Lea DeLaria Does Bowie at The Cutting Room

Orange is the new Bowie?

It’s a packed house Saturday night at The Cutting Room. A long line of eager ticket-holders snakes around the main foyer. Large groups gather at the bar. The mood is friendly and intimate, the dark lighting offset by the warm purples, blues, and golds of the main stage. As the crowd waits for Lea DeLaria to come on, they mingle enthusiastically with one another. Everyone knows someone, which makes for an ambiance that feels less like a concert and more like a reunion of old pals. But it is a concert, of course, and an ambitious one at that.

DeLaria, best known for portraying beloved scene-stealer Big Boo on Orange Is the New Black, is also a jazz vocalist, and tonight she’s debuting the songs from her latest album, House of David, a collection of jazzed-up David Bowie covers. Though the premise is strange, it begins to make sense as soon as the actress-singer bursts onto the stage with her rendition of “Boys Keep Swinging.” Her powerful voice is complemented well by a backing of talented instrumentalists and singers.

“Fuck yeah! Fuck yeah!” DeLaria screams as she finishes her second opener, “Fame.” “We are going to fucking have a blast up here. I’ve been working for four years on this project and it’s finally done!” She goes on to describe her particular love affair with Bowie: “He’s the only man in the world whose dick I would suck. And I’d put a finger in his butt, too. What does that have to do with David Bowie and jazz? Absolutely nothing.”

She offers no further explanation, choosing instead to plow through “Let’s Dance,” “Jean Genie,” “Space Oddity,” and “Rebel, Rebel.” She benefitted from a hyper-receptive crowd (primarily comprised of friends, OITNB cast and crew members, and a random smattering of celebrities ranging from Jesse Tyler Ferguson to Michael Emerson) and an obvious love for the material she’s covering.

A highlight of the evening comes at the end of the night in the form of a duet with Janis Siegel of Manhattan Transfer fame. The pair’s performance of “Suffragette City” wraps the evening on a high note and with a standing ovation.