Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“Transitions” Launches Drag Queen at Drumpf & Putin, at The Rhino, S.F.

“Transitions” Launches Drag Queen at Drumpf & Putin, at The Rhino, S.F.

March 9, 2018 bdhorwitz

John Fisher Ridicules Our Glorious Leader, with Gusto

by Barry David Horwitz

In John Fisher’s no-holds-barred political satire “Transitions,” disruption rules the day. Fisher, himself, always the supremely talented actor, plays three roles—including Drumpf and Putin. Fisher, in bathrobe and with cheeseburger, pouches out his cheeks and lips in delicious imitation of you know who. His body and movement embody the ridiculousness of our current Strangelovean Hell.

Each actor does brilliant double and triple duty to bring a Saturday Night Live touch to the soap opera that springs daily from the headlines. Fisher’s satirical take on U.S. antics strikes home, hitting the target with wit and wisdom.

Morgan Lange, Charles Peoples III, Kathryn L. Wood, Katie Rubin, John Fisher, Gabriel A. Ross.

John Fisher makes amazing shows. This time he has concocted a mashup of our glorious leader, Russia’s glorious leader, and a fabulous drag queen from Washington, D.C.  Feisty Ruby (magical Charles Peoples III) gets hooked up with a horny, handsome Republican from the White House, named Ezekial (elegant, intense Morgan Lange). Ruby, a sparkling, musical drag queen, takes down the GOP operative, who shows up at an underground cabaret in D.C. The wonder of this odd couple leads to delicious soap opera antics.

Pretty soon, Ruby is on a plane to Moscow to represent the U.S.—on a spy mission for his doofus boyfriend in the White House. But first, he talks to Melania (seductive, brilliant Katie Rubin), and they become BFFs.

Charles Peoples III and Morgan Lange. Photos by David Wilson

Fisher’s “Transitions” is peopled with hilarious characters like the rigid, forbidding White House assistant Dalanka, played by the versatile and mesmerizing Kathryn L. Wood. Whenever Wood is on the stage, she rivets our attention to her caricature of a scheming civil servant. Whether she’s playing an American toady or Russian boot-licker, Wood creates detailed characters with natural comic ease.

Among the other White House hangers-on, the irrepressible Katie Rubin plays Melania, hilariously, dressed in stylish white suits and Vogue fashions. Rubin steals scenes with her sexy Eastern European accent and a self-satisfied smirk. As Melania, she prances around her husband, swatting away his roving hands to avoid any sexual contact. We know who rules that roost.

Katie Rubin as Melania and Kathryn L. Wood as Dalanka

Gabriel A. Ross, dressed in a tight-fitting, Italian-style black suit, makes a perfect CIA operative. Multi-talented Ross, in five roles, struggles to bring order to the chaotic White House. His strict manner contrasts fabulously with the Drumpfian disorder.

Ruby sings great drag numbers with rare talent and verve. In her tight-fitting red dress with knee high red velvet boots, she brings down the house. In Moscow, Ruby gets literally tied up with Vladimir Putin, perfectly played by the irrepressible Fisher.

John Fisher as Vladimir Putin and Charles Peoples III as Ruby

As Vladimir, Fisher make delightful fun of the cheerless, conspiratorial Russian, who constantly obsesses over his opponent Drumpf. And wouldn’t you know, Putin’s wife, Lyudmila, emerges as the voice of Russian reason and spycraft, played by the hypnotic Katie Rubin.

We leave the newly renamed Gateway Theatre with a lighter step, knowing that a sharp-edged comedy and satire like “Transitions” can launch laugh bombs high into the sky, raining joy and jokes over the wondering world.

Gabriel A. Ross, John Fisher, and Charles Peoples III

“Transitions” written and directed by John Fisher, at Theatre Rhinoceros, at Gateway Theatre, San Francisco, through Saturday, March 17, 2018. Info: therhino.org

Cast: John Fisher, Katie Rubin, Kathryn L. Wood, Morgan Lange, Gabriel A. Ross, and Charles Peoples III.

Banner Photo: John Fisher and Charles Peoples III.


Plays
comedy, corruption, drag queens, gay theater, John Fisher, ridicule, Russia, Satire, Strangelove, U.S. spies

Post navigation

NEXT
“Vietgone”: Tantalizing Trip across Alien(ated) America, at ACT, S.F.
PREVIOUS
“A Streetcar Named Desire” Spellbinds, Chills, at African American Shakespeare. S.F.
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading

Current Shows

  • “Slow Food”: Three Superb Actors Serve Up Quick Laughs—at Altarena
  • “The Indigo Room” Magically Translates Indigenous Stories—at La MaMa, N.Y.
  • “The Never Too Late Show”: Tales of Hilarious Homeboy in Hollywood—at The Marsh
  • “Poetic Justice” Exalts Passionate Modern Poets—at The Marsh
  • “As You Like It”: Weaves Past & Future in Magical Forest—at SF Playhouse
  • “Beetlejuice, The Musical” Parties Hard and Fast—at BroadwaySF
  • “Hailie!” Celebrates the Queen of Gospel’s Triumphs—at Lorraine Hansberry
  • “Little Shop of Horrors”: Killer Plant Blooms in Chinatown—at TheatreWorks
  • “Ham for the Holidays” Lightens the Heart—at Main Stage West 
  • “Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski” Is Unforgettable—at Berkeley Rep
  • “A Year with Frog and Toad”: Episodes of Woodland Friendship—at BACT
  • “Shoshana in December”: A Holiday Musical for Jews & Polyamors—at Custom Made
  • “Wuthering Heights” Takes Us from Darkness to Light—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Natasha, Pierre & Great Comet of 1812”: A Musical Triumph—at Shotgun
  • “Two Trains Running” Celebrates Civil Rights Era Black Bravery—at MTC

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

© 2023   All Rights Reserved.