Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Breezy, campy fun with HOUSEWIVES OF SECAUCUS: WHAT A DRAG!

• By drediman
• May 18, 2021
• No Comments

With spring in full swing and the pandemic looking as if it’s in fast retreat, what could be more appealing than indulging in some good old campy entertainment? Fitting the bill ideally at the Actors Temple Theatre in the Theater District is the Off-Broadway production of Housewives of Secaucus: What a Drag!, which officially opened last weekend and is one of only a handful of open theatrical runs currently in New York. The play is written by Anthony J. Wilkinson – who also penned My Big Gay Italian Wedding – after Nancy Levine’s original concept.

Mr. Wilkinson’s interactive play is zippy, and it flies by on a wave of breezy comedy as it parodies the popular “Housewives” television series. Set in that unfortunately named northern New Jersey town, the play depicts a women’s club brunch fundraiser and the farcical shenanigans that arise amongst the group’s members (who, if you haven’t gathered already, are played by men in drag). Sprinkled throughout are crowd-pleasing lip-sync numbers that inject the spoof with jolts euphoric energy. The overall concoction lands somewhere in between a Charles Busch play and RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The cast of five men – Sam Brackley, Ryan Stutz, Jacob P.S. Lemmenes, Phillip McLeod, and Cammerron Baits – all give expert, comedically ripe drag performances that are full of sass and heart. Despite the venue’s 33% capacity limit (hopefully to be increased at some point in the near future), they were able to consistently draw hearty guffaws from the audience. The production has been directed by Hank Kiraly, who clearly has a confident grasp of both drag culture and broad comedy.

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HOUSEWIVES OF SECAUCUS: WHAT A DRAG
Off-Broadway, Play / In-person
Laugh Out Loud Productions / Actors Temple Theatre
Approximately 90 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run