Review: A TUNA CHRISTMAS - Brilliant Comic Duet

A TUNA CHRISTMAS, currently playing at the Georgetown Palace Playhouse, is a brilliant pairing of actors and hilarious writing that will have you laughing through the holidays.

GREATER TUNA introduced us to the fictional town of Tuna, Texas in 1981, A TUNA CHRISTMAS made its debut in 1989, followed by RED, WHITE AND TUNA in 1998 and TUNA DOES VEGAS in 2010. Written by Austin legends Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, the four shows toured until 2012 when Sears retired from the troupe. Two actors each play eleven roles apiece in a theatrical whirlwind of entrances, exits and miraculous costume changes. The play begins at the OKKK radio station with Arles Struvie (Kirk Kelso in one of eleven roles) and Thurston Wheeless' (Frank Benge in one of eleven roles) morning show on Christmas Eve. The radio announcers fill us in on all the gossip of the day and talk about the Christmas Phantom, a prankster who has plagued the town for decades. It's during this first scene that the audience is introduced to the true magic of the performance. With precision and skill each actor exits while the other does a monologue only to appear seconds later to add another character to the radio broadcast. Highlighted in the play are Didi Snavley (Kelso) owner of Didi's Used Weapons ("If we can't kill it, it's immortal") and the family of Bertha Bumiller (Benge), a housewife whose tribulations with an absent husband and her three children are making her holiday insane ("I swear if Santa Claus came through that door right now I'd set his beard on fire"). The action shifts between the OKKK station, Bertha's home, Pearl Burras' front porch, Didi's store and the Tastee-Kreme burger joint. Each character is finely crafted with humor only found in Texas, they are all that crazy uncle, the snotty neighbor, the waitress at the corner cafe and we love them all. If you were to read the text of the play, you might laugh out loud a few times, but it's the magic that takes place on stage that makes this show so funny and charming.

Director Ron Watson has done a masterful job in keeping the show moving with minimal set changes, moving walls and a stellar crew, presenting A TUNA CHRISTMAS as it should be, with sharp focus on the two skilled actors on stage. It's hard to imagine two actors who are more admirably suited for the task of bringing twenty-two characters to life than Frank Benge and Kirk Kelso, outside of Williams and Sears themselves. Their chemistry together is undeniable, each truly sharing the stage and delivering laugh after hearty laugh. Among my personal favorites are Benge as Bertha Bumiller, the timing on her snarky lines is hilarious. Kelso's Didi Snavley is pitch perfect, her gravelly voice and abrasive personality are side-splitting. But it's the two waitresses at the Tastee-Kreme, Helen and Inita that are pure comic gold. Both wearing 'high Texas hair' bouffants and mustard yellow and red diner uniforms they deal with customers in turn changing costumes and characters with seamless ease. Both actors achieve true to life characters and not cartoonish caricatures which is extremely difficult to do given the complicated nature of the material. Ellen Simms costume design is a work of art allowing the actors minimal time to change while being true to the small town feel. Huge kudos to the backstage crew, for making the audience gasp with their almost magical costume changes. The entire production works like a well oiled machine cranking out laughs and holiday cheer in equal measure.
A TUNA CHRISTMAS at the Palace Playhouse gets my highest recommendation for a great way to celebrate the holiday season. At the time of this article, after only its second weekend, tickets are sold out for the entire run, it is possible that additional dates may be added or that you can be put on the waiting list in case of any cancellations.

A TUNA CHRISTMAS
by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams
Directed by Ron Watson
The Palace Playhouse, Georgetown, Texas
December 2 - 30

Running Time: 2 hours with one 15 minute intermission

Tickets: $30 georgetownpalace.com

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