Open Stage's THE SANTALAND DIARIES Opens Today

Nothing says "holiday spirit" like temper tantrums and sozzled Santas! Open Stage mixes up their offerings this holiday season with very adult fare in David Sedaris' wickedly funny THE SANTALAND DIARIES, playing November 25th - December 17th. Open Stage regular and staff member Stuart Landon will don the green velvet elf costume and take on the one-man show. Open Stage presents this new holiday offering as part of its Subscription Series at The Angino Family Theatre. The comedy opens (of course) on Black Friday.

In 1992, brilliant American humorist David Sedaris debuted THE SANTALAND DIARIES on National Public Radio, delighting listeners with a cheeky look back at his experience of moving to New York City and finding a job as Crumpet the Elf at Macy's SantaLand. Four years later, Tony Award-winning director Joe Mantello (Love! Valour! Compassion!, Wicked, The Vagina Monologues, Glengarry Glen Ross) adapted the short story into a one-­?man show that has since become a modern Christmas classic. Sedaris has received great critical acclaim, including being named Humorist of the Year by Time Magazine in 2001. In 2004, two of Sedaris' works were nominated for Grammy Awards: his reading of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim was nominated for Best Spoken Word Album, and Live at Carnegie Hall was nominated for Best Comedy Album.

The play's main character, David, arrives in the Big Apple with grand hopes of "going straight from Penn Station to the offices of One Life to Live" and becoming a famous soap opera writer. With his lofty career aspirations quickly frustrated, however, he accepts a dare from his roommate and applies for a job as a department store elf. David's journey takes the audience through the application process; his days of Elf Training; and an entire holiday season filled with thousands of visitors to SantaLand, a variety of difficult Santas, the politics of dealing with elf coworkers, and his struggle to survive an often humiliating job during the crassest, most over-­? commercialized, and sometimes depressing time of year without losing his sanity or heart.

"Even if you've seen THE SANTALAND DIARIES before, you've never seen it like this," said Executive Artistic Director Donald L. Alsedek, who is directing the comedy. "You owe it to yourself to see Stuart Landon in candy cane tights."

"What makes THE SANTALAND DIARIES so delicious," expounds Landon. "is that underneath the cynical, sarcastic, and often biting crusty surface of the Sedaris world-­? view lies the cream filling of redemption: it's not too late. But the SANTALAND dish is slathered in hot sauce and won't rot your teeth."

The design team of THE SANTALAND DIARIES includes scenic design by Jim Woland, who designed Open Stage's [title of show] and AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY last season, as well as costume design by Open Stage Resident Costume Designer Gwen Alsedek.

Stuart Landon is a proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma A. Max Weitzenhoffer Department of Musical Theatre. In addition to THE SANTALAND DIARIES, Landon has appeared at Open Stage in A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Fred), LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Seymour), WELL, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (Hedwig), DOUBT (Father Flynn), [title of show] (Hunter), and COURT STREET CABARET. His productions with other companies include LUCKY STIFF, OKLAHOMA!, THE FULL MONTY, CLUE, INTO THE WOODS, THE ODD COUPLE, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, NUNSENSE A-MEN, FOREVER PLAID, MY WAY, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, HAIR, and CHESS. Landon has also worked at Millbrook Playhouse, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma City, Findlay Summer Stock and Houston's Theatre Under the Stars.

Performances of THE SANTALAND DIARIES take place November 25 to December 17 at Open Stage of Harrisburg's intimate Angino Family Theatre, located at 223 Walnut Street on the street (S) level of the Walnut Street Garage in downtown Harrisburg. The street entrance is off of Court Street. Join Open Stage for 3rd in the Burg on December 16!
The theatre lobby opens one hour prior to performance. This season is funded, in part, by the Cultural Enrichment Fund, the capital region's united arts fund. Open Stage of Harrisburg is a Constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for American theatre.

Evening Performances (8pm): November 25, 26, December 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17.
Sunday Matinees (2pm): December 4 & 11
Post performance Talkback - December 4th Sunday Matinee.
Opening Night Performance & Party: November 25
Limited $15 tickets are available on Thrifty Thursdays, sponsored by PSEA, on December 1, 8, 15

Admission is $29 Regular and $21 Student (with valid ID)
Online: www.openstagehhbg.com
By Phone: 717-232-OPEN (6736)
In Person: at the Open Stage Box Office, located at the theatre, 223 Walut St. (Hours: M-F, 12:30-3pm)

THE SANTALAND DIARIES is recommended for mature audiences due to language.

 

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