Review: THE SANTALAND DIARIES at Capital Fringe

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.

As you walk up the long stairwell to the theater at the Logan Fringe Arts Space, you pass by dozens of prettily wrapped Christmas packages and into a room lit with projected snowflakes and alternating red and green lights, and playing a great pre-show soundtrack of holiday music. The raised circular stage allows for two rows of seats to surround it on all sides. The set, like the lighting design (lights by Marianne Meadows), is minimal but effective. The design elements are all sufficient enough to let you know that you're in for an intimate, kitschy holiday story without becoming too distracting or upstaging the acting.

This production marks the fifth time since 2008 that Matty Griffiths and Joe Brack have teamed up to produce THE SANTALAND DIARIES. However, this is the first time that they have flipped roles, with Brack directing and Griffiths taking on the role of the curmudgeonly elf, Crumpet. Make no mistake, a 90-minute production with a single person cast that is staged in-the-round poses many challenges to director and actor alike. Unfortunately this particular production felt under-rehearsed and didn't rise to the occasion. Specifically, Brack's staging was often erratic and lacked purpose and rarely added any interesting physical punctuation to the story. At times it felt that Crumpet was simply pacing around the stage to ensure that he was giving appropriate face-time to his 360-degree audience. Meanwhile, Griffith's stacottoed delivery and handful of bumbled lines made it seem that that the actor's memory was barely keeping up with the lines before him, making his performance sometimes awkward to watch. That said, I suspect that the show will become more fluid and consistent with a few more performances under its belt.

Still, the shining star of this show is the script itself. Whether you are an avid fan of Sedaris' writing or if you're approaching the story for the first time, you will likely be tickled by Crumpet's humorous grumblings. It's a delight to be let in on the real-life workings of Santa's department store village and the lives of its quirky residents. So, despite this production's rough edges, you will find yourself frequently laughing out loud at THE SANTALAND DIARIES.

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