WashBlade.com – By Patrick Folliard
It?s been 25 years since drag artist John Epperson introduced Lypsinka to Manhattan?s then-edgy East Village scene where she was an instant hit at spots like the Pyramid Club. But little did Epperson know at the time that his flame-haired, manic creation would go on to make him a name, pay the bills and become what?s turning out to be a lifelong companion.
Lypsinka is Epperson?s homage to all the glamorous dames of stage, screen (large and small) and smoke-filled lounges whom he?s idolized ever since he was a little gay boy growing up in Hazlehurst, Miss. A frenetic edge and a surplus of kinetic energy make Lypsinka the ideal conduit for Epperson?s genius theatrical concept: 90 minutes of hundreds of rapid-fire audio clips culled from old movies, nightclub albums and comedy routines flawlessly and often hilariously mouthed by a valiant yet slightly touched broad. Ordinarily, a Lypsinka show adheres to this tried and true formula. That is until now.
With the Washington debut of ?Lypsinka: The Passion of the Crawford,? the Helen Hayes Award-winning Epperson brings his leggy alter ego back to Studio Theatre for the third time.
?This show is very different from the others,? he explains in an interview with the Blade. ?With this one, there isn?t all that motion, lyrics and dance. It?s a sustained piece and definitely calls for an adventurous theatergoer.?