LA Weekly–“Pick of the Week-Recommended “…“ingenious…priceless”

‘Santasia: A Holiday Comedy' Is Hysterical and Heartwarming
TOLUCAN TIMES
By Margie Barron

Santasia: A Holiday Comedy is so enormously entertaining, the seasonal romp is going into its seventh year. It features amazingly versatile actors who hold nothing back as they embrace and skewer all the iconic moments of the holidays. The silly and the sacred, nothing is missed as they go through a

litany of sketches that deal with everything from putting up the “@#!!*in” Christmas lights, to the Magi squabbling about their gifts.  The folks at Saturday Night Live could take lessons from Santasia's cast of mirth-making elves, who collaborated as the writers of this holiday gem.

Real-life brothers Brandon and Shaun (the director) Loeser produce the show and perform along with James Elden, Lon Gowan, Andrew J. Hillis, Art Oden and “Big Dave” Mattey. All outrageously funny, but each

takes a turn at sharing a personal Christmas memory. Those brief moments give the show its heart, in-between the relentless, but enjoyable, craziness.

Dance numbers are presented by the over-grown elves (doing the “almost” Full Monty!). Cleverly filmed movie spoofs, along with animation, and several “commercial breaks” add a multimedia dimension to the high-energy show. The wild runaway bobsled finale, done in pantomime, will leave you laughing and breathless.

Santasia Episode V
A Holiday Comedy
LA TIMES
David C. Nichols

So wacky, yule be of good cheer.

'Twas the night before Christmas and the elves went on strike, for imperial Santa wouldn't grant a pay hike. That is all one needs know about "Santasia Episode V: A Holiday Comedy," which concludes its shamelessly entertaining run Sunday.

Produced by certifiable siblings Shaun and Brandon Loeser, "Santasia Episode V" represents a high point for this annual holiday howler. In concept and execution,

"Santasia" resembles what could happen if the "Kids in the Hall" crew got into Grandma's kitchen and laced all the fruitcake with LSD.

The Easy-Bake Oven-light premise, created by its daft cast, strings together diverse leitmotifs — George Lucas, "Pulp Fiction," the Rankin/Bass animated specials, family dysfunction, ad infinitum — into a yuletide blowout that plays by and on its own crazed terms, with hilarious results.

Art Oden's robust Santa shifts into Brando's Don Corleone, while director Shaun Loeser's union- organizing elf becomes a Rudolph-nosed Joe Pesci. Brandon Loeser's piano bar elegy to the snowman that

got away is priceless; so are Michael Alvarado and R.C. Ormond as Santa's Tarantino-flavored hit men.

They and colleagues James Elden, Andrew J. Hillis and David Mattey fearlessly throw their elfin selves into Tania L Pearson-Loeser's hysterical choreography and costumes, only to deliver real-life anecdotes with immense personal warmth.

The by-committee technical effort demonstrates high wit, especially the remarkable video segments, and the wonderful toboggan-ride finale fractured me. Some R-rated language makes "Santasia" dubious for preteens, and that's about the worst thing I can say for this demented, delightful seasonal display.

Santasia Episode V
A Holiday Comedy
Pick of the Week
LA WEEKLY
Amy Nicholson
Recommended / Pick of the Week

The Santasia boys return with their perfect blend of Yuletide snark and sentiment. The all-dude sketch-comedy troupe has preserved many of the best bits in this show’s seventh annual incarnation, including a snowball brawl set to “O Fortuna,”

a “Nutcracker Suite” performed with stubble, and an ingenious spoof on Eminem that leaves Santa watching his back.

Equally as important is the sloppy, daffy joy that comes from being soused by Christmas spirits and slapping on a tutu and elf hat. In fact, there’s so much casual cheer that a technical difficulty with a canned ham left the cast sniggering through the next scene. When not riffing on Hollywood with Joe Pesci

Santasia Episode V
A Holiday Comedy
Back Stage West
Jeff Favre

It may not be A Christmas Carol, but Santasia, now in its fifth year, has staked its claim for one of NoHo's annual theatrical traditions. And while this sketch comedy, presented by capable Chicago and Los Angeles improv veterans, isn't Charles Dickens, it is a funny and intelligent holiday romp. Directed by Shaun Loeser, who appears in the cast of eight with his brother Brandon, this music- and parody-filled 90-
minute production succeeds because the pacing is sharp, the sketches are short, there are several outstanding video segments, and there is a genuinely warm atmosphere

onstage. There are probably too many sketches--almost 30 in total--but the few weak ones are easily overshadowed by a bounty of hilarity.

