Nothing Like Normal

Anyone who knows the comedy of David Sedaris will almost certainly recognize "The Santaland Diaries," the tale of the Christmas season he spent as a Macy's elf. "Season's Greetings," another Sedaris monologue presented in the form of a holiday letter to friends, is less well known. The first is likely to elicit snickers, groans and nods of recognition. The second will probably produce gasps and guffaws, along with the shaking of heads in disbelief.

Actor Kris Isham thinks Arkansas Public Theatre has found the perfect Christmas combination: The two monologues have been woven together to create an evening of absurdity -- "because no one would believe that could happen" -- and the ridiculous reality of things that could in fact happen during the holidays.

"These are not your normal Christmas stories," says Brenda Nemec, the second actor in the two-person show opening tonight. "If you're looking for the same old Christmas story, this isn't it!"

"I wear green velvet knickers, a forest-green velvet smock and a perky, little hat decorated with spangles. This is my work uniform. I have spent the last several days sitting in a crowded, windowless Macy's classroom undergoing the first phases of elf training."

-- "Santaland Diaries"

Sedaris first described his tenure as Crumpet the Elf on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" in 1992. It was the beginning of a holiday tradition that has been repeated on NPR ever since.

"It's a great script, one of those that has a lot of very true human observation of the front lines of the holiday season," says Isham, a corporate attorney in Bentonville and newcomer to the APT stage. "To me, these stories are hilarious, told through David's kind of snarky caricatures of the people he encountered on the job.

"Back in college, I worked at Hastings, and I can tell you I've met a lot of these people. There's a lot of Kris Isham coming across in David's stories!"

"Season's greetings to our friends and family. Many of you, our friends and family, are probably taken aback by this, our annual holiday newsletter. ... Some of you are probably reading this and scratching your heads over the name Khe Sahn. That certainly doesn't fit with the rest of the family names, you're saying to yourself. What, did those crazy Dunbars get themselves a Siamese cat? Well, you're close. To those of you live in a cave and haven't heard the news, allow us to introduce Khe Sahn Dunbar who, at the age of 22, happens to be the newest member of our family. Surprised? Join the club."

-- "Season's Greetings"

In "Season's Greetings," Sedaris looks at what happens to a family when an unexpected gift arrives.

Brenda Nemec, the APT veteran playing Mrs. Dunbar, says she wasn't familiar with this Sedaris monologue until she thought about auditioning and watched it on YouTube.

"It's so wrong -- but so funny," she says of the story. "And I don't have to draw on anything for her -- although I usually do. I don't even think of her as being real, but I want other people to see her as real, so I'm playing it completely straight. As far as she's concerned, telling all this in a Christmas letter is normal.

"I don't write a Christmas letter, so they always crack me up just a little bit anyway -- especially when they write them in third person," Nemec adds. "Then when you get one like this? You have to laugh at it."

"If you've ever worked retail or been in contact with other humans during the holidays, you'll find something you can relate to," says the play's director, Joseph Farmer. Still, he repeats the warning: "It's not an anti-Christmas show. But if you come expecting 'A Christmas Story,' you're not going to get it. That's next year!"

NAN What's Up on 12/02/2016