We could all use a laugh these days — and fortunately, Anthony Wilkinson’s new show is a real drag.
“Housewives of Secaucus: What a Drag,” a lip sync musical parody of the “Real Housewives” series of reality programs and their ilk, begins an open-ended off-Broadway run at New York City’s Actors Temple Theatre on Saturday, May 1.
Written by Wilkinson, creator of the “Big Gay Italian” franchise of shows, “Housewives of Secaucus” is the first production at the West 47th Street theater since March 2020, when “Black Angels Over Tuskegee,” along with the rest of live theater in the city, was shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This show is perfect for the beginning of a renaissance, a rebirth, for New York City theater,” said Wilkinson. “Because it’s a small company, there’s only five of them, and most of all it’s a comedy and it’s a laugh-out-loud comedy. It’s a very diverse comedy, and I just think it’s exactly what people are aching for right now.”
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Conceived by Nancy Levine, directed by Hank Fitzgerald Kiraly and originally based on characters created by Sean Patterson, the show’s cast features Philip McLeod, Ryan Stutz, Cammerron Baits, Jacob P.S. Lemmenes and Sam Brackley.
For Wilkinson, who wrote “Housewives” in 2018, the show is arriving amid an increasing acceptance of drag from both audiences and performers.
“I feel like we’re just approaching a very open-minded and optimistic time,” said Wilkinson, whose “My Big Gay Italian Wedding” has had one drag performer in its cast since its 2003 premiere.
“To shop for a drag queen — even though I used to know a lot of them from Cherry Grove and Fire Island (and) I think it was definitely an artistic outlet and they were entertainers — it was a little more difficult (back then),” Wilkinson said. “To get an actor to commit to doing drag seemed a little difficult. It was always hard to cast that role.”
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When, years later, Levine suggested the idea of a drag show to him, Wilkinson started thinking of the rise in popularity of events like drag brunches.
“It’s a huge acceptance coming our way, and I think it’s beautiful to see,” said Wilkinson. “And sure enough, when she cast the show a lot of men were open, whether they were drag queens or not, to performing like that. It’s great.”
Wilkinson lives in Colonia and works as the executive and artistic director for the Avenel Performing Arts Center. He worked on the ABC soap opera “One Life to Live” for 15 years, serving in roles including associate director and editor, earning three Emmy awards during his time on the series.
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These days, he knows that reality shows serve a very similar function to that of soap operas — meaning his years of television experience made him particularly well-suited to lampoon the real “Real Housewives.”
“This show, ‘The Housewives of Secaucus,’ is my interpretation and kind of like a spoof on all of that because I do think the ‘Housewives’ shows, especially as they have progressed, have become very formulaic,” he said. “It’s just very predictable, (with) who’s going to fight with who and then eventually somebody’s going to be the peace-maker and then in the end everybody’s going to sing ‘Kumbaya’ and it’s all going to be good.”
“Housewives of Secaucus: What a Drag!” opens 8 p.m. Saturday, May 1 at Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47th St., New York City, with performances 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Tickets, $59.50 and $79, are available via Telecharge.
Audience members will be required to wear masks, submit to temperature checks and adhere to social distancing within the theatre, which is currently operating at 33% capacity.
Alex Biese has been writing about art, entertainment, culture and news on a local and national level for more than 15 years.
