John Kelly's Get Up and Jive Extends to May 22 at Fez | Playbill

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News John Kelly's Get Up and Jive Extends to May 22 at Fez Obie-winning performance artist and downtown darling John Kelly has returned with his third show built around the persona and songlist of pop icon Joni Mitchell, and, again, the show is a popular success.

Kelly recently added a batch of new performances to the run at Fez, the nightspot located in the bowels of the Village's Time Cafe. New dates run from May 14 to May 22.

The work, titled Get Up and Jive: Even More Songs of Joni Mitchell, began March 5. It follows 1997's Paved Paradise: The Songs of Joni Mitchell and 2001's Shiny Hot Nights: More Songs of Joni Mitchell—both highly successful and lavishly praised.

As with his previous outings, Kelly will not only sing Mitchell's tunes but impersonate the ethereal blonde artist behind such songs as "Woodstock," "Big Yellow Taxi," "Help Me," "Free Man in Paris" and "For the Roses."

Mitchell is only one of the many eccentric artists Kelly has embodied over the years. Others include Dagmar Onassis, artist Egon Schiele and transvestite trapeze artist Barbette. As usual in his performance pieces—which he typically writes and creates—Kelly goes beyond impersonation and attains a sort of empathetic spiritual connection with the figures, all of whom he seems to identify with and adore. His work, which has been seen at BAM, Lincoln Center, The Kitchen and Carnegie Hall, has won him two Obies.

To conventional Broadway audiences, Kelly is best known as the Irish tenor who is an honored guest at the holiday soiree in James Joyce's The Dead. (Kelly possesses a fine, if fragile, countertenor voice, which he often uses to striking effect in his shows.) All tickets are $20. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM. Fez is located at 380 Lafayette Street (at Great Jones). For information and reservations call (212) 533-2680.

 
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