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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">THE SANTALAND
DIARIES and LOUSH SISTERS at 14<sup>th</sup> Street Theatre</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">(Member,
American Theatre Critics Association)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">--THE TIMES
NEWSPAPERS--</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black">Lorain County
Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">--<a href="http://coolcleveland.com">coolcleveland.com</a>—</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Author and entertainer
David Sedaris has a knack of finding what’s funny and ironic about life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s at his best when he takes on the
mundane and less dramatic incidents of existence. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Christmas is
one of those times that brings out the best and the worst in people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is very evident in THE SANTLAND
DIARIES, a rendition of which is now on stage at the 14<sup>th</sup> Street
Theatre in PlayhouseSquare, which is cosponsoring the production with Cleveland Public Theatre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The playlet
concerns Sedaris, experiencing life as a struggling writer in New York, who
seeks out and secures a job as an elf at Macy’s flagship department store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s 33-years old and takes on the role
of Crumpet, dressed in red and white stripped stockings, green tights, tasseled
cap, and an oh so gay holiday tunic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The show
illuminates Sedaris’s dark comic observations on human life including the
threats of parents when their kids aren’t thrilled about sitting on Santa’s
lap, the drunk Santas, the kids who urinate in the fake snow, the fellow elf
who can’t figure out why she can’t have the job on an all year basis, and what
happens when the “real” Santa appears.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">There are
various ways of interpreting the role of Crumpet.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Kevin Joseph Kelly, this season’s elf, with the help of
director Elizabeth Wood, decides sarcasm is the right route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Now, it has
to be understood that KJK is at his best when he is cross-dressing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s made a career of putting his size
14 feet into high heels, adding some padding to a bra, and stuffing his ample
body into a dress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s been
Albin, the drag queen in LA CAGES AUX FOLLES.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>He’s portrayed Edna, an over-sized woman played by a man, in
HAIRSPRAY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And he makes an
appearance in a spangling dress in THE LOUSH SISTERS, the second act of this
SANTALAND DIARIES.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s at his
best in drag. Hmm, wonder what would have happened if he and Wood had decided
to take a different approach and let Kelly do his drag thing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s something to ponder for future
presentations.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">But the duo
stuck to the traditional, so we have Kelly, as a sarcastic Crumpet, a Paul
Lynde with too tight tighty-whities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>That approach doesn’t get all the laughs that are inherent in the
script.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s not that Kelly is
bad, he’s quite okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s just
that the play tends to work better with a more adorable or curmudgeonly
approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As the lady
sharing the table with me said, “I thought this was going to be cute and
funny.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The second
act is Liz Conway and Sheffia Randall Dooley as the Loush sisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The mixed race “sisters” put out full
effort, do a nice job of singing a blend of various holiday and non-Yuletide songs,
get some laughs, and do some cute shticks.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>The highlight was Kelly’s appearance as the sisters’ sequins
dressed full-figured mama and his version of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal">Rose’s Turn</i> from GYPSY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The act is
one of those segments of entertainment that when it ends, is quickly
forgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s not a
slam, just a comment on what was…okay, but no brass ring.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>THE SANTA CLAUS DIARIES is an evening
of looking at life through the eyes of life commentator David Sedaris, which
gets an acceptable presentation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">For tickets
to the show which runs through December 17, call 216-241-6000 or go to <a href="http://www.playhousesquare.org/"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">www.playhousesquare.org</span></a>.</span><span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino-Roman;
color:black"></span></p>