Moscow Art Theatre (too) presents: The Santaland Diaries

THE SANTALAND DIARIES follows our hero, an out of work New Yorker who is forced to become an elf in Macy’s Santaland during the holiday crunch. At first the job is simply humiliating, but once the thousands of visitors start pouring through Santa’s village, he devolves to battle-weary and bitter. Finding consolation in the successes – and humiliating failures – of his fellow elves, he grins and bears it, only occasionally taking out his frustrations on Santa’s visitors. The piece ends with yet another Santa being ushered into the workshop, but this one is different from the lecherous or drunken ones with whom he has had to work. This Santa actually seems to care about and love the children who come to see him, startling our hero into an uncharacteristic moment of goodwill, just before his employment runs out. Performed by David Harlan, THE SANTALAND DIARIES is 90 minutes of holiday humor – and catharsis. (Probably safe for your sophisticated teen, but some topics might confuse or disturb younger children.)