The Joke Is On Him

Smith returns to stage in ‘Santaland Diaries’

I think all humor has a message in it somewhere, and ‘The Santaland Diaries’ is no different,” says Mark Landon Smith, who will star in the Ceramic Cow production of the one-man, one-act comedy opening Thursday. “The character takes a journey from desperation to finding a job, to accepting the only job he can find as an elf and the humiliation that comes with it.

“He observes the insanity of Christmas with no small amount of cynicism, but in the end has a change of heart and a change within himself.”

The script is based on an essay by David Sedaris who, as National Public Radio put it, “went from obscurity to soughtafter talent almost overnight” after he read from his experiences as a 41-year-old Macy’s elf on NPR’s “Morning Edition” in December 1992. Adapted into a play by Joe Mantello in 1996,“The Santaland Diaries” retains Sedaris’ touch.

“Those who are familiar with his work know his style,” Smith says. “He is known for being hilarious and edgy. The show does have broad appeal but is intended for mature audiences 21 and over. As far as a rating, it would get an R for a few choice words used in the script.”

The challenge for Smith is being the only actor on stage for an hour or more, “nonstop.”

“There is no fourth wall, as in other scripts,” he explains. “It’s kind of like you’re at a party and you’re telling a ‘you won’t believe what happened to me today’ story.”

The humor, he says, comes from “the total honesty of it all. Nothing is funnier than peo ple being naturally who they are.”

Whats Up, Pages 14 on 12/07/2012

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