Hedda Lettuce is, ahem … headed to New Hope to unwrap her annual holiday show “Lettuce Rejoice!” The production will feature her entertaining blend of characters, satire and music Dec. 16 at the Rrazz Room.
As one of New York City’s premiere drag performers, Hedda Lettuce is accustomed to the glitz and glamour, as well as the grit and grime, of the big city. But she is definitely looking forward to bringing her holiday show back to the picturesque and quieter setting of New Hope.
“I’ve only had positive performing experiences at New Hope,” Lettuce said. “The audiences are wonderful and the show is so well-received. Besides the performance experiences, which I know are going to be really great, I really do love the town. I love having a little time to roam around a bit in the afternoon. I try to get there a little early so I can go into town and do some window-shopping. I didn’t experience it in its heyday, when it had a much larger gay community. It’s more gentrified now. So it has that history that I’m excited I’m still part of. I just really enjoy kitschy small towns.”
Lettuce said her holiday show is a rare opportunity to see her perform in something other than her usual green stage attire.
“They get to see me wear red; I never wear red,” she said. “I get to break out all those silly fun Christmas songs that I do parodies about. I get to work with a brilliant piano player and we do a lot of improvisational work on stage. I get to be really goofy and saccharine. People like it. People are in the mood to be uplifted. So I can do that.”
Given the social and political climate in the country right now, we need some uplifting more than ever.
“I think people on the whole are drinking more that they would otherwise, so maybe that will make them more festive,” she joked about her holiday audiences. “There’s so much negativity across the board. The climate right now is so toxic that I am happy that I have a point of purpose where my job is to entertain and make people feel lighter about things. As an artist, I feel very heavy from what’s going on. That’s a personal thing. But when I go on stage I have to translate that into comedy. It’s good for me as well and it’s good for people to come together. It’s like church. We all come together. We have a good time. And then you can go home to your family are argue about who you voted for.”
Hedda Lettuce performs “Lettuce Rejoice!” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at The Rrazz Room, 385 W. Bridge St. in New Hope. For more information or tickets, call 888-596-1027 or visit www.heddalettuce.com.