[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of the 25th year of SANTASIA – A Holiday Comedy! at the Whitefire Theatre from December 6-22.
It’s that SANTASIA time of year again! Huzzah!! And this year marks their 25th year anniversary…which really is something, isn’t it? Twenty five years of making people laugh and cry and thankful to be a part, if only the audience part, of something so special and worthwhile as the holiday extravaganza that is SANTASIA.
For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, I envy you. I envy you your first time sitting in the Whitefire Theatre, eager, wracked with excitement and anticipation because everyone has told you how amazing it is. And when the lights dim, the music starts and the audience around you erupts into cheers and laughter for the sketches they have seen many times before and stop-motion shorts they wait all year to see yet again, you will undoubtedly understand what all the fuss is about. How lucky are we all for the chance to see several very grown men strip down to their thongs and give us their very best come hither look as they wiggle their hips and twirl their etceteras to Tom Jones’s utterly unforgettable rendition of You Can Keep Your Hat On.
The moments they capture in song and in many many achingly funny scenes and heartfelt reenactments of memories from their childhoods are as poignant as ever. Over the years their hair may have grown more silvery and their waistlines sweetly softened, just like our own, but we can all revel with them, pondering the love of life and significance of togetherness, the crucial human connections we forge and that love is always the ‘everything’ we need.
It’s an epic show, with truly funny performances and very creative sarcastic takes on seasonal family aches and pains. Putting up the Christmas tree lights, Christmas dinners, kids seeing Santa, presents under the tree, holiday love affairs with snowy strangers and nutsacks carefully tended. Double entendres abound and physical comedy is king. This is a group of highly accomplished stunt men and women…so they really are up for anything with the very able assistance of a lovely choreographer and brilliantly written sketches. SANTASIA really is all it’s cracked up to be. And this year, 25 years on, and eight years since I first became a fan, they just seem to be better than ever.
So here’s to the next 25 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 6-22
Wednesday, Thursday (only week 3) Friday, Saturday @ 8pm, Sunday @ 3pm
The Cast
The cast features the talents of Brandon Loeser (Producer, Technical Director, Actor, Co-Writer, Actor), Shaun Loeser (Producer, Director, Actor, Co-Writer), Rusty Locke (Actor), Tara Jean O’Brien (Actor), Omar Heyward (Actor), and Chey Kennedy (Actor).
The Team
The production team includes Tania L Pearson-Loeser (Choreographer, Assistant Director, Producer, Co-Writer), Stacey Quinealty (Musical Director/Composer), Wynn Zucchero (Associate Producer, Lighting Designer), Mitch Rosander (Stage Manager) and Banzai Vitale (Stage Manager).