Fierce Fashion Tribe Cavorts at Foreign Affairs @ the Griffin

Is it perhaps a sign of the zeitgeist that in the space of one week, we've witnessed two blistering performances of Edith Piaf's beloved torch song, "Je Ne Regrette Rien"?

First at Liberty Hall, at the Ace Hotel, as sung by the smoldering star of Berlin's "Cabaret," Sophie Berner, who roused a boozy crowd with her amalgam of Sally Bowles and Piaf. And then, a few sordid nights later, the song was sung with such defiant vehemence by downtown's Lady Rizo that the massive crystal chandelier above her shivered and shook, sending crystal prisms scattering across the stage.

This latter performance was at the Griffin, a Gilded Age jewel box of a club, deep in the Meatpacking District (across the street from the erstwhile Hell), which was the setting for the renaissance of Foreign Affairs, the uber-popular and wildly-acclaimed nightclub cum cabaret produced by Lee Chappell and Chris Ryan.

Foreign Affairs Returns with a Vengeance

Originated in a downtown loft in 2008 by sinful siren, Isengart, Foreign Affairs had slunk around all over town, finally settling in at the aptly-named Night Hotel where the weekly cabaret ran for an impressive ten months highlighted by performances from the likes of Joey Arias, World Famous "BOB," Dirty Martini, Legs Malone, Bridget Everett, Kenny Mellman, amongst others - before the lease expired.

Now, after nearly a yearlong hiatus, Foreign Affairs has returned with a vengeance. For those who thought the space at Night Hotel was perfect, the Griffin ups the ante, proving that good things do come to those who wait.

With velvet settees and gilded frames, and with a mirrored, coffered ceiling, the Griffin could've been designed by Stanford White (think Villard Houses) as a playpen for his girl in the red velvet swing, Evelyn Nesbit.

The Absinthe and Opium Playhouse

And with Isengart and Rizo as co-hosts, and Chappell acting as valet cum Emcee (as in "Cabaret"), Foreign Affairs plays like the absinthe and opium (and decidedly more carnal) version of Pee-wee's Playhouse. Both Rizo and Isengart have electrifying stage presence - and Isengart's "Polk Salad Annie," complete with greens-eating burlesque dancer, Julia Atlas Muz, brought down the house (and nearly that massive chandelier).

Attired in black leather or a white jumpsuit a la Elvis, Isengart mixes Berlin cabaret with rock-n-roll, resulting in Weimar Americana. Showgirls swirl around him, their massive headdresses parting the way for other performers including tap-dancing inferno, Jen Minsky, and the stunning Shien Lee singing steamy rice paddy ballads - as well as Whitney Biennial burlesque performance artist, Muz, who cavorted through multiple personae with manic precision.

A Bedizened Audience As Gilded as the Room

The crowd, including scenesters such as GoGo Harder and Daniel Nardicio, was nearly as elaborately coiffed and costumed as the cast, resulting in a bedizened audience that was every bit the gilded room's equal.

As much as the night was the return of Foreign Affairs, it was also Chappell's birthday celebration, which prompted a delicious Lady Rizo tribute of the Salt-N-Pepa classic, "Whatta Man," with its sing-a-long lyrics, "Whatta man, whatta man, what a mighty good man" - which, in this case, could easily have been reworded to include, "What a mighty good night."

The Best Wunderbar Yet

The next Foreign Affairs is scheduled for the 14th of December - and if history is any indication, the latest chapter of this Wunderbar might be the best one yet.

Grab onto the Griffin and swing into Foreign Affairs.

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