EditorialJeffery Roberson, as Varla Jean Merman, performs during his cabaret show ?Little Prick? dressed as a syringe, complete with squirting needle, at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown, Mass., July 31, 2021. (Matt Cosby/The New York Times)
EditorialVarla Jean Merman, portrayed by Jeffery Roberson, holds an N95 face mask during a performance at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown, Mass., on July 22, 2020. (M. Scott Brauer/The New York Times)
EditorialVarla Jean Merman, portrayed by Jeffery Roberson, holds an N95 face mask during a performance at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown, Mass., on July 22, 2020. (M. Scott Brauer/The New York Times)