Two shirtless hunks, four fabulous drag queens, and 90 minutes' worth of high-camp comedy: What more could a fan of ultraridiculous theatrics want? That’s the winning combination on stage in “Devil Boys From Beyond,” the bizarre, hilarious, gay-themed tribute to low-grade sci-fi films of the 1950s at New World Stages. Originally presented at the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival, “Devil Boys” mercilessly parodies those wonderfully awful movies that served as fodder for the classic cable show “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”
After a UFO sighting, the male citizens of Lizard Lick, Fla.—all fat, old, and ugly—have been mysteriously replaced by gorgeous muscle boys, and the elderly ladies of the town have all become pregnant. Ace reporter Mattie Van Buren, a combination Lois Lane and Hildy Johnson from “His Girl Friday,” is determined to crack the case, while her rival, Red-baiting columnist Lucinda Marsh, is out to scoop her. Mattie’s ex-husband, alcoholic photographer Gregory Graham, who also had a brief fling with Lucinda, is along for the ride. Will romantic sparks reignite between Mattie and Gregory? Will Lucinda steal Mattie’s thunder or her man? Will the world be saved from an alien invasion of hot young men?
If this sounds like a product of the wacky mind of Charles Busch or Charles Ludlam, those two patron saints of camp, their influence has certainly been felt. Many of the cast, director Kenneth Elliott, set and graphic designer B.T. Whitehill, and lighting designer Vivien Leone are veterans of Busch’s legendary Theatre-in-Limbo, and Everett Quinton, the late Ludlam’s life partner and key player with his Ridiculous Theatrical Company, delivers a scorchingly Southern-fried performance as Florence Wexler, the main paramour of the alien dreamboats.
The script, by Buddy Thomas and Elliott, references every cultural touchstone of the 1950s, from Tennessee Williams to the Cold War, satirizing the paranoia of the period and undermining its sexual rigidity with crackling irony. Elliott’s staging pokes loving fun at the tiny budgets and stilted style of films like “I Married a Monster From Outer Space” and “Invaders From Mars.”
The cast has a wild time. Quinton makes Florence one sizzling mama who doesn’t want to give up her newfound satisfaction in the bedroom, even if it means the end of civilization. The highlight of the show is the contemptuous sneer she delivers when asked to consider the future of mankind if the aliens take over. “Fuck mankind,” she snarls, and flicks a cigarette butt into the audience.
Paul Pecorino’s Mattie is a pure Barbara Stanwyck–type tough broad, while Chris Dell’Armo’s Lucinda is a pitch-perfect bitch on the order of Hedda Hopper. Robert Berliner has leading-man charm as Gregory. Andy Halliday earns guffaws as the eccentric lady hotelkeeper, and Peter Cormican is a properly hardboiled character man as Mattie’s editor. Jeff Riberdy and Jacques Mitchell make for appealing eye candy as the outer-space hunksicles and are appropriately wooden when called upon to speak dialogue.
Whitehill’s sets, Leone’s lighting, and Gail Baldoni’s costumes, along with Gerard Kelly’s wig and hair design, capture the cheesiness of the era, as does the entire goofy enterprise. “Devil Boys” is a devilish delight.
Presented by David J. Foster in association with MadCaP Productions at New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., NYC. Nov. 13–Dec. 30. Wed.–Sat., 8 p.m. (No performance Thu., Nov. 25, and Fri., Dec. 24; additional performances Sun., Nov. 28 and Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m., and Mon., Dec. 27, 8 p.m.) (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250, or www.telecharge.com.