Edgy satire ‘The Santaland Diaries’ opens Dec. 10 at the Florida Rep

PARRISH Florida Repertory Theatre presents the thorny comedy “The Santaland Diaries” as a special holiday engagement running Dec. 10-31 in the new Studio Theatre.

From the mind of satirist David Sedaris, this one-man tour de force stars Jason Parrish as David, a desperate, out-ofwork writer in New York City who takes a job as an Elf in Macy’s Santaland.

“This play is very edgy, very adult, very funny and very poignant,” said Producing Artistic Director Robert Cacioppo, “and it’s running concurrently with ‘Dial ‘M’ for Murder,’ so it will give audiences the opportunity to see Florida Rep at two very different ends of the spectrum. The month of December will really showcase the variety that Florida Rep is known for.”

Written by bestselling humorist and NPR and New Yorker contributor David Sedaris, “The Santaland Diaries” is a hilarious and honest portrait of the zany Christmas season that Mr. Sedaris spent working as an Elf in Macy’s Santaland. Adapted for the stage by Tony-winning actor and director Joe Mantello, “The Santaland Diaries” takes audiences on an Elfin journey from the interview process to the last crazed shopping days before Christmas.

Jason Parrish performs “The Santaland Diaries” In The Florida Rep Studio Theatre. COURTESY PHOTO The production stars Florida Rep Associate Director Jason Parrish as David, the unemployed writer-turned-Elf who finds himself at “Christmas Ground Zero,” suffering through the worst of the holiday season, complete with crying children, desperate parents and even jilted Santas. Seen most recently in “The Last Romance” and “Alone Together,” Ms. Parrish is in his fifth season with the Rep and will appear next year in “Relatively Speaking” and “The Big Bang.”

Director Brian Maschka is making his directorial debut with “The Santaland Diaries,” but is no stranger to Southwest Florida. Mr. Maschka’s work with the Rep has previously been as a production stage manager, and includes “Boeing- Boeing,” “Shirley Valentine,” “Doubt,” “Rabbit Hole” and last season’s nationally acclaimed “Dancing at Lughnasa.”

This fast-paced comedy is stage managed by John Robert Warren. It features costume design by Roberta Malcolm (“Boeing-Boeing”) and Janelle Turco (“Dial ‘M’ for Murder”), lighting and sound design by Kate Smith (“Boeing- Boeing”) and debuts the new Florida Rep Studio Theatre.

“We want people to feel like they have walked into a little corner of Macy’s, so the studio will feel like Christmas in New York,” Mr. Cacioppo said, “and that is the perfect environment for ‘The Santaland Diaries.’ It will also be an interesting experiment for Florida Rep to venture into the world of running two performance spaces. But in any case, audiences are in for a treat.”

General admission is $38 and seating in the Studio Theatre is limited.

“The Santaland Diaries” contains adult content and is not appropriate for children.

Florida Repertory Theatre performs in the Historic Arcade Theatre on Bay Street between Jackson and Hendry with free parking in the Fort Myers River District. The Florida Rep Studio Theatre is just down the hall. For more information, call 332-4488 or visit www.floridarep. org. 