Jurassiq Parq: A Musiqal Parody
A Fun Time with Raucous Theater at Oasis, San Francisco's LGBTQ Nightclub
By: Victor Cordell - Jul 12, 2025
Naughty, bawdy, and gaudy. That’s what you can expect from pretty much any performance at Oasis, and Jurassiq Parq: A Musiqal Parody does not disappoint. In many ways, a jukebox musical, it is full of familiar tunes as the characters sing and frolic their way through a genial romp full of visual and verbal sexual innuendo. The plot, based on the obvious, doesn’t say much, but that’s not why you go to the Oasis anyway.
Perhaps because the wisecracks play into the iconography of the actors, some of the lead players have the names of the actors from the 1993 film rather than the names of the characters they performed. Elanor Irene Paul is Dr. Laura Dern, while Marshall Forte is Dr. Jeff Goldblum, who is totally lascivious and self-centered.
But rather than portraying Richard Attenborough, drag queen great Vanilla Meringue plays the creator of the park as Colonel Sanders Hammond (Hammond being the character in the film), with an obvious nod to Kentucky Fried Chicken. This notion gets some gag time in the musical – with video segments suggesting that chickens are descended from dinosaurs and that the Colonel created the four-breast chicken. It’s also a bit of a riff on the movie Victor/Victoria in which Julie Andrews plays a woman who impersonates a man who impersonates a woman. In this case, it is a man with a public persona as a female drag queen performing the role of a man but disguised not to reveal his real appearance.
Along with the schtick that draws directly from the movie’s leads, there is plenty of space given to song, dance, and mugging by miscellaneous personages. The well-chosen songfest is replete with well-performed singalong hits from the ‘80s and ‘90s that most of the crowd can relate to. A taste of the offerings includes Britney Spears’ “Oops!...I Did It Again,” Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” and No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak.”
However, the much-repeated closing anthem, 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” with its plaintive question “What’s going on?” proves the most poignant. It speaks to a time of despair; sympathizes with those who feel or are viewed as peculiar; and calls for revolution to get up that “great big hill of hope.” It’s a sad but vital message for these times.
At one level, the performances are so wink-wink spoofy with over-the-top acting, that it’s hard to appreciate their quality, but the acting is quite good overall, and as Billy Crystal would say, some of the voices are “simply mahvelous.” Oasis is noted for its drag queen performances, but this production includes only dabs of the flamboyant ladies, which may be a disappointment for some.
What surprises are the production values in this Michael Phillis directed show. To give an idea how similar to traditional theater productions this is, there is a dazzling variety of costumes (Kypper Snacks) and over 1,200 action cues for operators in the lighting and sound design. Maxx Kursunski’s lighting is notable, though I don’t know if the trail and framing lights that shift colors in the ceiling are permanent or for this show. Jerry Girard’s sound is carried mostly by hand microphones, which is a bit unusual, but is perhaps a concession to the staging. Another significant element is the video projections (no design attribution given), which are striking on their own, but also work extremely well in interaction with live characters.
The staging concession referenced is that the action is split between the permanent stage and a temporary platform in the center of the audience. The division creates a bigness and dynamism in the production that works nicely, but the price to pay is that the audience behind the platform is standing, so they can see the main stage. And it means these patrons have to hold their drinks. Table seating between the main stage and the platform is VIP, for an extra charge.
In any case, for those who have not experienced this kind of rowdy LGBTQ entertainment, Jurassic Parq represents a good opportunity to join in the fun. My wife/editor, Karin, and I probably skewed both the age and sexual preference demographics of the house, but we both had a great time. For the regulars, it’s just what the doctor ordered.
Jurassiq Parq: A Musiqal Parody, written by Michael Phillis and produced by OasisArts and Michael Phillis, plays on the stage of Oasis Nightclub at 298 11th Street, San Francisco, CA through August 2, 2025.