David Sedaris News

Portland favorite Darius Pierce brings Crumpet the Elf to life in THE SANTALAND DIARIES, a funny, touching adaptation of an essay by David Sedaris.

The Human Race Theatre Company shares its brand of off-kilter holiday cheer with one of today's most popular-and most outlandish-Christmastime stage plays. Meet the quintessential elf-gone-bad as he relives a series of less-than-merry misadventures in David Sedaris' hysterical antidote for holiday havoc, The Santaland Diaries. Spend some time with the irreverent Crumpet-one of Santa's little helpers during the Macy's Christmas shopping rush-as he handles the hordes of insufferable shoppers and their kiddies with whacked out, wicked wit. This one-man, one-act production on The Loft Theatre stage features the talents of two Human Race Resident Artists in its star, Tim Lile, and director, Scott Stoney.

Forget visions of sugarplums and carols sung fireside! The Castle Craig Players have an alternative way to keep things jolly this holiday season -- irreverent comedy, with the hilarious play THE SANTALAND DIARIES. This sardonic 'one-elf show' by award-winning American humorist David Sedaris, will run for four performances only -- this weekend, December 10-13 -- on the group's intimate Meriden stage.

Back by popular demand: David Sedaris' perfect antidote to holiday madness. For those who like a little jeer with their Christmas cheer, The Santaland Diaries offers Crumpet, a 33-year-old starving artist turned Macy's elf. It's the most wonderful time of the year, but who would know it from the bad Santas, naughty elves, cranky kids, and pushy parents who test Crumpet's last elfin nerve. With sardonic wit, Sedaris takes us all playfully to task for plunging into the Christmas spirit while missing the point. This is for mature elves only.

Forget visions of sugarplums and carols sung fireside! The Castle Craig Players have an alternative way to keep things jolly this holiday season - irreverent comedy, with the hilarious play THE SANTALAND DIARIES. This sardonic "one-elf show" by award-winning American humorist David Sedaris, opens Thursday and runs for four performances only, through December 13 - on the group's intimate Meriden stage.

A disgruntled elf at Christmas time? Well,  I'm sure everyone remembers Hermey, the wanna be dentist elf featured in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, who was unsatisfied with his elfin duties. But another elf story has become a holiday tradition on NPR and in regional theatres across the US. Humorist David Sedaris' THE SANTALAND DIARIES is playing  at Roadless Traveled Theatre and making quite an impression on holiday theatre goers.

SantaLand Diaries is arguably the defining short story that put the now iconic essayist, NPR regular, and perpetual sardonic wit, David Sedaris on the literary map back in 1992. The story was adapted as a one-man stage production by Joe Mantello (Wicked, Take Me Out, Assassins) in 1996. The tale tells Sedaris' sarcastic story of his holiday season stint as Crumpet, one of Santa's Christmas elves at Macy's flagship New York City store. Mantello's adaptation, like the original, brings us behind the scenes of Macy's famous holiday attraction, counting down the days till Christmas using Sedaris' signature cynical style. The shop talk of a 33-year old, snarky, gay, man-elf includes ridiculous memories of a crew of bitter Santas, exasperated parents, puking children and utterly confused foreign tourists. In the end, Crumpet simultaneously tears down our sugar-coated image of a child's annual visit to see Santa, while leaving us inspired that the Christmas spirit somehow manages to live on in even the most bitter of St. Nick's little helpers.

Road Less Traveled Productions (RLTP) presents its second annual holiday offer as part of its 2015-2016 season, David Sedaris & Joe Mantello's The Santaland Diaries. RLTP's production of this hilariously irreverent one-man show features Kevin Kennedy in the role of David Sedaris under the direction of Doug Weyand. BroadwayWorld has a first look at Kennedy onstage below!

If you're allergic to shopping malls, excessive commercialism or egg nog, The Ringwald Theatre has the perfect solution to restore a smile to your overburdened holidays. Opening December 17th for an exclusive five-day engagement is the return of the comedic duo of The SantaLand Diaries & Season's Greetings from award-winning humorist David Sedaris and adapted for the stage by acclaimed director Joe Mantello and featuring Joe Bailey and Brandy Joe Plambeck.

