Theater At Monmouth Presents THE SANTALAND DIARIES

Theater at Monmouth presents the cult holiday hit, The Santaland Diaries, adapted by Joe Mantello from David Sedaris' best-selling book Holidays on Ice. This modern holiday classic, made famous when it aired on National Public Radio, recounts the tale of Sedaris' stint as a Macy's Department Store elf named "Crumpet." Sedaris' off-kilter, witty, and often sentimental holiday memoir (not suitable for children) will have you laughing into the New Year!

The Santaland Diaries features TAM favorite Mike Anthony as Crumpet, the quintessential elf-gone-bad, as he relates a series of merry misadventures in this antidote for holiday havoc. Spend some time with one of Santa's little helpers during Macy's Christmas shopping rush as he handles the hordes of insufferable shoppers and their kiddos with whacked out wisdom and wicked humor. Producing Artistic Director, Dawn McAndrews explains, "You know that old saying when something goes terribly wrong, 'Someday we will laugh about this'? Well, that's exactly what David Sedaris has done; he's taken the memory of an awful job during a rough year in his life, and turned it into a delightfully funny and deliciously decadent lesson for us all."

David Sedaris made his NPR debut in 1992, when he read his essay titled The Santaland Diaries on the show "Morning Edition." Since then, Sedaris has gone on to publish multiple bestselling books including Me Talk Pretty One Day and Let's Talk Diabetes with Owls. He also has been a frequent contributor on NPR's popular radio show, "This American Life," all of which has contributed to his reputation as one of America's top humorists. Sedaris' story was adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello and premiered on November 7, 1996 at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York City.

"Performing the role of Crumpet the Elf is a dream come true" says Mike Anthony. Mike spread holiday cheer from 2012-14 in This Wonderful Life based on Frank Capra's classic film and is back for his second year of curmudgeonly fun as Crumpet the Elf. When not at TAM, he has been starring in Hamilton on Broadway. In the lobby. Behind the bar. Selling Junior Mints. While there he hung out with President Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Harrison Ford, Oprah Winfrey, and Amy Schumer (the tabloids were all about the $2,000 tip she left him, but the real story is their love). Who knew how far overpriced candy could get a guy? On a more serious note, Mike is currently producing a documentary about the possibility that life doesn't end when the body does. He's been honored to experience some life-changing moments in the course of the film and plans to share those moments in the not-too-distant-future. While studying the possibility of an afterlife, one thing has become abundantly clear to him-the miracle of THIS life, of which Theater at Monmouth is a large part.

On Thanksgiving Day, tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance are $10 with the donation of a non-perishable food item for the Monmouth Food Pantry. Non-perishable food donations will be accepted at all performances. Please note, The Santaland Diaries is for Mature Elves Only. Tickets for all other performances are $28.

Performance calendar: PREVIEW 11/22 at 7:30 p.m.; OPENING 11/23 at 7:30 p.m.; additional performance dates 11/24, 11/29, 11/30, 12/1 at 7:30 p.m.; 11/24, 11/25, 12/1, 12/2 at 1:00 p.m. For tickets, please contact the TAM Box Office at 207.933.9999 or visit www.theateratmonmouth.org.

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