Someone please write Everett Quinton a vehicle worthy of his comic genius — because “Drop Dead Perfect” ain’t it.
The cross-dressing star of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company is a master of high camp, an art form now teetering on the edge of extinction. With a beaky profile that looks like it belongs on Mount
Rushmore, Quinton can chew the most innocuous line of dialogue into hilarious splinters. Too bad “innocuous” is, indeed, the best thing you can say about Erasmus Fenn’s overwrought, ’50s-set comedy.
Quinton is resplendent as Florida matron Idris Seabright, who lords it over her ward, Vivien (Jason Edward Cook), a would-be sculptress. The plot deploys the usual kitschy shenanigans: grandiose dialogue larded with single-entendres (Idris’ seafaring dad “went down on the ‘Dancing Queen’ ”) and contrived situations, mostly caused by a hunky Cuban named Ricardo. Unfortunately, Jason Cruz is neither dashing nor funny enough to pull off this scheming Latin lover, who seduces everybody in sight, including attorney Phineas Fenn (Michael Keyloun).
Quinton works like a madman to brighten up the clichéd material, and is a pleasure to watch. He also has a fantastic foil in Cook, a newcomer with a gift for slapstick — the way his Vivien slides down a staircase on her back is the show’s single funniest moment, eclipsing even Quinton’s high jinks.
Now if only some clever producer could cast these two in a good play …