BY BOB KRASNER | Married performers Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas Muz have succeeded in upending any notion of a traditional husband and wife and may even manage to beat the odds that are firmly against couples who work together.
From their meeting in 2006 at the Coney Island Freak Show to their wedding, which included 30 “zombie schoolgirl” bridesmaids, they have created their own world — one where tradition walks hand in hand with outrageousness.
Fraser was born with drastically shortened arms as a result of his mother’s thalidomide intake, but he also possessed an ability to turn a disability into an asset. The British performer’s willingness to put himself out there resulted in a gig as “Seal Boy” at the Brooklyn beach sideshow, where his path crossed with Muz, a modern burlesque performer who has no problem showing off her assets.
Although they began to collaborate together in performance, their initial attraction had to be put on a back burner while they “extricated” themselves from their respective spouses. In 2012 they finally tied the knot, with Fraser clad in full Tartan dress to represent his clan and Muz outfitted like a sexy Disney princess, surrounded by the previously mentioned zombies.
Fraser describes himself as “a multidisciplinary performing artist and writer, whose work talks about the disabled experience.”
Muz, originally from Detroit, is somewhat more succinct, summing herself up in one word — “showgirl.”
Fraser objects, reminding her that she is also a “performer, director, choreographer, actor and so much more.”
Muz concedes that she is also a “feminist artist” and a “boob clown.”
“But I really think,” she adds, “that ‘showgirl’ encapsulates all of it. If you are a showgirl, you know what you have to do.”
Together, their restless creativity — each of them spends their downtime writing for various projects — has resulted in two major collaborations. “Beauty and The Beast,” their extremely well-reviewed X-rated version of the classic tale, has been performed by the pair around the world, as far away as Croatia and Australia. Another original stage work, “The Freak and The Showgirl” (which they describe as “a lewd, crazy, over-the-top show”), will, if Fraser has his way, become a movie.
Living together in a modest apartment on the Lower East Side and working side by side has forced the pair to adopt strategies that allow them to be productive and not drive each other crazy. They have adopted the methodology of “Open Space Technology,” which allows them both the freedom and the restraint necessary to get things done.
Then there are times when they will set a timer for an hour and not speak to each other during that period, while they take the time to write. During those moments, Fraser is currently using the times to create a screenplay while Muz is adapting a favorite novella into a musical.
Finally, whenever necessary, one of them can ring the “a–hole bell,” when one feels that the other is being, you know what.
“Every couple,” Muz states, “should have an a–hole bell.”
When one of the two is involved with an extensive project, as Fraser was with “American Horror Story,” the other steps in to provide backup. Now that Muz is in rehearsal for her co-starring role with Joey Arias in the latest Basil Twist extravaganza “Sisters’ Follies,” Fraser is content to be a “house husband,” taking care of the two cats and making sure that Muz has dinner when she comes home.
Their many projects have earned them almost as many accolades. Muz holds the title of Miss Exotic World 2006, and the couple were honored as king and queen of this year’s Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Fraser’s star turn as “Paul the Illustrated Seal” in the last season of “American Horror Story” has made him the most recognizable of the pair, and they have found a way to deal with that as well.
“Everyone wants a photo with that guy with the flippers,” Fraser notes.
“I’ll take the picture as soon as possible,” chimes in Muz. “And every time Mat gets recognized, I get a kiss.”
Their next collaboration will be this year’s Halloween costumes and it’s Fraser’s turn to choose, since last year Muz came up with their bedbug outfits.
Whatever the next big show they produce together will be, you can be sure it will push the boundaries of theater. Muz, who The New York Times said, “isn’t beholden to any of [theater’s] rules —even those observed in the form’s most experimental crannies,” is already thinking about the next project.
Fraser, who is “proud of having played in a freak show,” has also curated “Cripfest,” a celebration of disabled performers, mixing standup comedy, music and burlesque. Muz was the only nondisabled performer in the show, which recently was staged at BAM Fisher. It ended with the two doing a striptease in a rousing finale, featuring an incredibly acrobatic effort by Muz: She did a split while doing a headstand in front of a machine-gun-wielding Fraser, who gave a salute à la G.I. Joe — and also gave Muz an…ahem…special salute.
Fraser is also a black belt and the drummer in a band, The Spazms.
In fact, there is no reason to believe that the pair will not accomplish whatever they set their minds to. Fraser sums up the main thing that drives their engine: “I must have my head in the clouds, because I believe that anything is possible.”
Tickets are available now for Basil Twist’s “Sisters’ Follies: Between Two Worlds.” For more information, visit: https://www.abronsartscenter.org/performances/basil-twist-sisters-follies.html .
As for Fraser and The Spazms, they’re looking to gig around town sometime before the end of the year. A taste of their music can be sampled at: soundcloud.com/mat-fraser .
