Review: THE SANTALAND DIARIES Is an Adult Christmas Treat

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.

ZACH Theatre has taken Mantello's script and fleshed it out into a full evening's entertainment by wrapping it inside a cabaret act. Directed by Abe Reybold, the show is an adult oriented piece that is a throwback to all those TV Christmas specials we all grew up on back in the era of the variety show. Reybold, who conceived the first act, has also peppered the evening with Austin oriented jokes and the end result is a charming and riotously funny look at the intersection of Christmas and retail.

Martin Burke stars as Crumpet, the elf, and as himself in the first act. Meredith McCall plays supporting characters in the second act and in the first act, is our chanteuse/hostess. Jason Connor is the musical accompanist.

Martin Burke is hilarious both as Crumpet and as himself in this piece and will have you in tears of laughter with "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "The Annoying Drummer Boy". His timing and physical comedy are impeccable. Meredith McCall possesses a sultry voice and two of her standout musical moments are "Text Me Merry Christmas" and "Surabaya Santa". She also is a wonderful foil to Burke. Both performers interact with the audience throughout the evening, sometimes to hilariously unexpected results. Both Burke and McCall proved quite adept at handling the unexpected, which infuses the evening with a remarkable freshness.

The tech is top notch from Aaron Bell's set to Blair Hurry's costumes and Eliot Hayne's sound design.

Give yourself a break from saccharine Christmas entertainment, and check out THE SANTALAND DIARIES, a comical examination of Christmas that encourages us to embrace the season in all its chaotic fun.

THE SANTALAND DIARIES by David Sedaris - adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello. Act One conceived by Abe Reybold.

Running time: Two Hours with one 20 minute intermission. Contains adult language and situations.

THE SANTALAND DIARIES, produced by Zach Theatre playing the Whisenhunt Stage (202 South Lamar Blvd.) November 25, 2015 - December 27, 2015. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 pm. Sundays at 2:30 PM. Reservations: http://tickets.zachtheatre.org/

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