Road Less Traveled Productions (RLTP) presents its second annual holiday offer as part of its 2015-2016 season, David Sedaris & Joe Mantello's The Santaland Diaries. RLTP's production of this hilariously irreverent one-man show features Kevin Kennedy in the role of David Sedaris under the direction of Doug Weyand. BroadwayWorld has a first look at Kennedy onstage below!

Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 2015-16 season  with the return of David Sedaris' THE SANTALAND DIARIES, directed by Kansas City Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Eric Rosen and starring Brian Sills as Crumpet the Elf.

Music Theatre of Connecticut MainStage, Fairfield County's award-winning professional theatre company, continues its 2015/2016 season with David Sedaris' 'The Santaland Diaries.' Performances are December 11-20, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, Sundays at 2pm, at Music Theatre of Connecticut, 509 Westport Avenue (behind Nine West) in Norwalk, CT. Tickets range from $35-$55 and are available by calling 203.454.3883 or visiting www.musictheatreofct.com

David Sedaris wrote 'SantaLand Diaries', an essay that is a humorous account of Sedaris' stint working as a Christmas elf in 'SantaLand' at Macy's department store. Sedaris first read the essay on NPR's Morning Edition on December 23, 1992. Well-received, it became Sedaris' first major break. In 1996, Joe Mantello adapted Sedaris' essay for the stage as a one-man, one-act play, which debuted (as THE SANTALAND DIARIES) at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York on November 7, 1996. Mantello's adaptation has since become a seasonal staple of regional, college and high-school theatre.

Two of the Valley's favorite and most-celebrated actors will bring their special gifts to the holiday season in limited engagement one-person performances of Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, and David Sedaris' hilarious anti-holiday tale, The Santaland Diaries. Produced by Arizona Theatre Company in association with the Herberger Theatre Center, both shows will play in an intimate custom-built 250-seat stage-within-a-stage located in the grandly theatrical setting of Center Stage in downtown Phoenix.

This year we celebrate the 14th anniversary of everyone's favorite mall elf, Crumpet, in THE SANTALAND DIARIES by David Sedaris and adapted to the stage by Joe Mantello. See the show that has become an 'anti-holiday tradition' for San Francisco's audiences and escape the craziness of the holidays with Combined Artform at the Eureka Theatre.

David Sedaris, America's best-selling literary funnyman, returns to Valley Performing Arts Center for an evening of his captivating and hilarious storytelling tonight, November 21 at 8pm.

Director and choreographer Marc Robin turns the Christmas musical into an over the top extravaganza with tap, tap, and more tap routines. It's a whole new world of Christmas happiness.

Returning for its 17th anniversary production, Horizon Theatre Company turns "ho ho ho" into "ha ha ha" as it reprises its popular production of The Santaland Diaries by award-winning satirist David Sedaris, November 20-December 31. The perfect laughter-spiked antidote to the holiday blues, Creative Loafing calls this non-traditional, adult-only, Christmas comedy "a fiendishly exhilarating, politically incorrect send-up of the holidays."

Fear not fans of subversive holiday entertainment. Theater Wit is re-gifting Chicago with its 12th annual staging of The Santaland Diaries, adapted by Joe Mantello, based on David Sedaris's true comic tale of his hilarious stint as one of Santa's elves at Macy's Department Store.

Back by popular demand: David Sedaris' perfect antidote to holiday madness. For those who like a little jeer with their Christmas cheer, The Santaland Diaries offers Crumpet, a 33-year-old starving artist turned Macy's elf. It's the most wonderful time of the year, but who would know it from the bad Santas, naughty elves, cranky kids, and pushy parents who test Crumpet's last elfin nerve. With sardonic wit, Sedaris takes us all playfully to task for plunging into the Christmas spirit while missing the point. This is for mature elves only.