Look up “acquired taste” in the dictionary and you’ll probably find a picture of Dina Martina. The drag-queen performer and Provincetown, Mass., fixture returned to New York recently for a brief run that will probably thrill her rabid cult following — and bewilder everyone else.
As created by the 40-something Grady West, Martina is an oversized diva who dresses horribly — often in outfits that showcase her hairy back — moves with the grace of a wounded hippo and sings in a voice that would shatter diamonds.
Sporting a garish black wig and lips so red they’d make Carol Channing jealous, she begins the evening with a rendition of the Propellerheads’ “History Repeating” that will make you forever forget its original singer, Shirley Bassey — and that’s not a good thing.
“I nailed it! I nailed it to the cross!” she cries after her less than triumphant vocal.
That misplaced enthusiasm is on display throughout the show, which includes demented versions of such songs as “Gentle on My Mind,” “I Am . . . I Said,” “Try To Remember” and a medley that combines “Evergreen” with the themes from “The Love Boat” and “Green Acres.”
Martina offers running commentary throughout, including such philosophical advice as “Do not get to the end of your life regretting all things you’ve never done . . . regret what you’ve done.” Her garbled delivery adds to the would-be merriment.
She also periodically wanders into the crowd, evoking reactions that range from sheer delight to abject terror.
The show’s cleverest bits are the film montages projected during costume changes, including a mock Western, “Ranchy,” in which she plays a rather unusual pioneer woman, and a series of clips in which her memorable face is inserted into scenes from “Psycho,” “Twin Peaks” and other shows.
The audience I saw it with Thursday night certainly seemed to be having fun. But a little Dina Martina goes a long way. After all, there are so many truly bad performers populating our stages that a fake bad one seems superfluous.