technovanews

Libertine Banquet at Torture Garden

The Athey & Co. Oct./Nov. UK tour was jumpstarted straight off the
plane from Los Angeles with a special Torture Garden performance. No time
for jetlag, the following is a synapsis of the "Libertine Banquet," which
was first performed three weeks earlier at New York City's PORK:

Altar boy stage-hands (Mark XX and Martin XX) set the stage and bring
the fleshy burlesque queen Marissa Carr on stage. Carr, wearing a fleshtone
and tattooed second skin of clear and painted latex - from head to foot -
and a Victorian bathing suit, garishly bumps and grinds down to the bare
prosthetics, eventually winding her act down into a body bag.
Enter Athey in drag as a kinky Victorian widow, flanked by the
Baptists (Pigpen and Alex Binnie) cloaked in turn-of-the-century whitebaptismal gowns.

The Baptists pierce the Widow Athey's mouth wide open with
4 long spinal needles, the rest of the face veiled. The Altar boys remove
the Baptists gowns, leaving them to bask in their stark-raving-nudity. Athey
jams in the needles that make up the "surgical stigmata" into their
foreheads, then strips down to a tiny leather jock for some butch realness.

Fleshhooks attached to bungycord and rope are inserted into the
baptists backs, and they crawl forward like dogs on a severe but yeilding
leash. Athey helps whip they into a frenzy, bouncing and shaking them, then
trays of bread (otherwise known as Christ's body) are placed under there
heads. Once the baptists are calmed down and neeling into the trays, the
needles are removed. And the blood flows freely onto the trays of white bread.
Carr is released from the body bag and escorted to the banquet table.

Athey joins her, they make a toast with glasses of wine (Christ's
symbolic blood), and they eat a few pieces of fresh fruit. The "Body"
(bread/blood) is brought forward, Athey picks the bloodiest bread slice from
each tray, makes a sandwich, and consumes it. Repressive liberation?
Defiance? Celebration? Concept and direction by Ron Athey. Live sound
accompaniment by David Harrow. Special guest appearance by Marissa Carr.

	Libertine Banquet at Torture Garden
	The Athey & Co. Oct./Nov. UK tour was jumpstarted straight off the plane from Los Angeles with a special Torture Garden performance. No time for jetlag, the following is a synapsis of the "Libertine Banquet," which was first performed three weeks earlier at New York City's PORK:

	Altar boy stage-hands (Mark XX and Martin XX) set the stage and bring the fleshy burlesque queen Marissa Carr on stage. Carr, wearing a fleshtone and tattooed second skin of clear and painted latex - from head to foot - and a Victorian bathing suit, garishly bumps and grinds down to the bare prosthetics, eventually winding her act down into a body bag. Enter Athey in drag as a kinky Victorian widow, flanked by the Baptists (Pigpen and Alex Binnie) cloaked in turn-of-the-century whitebaptismal gowns.

	The Baptists pierce the Widow Athey's mouth wide open with 4 long spinal needles, the rest of the face veiled. The Altar boys remove the Baptists gowns, leaving them to bask in their stark-raving-nudity. Athey jams in the needles that make up the "surgical stigmata" into their foreheads, then strips down to a tiny leather jock for some butch realness.

	Fleshhooks attached to bungycord and rope are inserted into the baptists backs, and they crawl forward like dogs on a severe but yeilding leash. Athey helps whip they into a frenzy, bouncing and shaking them, then trays of bread (otherwise known as Christ's body) are placed under there heads. Once the baptists are calmed down and neeling into the trays, the needles are removed. And the blood flows freely onto the trays of white bread. Carr is released from the body bag and escorted to the banquet table.

	Athey joins her, they make a toast with glasses of wine (Christ's symbolic blood), and they eat a few pieces of fresh fruit. The "Body" (bread/blood) is brought forward, Athey picks the bloodiest bread slice from each tray, makes a sandwich, and consumes it. Repressive liberation? Defiance? Celebration? Concept and direction by Ron Athey. Live sound accompaniment by David Harrow. Special guest appearance by Marissa Carr.