The mix of new segments and pieces from previous productions begins with a parody of the opening song in The Lion King, as the residents of the North Pole sing a greeting to Santa. The series of projected video pieces includes a multipart takeoff of The Empire Strikes Back, in which editor David Mattey skillfully has placed two elves smack into the middle of the scene in which Luke Skywalker battles a snow monster. The parodies are the strong suit of Santasia, the funniest being "Pulp Christmas." Michael Alvarado and R.C. Ormond, who are spot-on as John Travolta and Samuel L.

Jackson, re-enact scenes from Pulp Fiction, as they retrieve a red sack for their boss, Mr. Claus. Interspersed with the outrageous bits are heartfelt monologues about each performer's favorite Christmas memory. And the finale, a wild sled ride set to the "William Tell Overture," is as creative as it is humorous.

Shaun Loeser keeps his cast from the type of hammy acting that tends to sabotage sketch comedy. His set design--a house with gaudy decorations and a comfy living room--is impressive, given how small the stage is. Loeser is ably assisted by the simple but effective choreography created by Tania L Pearson-Loeser. This is a cast clearly having fun, and fortunately it's contagious. Let's hope there's an episode VI next year.

Santasia Episode V
A Holiday Comedy
Tolucan Times
Pat Taylor

What a hoot! This holiday spoof is side-splittingly hilarious and brilliantly original! These eight men are bursting with energy, creativity, talent, and an uncanny sense of comedy. Alumni of Chicago’s Improv Olympic, Second City, and L.A.’s ComedySportz, this tribe of zany, brainy guys have written a manic set of vignettes that have been packing the house for five years in NoHo. Taking us from uncontrollable laughter to heart-rending memories of

past Christmases in 29 quick scenes, this nut cake show is a wacky winner.

How do they think up this stuff? Under the razor sharp direction of Shaun Loeser, the performances are full throttle throughout! There’s no shame, no egos, no limits, and no star playing here – just a crazy bunch of regular guys who view life from a slightly skewed angle, and are here for the pure (and not so pure) fun of it all. One lively scene is funnier than the last with a large screen overhead, sporadically interjecting filmed sequences too.

They recently picked up three Artistic Director Awards at the El Portal

ceremonies. Choreographer Tania L Pearson-Loeser ran away with an award for her amazing skill at moving these goofy guys around the stage, at 100-miles-an-hour.

Giant kudos to eight of the zaniest men on earth! They are Shaun William Loeser, Michael Alvarado, James Elden, Andrew J. Hillis, Brandon Loeser, “Big Dave” Mattey, R.C. Ormond and Art Oden. Just wait till you see them perform a nearly “Full Monty” dance production number, as Santa’s striking elves! Unforgettably funny! Give yourself a holiday laugh break and see this hit extravaganza this year.

SANTASIA RELOADED
Pick of the Week
LA WEEKLY
Neal Weaver
Recommended / Pick of the Week

Santasia Reloaded
Free your holiday mind
LA.com

The Skinny
Santa has pissed off the elves, confronted the devil and been issued a parking ticket while stopping to deliver some gifts. Now it seems as if he and Neo have only 72 hours to redeem

Zion, save Trinity and deliver toys to all of the good little boys and girls of the world.

“Santasia Reloaded,” with it’s titular nod to the Matrix series, is an inventive comedy now in its sixth season in NoHo. Past sketches have included “Elves Gone Wild,” a holiday jab at the spring break softcore video series and a parody of Eminem’s “Stan” featuring a chorus of angels standing in for trance-pop diva Dido.

Santa's elves are mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore.

In a nutshell, that's the thin but serviceable conceit behind "Santasia Rocks," a wacky evening of Christmas-themed sketch comedy running through this weekend at the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre in NoHo (make that NoHoHoHo.) A critic could have a field day belaboring comical metaphors for "Santasia." Let's just say this production

is a lot like a holiday cheese log -- a cheesy filling of dubious origin surrounded by a bunch of nuts. In this case, the nuts are the show's ensemble --Michael Alvarado, Chris Cause, Kit Davlin, Andrew J. Hillis, Erick Lopez, Brandon Loeser and Shaun William Loeser. Brothers, the Loesers produced the newly reworked show, originally developed in Chicago, for its third Los Angeles engagement. The latter Loeser directs.

