From men in drag to drama queen succubus, "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" is not your ordinary community theater show - which is why the play is part of the Riverwalk Theatre's Black Box program, complete with midnight showings.
Black Box Theater takes place at the Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner Street in Lansing, and as a chance to present lesser known and more edgy shows, a description "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" fits.
"The whole purpose is to do shows we wouldn't do on the main stage," Director Ken Beachler said. "Their interest is much more specific."
"Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" opens in Sodom during Biblical times. A vampire lives in a cave just outside the city and is guarded by Roman soldiers. Every so often the vampire demands a virgin sacrifice.
When this happens, all the families offer their maiden daughters because being kin to the sacrifice is considered the highest honor - except by one young woman.
Madeleine fights the vampire and ends up drawing blood while the succubus feeds off of her. As a result, the virgin is transformed into the living dead.
The two vampires continue to fight throughout the ages. Their rivalry is shown in 1920s Hollywood and 1980s Las Vegas.
Beachler said the play is a satire because Hollywood and Las Vegas are contemporary Sodom-like cities.
"The naughtiest thing about it is the title," Beachler said.
One of the unexpected aspects of "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" is that the leading ladies are, in fact, men.
Lamont Clegg, MSU theater professor, plays the original vampire and said his first time playing a woman was a challenge. The hardest thing was not being too dramatic, which is stereotypical of theater when men play women, he said.
"I tried to approach the role honestly by trying to find what the character felt in her heart," Clegg said.
Having the main characters of "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" in drag was not intentional but fits a theme of the play, Beachler said.
Everyone in the play is not what they appear to be, and the actors change characters throughout the different eras, so men playing women was simply following the evolution of the play, he said.
James Houska, who plays Madeleine, said theater is all about disguise and dressing up as someone you're not. "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" gives him an extreme version of that experience, he said.
The entire show is lighthearted and fun - the first intent of theater is to entertain - but there are also messages the audience can take away, Houska said.
"Everybody needs somebody, and sometimes the things you look for are right in front of you," he said.
