If you are in need of a huge belly laugh, go see A Christmas Survival Guide now playing at the Santa Maria Civic Theatre (SMCT) on McClelland Street.
Santa Claus, with the most marvelous Elvis wig I have ever seen, appears as the penultimate Elvis impersonator at the end of Act I. Joe Bramble was downright hilarious in a musical number titled “Santa Claus is Back in Town.”
Santa-Elvis snapped his fingers in the middle of the song and said, “Let’s go girls,” to Sally Buchanan, Lynda Mondragon, and Valerie Pallai, who were his backup singers.
Not only was “Santa Claus is Back in Town” a fabulous Elvis and rock singer spoof, it was also a vehicle for showing us the “inner Joe.” He is a funny guy.
But, Bramble was not the only cast member who got laughs that night.
Buchanan has a knack for playing the over-the-top character (think Auntie Mame and Gypsy Rose Lee’s mother). Her “Surabaya Santa” number was right up her alley, allowing her to ham it up in the most entertaining way. She had the right amount of bounce for her part in “Sleigh Ride,” performed with Joe Bramble and Valerie Pallia (truthfully, the sleigh riders all bounced just right).
A Christmas Survival Guide is advertised as a musical comedy, but it’s really a musical revue—a stage show where there are more songs than dialogue. The show is a series of vignettes, enhanced by 19 musical numbers, only a few of which are recognizable. Most of the songs are originals, written by the authors James Hindman and Ray Roderick.
The theme of the revue is a book called A Christmas Survival Guide, written by a psychologist, who doesn’t appear on stage ever, but whose voice is heard over the speaker system. Jeffrey Staso does the honors as the psychologist/author/narrator. Each of the show’s numbers has to do with a seasonal psychological state or holiday experience.
A cast of five—three females and two males—took on a variety of personas during the revue. Bramble, Buchanan, Jaime Espinoza, Mondragon, and Pallai all had to juggle acting with singing.
Singer/actress Pallai is especially good with melancholy. Her rendition of “All Those Christmas Clichés” brought home the point that Christmas can be sad for some.
A Christmas Survival Guide was a fine opportunity for Mondragon to showcase one of her strong suits: her singing voice. We’ve seen her comic timing and comic skills elsewhere at SMCT, but this is the first time I’ve heard her sing.
Mondragon’s rendition of “The Twelve Steps of Christmas,” a parody on AA’s 12 steps, brought hoots of laughter. Later, in a poignant twist she sang “Little Girl Blue” and we saw another side of her talent.
Some of the songs in the revue are really snappy, with what I call a rock beat, while others are more somber and heartfelt.
This emotional range is actually the point of the whole show. Christmastime can be exasperating, tiring, emotionally painful, and stressful, but it sure can have its funny moments.
Actor Espinoza is the freshest face at SMCT, the new kid on the block. This was his first SMCT appearance and clearly he was rapturous over the experience. His face glowed with happiness when he was onstage.
The young man told me that he fell in love with theater at Pioneer Valley High School. SMCT board member and frequent show director Stuart Wenger encouraged him to try out for this part.
Espinoza’s solo “Oh Holy Night” was an indication of his singing talent. It’s a tough song to master, but he sang with the proper amount of restraint and delivered the goods—sweet and poignant.
Espinoza also donned a Santa suit during the show. He had a lot of fun singing “Santa Fantasy” and dancing, vaudeville style, with a candy cane.
Director Catherine Brown wrote in the program, “This show was not an easy one to mount.” When asked why, she replied that it was a challenge to find someone to do the music. Happily, she found Lacey McNamara, who did the orchestration. Alyce Taylor played the piano for rehearsals, and Chrissy Fogh did the recordings.
As an audience member, I must admit at being impressed by the quality of the music in such a small theater, and a community theater at that. Stage manager Paula Brown has every right to be pleased with this production.
Joe Brown was responsible for the minimalist but effective stage set with its multi-purpose props. SMCT always comes through with appropriate stage sets.
As stage manager, Paula kept everything running smoothly, while Lisa Ann Luis and James Moonier did the lighting design. David Bathe and Erica Croft ran the lights and sound.
Seeing this show not only helps you survive the holidays, it helps you enjoy them.
Helen Ann Thomas does more than just hobnob. You can reach her through Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 10-17, 2015.
