Los Angeles Premiere
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Written by Anthony Neilson
Directed by Robert Pescovitz
November 29 - December 20, 2008
December 4, 2008
By Philip Brandes
As the inevitable onslaught of holiday-themed shows swings into high gear, Pasadena’s Furious Theatre Company offers a notably smart adult-oriented standout with "The Night Before Christmas."
In just under an hour, British playwright Anthony Neilson’s 1995 one-act comedy strikes an engaging balance of edginess, social commentary and hard-won optimism, without lapsing into sappy cliche.
Instead, yuletide formulas are wittily upended when a deadbeat Cockney lout named Gary (Doug Newell) captures an Elf (K.M. Davies) breaking into the toy warehouse where he works. Summoning his equally lowlife chum Simon (Troy Metcalf) to the scene of the crime, the pair debate whether to turn their bound prisoner over to the coppers.
To Simon’s astonishment, Gary is reluctant to dismiss the Elf — who characterizes himself as an employee of an "international gift distribution agency" — as merely an elaborately costumed junkie or lunatic. In fact, he’s starting to believe the captive Elf’s story, and in his warnings of dire consequences unless he’s released soon.
Amid their deliberations arrives Cherry (Nina Silver), a sharp-tongued prostitute looking to collect Gary’s promised payment for services rendered. After some impeccably played character setup, the real fun starts when the Elf, in a last-ditch effort to win his freedom, promises to grant each of them a single wish. Doubts vanish — perhaps more easily than they should — when an initial throwaway wish immediately comes true.
Under Robert Pescovitz’s nicely modulated direction, imagining potential gratifications brings these misfits face-to-face with the central dilemmas in each of their lives. The way each finds their moral compass plays out in an unsentimental, remarkably authentic manner that lends gravitas to Neilson’s yuletide: it’s grown-ups, far more than children, who are most in need of miracles.
December 4, 2008
By Les Spindle
CRITIC'S PICK!
The familiar yet ever-resonant message about the true meaning of Christmas becomes a curdled cup of holiday cheer in Anthony Neilson's delectable British satire, a breath of fresh air in the annual avalanche of saccharine seasonal fare. The title alludes to Clement Clarke Moore's beloved poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, but the rib-tickling narrative trots off on a goofy irreverent track. Director Robert Pescovitz and four spirited actors parlay Neilson's loopy fable into an hour of nonstop delights.
On Christmas Eve in London, grumpy bachelor Simon (Troy Metcalf) and his easygoing divorced pal Gary (Doug Newell) meet in the warehouse that Gary manages. Gary offers a surprise: He has tied up a short individual he found lurking in the warehouse. The captive (female actor K.M. Davies) wears an elf outfit and claims to be a helper of Santa's. It's unclear whether this peculiar being is telling the truth or is merely a thieving junkie hoping to sell stolen goods for a narcotics fix. When brassy floozy Cherry (Nina Silver) arrives, demanding a payoff from her client Gary, the elf offers to grant a wish to each captor in exchange for his own release. In the process of deciding what they want the most, the motley three make individual discoveries about what's truly important.
Underlying the farcical complications are themes about the commercialism of Christmas and the way temptations like drugs and sex can lead people away from their responsibilities to others. The elf's outlandish explanations of the operations of the Santa enterprise and the reactions he draws — ranging from skepticism to guarded belief — keep the laughs coming, and the instantaneous segues to more sobering thoughts are skillfully rendered. Metcalf is deliciously droll as the exasperated cynic Simon, while Newell provides perfect balance as his more fair-minded pal. Silver finds hilarity as well as moments of melancholy truth. Davies rounds out the expert ensemble, underplaying her lines as the sad-eyed yet suspicious sprite, yielding maximum comic impact. This change-of-pace effort is a welcome yuletide treat from the adventurous.
December 2, 2008
By Sharon Perlmutter
On paper, The Night Before Christmas is the perfect holiday show for Furious Theatre Company. After all, the company that brought us a post-apocalyptic cannibal love story isn't going to choose a holiday show full of warmth, holiday cheer, and cute little street urchins who somehow remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas. Anthony Neilson's comedy about two men who pretty much kidnap an elf—well, that sounds a lot more like Furious material. And it is.
Here's how it goes down: two men with a London warehouse full of "mostly" legal merchandise discover that a fellow in an elf suit has broken in. They tie the supposed elf to a chair while they try to get to the bottom of his story. Neither of the men actually believe that their uninvited visitor is a Christmas elf. Well, Gary believed it enough to call Simon, and Simon believes it just enough to not immediately call the police. But the whole sweet, innocent, I-just-fell-off-the-sleigh story has a few holes in it.
Like, how do they have enough sleighs to visit all the houses? And how do they get in when there's no chimney? The elf has answers for all of this (sometimes they have to jimmy doors), but the answers don't always satisfy, and the guys eventually start blaming the elf for everything they don't like about Christmas. (At one point, they suggest torturing the elf by force-feeding him fruitcake.
The guys are eventually joined by Cherry, a prostitute who has been promised Power Ranger toys by Gary in exchange for services rendered. Cherry, too, has complaints about Christmas—most of them rendering the show unsuitable for children—and things don't look so good for the elf.
It's a quick and funny comedy which, like many of the best comedies, ultimately has moments of real heart. The Furious production, helmed by Robert Pescovitz, hits all the right notes (starting when Simon, who refuses to be fooled by the elf, finds himself bouncing to infectious holiday music). One could analyze this play and identify exactly where it goes right, but subjecting it to close scrutiny would ultimately undermine its charm. The Night Before Christmas is that rare and wonderful creature: a holiday show that's genuinely funny ... and genuine.
