A Campy Crawford ‘Christmas’ Returns

Old drag queen idols never die--they just congregate at Joan Crawford’s house for a yuletide cornucopia of camp in “Christmas With the Crawfords” at the Hudson Backstage.

Holly Woodlawn dons Joan’s broad-shouldered mantle for this year’s return engagement of the popular musical spoof by Wayne Buidens, Mark Sargent and Richard Winchester. It posits the star’s disastrous attempt to reclaim her fading luminance through a stereotypical heartwarming Christmas Eve radio broadcast from her home.

However, in a household where gift exchanges include raw meat, restraining harnesses and mobiles made of--yep, wire hangers--the mercurial matriarch’s legendary abusive neuroses quickly ooze to the surface. Woodlawn rises to hyperbolic heights venting Joan’s frustrations over floor stains on her hapless children (Miki Mootsey and John Jett).

The main attraction, however, is the menagerie of time-honored targets of female impersonators that parade through the party, all played by female impersonators. Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland, Mae West, Carmen Miranda, Ethel Merman, the Andrews Sisters and that other distressed diva, Gloria Swanson--in her Norma Desmond incarnation--materialize through the efforts of Matthew Martin, Byron Batista, Gary Rogers, Jamy St. Anthony, Christian Satrustegui, and Ezra Buzzington, playing multiple roles.

While frequently amusing, some of these characterizations fall short of the highest celebrity parody standards (the “Forbidden Broadway” series, for example), in which the performers convince us they’re as talented as the stars they’re satirizing. Without that level of polish, the results come off more like a mugging frat house skit--a limitation acknowledged and incorporated into Richard Hochberg’s breezy, uninhibited staging.

Woodlawn, in contrast, is admirably focused and committed throughout, making Crawford all the more frightening--and hilarious.

*

* “Christmas With the Crawfords,” Hudson Avenue Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 and 10 p.m.; Sundays, 7 and 9 p.m.; also Jan. 1,8 p.m. Ends Jan. 4. $20-$22. (213) 658-4040. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.