Everyone loves a good holiday play, but you can only see "The Nutcracker" so many times. If you're ready for something new, thank your outrageously campy stars for David Cerda's 10-years-and-running spoof, "Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer," a performance that brings a little wit and sarcasm to the overplayed holiday theme. Aside from the fact that Rudolph wore red undies instead of red pantyhose, and the over-the-top-humor sometimes verged on an overly dramatic cynicism, Cerda's show is—like Hell in the Handbag's "The Birds"—hilarious at just the right moments.
Narrated by Sam the Snowman, a jolly white glob of man who shows up for both comic relief and serious storytelling, "Rudolph" officially begins in Christmas Town. Santa's a true sleaze; Mrs. Claus is an alcoholic; the elves are all bitchy queens; and Christmas is all a big marketing ploy. And then Rudolph comes along. As soon as he's out of the womb, he's grabbing at women's designer clothes. Determined to hide their son's cross-dressing tendencies, Rudolph's parents, Jane and Tom Donner, try forcing him into heterosexual masculinity. Just when things seem hopeless, Rudolph meets Herbie, the not-queenie-enough elf who longs to escape the elves' factory of glamour. The two of them run away and quickly meet Yukon Cornelia, a certifiably insane, butch lesbo who was kicked out of Santa's kingdom some time back. On their journey, they travel to the Island of Misfit Toys, and ultimately run across the Abominable Drag Beast.
Once again, Hell in a Handbag's drag performances take center stage. Ed Jones steals the show as the Abominable Drag Beast, who lip-syncs to songs so terrible they could kill. Elizabeth Lesinski hits the slobbery, slurry words of drunken Mrs. Claus just right, and newcomer Corey L. Mills is an instantly lovable Rudolph. The crudely painted sets work perfectly in this offensively entertaining show, which we certainly recommend to the theatergoer who's ready for a seasonal change of pace.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