Engaging filberts all, the performers roll in the prevalent cheesiness with infectious abandon. And Shaun Loeser's scenic design -- all glitz and tinsel and hilariously low-budget "effects" -- is in the same

appropriately cheesy vein. If the cheese images are wearing thin, let's jumble the metaphor.

The ensemble-scripted material ("Santasia" gets the writing credit here) is a mixed bag, including a few packages that should be returned to sender. More often than not, though, the bountiful laughs come tightly wrapped. Interstitial video segments, including the parody promo "Elves Gone Wild," is a gold-plated hoot. The movement sequences, such as a mimed sledding sketch, smartly executed on this tiny stage, are particularly inspired. And the evening's finale is a side-splitter that may leave your rental Santa suit in shreds.

Santasia Rocks
A Holiday Comedy
LA WEEKLY
Amy Nicholson
Recommended

Elves, both rabid and topless, wreak peppermint-fueled havoc in an evening of holiday-themed sketch comedy. An athletic six-man team provides the wrapping for this 90-minute package of breezy Christmas chaos,

stringing it around recurring bits involving a meat-head father and economic strife at the North Pole.

Despite or, more likely, because none of the ensemble has classical dance training, the best giddiness ensues when the posse prances straight-faced to a variety of musical accompaniments.

Even Eminem gets ribboned
into the action with the inspired "Dear Santa," which

boasts a chorus of angels that best Dido in panache, if not singing talent. Director-performer Shaun Loeser's decadently lunatic set comes complete with three trees, glowing penguins and a phalanx of ceramic Santas.

Amidst the tinseled barrage, each actor takes a moment to share his favorite Christmas memory with the audience, helping demonstrate the comparative entertainment value of sincerity - whether with sentimentality or buffoonery - over sarcasm.

Santasia
A Holiday Comedy
Back Stage West
Bari Newport

It's Christmas Eve and Satan's at the door. You invite him in. It is Christmas, after all, and it's not his fault your small child inadvertently spelled "Satan" instead of "Santa" in his "What I want for Christmas" letter. What the hell--Satan needs somewhere to go on Christmas, too, and you've never been one to turn away a wayward soul. Plus he's brought gifts.

If you've had the devil at your door before, you're bound to get a kick out of this wonderfully impish holiday laugh-fest.

Written and performed by alumni of Chicago's Second City, ImprovOlympic, and ComedySportz, Santasia's swift, spotless style

acknowledges the genius of noted comedy teacher Del Close, whose techniques are evident throughout the show. It is refreshing to see a company unafraid to explore the standard tricks of comedy. And though the ensemble is living dangerously onstage, the precision of the comedic formulas it uses makes it very easy for the audience to just sit back, enjoy, and laugh.

Like The Carol Burnett Show, Santasia 2001 works so well because of its seamless marriage of well-rehearsed physical gags and well-
written sketches.

Santa Claus slapped with a parking ticket as he's trying to deliver presents is a funny idea, but the execution and physical dance of Santa cuffed and sprayed with mace, combined with the image of his reindeer being booted, is laugh-out-loud funny.

Chris Durmick, Andrew Hillis, Brandon Loeser, Shaun Loeser, Cory Rouse, and Chris Flowers are strong as

individuals but powerful as an ensemble. The final sketch involving a runaway sled is comedic perfection because of the intricate ensemble work.

The weak moments here are so outweighed by the sheer madness and good cheer of the piece as a whole that they can be easily overlooked, if not forgotten altogether.

It is certainly rare that a holiday show tangibly promotes good cheer, but it seems to be the primary mission of this piece. Between the eggnog and cookies served before the show and the holiday cards addressed and handed out to audience members during the show, the gang does everything in its power to embrace its audience, and it works.

Yet the greatest ingredient in this largely bacchanalian mix may be the sprinkling of very honest, simple "fireside stories" that transport us and remind us of our own childhoods of winter bliss and holidays at home.

NoHoHo for
Santasia
by Don Grigware
NoHo LA

Santasia, now at the Secret Rose in North Hollywood, is a real hoot for lovers of comedy improv and Christmas nostalgia. Outside the theater, Santa's elves on strike carry picket signs that read "Down with Santa." However, inside the lobby the aroma of cinnamon and the walls decked out with boughs of holly put Grandma's old-fashioned X-mas preparations to shame. This mixed bag sets the tone for an off--the-wall evening of laughs and memories.

