Dito van Reigersberg, known as Philly drag performer Martha Graham Cracker, dies

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. See on Instagram 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 thi