‘Psycho Beach Party’ Plays for Laughs

Camp is easy. Comedy is hard. Charles Busch’s “Psycho Beach Party” at the Complex is a veritable vortex of camp that, without a strong director, could easily get sucked down into self-indulgence.

Fortunately, with Barry J. Williams at the helm, Busch’s dangerously overloaded sendup of ‘60s beach movies stays buoyant. With the disciplined anarchy of a Tex Avery cartoon, Williams steers the action forward at a sharp pace--no mean feat, since the play runs two intermission-less hours. The terrific cast, cavorting in Curtis Jerome’s garish early ‘60s costumes, is hyperkinetically perky.

The A-story concerns Chicklet (Craig Olsen), a cute teen who longs to break the sex barrier and surf Malibu. Chicklet breaks the sex barrier in other ways as well. Gidget in drag, Chicklet soon becomes the “queen” of the beach even though she hides a glitch the size of a tidal wave--a split personality brought on by (what else?) repressed childhood trauma and a loony mom.

A wacky pre-show sets the tone for the evening. Mary Tucker flounces malevolently as Chicklet’s Joan Crawford-esque mother. Eric Roth drolly downplays his drag turn as a high school sexpot. And Olsen’s uncanny portrayal of Chicklet et al is a must-see tour de force that blurs the line between fantasy and reality.

* “Psycho Beach Party,” the Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. This Saturday and July 27, 11:30 p.m. Ends July 27. $18. (213) 960-1639. Running time: 2 hours.