One of Miss Richfield 1981’s jokes in her current show is that there’s a new title and a new set, but all the jokes remain the same. There’s a kernel of truth there, but the drag comedian’s holiday show is still funny, fresh, and out of this world hilarious. This may be the 16th installment of this now annual tradition, but Miss Richfield keeps delivering and new viewers and annual returnees keep laughing it up.

The theme of this year’s installment is Christmas Cone of Silence, which is used as an excuse for some visual gags (guess) and putting first-time attendees (show virgins, if you will) on the spot and under the spotlight. What can you expect? There will be a lot of jokes about regional rivalries and local towns, some offbeat “educational” videos, a great quantity of improvised humor, and tongue-in-cheek singalongs. There will also be vaudevillean sight gags, playing a musical saw, and more jokes than you can shake a stick at about gay and lesbian stereotypes. This year’s installment puts firmly religion in Miss Richfield’s crosshairs, and you might just be laughing so much that you can’t squeak out “sacrilegious.”

Miss Richfield 1981 Presents ‘Christmas Cone Of Silence’ plays at the Illusion Theater through Sunday, Dec. 20.

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Basil Considine

Basil Considine was the Editor of the Twin Cities Arts Reader from 2018-2022. He served as Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic for the Arts Reader's first five years, before succeeding Hanne Appelbaum. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.

Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region and the 2021-2022 U.S. Fulbright Faculty Scholar to Madagascar.

Latest posts by Basil Considine (see all)

• REVIEW: Moving, Funny, Striking English (Guthrie Theater) - July 22, 2024
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• PREVIEW: Behind the Story – Before Out of the Box Opera’s Suor Angelica - June 24, 2024