‘Reindeer’ hoof their way back onto Chance’s schedule
By Eric Marchese
Popular demand has made Chance Theater’s stagings of Jeff Goode’s “The Eight: Reindeer Monologues” an annual December fixture, giving theater fans at least one out-and-out “naughty” holiday show to counteract the effects of possibly too much “nice.”
Alex Bueno’s current staging fills the bill, even if some of the newer cast members are still finding just the right balance in terms of tone and delivery.
Goode’s script of eight consecutive monologues is sophisticated, clever, cutting, and hilariously profane, a riotous mishmash of Christmas memes with the world’s harsh realities. It lends itself to the fast-moving delivery, inflections and off-the-cuff observations of standup comedy, and that’s generally what Chance’s cast offers.
The primary comedic M.O. is the juxtaposition of the innocence of Santa, his reindeer, the elves, etc., with adult-oriented humor – but Goode never relies on this as a substitute for pure comic wit or inspiration.
Goode’s monologues are so, well, good, they’re even funny when read – eg. a reference to “50 Shades of (Messed) Up,” or the line “I guess if you get paid, it’s pornography, but if you work for free, it’s ‘family entertainment.’”
For their part, Bueno’s actors capably riff upon the text’s numerous pop culture references while tossing in their own (this year, it’s a hefty post-election dose of Donald Trump-isms).
If anything, this year’s production seems less manic, more restrained, and more conversational than in past stagings. Toned down is fine, but if the energy also seems a tad lower, audience exuberance, in the form of vocal feedback, can help pump up this year’s crop of deer.
As show lead-off Dasher, Casey Long makes a purposely loud, exuberant entrance. If his Dasher is less markedly macho, more amiable than in years past, he’s still cheerfully conceited, brimming with false modesty as he relates the truth about that fated “foggy Christmas Eve,” along with references to “The Walking Dead” and Kanye West.
Miguel Cardenas’ Cupid costume (red nylons, antlers bowed into an inverted heart) is alone worth the price of admission, his portrayal aptly giggly and silly without overdoing it.
Adam Lebowitz-Lockard’s “Hollywood” (aka Prancer) persona is definitely, and satirically, cinema- and show biz-savvy, and cynical about the film industry and the media. The actor’s low-key sarcasm only magnifies his character’s narcissistic oblivion to everyone and everything around him.
Enlivening Chance’s stage at about the halfway point is Andrew Puente’s Comet, a brash good old boy with a tangy Southern twang, wild-eyed look and a hoopin’ and hollerin’ delivery whose originality deserves high praise.
A Wisconsin patois and Suzy Homemaker persona are about all that distinguish Katie Canavan’s Blitzen, and James McHale’s Donner is also generally unengaging: The idea of a blunt, crotch-scratching blue collar dad selling out his son (Rudolph) is a great start; it’s just not enough to sustain the monologue.
Karen O’Hanlon’s Dancer is every inch the outspoken, pampered Jewish New York housewife, laughs deriving from her cheerful vulgarity and defiant De Niro-like “Are you lookin’ at me?” stance.
Camryn Zelinger’s performance as Vixen is the show’s payoff, the gift at the end of the evening. After several consecutive years in the role, Zelinger’s delivery has been honed to perfection as she expresses Vixen’s outrage and moral indignation at having to justify being herself – an unapologetically sexy single girl who has lots more to offer than just her body.
Masako Tobaru’s set, adapted from a Chance youth theater set designed by Alex Giron, is sloped from the rear corners, simulating brick rooftops and marble spiral steps, all piled high with snow and bedecked with strings of colored lights – a vast improvement over the so-so designs of years past.
The all-important costumes (uncredited) fit the personality of each of “The Eight,” having just their floppy ears, antlers (for the bucks) and front hooves (mittens) in common. Opening night saw asymmetrically tweaked antlers or ears for the first few actors – a comedic suggestion, perhaps, of the reindeers’ “bent” frame of mind.
Depending on the performance you attend, you’ll see various combinations of the eight actors reviewed here plus Ahmed Brooks, Kelly Ehlert, Ben Green, Jeff Hellebrand, Lola Kelly and Aaron McGee.
“The Eight: Reindeer Monologues” is so inventively written that dozens of possible interpretations are possible. That means you can return to the Chance more than once during the show’s run and never really see the same show twice.
Leave a Reply