Tarot – Downtown Magazine

By Alice Teeple

Photos by Alice Teeple

Death is not a subject one wishes to consider during the Yule season, but Adrian Sexton stares it down with her new one-woman show, DEATH! A Macabre Cabaret, premiering this weekend at Solocom.

The Titian-haired Sexton is a delightfully unique figure in the NYC comedy scene. Her passion for history, classic cinema, and music has been incorporated into her eclectic stage incarnations: Merchant Ivory films, tarot readers, a long-running improv tribute to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? …and even all four Beatles. Her character-driven comedy channels that of Tracey Ullmann, French & Saunders, and Amy Sedaris, but with a generous twist of Blackadder. She uproariously transcends time and space.

In this performance, Adrian Sexton reimagines Death as having been cursed by a wizard and forced to live out a human life (Sexton herself), enduring the experience of watching a loved one pass away. Through storytelling, humor and song, she explores the complexities of dying from her personal standpoint.

“Death is a character that has existed since the dawn of time, so it’s seen some shit!” says Sexton. “What DOES Death think? What makes Death sad? But Death’s still a heightened version of me…so I’ll throw some Duran Duran in there.”

Sexton notes that dying is still quite taboo, despite it being a universal experience for everyone. Last year, Sexton’s beloved father passed away after a long illness. She hopes to strip the mysteries and fears surrounding mortality, and wants people to cherish those moments of happiness, love and empathy that still exist in the darkest of times.

“Death is fluid and neutral. It takes king and peasant alike, so there is no empathy in death. And yet, we, the living, can show stunning compassion when someone experiences a loss. Even if you want to be alone and sad, you’re suddenly confronted with others’ feelings and hangups…which in retrospect I found quite humorous. Go away! No…stay! Also, the show takes place over Christmas, which is a ridiculous juxtaposition of joy and grief. I incorporate Christmas songs with lyrics that reflect what I was experiencing. You need to keep laughing.”

Inspiration for this show struck her at a hip-hop class at Freestyle Love Supreme Academy.

“Freestyling my truth was a revolutionary moment. I can be funny AND sad and speak honestly? At the same time? Whoa! That was the seed I needed to have the guts to write something this vulnerable.”

Sexton also credits tarot as a source of inspiration…after repeatedly pulling the Death card when applying to Solocom. She toyed around with various ideas, but all led back to the recent experience of losing her father. Director Zak Sommerfield suggested Sexton simply tell her story for the show.

‘The Death card doesn’t mean literal death. It’s about endings and new beginnings, so pulling it made me think about what my work will reflect going forward. Imagine if I pulled another card? You’d never hear from me again if I pulled the Hermit!”

Death! A Macabre Cabaret debuts Saturday, 23 November at 7:30 PM at the PIT Underground. Future performances to be determined.

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Singer/songwriter CAT — also known as Catherine Pierce — first turned heads as one-half of the band The Pierces. The Pierces made five full-length releases — starting with 2000’s Sony-released self-titled album — before calling a hiatus in August 2015. In those 15 years, The Pierces notably were labeled a Rolling Stone Breaking Artist, had the theme song to Pretty Little Liars, and toured with the world with Coldplay.

January 2017 brought the debut single from CAT, “You Belong To Me,” which premiered via CLASH. Downtown spoke with Catherine shortly after “You Belong To Me” came out, prior to the release of her second single “Hard To Be A Woman.” Catherine chatted about New York living and what’s coming up for her. CAT can be followed via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

When did you first move to New York?

Cat: I moved to New York City the summer of 2001. The attacks on the World Trade Center happened a few months later. My mom called me in a panic the morning of 9/11 and I watched from the window of my apartment as the second plane hit. My parents begged me to come back to Alabama, but I had already fallen in love with the city and wasn’t leaving.

Where was the first gig you ever played in Manhattan? What do you remember about it?

Cat: The first gig I played in NYC was at The Mercury Lounge. Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes was in the audience and he had someone send me a rose with his phone number backstage. We went on to date for five years and we were engaged for a bit. It didn’t work out due to us both being young and insane and partying too much, but we are still friends now and both living healthier lifestyles. So yeah, it was a memorable gig!

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

Cat: Lil Frankie’s has a special place in my heart.

A year and a half ago, you and your sister announced that The Pierces were going on a hiatus. Did you immediately know that you would be putting out solo material?

Cat: Yes! As much as we loved being in a band together, we have both been dying to put out solo records for years. We are both excited that it’s finally happening.

Does a professional hiatus like the one you and Allison have at all affect your family relationship? I’d sure hope not!

Cat: We have actually become much closer now that we’re not working together. It’s tough being in a band with your sister no matter how much you like each other. It’s so nice to support each other in our solo endeavors too.

You just released your first single as a solo artist. How did you know your collaborators Jason and Leggy? Were they long-time friends?

Cat: I’ve known Jason Lader for a long time. I met him when he was doing Julian Casablancas’ first solo record. We reconnected in Los Angeles and started making music together. Leggy Langdon is my husband! He’s incredibly-talented and he and Jason work really well together. They both bring an incredible skill set but also have very different aesthetics. Somehow, the combination of the three of us made a little bit of magic.

New single aside, what else is coming up for you?

Cat: I’ve got about 20 songs in various phases of completion. I’m gonna roll out a few more singles and then an album later in the year. I’ve also been working on some cool visuals with Antony Langdon. There are videos on the way, too.

Any chance we’ll see you collaborate again with Steve Schiltz in the future?

Cat: Steve! I haven’t seen Steve in ages, but yes, I’m down!

When not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?

Cat: Oh, I like to do lots of things. I’m currently designing a deck of tarot cards, which has been a long but really fun process. I’ve been making homemade lip balms and lotions too. I really enjoy dabbling in psychedelics. I think it’s good for the soul and the collective consciousness. They tap you back in to what’s important and true. I’d like to heavily dose our current president and rip open that sad, little mind.

Finally, Cat, any last words for the kids?

Cat: Turn on, tune in, and drop out.