by Scott Albright
Daily Lobo
The holiday season can be a real drag. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Ken Ansloan and Matthew Bubb have written a revamped version of "The Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe Christmas Show" for the Dolls drag troupe. Ansloan, who also goes by Tequila Mockingbird, plays Joan Crawford as she prepares for her holiday television special with guests that include Liz Taylor, Peggy Lee, Brenda Lee, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme and Julia Child.
"We're going to bring a special holiday message that is more twisted than people are used to," said Dean Squibb, choreographer and set dresser for the show. "We take famous identifiable characters and place them in ridiculous situations so madness ensues."
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The '60s TV show runs into trouble when Christina Crawford attempts to sabotage her mother's program. Joan and Marilyn scramble to play several parts as the guests become no-shows.
The show will have plenty of off-color humor, audience participation, and of course, men dressed as women.
"One of Matt and Kens' versatile talents is to write amazing scripts," Squibb said. "They created a powerhouse of snippets of creative dialogue."
The Dolls have been around for about eight years and have produced annual Christmas shows in and around Albuquerque. This year's show will play at the Vortex, which will provide for a more intimate setting, Ansloan said.
"Normally we do our Christmas shows at larger theaters," he said. "The Vortex only holds about 80 people. The audience is right on top of you. We will use this to our advantage. We want to pull people in. It's something we haven't done before."
Ansloan said there is usually a variety of people in attendance at their shows. He said senior citizens make up a large part of the crowd because they tend to understand the '60s era humor better then younger attendees.
Ansloan said Patty Duke, from Valley of the Dolls, Anne Margaret and Raquel Welch influenced him to play the parts of people from this era.
Ansloan and Bubb started off their careers on the "Tonight Show" after being recognized for their costumes as babes from the Bible during a Halloween parade. They produced their first big stage show which was a different version of the Christmas show they're putting on this year.
Ansloan said the Dolls started off with four members and have grown to 15. They produce small cabaret shows and do several drag-style spoofs on fairy tales throughout the year along with their Christmas shows.
"We have very little time off. We rehearse for about five weeks for each show and spend a lot of time writing as well," Ansloan said.
Being dressed in drag is not a lifestyle for Ansloan, but he does go out on the town dressed up in female fashion for some good old drag queen fun.
"We both have jobs and don't dress in drag for work. We'll do our promoting in drag and go clubbing dressed up," Ansloan said. "Sometimes we get free drinks and get treated like local celebrities. We can get away with a lot more when we're dressed in drag."
