Well, I guess it’s the naughty list for me. Sorry, Santa, I just couldn’t help by laugh at “A Politically Incorrect Christmas Show,” onstage at the Breakthrough Theatre in Winter Park.
And I probably should get to confession as well: I particularly enjoyed a sketch in which the Three Wise Men worry about history remembering them as a trio of dumb synonym-for-donkeys. (They, um, wisely appoint themselves as “wise men” — now that’s what I call taking charge of your own narrative.)
“A Politically Incorrect Christmas Show” is a compendium of 12 holiday-themed scenes devised by Central Floridian Thomas J. Kline. Some are sketch-comedy bits, others are comic songs. You’ve probably gathered by now that all of it has the potential to offend. And some of it would definitely offend any tight synonym-for-donkeys who might show up. But surely, they won’t buy tickets — which just lets the rest of us enjoy the crude and silly laughs more.
I heard a snippet of music from a “Family Guy” Christmas episode among director Wade Hair’s cues, and that’s on point with the vibe of Kline’s show: Irreverent, a bit sexual, an occasional political point and jokes designed to make preteen boys guffaw. (I’m talking about flatulence gags.)
Except my lively audience had no preteen boys — please do leave the children at home — and the guffaws were still plentiful.
Hair lets his volunteer actors have fun with the nonsense they’re asked to do, and a sense of fun rings through the production — maybe even a feeling of freedom from the schmaltz of the season.
You know schmaltz is out the window when Santa — the “friggin’ CEO of Christmas” — is seen sporting strategically placed mistletoe to make his holiday, well, merrier I suppose.
Russell R. Trahan makes a splendid Santa in this context, equally adept with a good ho-ho-ho or when plotting how to deny the elves pay raises once again.
George Bailey (Daniel Royal, foreground) leaves Clarence (Taino Sanchez Jr.) aghast in Breakthrough Theatre Company’s production of “A Politically Incorrect Christmas Show.” (Courtesy Damion Cornett Sr. via Breakthrough Theatre Co.)
“Now This Is a Wonderful Life” is a fun two-hander spoof of the beloved film, with Daniel Royal giddy with the discovery that maybe things would be better if he hadn’t been born, much to the confusion and consternation of a young Clarence (Taino Sanchez Jr.)
Sanchez also takes a lead on a pair of alternative carols, both clever concepts that I won’t spoil here. And even if the recorded accompaniment puts the songs slightly out of his singing range, Sanchez has the right artificially bright air to sell the comedy.
The Three Wise Men sketch’s premise that an angel appeared to the Magi before they set out to follow the star isn’t from any Bible I’ve read — though no one’s looking for religious accuracy, obviously. And the comical frustration that builds among three people on a long trip together is totally legit.
Balthazar (Patrick James) is a little confused about the Magi’s mission in Breakthrough Theatre Company’s production of “A Politically Incorrect Christmas Show.” (Courtesy Damion Cornett Sr. via Breakthrough Theatre Co.)
The three have a believable and funny chemistry: Patrick James as the befuddled Balthazar, who wonders if they’ve had a mass hallucination; Alec Acevedo as suave Melchior, quick with a quip in an undefinable accent; and Elle Grant as brash, weed-toting Caspar.
Kline’s forays into political commentary have mixed results. A sketch about a clueless do-gooder family that is trying to “help” a homeless man goes on too long — though it’s a delight to see Marcie Schwalm put on society-matron airs, and Kline pointedly makes a distinction between performative charity and actual assistance. A separate bit about Santa keeping the elves in line by throwing around terms like “socialists” and “liberals” hits home but feels a bit clunky amid the comedy.
But when the season’s carols start sounding too sweet, the chirpily self-congratulatory holiday newsletters start to irritate, and you simply can’t face one more “God bless us, everyone,” a “Politically Incorrect Christmas” could be a gift to give yourself. Just don’t tell the real Santa.
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‘ A Politically Incorrect Christmas’
Length: 75 minutes, no intermission
Where: Breakthrough Theatre, 6900 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park
When: Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 p.m.; through Dec. 15
Cost: $13.50-$21.50
Info: breakthroughtheatre.com/tickets
