"We don't care if you like boys. We just want our damn toys!"
So ends Santa Claus Is Coming Out, writer/performer Jeffrey
Solomonís VH1-style mockumentary that chronicles Santaís
coming out to the world. Manically combining impersonation,
puppetry, and props (with a few songs thrown in for good
measure), Solomonís one-man show aims to provoke laughter
through his presentation of 15 different characters and to
challenge current attitudes about gay role models and
children.
The story begins with little Gary Gray excitedly writing Santa a letter
asking for Brenda Ann, the beautiful doll heís desired for months.
He gets a truck instead. The blame for this seems to lie with his
parents, but interviews with Santa insiders reveal that on
Christmas Eve, Santa caved to homophobic attitudes among his
elves and decided not to give Gary the doll.
When another year passes and Gary again doesnít receive the gift
he asked for, he writes Santa asking if he was denied his gifts
because he is bad or gay (synonymous terms to his young ears).
Touched, Santa makes a non-Christmas visit to Gary to give him
his requested Dream Date Norm.
When Garyís parents hear of Santaís gift to their child they contact
the head of FAGA (Families Against the Gay Alliance). A hate
campaign is immediately launched against Santa Claus. The true
story of Santaís past, which includes a long-term romance with
Italian toy maker Giovanni Gepetto, leaks to the press.
Amidst a whirl of anti-gay sentiment, Santa makes a public
declaration of his love for Giovanni that sets off a string of protests.
The play culminates in a controversial Christmas Eve sleigh ride
and an impromptu sing-along of all the worldís children.
Jeffery Solomon is a comical, versatile performer. He fully inhabits
each character, skillfully using his physical carriage and the bare
minimum of props and costumes (a red nose for Rudolph, a hat
for Giovanni) to signify each new persona. The script is a creative
take on the documentary form. During the hate campaign, a
hilarious puppet re-enactment shows Santa visiting Gary to tell
him everyone should be gay and forcing the child to lick a
suggestively placed candy cane.
Despite Solomonís comedic talent, Santa Claus Is Coming Out is
dissatisfying. Several characters, such as Garyís sassy black
friend and Santaís opportunistic Jewish agent, are stereotypes
rather than characters, played for laughs rather than for insight.
The forces of the Religious Right are too extreme and unlikable to
make compelling villains. Using comedy to tackle the sticky
question of gay role models could be poignantly bittersweet, but
Solomonís reliance on stereotypes takes the bite out of his work.
In fact, Solomonís treatment of the playís central conflict is so
entirely without subtlety, delineated so sharply in black and white
terms, that he fails to challenge the audience in a meaningful way.
The playís central message that itís okay to be gay and that
homosexuality canít be spread to children like a common cold is
useful in showing that we may not be as tolerant as we think. Yet it
is not as thought-provoking as the problem of young gays trying to
understand themselves without models.
Santa Claus Is Coming Out serves well as an evening of light
humor with a positive message, but falls short as an innovative
examination of sexual orientation issues.
Santa Claus Is Coming Out opened Nov. 26 at the Gene Frankel
Theatre (24 Bond Street at Lafayette Street) and runs through Jan.
7. Performances are Monday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8
p.m. and 10:15 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are
$25. Call 206-1515 for tickets or visit
www.santaclausiscomingout.com.