The Kinsey Sicks in "Oy Vey in a Manger," photo courtesy of The Kinsey Sicks.

What says the holiday season better than a Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet? Rambling, raunchy, rude dragapella, with no pesky plot or fourth wall realism! Singing, dancing, kvetching dragapella – the perfect antidote to any holiday-induced blues you may be harboring.

Through January 2nd at Theater J you can catch The Kinsey Sicks, who’ve been fabulously hilarious since their beginnings years ago in San Francisco. This little variety show, clocking in at about 90 minutes, features belting queens Trampolina (Spencer Brown), Winnie (Irwin Keller), Trixie (Jeff Manabat) and Rachel (Ben Schatz) satirizing popular Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs. Don’t expect much of a plot (the girls are trying to sell their home – a manger, gotten long ago from the Christ family) but do expect to laugh your ass off at some very irreverent humor.

After all, it’s called Oy Vey in a Manger.

There’s not much “critique” I can give for a show that’s really just a bunch of brash ballsy (or… well…) one-liners and ridiculously bad puns intermingled with such heartwarming chestnuts as God Bless Ye Femmy Lesbians, Jews Better Watch Out, and Oh! Hoey Night. That last one gives a whole new meaning to the line “fall on your knees” – luckily I’m not a churchgoer because I don’t think I will ever hear O Holy Night again without laughing hysterically about the night Trampolina did porn.

I told you it was irreverent! That’s really the main thing to keep in mind if you head over for a quickie with the Kinsey Sicks. There’s nothing sacred here. It’s equal opportunity offensive – with the cast split between Jew and Gentile, all the sacred cows of Christmas and Hanukkah, of being an uptight Wonder Bread WASP or a handwringing Jewish mother are equally satirized. And beware, if you are a cute blond boy sitting on the aisle you may get called on stage for some humiliation not usually seen outside of a bachelor party at a strip club. There are also some gross sight gags with wigs and mistletoe but honestly, if you can’t laugh or groan good-naturedly at subversity then this probably isn’t the show for you!

The Kinsey Sicks in Oy Vey in a Manger at Theater J. Located at 1529 16th Street, Washington DC 20036. Closest Metro: Dupont Circle (Red line). For more information call (202) 777-3210.

Jenn Larsen

As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.