In a city with its own inimitable take on tradition (Scientologist caroling Hollywood Boulevard anyone?), it makes sense that Ken Roht's 99 Cent holiday show at the Bootleg Theater is right up there with roping lights around your palm tree.

Since it's inception in 2003, a devoted following has returned each year to see how the show plays out its brilliant, high concept conceit—that every one of its eye-popping costumes are constructed out of materials sourced from the 99 Cent Only store.

No two 99 Cent-ers have ever been alike—from a Western dinner theater to beauty pageants to the one where a boy band from Korea saves the 99centonlyvillage from the Hollow Mirror Man. But when it came time to concoct Same-O, 2010's 99 cent electric rock ballad, Roht took a look at the state of the world and felt it was time to take his annual musical romp in a seriously new direction. For a show that built its reputation on giddy spectacle, in an age in which confounding your audience is rarely rewarded, it was a gamble.

"It was scary to me," said Roht, who directs, writes, and choreographs the show, which he co-composed with John Ballinger. "Are they coming for what I do? Are they coming for the costumes? Are they coming for the beach ball finale?"

"I took out a lot of the jokes," he said.

Bereft of neither humor nor spectacle, Same-O, however, is undeniably different. Loosely centered on the story of Fred and Eddie, two lovers who sing and dance their way to a happy ending, the show also weaves in a meditation on issues of sustainability.

After watching climate change documentary The Age of Stupid, Roht lost some of his stomach for celebrating plastic (past shows have racked up as much as four truck loads of trash).

Handed a new recyclable mandate and a chunk of additional supplies from the Green Print Alliance, costume designer Ann Closs-Farley ("a genius," according to Roht) and her army of volunteers set about creating a retinue of Gaga-worthy costumes, wigs and hats without resorting to mere eye candy.

"Ken said, 'I don't want to see anything fabulous' in a drag sense," Closs-Farley said. "'Let's just do clean lines, so that people can see the story through the aesthetic.' We came up with some clean visuals you could really linger on."

Shredded paper birds, a pagoda, two paper mâché dogs, a dying forest and hundreds of paper cranes are just some of the inventive images on display. "We didn't explore nearly what we could have in the beauty of paper art," Roht says. It's an exploration he intends to continue next year. For him, this sustainability element has become integral.

"I don't think I could go back," he said. "That would be frivolous."

Thanks to rave reviews during its December run, Same-O is back for round two. Catch the 99 Cent Only extravaganza through January 30.

"I think some people, to create community they sacrifice art," Roht said. "And to me that's not interesting. There's just no reason…You can be brave."

Same-O plays Thur.-Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 3 pm through Jan. 30. Tickets: $18-$25. Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; 213.389.3856 or bootlegtheater.com.