Riverwalk Theatre's Black Box Series has brought the notch up for classy acting.
"Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" opened this weekend at Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St. in Lansing, and the midnight crowd gloried in the sheer raunchiness of the show.
The play, which runs just more than one hour, starts in Sodom during biblical times. A succubus, or vampire, is due for her meal of a virgin sacrifice - a female virgin to satisfy her lesbian nature.
In Sodom, it is considered an honor to provide the virgin, but the chosen girl fights her fate. And the virgin becomes a vampire herself when she draws blood fighting the succubus.
The plot travels to Hollywood during the era of silent films in 1920. The original succubus, now going by the name La Condesa, is a movie star whose career is threatened by the arrival of Broadway star Madeleine Astarté - the virgin-turned-vampire.
The last scene is set in current day Las Vegas where Astarté stars in the floor show at Caesars Palace and the original succubus works as a cleaning lady.
Both leading actors combine a girlish flair with sauciness to create vibrant and breath-taking characters. Lamont Clegg, however, who plays the original succubus, wins the award for most convincing man in drag.
Clegg's grasp of feminine wiles is awe-inspiring and his posture and movements whisper of girlish sexuality.
James Houska, who plays Astarté, does a wonderful job with his voice, creating hushed sounds, but fails to carry his body with the smooth and fluid movements Clegg masters.
Puns about sexuality are strung together and shine as brightly as Christmas lights throughout the script. Some jokes might be considered cheap laughs, but humor is the goal, not a serious autopsy of society.
The Roman guards and Las Vegas chorus boys, played by Paul Wozniak and John Gilmour, present many of the sexual jokes and create a stir of their own when the virgin hastily strips on command down to an animal print Speedo.
"Vampire Lesbians of Sodom," draws upon the audience's prior knowledge of horror films and book characters such as Igor. La Condesa's butler, played by Steve Ledyard, brings this misshapen man to mind with his creepy demeanor, odd way of speaking and sunken eyes.
Overall, the acting and presentation was humorous and enthralling, but one flaw did pervade throughout the play and cause distraction. Houska and Clegg barely made eye contact with each other and often failed to even angle their bodies toward each other when conversing.
An occasional failure in this department could be chalked up to a decent understanding of the animosity between these two women, but the continual and ever-present failure of general physical communication between them surmounted to a disturbing distraction.
But, as a whole, "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom," is a delightfully funny and naughty show, and a guilty pleasure to indulge in on the weekends.
"Vampire Lesbians" will play at 8 p.m. and midnight Friday and Saturday at Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St. in Lansing. Tickets are $10.
