Gold Dust Orphans have a blast with ‘A Little Orphan Tranny Christmas’

COREY BANDA CAPTION

Jessica Barstis and Richard Wingert in the Gold Dust Orphans’ production of “A Little Orphan Tranny Christmas.”

By Terry Byrne GLOBE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 09, 2015

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Nothing ushers in the warmth and joy of the holiday season like a production from the Gold Dust Orphans. This year’s fare — “A Little Orphan Tranny Christmas” — is chock full of good cheer, bad jokes, and a dazzling display of costumes bejeweled with sequins and glitter.

The story line nominally follows the original, with a motley collection of sad orphans, an appearance by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and of course our heroine, Little Orphan Tranny, in that trademark red dress and mop of red hair. But in keeping with playwright Ryan Landry’s inimitable style, the orphans are under the yoke of Mrs. Grinchley, her ne’er do well brother is Whitey Bulger, Daddy Trumpbucks is a villain, and the heroines are none other than those fabulously eccentric Beale women from “Grey Gardens.” Sandy the dog (the scene-stealing Rhoda) self-identifies as a cat, and poor little Tranny is feeling pressured to be something that doesn’t feel quite right. (Just don’t ask what’s in that locket she wears around her neck.)

Along the way, Landry mines the karaoke catalog for a treasure trove of musical theater ranging from “Les Miserables” and “The Music Man” to “The Aristocats” and “Annie.” The musical numbers from these shows have been repurposed with Landry’s deliriously funny lyrics. Just when you find yourself laughing too hard to catch all the words, Elvis Presley (the talented Tim Lawton) makes an appearance singing “If I Get Home on Christmas Day,” while Landry’s zany but somehow perfectly appropriate lyrics align with film clips that are breathtaking in their imagination, timing, and detail.

Under the direction of Larry Coen, who also plays Big Edie with just the right amount of goofy gravitas, the Orphans are at their best, performing changes with split-second timing, selling every song and dance and always making us feel they are having a blast while doing it.

Many of our favorite Orphans are here, including Jessica Barstis as an earnest Tranny, Olive Another as a heroic Little Edie, and Gene Dante as a swaggering Daddy Trumpbucks. Qya Cristal is impossible to take your eyes off of as Whitey’s galpal Whitney Houston (never mind, just go with it), Gary Croteau is hilarious as Eleanor Roosevelt even before she says a word, and Richard Wingert as the Beale handyman Jerry, who is attracted to Tranny, brings down the house every time he giggles.

Scott Martino has outdone himself with costumes, focusing as much on the Glitterpuss Dancers (a truly extraordinary quartet) as the lead characters, outfitting the dancers in giant snowflake masks for one number, Grinch masks in another, and headpieces that look like the Chrysler building for a third.

At first, the arrival of Landry in his garish Mrs. Grinchley getup and Olive Another as Edie Beale feels like a rehash of Landry’s greatest hits. But within a few minutes, Landry pulls his theme together, and without taking a breath from the groan-inducing jokes, delivers a heartfelt message about throwing away limiting labels, ignoring pleas for special preference, and simply accepting individuals as they are. “Until you change your name to Axis,” Big Edie declares, “The world doesn’t revolve around you.”

Once again, Landry manages to remind us of the true meaning of the holiday season while delivering belly laughs all along the way.

Stage Review

A LITTLE ORPHAN

TRANNY CHRISTMAS

Book and lyrics by Ryan Landry. Directed by Larry Coen. Presented by the Gold Dust Orphans.

At Machine, through Dec. 20. Tickets: $39.99, $49.99. www.brownpapertickets.com.

Terry Byrne can be reached at trbyrne@aol.com.