Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Mistletoe, Music, and Mayhem at North Coast Rep

Now in its second year, this wacko satire of Yuletide doings could become a tradition for the North Coast Rep. Creators Matt Thompson and Phil Johnson have added new material and filled out last year's inaugural effort to 90 minutes.

They could subtitle the show "Poor Santa." In one sketch, an anal retentive GPS unit tells him where to go next in minute detail (in choosing a present to insert under the verdant seaonal foliage, he must adhere to political correctness - so not that one...or that one...). In another sketch, and one of the show's best, a 12-year-old from hell sits on Santa's lap. She digs and pries and turns the tables on him ("you're just an out of work actor!"). But he re-turns them, in the end, and puts "the stocking on the other foot."

Then there's the family that dresses as cats, in emulation of their favorite musical, and roams the neighborhood singing carols with feline intonations - to the sound of slamming doors.

And the one where ornaments watch Christmas Eve doings. These involve a single mother and her date. They've been going out for two weeks and have yet to kiss. Just as the ornaments are about to turn in, the couple decides not only to kiss but escalate from there. Which prompts the Baby Jesus to exclaim, "praise myself!"

Some bits are funnier than others. But what's consistent throughout is the performers' versatility.

Jacque Wilke, Tony Houck, and Kevin Koppman-Gue - household names in theater circles - and new faces Heather Paton and BJ Lawrence Rolodex through dozens of characters, accents, and costumes (by Valerie Henderson), all with precision.

Koppman-Gue, for example, plays the 12-year-old, pony-tail tugging menace on Santa's lap, and a macho Spaniard, and a New Joisey thug, in a sleeveless t-shirt, who makes "cement shoes." Wilke ranges from Sweden and Iceland to an ancient nun who asked the wrong student a question, among others.

The quintet also sings, well, including a sprint through almost every familiar Christmas carol. Rayme Sciaroni's music, which blends unlikely pairs effectively, concludes with a touching song, "I Exist," about mythical beings who come alive during the season.


North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987-D Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach, playing through December 18; Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m.. Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Matinee Sunday at 2:00 p.m. 858-481-1055.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Next Article

Live Five: Rebecca Jade, Stoney B. Blues, Manzanita Blues, Blame Betty, Marujah

Holiday music, blues, rockabilly, and record releases in Carlsbad, San Carlos, Little Italy, downtown

Now in its second year, this wacko satire of Yuletide doings could become a tradition for the North Coast Rep. Creators Matt Thompson and Phil Johnson have added new material and filled out last year's inaugural effort to 90 minutes.

They could subtitle the show "Poor Santa." In one sketch, an anal retentive GPS unit tells him where to go next in minute detail (in choosing a present to insert under the verdant seaonal foliage, he must adhere to political correctness - so not that one...or that one...). In another sketch, and one of the show's best, a 12-year-old from hell sits on Santa's lap. She digs and pries and turns the tables on him ("you're just an out of work actor!"). But he re-turns them, in the end, and puts "the stocking on the other foot."

Then there's the family that dresses as cats, in emulation of their favorite musical, and roams the neighborhood singing carols with feline intonations - to the sound of slamming doors.

And the one where ornaments watch Christmas Eve doings. These involve a single mother and her date. They've been going out for two weeks and have yet to kiss. Just as the ornaments are about to turn in, the couple decides not only to kiss but escalate from there. Which prompts the Baby Jesus to exclaim, "praise myself!"

Some bits are funnier than others. But what's consistent throughout is the performers' versatility.

Jacque Wilke, Tony Houck, and Kevin Koppman-Gue - household names in theater circles - and new faces Heather Paton and BJ Lawrence Rolodex through dozens of characters, accents, and costumes (by Valerie Henderson), all with precision.

Koppman-Gue, for example, plays the 12-year-old, pony-tail tugging menace on Santa's lap, and a macho Spaniard, and a New Joisey thug, in a sleeveless t-shirt, who makes "cement shoes." Wilke ranges from Sweden and Iceland to an ancient nun who asked the wrong student a question, among others.

The quintet also sings, well, including a sprint through almost every familiar Christmas carol. Rayme Sciaroni's music, which blends unlikely pairs effectively, concludes with a touching song, "I Exist," about mythical beings who come alive during the season.


North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987-D Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach, playing through December 18; Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m.. Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Matinee Sunday at 2:00 p.m. 858-481-1055.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Best of 2000: Best Young Actor

Next Article

Truth Attack

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader