Review: Book Passage for MURDER ON THE POLAR EXPRESS

Murder on the Polar Express

Producer/Book and Lyrics, Ryan Landry; Director, Larry Coen; Choreography, Meredith Langton/The GlitterPuss Dancers; Costume Design, Scott Martino; Set Design, Scott Martino, Victoria Dowd, Ken Dowd; Scenic Artist, Brian Riordan; Lighting Design, Michael Clark Wonson; Video Design, Garrett Herzig

CAST: Ryan Landry, Shirley Holmes; Qya Marie, Dr. Jody Watley; Casey Preston, The Porter; William York, The Narrator; Tim Lawton, Santa Claus; Alexander Davis, Herbie the Elf; Larry Coen, The Grinch; Gene Dante, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; Scott Martino, Mrs. Cratchit; Sarah Jones, The Virgin Mary; Shana Dirik, Suzy Snowflake; Matthew Lazure, Frosty the Snowman; Jessica Barstis, Princess Elsa; Lauren Elias, Barbra Streisandberg (The Little Match Girl); Tad Mckitterick, The Little Drummer Boy; Rhoda, the Dog; The GlitterPuss Dancers: Meredith Langton, Briana Scafidi, Gary Croteau, Gabriel Nesser

Performances through December 21 by the Gold Dust Orphans at Machine Nightclub (downstairs), 1254 Boylston Street, Boston, MA; Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2627363

Baby, it's cold outside, but the hot ticket in town is to book passage on Ryan Landry's Murder on the Polar Express at Machine Nightclub. The highly-anticipated Gold Dust Orphans' 2016 Christmas show features "The World's Foremost Drag Detective" Shirley Holmes (Landry), her sassy sidekick Dr. Jody Watley (Qya Marie), an all-star roster of Christmas characters, and a twisted Santa Claus (Tim Lawton) who gets a little extra exposure. I'm sure that Agatha Christie never imagined her plot lines ending up in a mystery like this, but her fingerprints are all over the script. Landry's brilliance is to siphon off what he can cleverly mush with his original ideas and set the whole story to music to produce a hilarious holiday pageant.

Funnyman Larry Coen is at the controls as director, letting the histrionics fly, yet somehow managing to keep the runaway train on the tracks. He still has the wherewithal to play The Grinch (in one of designer Scott Martino's most inspired costumes) who is in a same sex (if not species) relationship with an unfaithful Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Gene Dante). The premise of the story is that Holmes, Watley, Santa, and the ten other passengers are en route to the North Pole for a Christmas vacation, but Mr. Claus' life has been threatened and the killer is onboard. Even though she refuses to take the case, it falls to Holmes to figure out who is knocking the elves off the shelf and the dastardly motive for the grisly murders.

The cast of doomed fictional characters also includes Herbie the Elf (Alexander Davis), tipsy Mrs. Cratchit (Martino), siren Suzy Snowflake (Shana Dirik), lovelorn Frosty the Snowman (Matthew Lazure), Frozen's Princess Elsa (Jessica Barstis), Barbra Streisandberg aka The Little Match Girl (Lauren Elias), an alt-right The Little Drummer Boy (Tad Mckitterick), and one legitimate icon, the no-nonsense Virgin Mary (Sarah Jones). Along for the perilous journey are Casey Preston as the hunky, bare chestEd Porter, and William York as Narrator. Very few get out alive, but they each get to play a dramatic death scene. A couple of newcomers to the GDO roster make great impressions before they expire, particularly Dirik doing her Mae West-best femme fatale, and Elias laying on the shtick while capturing the spirited Brooklyn girl inside of her character.

Over the years, the musical evolution of the Orphans has been remarkable with a growing chorus of talented vocalists and creative choreography. Murder is no exception with Marie killing it when Watley serenades the porter ("All I Want for Christmas is You"), Dante's Rudolph rocking out to "Away in a Manger," Suzy belting "The Phantom of the Santa," and Elsa/Idina Menzel powerfully vocalizing to "Let it Go." Meredith Langton's dance arrangements with her trio of GlitterPusses are full of pizzazz and defy the limitations of the small stage, even when there is a giant mockup of a train looming in the background.

As usual, Martino's costume designs are beyond belief, especially for the dancers, but he attires Holmes in the evocative hat and cape, dresses Suzy in a to-die-for, form-fitting black and white gown, and converts Streisand's well-known navy sailor frock into a patchwork outfit. He also shares set design duties with Victoria Dowd and Ken Dowd, with scenic artist Brian Riordan and video designer Garrett Herzig augmenting their work. Look for the Orphans' signature simplicity and creativity, including strategic use of miniatures, inserting film clips to move the story (as well as to portray moving scenery), and judicious cameo appearances by everyone's favorite, Rhoda, the dog. Lighting designer Michael Clark Wonson gives Rhoda her well-deserved spotlight, but also does a thorough job of directing our attention to every area of the stage where we ought to be looking so we don't miss anything (no small task).

By surrounding himself with a stellar troupe of veterans and newbies, Landry could sit back and leave the heavy lifting to others, but he really shines as Shirley. He is in his element playing a strong woman, and he is so comfortable with his audience that a few little slips and snafus do not ruffle him. In fact, Landry's side glances and deadpan pauses for the laughter to pass are moments that he seems to enjoy as much as if the boo-boos had been planned. The spoof is his metier, and the goof is just one of the tools of his trade. His wit is particularly well-honed throughout the script, but Landry masterfully synopsizes and ties up any loose ends in song ("It's Elementary") with the GlitterPusses in detective garb dancing around him. Buy your ticket for Murder on the Polar Express before the train leaves the station on December 21st.

(The Gold Dust Orphans' next stop: Take the Underground Railroad to Tara in Mammy, Dearest)

Photo credit: The Gold Dust Orphans (Qya Marie, Tim Lawton, Ryan Landry)

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