“Drop Dead Perfect” Outrageous at Penguin Rep

Drag actors wow Stony Point audience

BY GEORGE J. DACRE

This show with half the cast in drag is, as Joe Brancato says in a note from the director in the playbill, a parody of earlier works by the author Erasmus Fenn. The show succeeds in a somewhat shocking at times manner, with two men in the cast playing women, a brief shot of nudity, a lot of double entendres and some just good old plain acting and comedic presence by the entire cast.

The story focuses on a single middle aged woman, Idris Seabright, played by veteran actor Everett Quinton, and her companion, the younger and prettier Vivien, portrayed by Matt Dengler, who have a tumultuous relationship that explodes. Vivien, who is studying to be an artist and who has given Idris a work of her art that looks like three penises, decides she is leaving to go to Greenwich Village for art studies. Enter Ricardo (Jason Cruz) and Phineas Fenn (Michael Keyloun) and the plot gets thicker and thicker and has so many turns the audience is kept busy laughing at one development after another.

This play is well written and well acted out and leaves a lot to the imagination. Jason Cruz , as a hot Latin lover, hangs out in Idris’ home, a cottage in the Florida keys and alternately woos Idris and Vivien. It gets hilarious with Ricardo resorting to showing off–with his back to the stage–his body in the nude. Idris reveals somehow that Ricardo and Vivien are brother and sister, the children of Lucy and Ricardo, who became movie stars with author Fenn drawing on history. A pet pooch owned by Viven keeps barking and causing problems and Idris kills it to spite Vivien, who reacts by freezing two of Idris’ pet goldfish.

Are you following me? Well you have to see “Drop Dead Perfect” to follow the entire wacky and outrageous production and you will enjoy it as I did and the Friday night opening audience. From start to end there are laughs and Quinton’s performance as Idris and Dengler’s performance as Vivien are something to see.

Keyloun as Fenn and Cruz as Ricardo (he comes close to stealing the show) add to the professionalism of this cast and this show and the four work together in a somewhat risque but very entertaining performance. The costumes are wonderful with Idris and Vivien making many dress and wig changes. There is even a little bit of music with Ricardo dancing with Idris and Vivien.

It received a standing ovation last Friday night and will receive many more in “Drop Dead Perfect’s” run in Penguins 36th season. It is just plain fun and very funny. I rate “Drop Dead Perfect” Three out of Four Stars. For tickets 845-786-2873 or PENGUINREP.Org.