Rip Nelson's Halloween Spooktacular

In a recent New York Times blog post, theater critic Ben Brantley asked readers to weigh in on whether Lady Gaga has rendered drag queens “obsolete.” Brantley pointed out that traditional drag draws inspiration from the midcentury cinema’s grand dames, imitating their over-the-top feminine characteristics to demonstrate that “femininity” itself “is a mask.” Now that female icons like Lady Gaga provide this meta-commentary on womanhood themselves, Brantley suggested, drag queens may run fresh out of material.

Watching Spooktacular, it seems Brantley may have a point. The loosely plotted piece centers on imaginary, fast-fading TV star Rip Nelson’s Halloween-themed, celebrity-guest-ridden musical variety show. The drag-heavy new script is nothing short of a time warp. Jokes center on The Brady Bunch and Studio 54. Celebrity guests range from Joan Crawford to Bea Arthur. Brooke Shields is the past quarter-century’s only contribution.

The piece still makes for a crisp hour of lowbrow fun. Highlights include Bob Dylan (Red Genson) and Kate Smith’s (Missy Aguilar) poignant mash-up of “God Bless America” and “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and Elizabeth Lesinski’s addled Charo portrayal. When Shelley Duvall (a twitchy, excellent Alex Grelle) emerges to scare stagefellows with her less-than-classical looks, the show morphs into a mesmerizing, almost Dadaistic portrait of the obsolete-celebrity graveyard. If the drag genre doesn’t have a foot in the grave, it’s got one firmly rooted in the past.

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