Review: ORACULUM at Buddies In Bad Times

Why do we want to know the future, and does that knowledge actually help us in the present?

That’s the question behind ORACULUM, the new show by drag performers Denim (Emerson Sanderson) and Pythia (Christos Darlasis) at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Halfway between dragstravaganza and narrative play, ORACULUM boasts enthralling projections, creative costumes, and engagingly transformative lip sync numbers. Whether it entirely engages in its hybrid state is up for debate, but I foresee that Drag Race fans will enjoy themselves at the cheeky, irreverent show.

Sanderson plays kindhearted PR rep Kayleigh (she sports a different spelling in each scene, but we’ll spell it this way here); described as a “bimbo” by reality show banner captions, she believes in second chances. That’s why her firm is dedicated to rehabilitating the image of cancelled celebrities. Kayleigh’s big heart also extends to her closest relationships. First, there’s her unseen loser fiancé Brad, who largely lives off her salary and says he doesn’t believe in traditional symbols of matrimony so he won’t have to buy her a ring. Then, there’s her hot mess BFF Matty (Darlasis), a wannabe influencer-hustler who screws up every opportunity she gives him and demands more.

Burnt out and confused, Kayleigh agrees to try an online tarot reading to try to give herself some direction. Matty points her to the charmingly terrible, pop-up-laden website he says has helped his mother over the years, and Kayleigh discovers within herself a endless pit of desire for card-based suggestions and predictions that promise to make life a little simpler.

Under Buddies’ AD Ted Witzel’s direction, set, projection, and lighting designer Cosette “Ettie” Pin’s concept captivates, from its fluffy, storming clouds of fate to note-perfect reality TV confessionals with cheerful background sound and hashtag-heavy banners. Impressive tripartite projections of Pythia as the mysterious tarot oracle split the prognosticator in three, one arm on each side revealing cards that come to life as Kayleigh tries to avoid the swords and lightning bolts, occasionally interacting with her own shadow.

A full lip sync performance accompanies each reading to show Kayleigh’s internal turmoil, and the costumes designed by Pythia, ranging from devious devil to iron-pumping strongwoman to star-spangled ballgown, are an absolute delight. In particular, an outsized, glittering pinstripe suit plus lampshade hat looks like it’s been plucked out of a Talking Heads or Garbage music video.

At halfway between drag show and straight (pardon the term) play, ORACULUM rests a bit uneasily between the two, particularly in its portrayal of its lead female character. Its characters are a little too caricatured and two-dimensional to be completely satisfying in play form, while Kayleigh in particular is not quite caricatured and outsized enough to be a completely satisfying drag character.

Much of this stems from small issues in the delivery and timing, which aren’t quite yet up to the snappy pace demanded by ghostwriter Lauren Gillis’ script, occasionally leaving moments of awkwardness or dead space. As anyone who’s struggled through Snatch Game on Drag Race can attest, keeping up the pace with an exaggerated character for even five minutes can be difficult, let alone in a 75-minute show. Still, Darlasis’ instincts mostly keep things light and saucy, and his thoughtful 11th-hour speech, while not quite in character for the vacant Matty, puts the show into clearer perspective with a philosophical bent.

ORACULUM is at its best when exploring the great irony of how self-destructive we can get in the pursuit of finding out whether things will all turn out all right. It draws parallels between Kayleigh’s tarot reading addiction, Brad’s heavy spending on live camgirl porn, and Matty’s drug use, all escapes that cede one’s control to a different agent of fate.

With an unknowable future, maybe all we can do is dance.

Photo of Denim (Emerson Sanderson) and projection of Pythia (Christos Darlasis) by Jeremy Mimnagh

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