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| Max Tachis as an elf in David Sedaris's "The Santaland Diaries." (Kevin Berne photo) |
Filing into the theater, the audience sees a delicious
set that holds great promise for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s production of
“The Santaland Diaries.”
Designer Christopher Fitzer’s confection is a
virtual throne of candy canes and gingerbread beneath a sign declaring “Welcome
to Santaland.” Behind it is an array of Christmas trees with little white
lights.
It’s all quite inviting. In fact, a sign in the
lobby says that because of new union rules regarding copyrights, audience
members may take photos before and after the show, and quite a few did at the
opening. No photography or recording is allowed during the show.
This one-man show, written by David Sedaris and
adapted by Joe Mantello, details his experiences as a 33-year-old would-be
actor who becomes a cynical Santa’s elf at Macy’s in New York City in the early
‘90s. TheatreWorks promotes it for mature audiences because it’s definitely not
kiddie fare.
It features Max Tachis, whose takes the elf name
Crumpet. Before being hired, however, he undergoes a lengthy interview process,
even urine testing. Once he passes that hurdle, he goes through extensive
training.
Finally, he dons his costume and joins the army of
elves at stations along the way to Santaland and the bearded man in red
himself.
Each day there are new trials and tribulations, many
of them involving not the kids but their pushy parents. Each day is more
exhausting than the one before.
At one point, Tachis expertly manipulates a handheld
puppet (designed by Mark Stys) to tell his story.
All of this could be quite amusing. Indeed, many in
the opening night audience found many places to laugh.
On the other hand, it seems that, under the
direction of Jeffrey Lo, Tachis is trying too hard for laughs as he paces the
stage. It also seems odd that his character is constantly swigging some kind of
alcohol without explaining or showing its effects.
The show comes closest to the holiday spirit near the
end when the Santa on duty Christmas Eve makes every child and parent feel
attractive and special. However, that warm feeling is quickly dissipated by
Crumpet’s encounter with a crabby supervisor.
Completing the design team are Jill C. Bowers for
costumes, Mia Kumamoto for lighting and Howard Ho for sound.
This production marks TheatreWorks’ first foray to
Foothill College’s Lohman Theatre, a comfortable venue for a one-man show.
Running about 75 minutes with no intermission,
“The Santaland Diaries” will continue through Dec. 23 at the college, 12345 S. El
Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. For tickets and information, call (650) 463-1960
or visit www.theatreworks.org.
