Santaland Diaries, a Solo Comedy Based on David Sedaris' True Holiday Tale
Off-Market Theater (965 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94103)
- Full Price:
- $25.00
- Our Price:
- $10.00 - $12.50*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Santaland Diaries have expired.
The last date listed for Santaland Diaries was Wednesday December 30, 2009 / 8:00pm.
Most Popular Theater Event Nearby:
After the Fall: Rarely Produced Classic by Arthur Miller from HumanArts Theater Company
- Full Price:
- $25.00
- Our Price:
- $12.50
Based on the playwright's life and considered one of Arthur Miller's most personal plays, After The Fall follows a man on his quest to make peace with his own history and with the tumultuous world around him. This experimental portrait of a man struggling with the choices he has made in his public and private life examines the personal, political and universal forces that collide when we "fall" from innocence. Following the death of his second wife, Quentin tries to move forward, but he must also relive childhood losses, failed marriages and the effects of the 1950s' Blacklist. This rarely produced classic is presented by the HumanArts Theater Company. Learn More
Goldstar Member Tips
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Goldstar Member on What to Wear
Super casual
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Goldstar Member on Where to Eat
They had wine & beer for sell
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karah on Where to Park
Parking on the street wasn't bad, there's a garage a few blocks down as well.
Goldstar Member Reviews
Ingenue
I came into this show with little to no expectations really since I knew no actor could ever really live up to David Sedaris delivering this monologue. This actor did alright & he looked adorable in his elf costume with all his frenetic gesturing. I particularly liked the sign-language bit. Overall, it was a good show.Written on Dec 29 2009
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Ken in Kensington
This is a holiday delight for the entire family or at least anyone over the age of ten. It takes you behind the scenes at Macy's and serves up the full skinny on Santa, Macy's style.Written on Dec 21 2009
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RC
Good old fashioned Christmas cheer - :) I grew up in New York City and remember going to Santaland at the Macy's Store on Herald Square....so for me this was a riot.... .Written on Dec 17 2009
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joey
There's a reason that casting agents exist. For film as well as ensemble plays. When it comes to solo performances though, it's always a crap shoot. There are way too many people who think they can fill the shoes on stage of covering original material from beloved cultural icons. In this case, David Sinaiko either convinced himself or others convinced him to perform David Sedaris' piece, Santaland Diaries. It was without a doubt one of the most mis-cast performances I've ever seen.Written on Dec 14 2009
A huge reason that Santaland Diaries works for Sedaris is due to his effeminate nature. He's clearly an outsider - a very soft, gay man - so NOT from the hetero-land that surrounds him in Macy's 1991, and his appearance as well as his entire vibe speaks volumes to this fact. Sedaris doesn't pass for straight. He couldn't even if he wanted to. And it's what makes the humor work for this piece. His manner of speech, the nuanced way he confides his feelings about seeing the younger naked co-workers in Santaland, and his obsession with soap opera celebrities just SCREAMS "gay!", so that all of his stories need that type of performer to be able to pull off the material. Not one thing about Sedaris is straight- with the exception of a cigarette that you may find him holding.
Sinaiko on the other hand just seems like he belongs on stage pounding away anonymously on a set of drums or standing behind an electric bass in some has-been rocker boy band that were lucky enough to get one gig in a dark bar very late at night before they close and only the waitresses are their audience. He could easily pass for the suburban hubby in a straight couple pushing a stroller along in the Castro and looking at 'all the gays' as they walk by. He passes and could blend in hetero-world so when the material calls for him to comment on anything sexual about other men, it just feels, well...creepy. Unfunny.
He's simply awful to watch. It was shear torture. That Sedaris is so well known as a personality should have been considered as a top priority when someone suggested, "Hey! Let's put on performances of Santaland Diaries" this holiday season! Let's not worry that the actor fits the part or not! Let's give just ANY GUY the job!"
NOT!
Especially NOT in San Francisco where there is a plethora of effeminate gay men who are good at comic performance pieces.
I was cringing within the first two minutes and fantasizing that our own San Francisco Scott Capurro would step on stage any moment and snap his fingers and make Sinaiko disappear- just like that! And step into the role just fine. It would have been the better choice. Without this being top priority, the material is murdered and as an admirer of Sedaris, I just felt offended by this bullish performance.
And furthermore, the "theater" in which this was held: bad parking options, cold reception, long wait, and bad directions given about where exactly the performance space was located. Why was it even suggested to get there a half-an-hour early? There's no food or drink to be purchased while waiting in a standing room only foyer of a refrigerated atmosphere that left me shivering before even entering the elevator two minutes before the show was to begin (and it did begin late). UGH. I'd rather have waited in an actual market shopping for fruit or something than stand waiting in the lobby of the Off Market Theater on Mission St. with no fruit or treats to tide me over while freezing my ass off among strangers all staring at when the elevators would operate to take us up 2 flights.
Having suffered through this performance made me miss the real "Crumpet" that I had to put on my book-on-tape version today while driving to work to try and get the horrible image of that spare stage setting out of my mind! AH-h-hhhhh. Sedaris' voice never fails to amuse.
One cannot simply read his material and not FEEL it from life experience. Otherwise, it's nothing more than a workmanlike acting gig- a pedestrian performance.
Save your money on this one people.
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More Information About Santaland Diaries
Description
Based on the essay by David Sedaris
Adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello
Screaming children, bossy parents, flaky elves and apathetic Santas -- and the elf who must deal with them all.
It’s time for San Francisco’s annual production of David Sedaris’ The Santaland Diaries, presented once again by Combined Artform and Beck-n-Call at Off-Market Theater. For the eighth year, actors John Michael Beck and David Sinaiko will pull on their striped tights to bring to life David Sedaris’ signature character, Crumpet the Elf…much to the delight of Bay Area audiences. Come see the show that critics and audiences love and keep coming back for more. Spend the holidays with Combined Artform at the Off-Market Theater.