One might wonder why Dragcula — a vampire-themed drag parody — is running at Oasis in the dead of January rather than, say, Halloween time. To which this gothic theatre queen says, “Well, why not?”
After all, if the new Nosferatu film can open on Christmas Day, then certainly we can have spoopy things no matter what the season — especially in San Francisco, with our fair share of queer poly goths, horror queens, and culture vultures who just like to go out and see a good ol’ fashioned drag show.
And by “old-fashioned,” I mean quite literally — as the entire production looks like an old black-and-white movie, specifically the original 1931 version of Universal Studios’ Dracula.
The show’s slogan is “a parody in living grayscale,” and they aren’t exaggerating. Tuesday Gloom’s black-and-white costume design is impeccably done. And aside from a few occasional, well-placed splashes of red — because blood, duh — all the costumes, makeup, props, and lighting are shades of grey, giving the show an eerie, cool vibe that’s not unlike watching an old movie come to life.
Wait, did I say “shades of grey?” Well, the 2010s pop culture reference is intentional here, as the show makes frequent allusions to BDSM, bondage, and kink, leaning in to the sexy vampire vibes and updating Bram Stoker’s original story for more modern, San Francisco sensibilities. This is, after all, a drag parody.
The plot involves a British lawyer who inadvertently revives Dracula, whose pansexual escapades wreak havoc on the fragile moral order of 1930s London. Can Professor Van Helsing, a parapsychologist with an unusual skill set, resist the eternal temptations long enough to save the city?
And what would a drag parody be without lip-sync numbers? Like all jukebox musicals, the songs are randomly shoehorned into the script, often in a slightly hackneyed manner, but definitely played for comedic effect. You’ll see “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” coming from a mile away.
All the songs are nostalgic ’80s chestnuts, barely advancing the plot but providing some fun spectacle. There’s the obligatory “Spellbound” by Siouxsie & the Banshees, but also pop hits given new context. Dracula — played charismatically by Mudd the TwoSpirit — lip-syncing Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” while holding up an old-time radio instead of a boombox, was of course a big hit.
Like all drag parodies, Dragcula is campy AF, with slapstick comedy, exaggerated vaudevillian stage antics, and frequent breaking of the fourth wall. And yes, plenty of sexual innuendo. Like, a LOT of it. But what I appreciate about Polly Amber Ross’s shows is that it’s not all dick jokes.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of them. Drag parodies do, after all, have a certain formula. But snuck into the script are references to queer sexuality beyond the typical, old-school, cis-gay male mold: things like pansexuality, polyamory, pegging, pronouns, transgender and non-binary identity, and top/bottom power dynamics. Throw in a dash of politics and religious commentary, and suddenly this basic Dracula drag parody has a lot more not-so-subtle subtext than it has any right to have.
// Dragcula plays at Oasis, 298 11th St, San Francisco, through February 1st. Show starts at 7pm, Thursdays-Saturdays. Tickets available here
Adriana Roberts is a DJ and performer with her Bootie Mashup parties, as well as a writer and trans influencer.
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