‘Rudolph the Red Necked Reindeer,’ you’ll go down, maybe even in history
Grown-ups of all ages have a chance to revisit that feeling of being a kid at Christmastime with Ryan Landry and the Gold Dust Orphans’ latest, “Rudolph the Red Necked Reindeer.”
Not to be confused with the “Rudolph” that kids have been enjoying since the 1960s, this redneck goes places that little reindeer and his gang don’t even know exist.
In Landry’s smartly written parody, the narrator is Sharon the (transgendered) Snowperson (Keith Orr) and Herbie (Olive Another) sings gleefully “All I Want to Be Is a Proctologist.” Instead of the Island of Misfit Toys, these lovably broken outsiders end up on the Island of Dangerous Toys with a polka-dotted elephant, [expletive]-in-the-box and self-mutilating doll.
Santa (Tim Lawton) is a stoner and the Mrs. (Penny Champayne) could easily star in a “Real Housewives” franchise in Boca. Rudolph (Jesse James Wood) is a handsome buck with a red neck and a Southern accent, while the lovable Clarice (Grace Carney) has an interesting backstory that’s made clear courtesy of Robyn Bank’s brilliant cameo.
Orphan mainstay Liza Lott, known for her recurring portrayal of Liza Minelli, dons a wig of a different color for her outrageously funny portrayal of Drew Barrymore. Let’s hope to see it again in future productions. Ditto for Orr, who — as a last-minute replacement — couldn’t have been better.
Like any great Landry production, “Rudolph” is full of singing, dancing and too many visuals to name (though the squirrel hunt and hot tub scene are especially memorable). Genders are mixed and lines are (thankfully) crossed as Rudolph & Co. try to escape the grips of the Abominable Icicle Snow Monster Lady.
If you go
‘Rudolph the Red Necked Reindeer’
Through Dec. 23
Club Machine
1254 Boylston St., Boston
$35-$45
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/291882
