Joe Folladori: Houston’s Answer To John Cameron Mitchell

The show is called Katy Perry Candy Darling Mary Magdalene, and that title matches the chaotic and strange energy of the writer, Joe Folladori.

Also known as Joe Mathelete in Houston because of his long run with the band The Mathletes, Folladori has spent the last several years as writer in residence at Catastrophic Theatre. The company is the successor of Infernal Bridegroom Productions, and if there is a weird play or musical happening in Houston, odds are it’s happening at Catastrophic.

Folladori has been with Catastrophic since just after graduating high school and started working under renowned avant-garde dramatist Tamarie Cooper. The experience was eye-opening for Folladori, and he quickly began producing music and work of his own. 

“I thought Houston was this utter cultural wasteland,” said Folladori in a phone interview. “I find out you just got to dig a little bit more than you might have to in other cities, but it was just like, you can be everything and do everything you want in the place you live. They became a chosen family.” 

Alli Villines is a longtime collaborator with Folladori who is the musical director, arranger, and a cast member in their latest show. She has known Folladori since 2019 when they both worked on the Daniel Johnston production Speeding Motorcycle. Over the years, she’s watched him grow into an innovative talent whose writing pushes boundaries.

“I think the biggest stand out of Joe’s writing is the absurdist humor and unique and slightly warped point of view,” she said in an email interview. “As someone who takes many things at face value and can be a bit literal sometimes, I’m not always certain when a thing is a joke or if I should be laughing. And then, BAM! I get blindsided with a very humanist and universal truth, that is heavy but somehow feels a bit lighter because of the crafting of the setup.” 

The latest show is a culmination of Folladori’s long and strange career. Besides playwright and rock star, they’ve been a journalist and actor. Katy Perry Candy Darling Mary Magdalene follows Sophia, the lead singer of Houston underground band Bird Murderer, who goes on a manic quest to write the perfect song. The real story, though, is about self-exploration through art. Like John Cameron Mitchell’s acclaimed Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Katy Perry Candy Darling Mary Magdalene uses the framework of a rock and roll band to tackle thorny questions of gender and identity, especially in Texas.

Folladori says they have been “non-binary for as long as that’s been a thing,” but has struggled all their life for a way to put their relationship with themselves into words. The plot of Katy Perry addresses a similar frustration, aiming to create the acme of a concept that is nebulous and ever shifting by nature. There is no perfect song any more than there is a perfect gender expression. Sometimes, all you have are the catchy riffs of those who have traveled those roads before you to guide you, imperfect as they might be.

“It’s about how we are always figuring out who we are and telling our story,” they say. “Sometimes what’s in your head doesn’t match what’s on the outside, not just in terms of gender, but also the kind of person we think we are. In regards to Katy Perry specifically, I was very much a music snob. Then Katy Perry does ‘I Kissed a Girl” and the acceptance of being queer and all the varieties, different shades of that, are mainstream." 

It’s an emotional experience. Villines talks about working on Folladori shows and after scenes were over, just standing together in a 20-second hug to release all the big feelings. She has been arranging and working on Katy Perry for nearly a year now, bringing the musical arrangements to life to match Folladori’s frantic story.

“I can say that it is a story that Joe wants to and maybe needs to tell at this moment in the journey of life,” she says. “I’m excited to help tell the story, help realize the dream and vision Joe has for the story, and put on a really good show for people.”

The Mathletes are one of Houston’s legendary bands from the 2000’s, the last gasp of the Myspace Era. Folladori made an indelible mark on the city’s music scene at the time, but it’s the work they are doing with Catastrophic that will likely define their legacy. Folladori (and Sophia) may never write the perfect song, but no one will ever say they didn’t shout a complicated truth at the top of their lungs in musical form.

Katy Perry Candy Darling Mary Magdalene opens February 13 at Catastrophic Theatre