BELLY OF A DRUNKEN PIANO is a passionate, demented and intense rock journey through Tom Waits’ rich catalogue of music, mining some of Waits’ most memorable hits-from Martha and The Piano Has Been Drinking to Big in Japan and Hold On.
Drawing on his personal experiences, as well as Wait’s vast musical history, D’Arrietta adds new dimension to the music, as he shares his personal love affair with the ‘prince of melancholy’s’ brilliant songs. Waits’ colourful misfits come to life in this powerful, poignant and innovative show.
In this show, D’Arrietta inhabits the underworld of the the lyrical tragedies and the jocular narratives in the songs of Tom Waits, with an ardent celebration.
Touching on the themes of love, loneliness, war, the dreams and ambitions of childhood and our relationship with God, D’Arrietta romps through the songs with his trademark raw vocal style, punctuated by his laconic humour.
BELLY OF A DRUNKEN PIANO premiered in 2005 at The Soho Playhouse, New York.
’electrifying’ Variety
‘rollicking’ The New Yorker
‘rock solid emotion’ The New York Times
The show went on to play The Edinburgh Fringe in 2007, Montreal Jazz Festival, and London Riverside Studios in 2008.
It re-emerged in 2018 at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it collected all 5 star reviews.
The Sunday Times recommended it as one of the top 10 shows to see at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018.
Stewart D’Arrietta is the piano guy in ‘Lennon Through A Glass Onion’, one of Australia’s best loved and longest running musical theatre shows, which Stewart co-created with actor John Waters 27 years ago.
Another of D’Arrietta’s notable successes is ‘My Leonard Cohen’ which had sold out shows at the Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe 2016, 2017 and 2019, as well as at the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Arts Centre.
Award winning composer and musical director D’Arrietta has performed all over Australia as well as overseas, at The Montreal Jazz Festival, EX Theatre Tokyo, Soho Playhouse New York, Union Square Theatre New York and The Riverside Theatre London. He has toured extensively in the UK, and has just returned from a month long season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
‘Satango’, a musical for which he composed the music, opened to great acclaim in June this year in Las Vegas.