Mark-Brian Sonna’s The Beulaville Baptist Book Club Presents: A Bur-Less-Q Nutcracker! has become a theater tradition for the holiday season. Under his MBS Productions company, he’s staged and performed in this Nutcracker for 16 seasons and nearing 400 performances with its current run. The loony show opened last weekend at the Addison Theater Center’s Studio space and while the show has evolved through the years, it’s not at all short on zany humor and its own rendition of the Christmas classic ballet.
The premise is that the titular book club is broke and needs to raise money fast to pay off its debts. The smalltown invites the big city Beaumont Ballet for a benefit performance of The Nutcracker only to get food poisoning from its hosts. THis is no bueno for the book club until they come across the Velvet Kittens burlesque troupe stranded in Beulaville due to a broken down van on their way to New Orleans. When asked to step in, the Kittens are reluctant and the naive book club members are desperate. Plus, the middle-aged sexually uncertain Dickey really wants to be a part of the show to dance.
The book club meeting’s small-town atmosphere, filled with shouting, arguing, and showboating, evoked the chaotic energy of John Waters and Del Shores with a touch of Rocky Horror. A rapid-fire delivery of dad jokes, crude innuendos and fourth-wall-breaking banter immediately set a high-energy tone from the curtain call. Dickey, portrayed by Sonna, was both character and emcee, who guided the audience with information, instructions and jokes. First-time viewers, or “virgins,” were kind of excused from participation, but returning viewers, or “sluts,” were expected to know the show’s choreography and cues.
The play’s action often unfolded both on and off the stage, with characters engaging the audience while dialogue continued onstage. A bit disorienting, this unconventional approach eventually defined the overall wacky experience. The first act, filled with eccentric exchanges, was slow to reveal the plot’s direction, but really, it served as a build-up to the anticipated dance performance of the second act.
The second was where the magic happened. With choreography by Jana Edele and Sonna, the Kittens and Dickey perform 13 dance numbers mostly based to Tchaicovsky’s music. The Kittens (Jani, Joni, Jill and Jessica) weren’t the most graceful of dancers but that’s the joke as they pirouetted and chained without ease. But as the burlesque dancers, the humor was in still pulling off the performances. In between the humor, there were some lovely talented moments of ballet and movement especially by Sonna, a former ballet dancer.
The “Mouse and Nutcracker Dance-off” was pure wild and the “Dance of the Sugar Buns Fairy” was a hairy moment – as in Sonna’s ass on full display. And yet, the Nutcracker feels like it was all there. Don’t get me wrong. This wasn’t The Nutcracker that may be part of your holiday traditions, but in all its irreverence, there was a charming homage and respect to the source material.
The cast featured Abbie Tanksley, Chase M. Hughes, Savannah Toliver and Bonnie Algar Grugle as the Velvet Kittens and Jen Moore, Debra Wilson, Glynda Welch, Michelle Goltzman and Mark-Brian Sonna as the Beaulavilleans.
The Beulaville Baptist Book Club Presents: A Bur-Less-Q Nutcracker! was unhinged and insane in the beginning and admittedly a little frustrating to trudge through the onslaught of jokery, but once you let go and let god, this holiday show may have you nut-cracking up.
The show runs through Dec. 29.
–Rich Lopez
How does one arrange for a production to get reviewed?
contact Rich Lopez, rich@dallasvoice.com