Review: DIXIE'S TUPPERWARE PARTY at Stages Houston

I have finally figured out that DIXIE’S TUPPERWARE PARTY is simply a straightforward good time with a big heart. I hate that this might be the “end of the road” for Dixie and her fantastic plastic showcase. However, consider her residence through April 20th at Stages Houston a victory lap for the unflappable redheaded saleswoman. She keeps it simple the entire time; the show is a tight ninety minutes focused on the party, the people, and the reason she started all this madness in the first place. You see, deep down, DIXIE’S TUPPERWARE PARTY is a love letter to the resilience of single moms or women who look towards things like Tupperware, Mary Kay, or Avon to get them up and out in the world. No, let’s scratch that. DIXIE’S TUPPERWARE PARTY is a love letter to ANYONE who needs to pick themselves up and keep going. All you really need to do is burp it and rim it! 

Stages Houston has wisely brought in DIXIE’S TUPPERWARE PARTY for its last hurrah, and she is doing a mini-residency that the purveyor of plastic is in the middle of until April 20th. The simple show works well in the intimacy of the Sterling Stage space, and we’re closer to the saleswoman than we ever have been. The Tuesday night crowd I was in included many “Dixie” faithful, including three women in replica signature red wigs and a woman behind me who had sold Tupperware for years. They all knew what was coming, and I was at a disadvantage. This was my first time, and honestly, I was wondering what all the fuss was about “bowls.” Boy, was I wrong! 

Dixie is the brilliant idea of playwright and actor Kris Andersson, who created this character “on a dare” back in the early 2000s. He attended a bona fide Tupperware party, and a friend thought he could make a killing doing it in drag. This was all the seed that was needed! Kris and director Patrick Richwood developed a show around the Tupperware Party that had an off-Broadway run back in 2007, which led to a 2008 tour that is just now winding down. Basically, seventeen years later, Lord knows how many colored bowls were sold. After this all stops, the idea is to bring Dixie back to New York City and give her a permanent home while Kris pursues other creative outlets. But man, this simple idea of celebrating Brownie Wise and all the Tupperware ladies after her is a genius stroke of theatrical magic. You could just dismiss this as a drag food storage show, as critics and some political types have done over the years. Heck! Dixie’s appearance at the Kennedy Center is the stuff of legend now. Still, honestly, it’s a touching testimonial about overcoming and surviving.   And it happens to be funny as all heck, so there is that.   

For an hour and a half, Dixie Longate spins her “Tupper-monials” about how she uses plastic ingenious inventions and peppers it with traumas from her life and a good-natured ribbing of key members in the audience. It creates a space where we can laugh, hold hands, and become a community, and it just brilliantly and simply captures the mission statement of Stages of bringing people together in the dark to understand each other in the light. By the end of the evening, you know a little more about your neighbors and realize why Tupperware parties might actually be a vital part of overcoming the digital trauma of the modern era. I am so much of a convert that I now have a wine opener for my car! 

This is a one-woman show that is a bit crude and crass sometimes, but it’s also deliciously sweet-natured and brings a smile or two. It’s not a soul-searing expose of philosophical debates or anything heavy. And the funniest thing is you can order actual Tupperware during or after the show. Heck, if you want to order some for kicks or preview items, here’s a link for you:  

https://www.dixielongate.com/store

The comedy can sometimes veer into adult territory, but really only for a second or two. There’s nothing too vulgar about it, but if you are easily offended by double entendres, you may find yourself in an awkward moment or two. But do an orange Jell-O shot, and you will be fine! The most striking thing is for all the lightness; a deep appreciation and celebration here rings true. It’s easy just to sit back and smile; in today’s world, that is no small feat.