Published Saturday July 14, 2001 Review: 'Vampire' Outrageous From Start BY JOHN KEENAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

"Vampire Lesbians of Sodom," which kicks off the Blue Barn Theatre's 2001-2002 season, is a broadly acted, libidinous howl.

A three-act comedy involving a rivalry between two vampire-actresses, from ancient Sodom and Gomorrah to present-day Las Vegas, the play was written by Charles Busch, author of "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife," "The Lady in Question" and "Gidget Goes Psychotic."

The play's tone is established in the opening scene, when a thong-wearing Craig Fitzpatrick bemoans his social life in Sodom.

Things don't get less outrageous from there. The first act is set "in a cave in ancient Sodom," with Jill Anderson as an understandably reluctant virgin sacrifice to the blood-drinking Succubus (played by Tim Siragusa.)

Siragusa brings a comic-Gothic air to the role of the Succubus, who becomes actress La Condesa as the play moves from ancient times to 1920s Hollywood.

La Condesa is the classic, Old Hollywood vamp, and Siragusa plays her as a cross between Gloria Swanson and Theda Bara.

Anderson is excellent in the role of Madeleine Astarte - the role author Busch played himself in the original production. Anderson morphs into a Bette Davis-like screen diva for the second act, swapping insults with Siragusa in a whiskey-soaked voice.

Her real triumph, though, is her metamorphosis into a Judy Garland clone for the final act, when the vampiric Madeleine has become a gung-ho Vegas entertainer. Anderson's spot-on parody of an aging Garland is cruelly hilarious.

Siragusa and Anderson are partners in Bad Rep productions, and their easy familiarity adds to the play, especially in the second act, as the two vain, aging vampire-actresses hiss and spit at each other like, well, real actresses. The costume design, by Anderson, adds to the flamboyant nature of the show.

They are supported strongly by Fitzpatrick and Terry Brennan, who play a succession of dim toadies and opponents. Beginning as a pair of slaves to the Succubus and ending as a pair of bickering dancers in Madeleine's Las Vegas act, the two drew laughter and applause throughout.

Teri Fender, another Bad Rep veteran, plays ingenue Renee Vain in the second act and dancer Tracy in the third act, while Christine Schwery has fun in a small role as a gossip columnist.

Director Kevin Lawler has given his actors free rein, and the result is often outrageously ribald and funny. "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom" is, as you might guess, not for everyone, but for those willing to give the Blue Barn production a shot, the enthusiastic cast will make it more than worth their time.