| < back |
 |
:: The Santaland Diaries Soulard Theatre |
|
“This may be the most perfect theatrical experience any theatre group could offer the Soulard neighborhood since the old preservation hall was opened for performances. The set is perfect, a huge (slightly menacing) Santa’s face fills the back of the stage, and four perky white Christmas trees flank the wings, strewn with lurid red lights. A few martini glasses are perched on boxes in Christmas wrapping, and clouds of fake snow flow from the stage, down a staircase to the audience. As Crumpet, Mr. Little is delightful, dangerous and louche. Mr. Little is pretty darn perfect, mastering the vocal quality of Mr. Sedaris. He toys with audience like a little boy in the sun, scorching ants with a magnifying glass. When Mr. Little is lying center-stage in his elfin garb, with a martini in one hand, and an elbow propped up on a chair beneath Santa’s giant glowering grin, I am quite certain we have reached the truth of the matter.” “For those who prefer a little more spice in their eggnog, it doesn’t get much tarter than the SANTALAND DIARIES, the hilariously irreverent account about the perils of elfdom at Macy’s. The delicious set for this simple yet effective production might have been inspired by the department store Santaland in the now beloved and equally iconoclastic movie A CHRISTMAS STORY. The stage is covered with artificial snow and framed by four white Christmas trees adorned with red lights. The centerpiece is a marvelous rendition of a maniacal Santa; Big Brother himself never looked more menacing. Crumpet, the most hapless of Santa’s many helpers is enacted with plaintive charm by Echo artistic director Eric Little, who acquits himself well. We get a beleaguered weariness that turns Little into a kind of Littlechap. If your allergic to shopping malls, excessive commercialism or even camels, THE SANTALAND DIARIES is just the antidote to restore a smile to your overburdened holidays … The show is all kinds of funny.” |