Goodman Theatre presents THE SANTALAND DIARIES Review

It is around this time of year where all of the traditional holiday stories come to the stage. There are stories of a “Scrooge” learning from the mistakes of his past, a young girl receiving a magical nutcracker, or even a character witnessing the miracle of Hanukkah. While the Goodman Theatre produces A Christmas Carol on one side of the building, there is a story so bitingly funny and honest on the other that embraces all sides of the holiday season – both the positive, and the very, very negative.

Goodman Theatre presents The Santland Diaries

Adapted from David Sedaris’ essay by Joe Mantello, this one-man-show follows an actor (Matt Crowle) so strapped for cash, that he finds himself having to accept a job as a holiday elf by the name of Crumpet at Macy’s Santland. Based on Sedaris’ own experiences in this position, Crowle’s character takes the audience through his journey from the moment he applied, through the interview, training, and finally holding the job until Christmas Eve. Directed by Steve Scott, the production is hilarious, keeping the audience laughing from start to finish as Crowle takes the audience through this highly detailed account.

Stunning Design

The story itself is set up like a series of diary entries, and Scott and his artistic team place the piece on top what would be a Macy’s Santaland set. Scenic Designer Kevin Depinet showers the stage with Christmas spirit, with Santa’s throne center stage, and a large “Ho Ho Ho” in metallic blue that arches overhead. There are enormous Christmas presents that line up alongside a white staircase that lights up at key moments of use in the story. Sound Designer Christopher Kriz floods the space with Christmas Tunes at various points throughout, helping further transport us into the location.

Crowle never leaves the stage, and Scott creatively helps him utilize the space to its fullest in order to keep up the momentum of the story. One such example occurs when Crowle reaches the point in which he must change into his Elf costume. Scott cleverly places the costume inside one of the large prop presents, which Crowle must open in order to reveal this “monstrosity” (perfectly created by Costume Designer Rachel Lambert) that he must wear for the holiday season. As he describes the candy cane-striped tights, the pointy shoes, and the green velvet jacket with matching hat, he pulls each piece out of the present as a big reveal. The Opening Night audience went wild as Crowle transformed into Crumpet, which only heightened the moment as he went on to continue his tale in full costume.

Fantastic Relationship with the Audience

The production may be a one-man-show, but the audience almost becomes a second character, with Crowle feeding off their energy. Looking around, this writer was amazed at how engaged this audience was with Crowle’s stellar performance – complete with spot-on comedic timing and an ability to respond and improvise along with audience reactions. One such moment occurred when Crowle changed into his Crumpet costume, and the audience began to cheer and whistle at him. Rather than ignoring them, Crowle played along as the character who so deeply hates the situation in which he finds himself, throwing his snark right back at us, mocking us for our excitement. Moments like this helped create a more intimate setting for the story, making it feel as if we as the audience are in on the jokes and sharing the fun.

The training process on how to become the Elf occurs fairly early in the play, and Scott and Crowle find another moment to utilize the audience and draw them into the action. Crowle is mocking the training official, who is so excited about the holiday season and bringing Santa’s Elves to Macys. Crowle tells of how the official has a cheer in which he leads his new staff, inviting them to spell “SANTA.” Rather than simply re-telling however, Crowle leads the audience in the chant – splitting the group into two sections, and inviting Section A to scream “S”, Section B to scream “A”, and switching off until Santa is fully formed. The Opening Night audience was fully invested, chanting along with him, feeding into the energy that helps push the joke over the top.

A True Christmas Story

No Christmas tale is complete without the main character learning a little something about himself, and The Santaland Diaries certainly does not fail in that regard. This writer does not want to give away the ending, but the story traverses through a range of emotions. While this tale about Crumpet the Elf is full of dark humor and a certain negativity about the holidays, there are also moments of pure genuine honesty and hope, and this writer felt that Scott and Crowle masterfully traverse that terrain.

Clever wit, compelling story, and a performer full of talent and charm make The Santaland Diaries, in this writer’s view, a must-see for this holiday season.