'Sqream' is a scream at SF Oasis
I went in expecting a traditional stage show, but Oasis threw the whole party at me. This was my kind of immersive theater experience.
By T. Von D.
What’s your favorite scary movie?
No one makes us scream like San Francisco drag queen D’Arcy Drollinger and her performers — but it’s not like we’re screaming in terror. It’s all delight and fun in SQREAM, a hilarious parody of that 1996 film moment where Drew Barrymore bites it in the opening act, and so much more.
Scream is that quintessential horror film where hot teens get picked off by a spooky masked killer, which SF Oasis gives us while serving up all the extras. This show has it all: Murder, mayhem, laughs, pop music and horny people from the 90s both on stage and in the audience.
We follow Snaxx in the lead role of Neve Sidney Campbell Prescott, an innocent high school sweetheart who just wants to survive the night and get some alone time with Billy Skeet Boyfriend Loomis, played by Trevor March.
Deputy Davey Dewey Cox Arquette — played by Manuel Caneri — brought a lot of Deputy Dangle energy, and I could not take my eyes off Lisa Frankenstein in the role of Rose Tatum Michelle Geller, Sidney’s sluttier best friend. Her hilarious expressions and near-constant stank face had me laughing out of my seat.
I went in expecting a traditional stage show, but Oasis threw the whole party at me with singing, dancing, stripping, and more. Characters like Rendell the Blockbuster employee mingled with the crowd, while Evian took cash tips onstage; certain scenes unfold at the bar, while others happen on gogo blocks or in the audience. This was my kind of immersive theater experience, one that defies typical genre.
“People come up to me and say this is the best night I’ve seen in my life, and I love that,” Drollinger told The Bold Italic in a recent phone call. She described Sqream as a “a hybrid nightclub theater musical drag show singalong.”
“I look at other theaters now and think they’re so boring,” Drollinger said. “There’s seats and people on the stage, and that’s it. But our show feels like a big party, and to me, it’s where the future of theater needs to go.”
You’re in the right place if you love 90s pop music. There’s a mélange of Hanson, the Spice Girls, Third Eye Blind, TLC, Hole, Natalie Imbruglia, and Wheatus, among many others. Sqream pays homage to all the best pop music of its era, and you are required to sing along.
Pay attention to start times: 6:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 7 p.m. all will lead to the same show, with earlier arrivals snagging a cameo of the character Drew Buriedmore, played by Drollinger and her iconic expressions. “What’s your favorite scary movie?” a creepy guy keeps asking her in repeated phone calls.
Early scenes take place in her Champagne room before the audience moves to the main area for a fresh drink, a round of Twister, and the bulk of the show.
But who was the killer? You’ll have to go to find out.
Oasis has become the cornerstone of drag theater in San Francisco with Drollinger at the helm, and Sqream will keep you in stitches and high spirits, especially if you keep hitting the bar. You haven’t missed your chance to catch the gruesome murder of 90s pop music and hot teens. The show will go through March 23rd, and after that it will be dead and buried — until the sequel, of course.
// Sqream is at SF Oasis at 298 11th Street, with tickets from $45-$100. Written by Michael Phillis and directed by Jason Hoover.
T. Von D. is a local museum worker and lesbian. Saul Sugarman contributed to this story.
The Bold Italic is a non-profit media organization that’s brought to you by GrowSF, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. Donate to us today.
What we’re doing this week
Community Music Center gala
If you followed from our Monday newsletter, the Community Music Center gala is actually March 8. Tomorrow! There’s still time to snag tickets.
Community Music Center makes high-quality music accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, regardless of financial means. CMC offers the largest tuition assistance program of its kind in the country, serving more than 3,000 students each year with music lessons, classes, and other programs.
WHEN: March 8 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Garden Court at The Palace Hotel, 2 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA
Drunk Drag Pink Carpet — Oscars Party
This year, we're rolling out the pink carpet in true San Francisco style, celebrating the biggest night in Hollywood with a cheeky nod to this year’s gayest films - Oppenheimer and Barbie. Dress to impress in your most glamorous Pink Carpet attire and compete for jaw-dropping prizes.
WHEN: March 10 at 3 p.m.
WHERE: SF Oasis, 298 11th St, San Francisco, CA
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with SF Ballet
Enter Shakespeare’s enchanted forest of whimsy, mistaken identity, and jest—where fairies rule and love (eventually) reigns supreme. A delight for all ages, the Shakespearean favorite choreographed by George Balanchine returns to our stage set to music by Mendelssohn, with updated costume and set designs by celebrated French designer Christian Lacroix.
WHEN: March 12 - 23
WHERE: War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave