43
‘Drag Queen’ steals it again
By Lorraine Wardle
If you still haven’t seen “How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas,” my only question is, “What are you waiting for?”
The annual Christmas show at the Oakland Center for the Arts once again has lived up to its hype. Friday’s opening-night performance was one to remember – outrageously funny and flawlessly performed.
“How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas” is the Oakland’s famous – or infamous – holiday spectacular and fundraiser. Written, directed, and designed by Robert Dennick Joki, “Drag Queen” is a hilarious and oddly heart-warming holiday tale that can be seen only at the Oakland.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of “Drag Queen,” which shows no sign of slowing down. The plot, which changes slightly from year to year, is reminiscent of Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol,” though Dickens could never have imagined a story quite like this one.
The play centers on Starlett O’Hara, Youngstown’s premiere drag queen. Starlett is a cold-hearted, self-centered burlesque owner and performer who abuses her staff of drag queens. When she refuses to acknowledge Christmas, her underappreciated groupies quit, and she is left alone. After abusing drugs and alcohol, she is visited by a ghost from her past who warns her to change her ways. She then meets the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, who in this case are Marilyn Monroe, Lady Gaga and Cher. As with any good holiday story, Starlett awakes a changed woman – er, man? – and vows to bring the Christmas spirit back into her life and work.
After watching this latest installment of “Drag Queen,” I’m starting to ask myself, “is there anything Rob Joki can’t do?” That’s not just unnecessary flattery; Joki created pretty much everything for this show. He wrote the script, which is wickedly funny, and incorporated traditional Christmas carols and popular songs and re-wrote the lyrics with hilarious results.
Joki also designed the set, which was awesome, the costumes, which were fabulous and the sound and lights. And did I mention he also starred as drag queen Starlett?
As Starlett, Joki was appropriately over-the-top. His amazing singing voice filled the theater, and his larger-than-life drag persona kept the audience laughing all night long. Joki’s supporting cast was equally talented. As newbie drag queen Minnie Cooper, Jennifer Caventer, was sweet and innocent with a lovely singing voice. Nicole Zayas, as Buffy, was a tough queen and a great singer, and Molly Makselan and Alyssa Connelly gave entertaining performances as Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga.
Stealing the show was the only other “real” drag queen, Murad Gazi Shorrab. Shorrab played many roles, including drag queen Mirage, whose deep voice made every line hilarious, Starlett’s long-suffering mother, and future-Cher, a character who simply cannot be described. One of the play’s best moments was a medley of rewritten carols performed by the chorus of drag queens.
“Drag Queen” is typical Oakland fare – risqu , racy and raunchy and absolutely entertaining. “This ain’t ‘Easy Street,’” Joki told his audience. And we couldn’t be happier.
“How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas” continues Friday and Saturday at 8pm with an additional “unrated” performance Saturday at midnight. For reservations, call 330-746-0404.