How The Bitch Stole Christmas

Another wonderful night will be had at Jackie Beat's Christmas special, confirming that in the acidic drag-queen sweepstakes, Jackie certainly is the one to beat. Dressed to the holiday hilt, Jackie still continues to shed her special brand of holiday joy in the guise of her razor-sharp wit and unmatchable bitchiness. A few segments of How The Bitch Stole Christmas sag, notably her reading of a poem from a fed-up housewife fan that recounts her evil revenge on a lout hubby. It slows the evening up, taking time that should be devoted to what Jackie does best: riling up an audience. There isn't a performer around with the ability to shake up an audience like she does; her sweet/snippy delivery has never been more pungent. Her songs are a treat as well, and some are wonderfully bad for you such as "Black Christmas," a tale of Christmas in the hood, and "Deadbeat Dad is Coming to Town," which gets the full white-trash treatment.

I've never seen Jackie go on as long as she did at my performance, but judging from her rapturous reception, not a soul would -- our should -- dare care.