The SantaLand Diaries

The SantaLand Diaries is a brilliant evocation of an out-of-work actor’s experience as an elf at Macy’s Department Store. At first the job is simply humiliating, but once the thousands of visitors start pouring through Santa’s workshop, holiday battle fatigue takes hold in a big way. Consoling himself in the fact that some of the other elves were television extras on One Life to Live, our hero grins and bears it, while mischievously venting his frustrations on the children and parents alike. But on Christmas Eve itself yet another Santa is ushered into the workshop. This one, however, is different from the lecherous or drunken Santas who preceded him. 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 elfin employment runs out.
In The SantaLand Diaries, the pains of “elf training”, the horrors of obnoxious customers, and the varying, and often weird techniques of different Santas all make for a wickedly humorous holiday experience. Audience favorite, Andrew Benator, previously seen as Hal in TheaterWorks’ production of “Proof” and in the lead role of Jeff in “Lobby Hero”, returns to Hartford to star in this one-man, skewed-universe tale. Steve Campo directs.
SPECIAL SCHEDULE
There is an added matinee on Wednesday, December 21 at 2:30 p.m Saturday, December 24 there is only a matinee at 2:30 p.m.
There are no performances on Sunday, December 25;
On Saturday, December 31 there is a matinee at 2:30 p.m. and an evening show at 6 p.m