[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of the 26th year of SANTASIA – A Holiday Comedy! at the Whitefire Theatre, running through December 27.
Well, 26 years of anything in Los Angeles is pretty impressive. For a play to return for this many years, SANTASIA has officially become a ‘vintage’ L.A. show!
Every year, the Whitefire theatre is packed with Santasia-ites, all eager for their annual fix of this classic Valley treat.
Grown men playing small children, tender memories from their own childhoods rolled out for our entertainment and delight. Hilarious reenactments of precious and mostly very weird scenes from holidays filled with family and friends. As well as brand new versions of classics like The Jerry Springer Show and incredibly performed and superbly choreographed strip teases, toboggan rides and dance numbers…there’s really nothing like this show!
Then there are the wonderful claymation shorts filled with stories about snowmen and penguins trying to fly and parents trying their best to build vastly complicated toys for Christmas morning. And a truly brilliant do over of the Jules and Vincent miracle scene in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction…which is just as deadly and much more hilarious. An improvement on the original, I think. There are many more shorts, live action mostly that have been added over the years. For regulars, it’s like a walk into the past, with a cast that has long since retired and themes perhaps a little more relevant decades ago, but just as warmly received today.
But SANTASIA is not only for the dedicated fans. There are always plenty of newbie audiences, even at opening night. And although us veterans might seem possibly a little over the top to them all at first, they seem to loosen up after a while and laugh and wince in all the right places.
Christmas truly would not be Christmas without SANTASIA. I did hear a rumour a couple of years ago that they might be fazing this masterpiece out. But, thankfully, it was just a wicked lie and the sighs of relief reverberated around The Valley, I can tell you!
We need our beloved routines and our traditions more than ever, don’t we? Just being together in a space where we can all love something, laugh and cry and experience a heartfelt and deeply appreciated piece of live theatre is a healing thing. Once the lights go down and the music starts, you know you are worlds away from all the strife and stress and bitterness.
Photo by Brandon Loeser.
SANTASIA is as magical as Christmas itself. And just as emotionally rewarding.
The audience always walks out after the show with wide smiles and full hearts. It’s a gift from these hard-working people to us…lord knows theatre is hardly a profitable endeavour! But SANTASIA is more than a play; it’s everything you love about humans. Full of fun and wildly creative, relentlessly naughty and raucous with a heart of solid gold.
If you have never been before, you will not regret it, and if you have, then here’s a reminder to go again.
So here’s to the next 26 years, SANTASIA!!!!
They always sell out…so don’t dawdle!!!
Tickets:
https://www.santasia.com/tickets
Where:
Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
When:
December 12-27
Wednesday, Thursday (only week 3) Friday, Saturday @ 8pm, Sunday @ 3pm
SANTASIA Cast
The cast features the talents of Brandon Loeser, Shaun Loeser, Omar Heywood, Chey Kennedy, Rusty Locke, Tara Jean O’Brien and Pearson Loeser (Understudy).
The Crew
The crew includes Tania L Pearson-Loeser (Original Choreographer), Stacey Quinealty (Musical Director/Composer), Wynn Zucchero (Lighting Designer), Mitch Rosander (Stage Manager), and Banzai Vitale (Stage Manager)