Review: THE SANTALAND DIARIES Generates Laughs at Desert Rose

As I exited the theater after THE SANTALAND DIARIES at the Desert Rose Playhouse, I heard one audience member say that her face hurt from excessive smiling during the performance. I, too, laughed repeatedly, although I was not quite as enthusiastic as the woman whose face hurt.

THE SANTALAND DIARIES is Joe Mantello's stage adaptation of David Sedaris's memoir of his experience working as Crumpet the Elf in SantaLand, at New York City's flagship Macy's. The one-act, one-actor comedy sounds like it should be family friendly, but it is not; the script describes stressed-out parents screaming at their children and stressed-out employees behaving unreasonably. The language includes the F-word, and Crumpet makes some decidedly un-Christmasy observations, including that "Santa" is an anagram of "Satan." The script also uses descriptions that are no longer considered appropriate, chief among them the word "retarded." I view this as a PG-13 play, because there is no sex of any kind, except for a few mild descriptions of attempts by one elf to pick up married women.

The Desert Rose production succeeds in providing an enjoyable experience, with some poignant moments along with the humor. However, I disagree with some of the choices by director Jim Strait and by Chris Clonts, who plays Crumpet. Specifically, I feel that the pacing is too slow for a story taking place during the busiest time of year at a famous department store in the city for which the phrase "New York minute" was coined. I would prefer that the action proceed at a more frenetic pace. Also, Mr. Clonts is at his best when he is doing something other than narrating, for example, when he portrays angry customers, or when he tries to talk a child out of a meltdown by threatening to have Santa steal all the family's appliances. I would have liked Mr. Clonts to have engaged in more of this kind of stage business.

Visually, the production is a delight. Mr. Strait, who designed the scenery, has created an atmosphere that I would describe as the nightmare on 34th Street, not because it is scary - it isn't - but because it loosely resembles the combination of a house of ill repute; a harem with a throne-like chair for the sheikh; and a cotton candy, diabetic-coma-inducing Norman Rockwell Victorian Christmas scene that we Jewish kids imagined everyone but us experienced in December. Phil Murphy's lighting succeeds in differentiating between the department store atmosphere and the moments in which even the employees sense something magical. Costume designer Robbie Wayne makes Crumpet's outfit appear so goofy that it is clear why the narrator is embarrassed to wear it - what adult wouldn't feel ridiculous in shoes with curled toes?

You're likely to have a good time at THE SANTALAND DIARIES, and a nontraditional Christmas theatre experience.

Performances of THE SANTALAND DIARIES are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, through December 18, 2016. Tickets are $35 for the evening performances and $32 for matinees. Season tickets for the four remaining productions (including this one) are still available.

The Desert Rose Playhouse is located just north of Frank Sinatra Boulevard, near the Emperor Buffet, at 69-620 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. The Box Office opens at 4 p.m. before evening performances and at noon on Sundays. Tickets are available at the box office, by phone at 760-202-3000, and by Internet at www.desertroseplayhouse.org. There is no service charge for Internet or phone orders.

Desert Rose Playhouse, as a 501(c)(3) organization, must collect a third of its funds through gifts from the public. The address for financial contributions is P.O. Box 2256, Cathedral City, CA 92235.

The rest of Desert Rose Playhouse's 2016-17 season consists of:

Desert Rose's Gay Heritage Production
VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM and COMA by Charles Busch, January 20 - February 12, 2017.
VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM tells the saga of two fatally seductive vampiresses whose paths first collide in ancient Sodom. Their bitter rivalry as bloodsuckers but more importantly, as actresses, endures for two thousand years with stops along the way in 1920's silent movie Hollywood and contemporary Las Vegas. Joining VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM is its companion piece, SLEEPING BEAUTY OR COMA, the classic fairy tale retold in the sixties mod London fashion world. Contains very funny adult material and brief nudity.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES by Del Shores, March 10 - April 2, 2017.
Storyteller Mark Lee Fuller tries to create a world of love and acceptance in the church and clubs of Dallas, Texas, while desperately trying to find a place to put his own pain and rage. The world Mark creates also includes two older barflies, Peanut and Odette, whose banter takes the audience from hysterical laughter to tragedy and tears. Contains adult material and brief nudity.

Clark Gable SLEPT HERE, by Michael McKeever, April 28 - May 21, 2017.
One of the silver screen's brightest action stars charms his way through the Golden Globe Awards ceremony accompanied by his wife. Meanwhile, back at the Chateau Marmont, his staff tries to figure out what to do with the naked dead male prostitute on his bedroom floor. A jet-black satire on what it means to be a "man" in the make-believe world of motion pictures, where nothing is ever what it seems and closets are used for so much more than hanging up your tuxedo. Adult material and nudity.

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