BITCH, YOU AGING GOOD
In the tradition ’80s sitcoms but with elements of telenovela melodrama, Bitch Slap! is a hilarious, over-the-top spoof comedy written and directed by San Francisco’s inaugural drag laureate D’Arcy Drollinger. Bitch Slap first opened in 2017 and is back on stage through May 18 at Oasis.
D’Arcy Drollinger, Katya Smirnoff
The plotline — like a soap opera on speed — finds wealthy fashion maven Diana Midnight (Drollinger) in the midst of her downfall. She discovers her husband is having an affair, “falls” down a flight of stairs, gets airlifted to a hospital in a helicopter that later crashes and dies. As if that wasn’t bad enough, her body was lost at sea. In her absence, her family begins fighting and jockeying for position in the new family dynasty. There’s an evil twin, backstabbing, affairs, an episode with amnesia and hundreds of slaps to the face in this production, Bitch Slap! lives up to its name.
J.A. Valentine, Matthew Martin, D’Arcy Drollinger
Drollinger leads an all-star cast of San Francisco luminaries — Matthew Martin, Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, LOL McFiercen, and J.A. Valentine — carrying the load and many of the secondary roles (and possibly some stagehand duties?) alongside Emily McGowan and Cheetah Biscotti. This show is packed with sexy men too: Michael Phillis, Manuel Caneri, Pablo Escobar and Samuel Prince play opposite the drag performers and add some spice.
The cast of Bitch Slap!
Don’t let the venue, a SoMa drag club Drollinger bought in 2014, fool you into thinking this show is somehow low-rent. Drollinger & Co have put together a highly functional and comfortable cabaret theater backed by a high resolution video wall that, when combined with quick practical set changes, allows the audience to easily buy into the shows largely virtual sets. Oasis is a unique and relaxing space to see local, queer theater at its finest.
Bitch Slap! — which fits right in with Oasis’s gleaming lineup of well produced, local and international queer entertainment — is over-the-top, campy and ridiculous, and therein lies its brilliance. The performers don’t take themselves too seriously, allowing the audience to easily escape into the absurdity of every moment. Impressive stagecraft, technical execution and an impossible-to-hate cast of zany, beloved characters are sure to keep this now six-year-old (skipping the pandemic) funhouse a relevant hit in 2024. Don’t miss this hilarious show.
D’Arcy Drollinger, Cheetah Biscotti
photos by Gooch
Pablo Escobar, Samuel Prince, Manuel Caneri, Matthew Martin, and LOL McFiercen
Bitch Slap!
Oasis, 258 Eleventh St. in San Francisco
check dates here
ends on May 25, 2024
for tickets ($40-$400), are available now at SF Oasis
Christopher J. Beale is a journalist, media host and producer based in San Francisco, CA