Tennessee Rep Offers Holiday Favorite The Santaland Diaries

Tennessee Rep Offers Holiday Favorite The Santaland Diaries, with Matt Chiorini returning to Nashville to Don the Ears of the Elf.

"Matt Chiorini: Giant among insects. Bestrider of Narrow Worlds. Raconteur, roustabout, lover, fighter, dreamer, poet, user of hyperbole. There are few words that don't apply to the illustrious Matt Chiorini, and many four-letter ones that do."

So reads the bio of Matt Chiorini, who returns to Nashville to reprise his role as Crumpet the Elf in Tennessee Repertory Theatre's production of The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris, November 19 - December 3 at TPAC's Johnson Theater.

Chiorini's bio goes on...

"From his humble beginnings in a small manger in Bethlehem to his illustrious career in the theatre, Matt continues to dazzle, to inspire, and to expand upon the mythos that surrounds this near-deity of the stage. Such is the virility of his performances, that women have found themselves impregnated by simply sitting in the first row (careful, ladies!). Matt first burst forth upon Nashville in 1999, and was single-handedly responsible for every good thing that occurred thereafter, and, in appreciation, is immortalized as several of the figures in the ‘Musica' statue."

Talk about shameless self promotion... or, at least, ELF promotion.

What Chiorini's bio doesn't tell you is that there may not be a single person on the face of this earth more ideally suited for the role of the acerbic, somewhat bitter elf.

Quite simply, Matt Chiorini is more Sedaris than David Sedaris himself.

The Santaland Diaries is a side-splitting one-man show about an out of work slacker who decides to become a Macy's elf during the seasonal crunch. At first the job is simply humiliating, but once the thousands of visitors start pouring through Santa's workshop, he becomes battle weary and bitter. Taking consolation in the fact that some of the other elves were television extras on One Life to Live, he grins and bears it, occasionally taking out his frustrations on the children and parents alike.

The essay on which the play has been adapted launched the career of NPR commentator and best-selling author David Sedaris. And the play is one of Tennessee Repertory Theatre's most-requested shows.
When asked about being drawn back for a third stint in the elf costume, Chiorini said, "The writing is fantastic, and Sedaris really has such a unique viewpoint on the Holiday madness. He looks at the whole thing with an outsider's eye, capturing the little details and absurdities, without ever getting mean, per se. The people that he mocks or criticizes clearly have it coming.
"Now that I have kids, and annually find myself bending over backwards to make the holiday special, I have no patience either for the @#$#@'s who seem to go out of their way to mess up Christmas for the rest of us," he continues. "It's fun to get up onstage and talk about them for an hour. Plus, I get to make fun of people for leaving their cell phones on or coming in late and what actor doesn't crave that opportunity?"
Chiorini is not the only person drawn back to the show. David Alford returns to direct, and Alford has also taken his turn as Crumpet.

"It's nice to come back and direct The Santaland Diaries again," Alford says. "Every time I do it--whether the first couple of times I was in it or the last couple I directed it--I assume it's the last. But it's like Al Pacino in Godfather 3: ‘Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in!'

"The show is one of those guilty pleasures," Alford continues. "There are all sorts of parts in it where you're thinking ‘I really shouldn't be laughing at this,' but you still laugh. It's kind of irresistible in that way. And Matt makes my job easy. He's a dream to work with. He's completely made the role his own. I think his work in the show is a great example of how gifted actors can take great writing, process it, and then turn it into something unique. And the way he interacts with the audience to make the show a little different every night is just a part of that: A great performer at the top of his game.

Chiorini appreciates working with Alford as well, and has pulled from Alford's experience.

"David's been very supportive of me in this role from the get-go. I'd been concerned on our first go-around (back in 2005!) that he'd start me with a list of things he'd done and tell me to duplicate them, but instead he's really helped me find my own way into the role and develop my own relationship with the audience.

"Plus, I'm funnier and he knows it, so I think he's intimidated by me. It's a common reaction," Chiorini concludes with a laugh.

Tennessee Rep's production of The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris runs November 19 - December 3 at TPAC's Johnson Theater.

Since 1985, Tennessee Repertory Theatre has been a critically acclaimed regional theatre, creating the highest quality professional productions and by serving as a prime cultural, educational, and economic resource within the Nashville and Middle Tennessee communities. Tennessee Rep produces work that is designed, built, and rehearsed in Nashville by highly skilled actors, designers, directors, and technicians. A non-profit organization, Tennessee Rep is committed to consistently delivering thought-provoking theatre each year. For more information on the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, please visit www.tennesseerep.org.