Philadelphia has lost one of its most beloved drag artists.
Dito van Reigersberg, the actor, theater-maker, and cabaret performer best known for his drag persona Martha Graham Cracker, died June 1 following a leukemia diagnosis in 2022.
Victor Fiorillo, van Reigersberg’s longtime pianist, shared news of his death, writing on Facebook: “I am absolutely devastated to tell you that my sweetest and most generous and most talented friend Dito van Reigersberg aka Martha Graham Cracker has given her last bow — or is it curtsey? Dito just died, surrounded by family and friends and music and an amazing medical team at Penn.”
A graduate of Swarthmore College, van Reigersberg was a cofounder of Philadelphia’s Pig Iron Theatre Company, where he performed in nearly all of the company’s productions since its founding in 1995, including the Obie Award-winning works Hell Meets Henry Halfway and Chekhov Lizardbrain.
In 2005, van Reigersberg introduced Philadelphia audiences to Martha Graham Cracker, the towering, live-singing drag persona who would become one of the city’s most singular and beloved performers. Famously billed as “the tallest, hairiest drag queen in the world,” Martha performed with a full band, building a genre-defying cabaret act that could move from Judy Garland to Black Sabbath, often in the same night.
For years, Martha’s monthly cabaret shows at L’Etage in Bella Vista became a sold-out Philadelphia institution, drawing devoted audiences who came not only for the music but for the spontaneity, wit, and emotional generosity of van Reigersberg’s performances. Martha also performed regularly at Joe’s Pub in New York City and, in 2025, celebrated 20 years of the Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret.
In a 2025 interview with Philadelphia magazine commemorating that anniversary, van Reigersberg was asked what it was about Martha that resonated so deeply with audiences.
“Oh, God, I have no idea,” he said. “Maybe it’s a bunch of things coming together. If you’re just a person who likes music, hopefully the music side of the show is satisfying to you. And maybe there’s a feeling like anything could happen, which is exciting and weirdly liberating. My favorite compliment I’ve ever gotten is, ‘My face hurt after your show, I was laughing and smiling so much.’ That’s all I really want: people to go on a crazy journey with a drag queen and have a great time and a deep belly laugh.”
That sense of possibility became central to Martha’s legacy. Van Reigersberg helped expand what drag could look and sound like in Philadelphia: theatrical, literary, absurd, deeply musical, and emotionally alive. Martha was glamorous and unruly, funny and vulnerable, a performer who could command a room with both a punchline and a song.
After his leukemia diagnosis in 2022, van Reigersberg paused performances while undergoing treatment and searching for a stem-cell donor. He later returned to the stage, telling Philadelphia magazine that the experience had changed his understanding of time, performance, and survival.
“You have to form a relationship with the idea that you’re not going to always be here,” he said. “You learn a lot about how precious time is.”
For Philadelphia’s drag, theater and LGBTQ+ communities, van Reigersberg’s impact is difficult to overstate. As Martha Graham Cracker, he created not just a character but a world — one built from music, humor, intelligence, chaos, and heart.
Philadelphia will not be the same without him. He was 53.
