Washington Post - Recommended
"... A voracious embrace of feminine caricature is a hallmark of Arias’s appeal, which is in most ebullient display when the actor simply raises the volume on a torch song or ballad. His artistry will sustain fans even during the show’s more slapdash sequences. (Twist’s puppeteers — Chris DeVille, Kirsten Kammermeyer, Matt Leabo, Jamie Moore, David Lloyd Olsen and Amanda Villalobos — join the headliner onstage at evening’s end for a well-deserved curtain call.) This may not be the pinnacle event of the Twist festival, but it does provide its share of crazy highs."
Washington Examiner - Recommended
"... As with his other works in the D.C. Basil Twist Festival, Twist functions as a magician, making all the physical elements of the production work together smoothly. His sets, from the Amazonian Eden to the brightly illuminated Manhattan, are breathtaking. The lighting by Ayumu "Poe" Saegusa is at times subtle, at times astonishingly wild."
MetroWeekly - Somewhat Recommended
"...Granted, the show has been around since 2008, but there's no reason it shouldn't adapt to the times. As it is, Arias With a Twist comes up a day late and a dollar short."
WeLoveDC - Somewhat Recommended
"...Perhaps a good campy drag show just can’t survive being this well produced. If we’re going to buy it as cheesy fun when a super-sized Arias stomps though New York City then maybe it shouldn’t be so beautiful and convincing. The four band member puppets were the most subtle and were brilliantly manipulated. The piano player exhibited a subtle shaking laughter that would have brought a tear to Jim Henson’s eye."
Talkin Broadway - Recommended
"...It is obvious that performer Joey Arias and puppeteer Basil Twist, the creative minds behind Arias with a Twist, now at Washington's Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, have a purpose for everything they have done in this wild 90 minutes of illusion and entertainment. Whether or not the audience can always follow their mental flights is uncertain, but no viewer will be bored."
Washington City Paper - Recommended
"... The puppetry is large-scale this time, as befits a character as flamboyant as Arias; Twist, in collaboration with his star, has created a green Eden for her to crash into once the aliens eject her from their ship, plus a stagewide Manhattan for her to stomp through, King Kong–style, once she makes up her mind that the show must go on. (Oh, right: The conceit is that Arias has been abducted on her way to her Broadway debut.)"
Washingtonian - Highly Recommended
"... True to her audacious persona, Arias engages directly with the audience a couple of times at the end of the evening, so if you're in the front row, you might be asked if you're feeling "sexual" tonight. If you hesitate and you're a guy, you may be dragged onstage and bawdily flirted with. It's all part of the ambience. And, if you're not careful, you'll see beyond all the rude gags into the wealth of invention and dreaminess behind Arias with a Twist, in which grown-ups with grown-up desires get to play and imagine absolutely anything at all, and have it come to life--safely--on a stage."
Washington Blade - Somewhat Recommended
"...“Arias with a Twist” premiered in New York in 2008. And though the show has been tweaked since then, it’s not without its clunky moments, most notably some serious pacing problems. Still it delivers some spectacle and merrily salutes much from 20th century show biz — Ziegfeld Follies, Busby Berkeley, big bands — but its DNA can be traced specifically to the downtown New York club scene where gay artists Arias and Twist cut their teeth. It’s raunchy, clunky and fun and there’s a “my dad has a barn, let’s put on a show” quality to it only the barn is a night spot in the East Village and the kids are drag queens, budding artists, and a couple of muscle boys (to do the heavy lifting)."
MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended
"...This production is twofold brilliance. For those who are into puppetry, and for those who like seeing a very talented drag diva in action. Arias with a Twist is not what you necessarily expect, but when you leave the theatre it will be clear to you that you just had a great time. The combination of Arias and Twist make for an unforgettable evening."