Six fun-loving actors, who participate in the writing and direction, open and close the proceedings with uproarious pantomime. The show opens with a raucous snowball

fight, and ends in a disastrous bobsled ride. Along the way there is a irreverent verbal sparring contest between Jesus and Hercules, and even a physical match between Santa and Michael Myers (of Halloween fame). In one very amusing sketch Santa is surprised by a father in drag, who proceeds to seduce lively old St. Nick. The chase that ensues continues to interrupt sketches through the remainder of the show. Despite some lame silliness, Jon Hughes, Andy Dylan, Chris Durmick, Christopher Flowers, and real life brothers Brandon and Shaun Loeser continually keep the audience in stitches. These guys have energy to spare and enough enthusiasm for another millennium of Christmases.

Chris Durmick does a terrific turn as a father (a great Jimmy Stewart vocal impersonation) confessing an embarrassing

Christmas Eve moment. The piéce-de-resistance is a godfather sketch with Santa and his reindeer as bodyguards telling off a striking elf. In response to his demands for pay, they admonish the elf with, "This a not for profit organization."

"My Favorite Christmas Memory" has each cast member recalling one childhood Christmas. It is a touching segment, as Brandon and Shaun recently lost their dad to a bout with cancer. As in a choice for a time capsule, each actor presents a souvenir that will immortalize his story. Great living room and rooftop set, and beautifully trimmed tree by stage manager Tracey McAvoy top off this evening of infectious laughter for everyone. It guarantees to bring back a favorite memory or two. You've just got to love that Christmas penguin!

Theatrical gift found in grown up Santasia
SHERMAN OAKS SUN
By Amy Lyons

It’s no wonder that Santasia, the holiday show currently packing in audiences at the Whitefire Theatre, has been running for seven years. The seasonal sketch comedy is rooted in well-polished parody that takes edgy risks to amp up the funny factor, but poignancy wanders in at just the right moments, tempering the sometimes strictly adult humor with honest musings on the spirit of the season. Produced by brothers Brandon and Shaun Loeser, both of whom act in the show and the latter of whom also directs, the cast of Santasia is comprised of seven guys who are unafraid to get really goofy. Each man contributes a unique comedic skills-set to the overall show and together they work as a well-oiled machine. A small film spoofing The Matrix and V for Vendetta sets the tone for the show and gets people chuckling from the get go. By interweaving the character of Santa into the story lines and exaggerating the more melodramatic moments of each film, the Santasia crew

right away shows themselves to be experts in parody. “What if the prophecy is true?” says a character resembling the rebel-warrior Morpheus in The Matrix. “What if Santa Claus is coming to town?” Things get even more fun when the film ends and the men appear on stage. An early musical number pokes fun at the Lion King theme song, The Circle of Life, while a later song in the show finds Shaun Loeser hitting a comedic home run as a little kid who takes crazed aim at Santa to the tune of rapper Eminem’s Stan, a song originally about fan-mail gone bad. The shenanigans continue throughout and the pleasure factor increases as the audience becomes privy to a real slice of each Santasia boy’s life via autobiographical monologues peppered between the bouts of high-energy, hilarious antics. It is not easy to take an audience from zany sketches that invoke full throttle guffaws to more subtle moments that require calm attention, but this cast knows exactly how to keep audiences engaged at all times. More film clips, mostly parodies, are interspersed amongst the live action creating an alternating focus

from stage to screen that prevents the pace from stalling and allows for the exploration of a wide range of material. Some of the live scenes have no dialogue, but still manage to tell complete stories via music and physical acting. The set is a Christmas gift in and of itself, with multiple decorated trees and the facade of a house that beams and winks with garish holiday decorations. The house is a centerpiece for a sketch that is clearly an autobiographical account of Christmases past at the Loeser household, complete with a father who shouts and bellows as the boys do all the decorating against their will. More meaning is given to the sketch with Shaun’s subsequent show-stopping monologue that is a heartfelt homage to his father. There is much more to say about Santasia, but the enjoyment should be witnessed first-hand. From David “Big Dave” Mattey’s booming voice on “Santasia Light’s Real Men of Genius” to Andrew Hillis’ hilarious portrayal of an elf getting down to rhythm and blues jams when no one is looking, the laughter and camaraderie created by this cast is truly a gift.

Visit www.nohoartsdistrict.com for listings of NoHo theatres and productions.