…going to parties, getting all dolled up and meetings friends over a buffet & cocktails and having a laugh. The weather and fireplace and exchanging stories of the year gone by.

Sherry Vine: I love when all the cheesy over the top decor goes up. Of course the gorgeous windows at Barney's and all the stores over there. I also love the smell of burning wood, not Joey's teeth, but firewood and Christmas trees on the street.

7. What's the best advice you've ever received?

Joey Arias: The best advice I ever got was from PAUL MOONEY [comedian/writer/activist] was to "keep it real!!!"

Sherry Vine: Get the money first!

Sherry Vine (Left) & Joey Arias (Right)
Christmas with the Crawfords, Photo Credit: Jim Moore

8. If you could have any super power, which one would you choose?

Joey Arias: My super power would be mind manipulation.

Sherry Vine: Would want to be mystique.

9. If you could be any original flavor Life Saver, which one would you be?

Joey Arias: It would be called BOYSENBERRY…The flavor of 2 seeds made into one!!! The taste is unbelievable!!! I could only get this at DU`PARS at the Farmers Market in Hollywood.

Sherry Vine: Cherry!!

10. If you could create your own signature drink, what would you call it and what would you put in it?

Joey Arias: My cocktail would be called Z CHROMOZOME….a bit of Vodka…a drop of Champagne…and ABSENT…!!! It would make you Dream!!!

Sherry Vine: I'd call it the VERY SHERRY! Silver pedron tequila with club soda and 5 limes!

Joey Arias in Ptown, MA

More on Joey Arias:

A fixture of New York City's vibrant downtown performance scene for 30-plus years, Joey Arias is a bona fide NYC icon. In 2012 he appeared in a headlining solo concert at Central Park Summer Stage and played the Southbank Centre in London as part of the Antony Hagerty-curated Meltodwn Festival. Then in October Z Chromosome, a short film starring Arias and directed by Manfred (Thierry) Mugler opened the 18th Annual Festival Chéries-Chéris in Paris. A regular headliner at Joe’s Pub, Joey consistently sells out his performances there to critical acclaim.

Joey originated the role of "Emcee" in Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity for 6 years in Las Vegas (which he co-wrote 3 songs) then returned to New York as the star and co-creator of Arias With A Twist with master puppeteer Basil Twist. The show was a critical and commercial hit and extended repeatedly for a total of 8 months at HERE Arts Center. The show toured to Los Angeles, Washington DC and Paris. The Arias With A Twist docu-fantasy premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and had it's US premiere at the 2011 TriBeca Film Festival.

In 2010 Joey returned to New York City with his first full-length concerts in over a decade. Joey Arias in Concert - featuring new jazz luminary Ben Allison and a band comprised of some of NYC's best musicians - played to sold-out houses for two weeks at Abrons Arts Center. A scaled down version of the show opened the Spiegeltent at Bard SummerScape in 2011. Joey has performed worldwide at venues including Carnegie Hall, The Freedom Theatre in London and on a transatlantic world tour into the cabaret clubs of Paris, Tokyo, Moscow, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Canada and England.

Joey Arias as Joan Crawford

On film, he has appeared in Mondo New York, Big Top Pee Wee, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Wigstock - The Movie, Flawless and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. 

Television credits include the infamous Saturday Night Live episode with David Bowie and Klaus Nomi, Ann Magnuson's Vandemonium (Cinemax), Elvira's MTV Halloween Special, HBO's Dragtime, HBO's Real Sex and Gayer Than Gay on VH1, along with numerous appearances on a wide variety of talk shows and programs.

Additionally, Joey has produced several of his own recordings including Arias on Holiday, Strange Fruit, Jazzo Lozo, God Shave the Queen and live recordings of StarLust in Berlin, Arias with a Twist and Bar D'o in New York.

A member of the original Groundlings, the LA-based improv comedy troupe, Joey trained where Larraine Newman, Paul Rubens, Phil Hartman and hundreds learned their craft before breaking out to international acclaim.

Sherry Vine

More on Sherry Vine:

Sherry Vine (Keith Levy) was accidentally abandoned by her family when she was 4 years old. But, fortunately, she was found and adopted by a very nice Amish family and raised outside of fashionable Harrisburg, PA.

At 16, discovering she was actually Jewish, she ran away to Las Vegas to become a "showgirl" and the rest is herstory. Having established herself as one of NYC's downtown darlings, Sherry also tours the world with her all live singing, comedy shows; performing regularly in Montreal, Berlin, Helsinki, Estonia and Sydney to name a few.

Miss Vine is a founding member and co-Artistic Director (with Joshua Rosenzweig and Erik Jackson) of Theatre Couture, and has starred in all of their productions including; the smash sold out hit Carrie, Doll, the Off Broadway hit Tell-Tale, Charlie, Kitty Killer, The Final Feast of Lucrezia Borgia, e.s.p. and The Bad Weed ‘73.

Sherry Vine Performing

Sherry can be seen in numerous films; Welcome To NY, Wigstock, The Raspberry Reich, Stonewall, Charlie, Scream Teen Scream, and Francesca Page. 

Miss Vine got to strut her stuff on Project Runway and has become an international YouTube sensation with her hysterical video parodies that have been viewed over 10,000,000 times!

Most recently, Sherry has been starring in and writing a variety show called She's Living For This on Here TV. Season Two is currently airing.

Her new state-of-the-art website contains all of her videos, songs, blog, pictures, merchandise and a full schedule of appearances.