Quick! Someone post Michelle Renee Thompson's performance in Bailiwick Repertory's 7 Santas on YouTube right away. Thompson is drop-dead funny depicting an angry and paranoid Santa as a bling-loaded rap superstar drunk on his own celebrity.
But then again, posting that near perfect moment of hilarity online would give the potential thousands downloading the clip a false impression of the entire show of 7 Santas. While you laugh non-stop at Thompson's over-the-top Santa rapper rant, the rest of 7 Santas doesn't approach anywhere near this perfect moment of hilarity.
7 Santas is a sequel of sorts by Jeff Goode who is best known for the dysfunctional holiday comedy The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. Alas, 7 Santas is so convoluted that you're not entirely sure what Goode's conceptual approach is or what the point is he's trying to get across.
Goode frames the show as an 12-step group therapy meeting where Mrs. Claus ( Deborah Smith ) sternly presides over Santa ( or at least the 7 different versions and aspects of this mythical figure ) . Act I is largely comic monologues of each Santa explaining his beefs and excitements. Act II takes a serious turn as a nasty domestic squabble between Mrs. Claus and each of the Santas erupts with sneering recriminations about the past and the death of a young girl.
So in addition to Thompson as superstar Santa BigS, we have Linda Rudy as Saint Nick ( in traditional flowing green robes ) , Matt Rudy as splendiferous inventor Santa NiQ, Jason Goedken as unfeeling capitalist Santa Klaus, Ted Jonas as surly recovering drunk Santa Red, Sara Kay Snider as working J.O.E. Santa and Benjamin Haile as a creepy child-loving Santa Kringle ( note his one white glove and you'll get what is being hinted at ) .
Goode certainly brings some insight into the changing image and definition of Santa Claus which is fun and sometimes disturbingly thought-provoking ( yeah, why exactly does Santa always want kids on his lap? ) . But Goode wears out his welcome as he applies a far serious and ultimately confusing approach to the sparring Santas and Mrs. Claus.
Despite some funny moments, 7 Santas is an overly long muddle of comedy and bitter grudges in an attempt to be edgy by eviscerating cherished childhood characters. At least director Robert Bouwman draws some solid performances from his cast.
Goedken's calculating Klaus is good, while the excitable Rudy as NiQu and Haile inject some fun and disturbing energy into the proceedings. Smith's Mrs. Claus spars particularly well with Jonas' angry Red.
But no one can top Thompson's BigS, who gets the biggest laughs and is the high point of the show. Too bad Thomposon's performance is also a reminder of the remaining and murky shallows of 7 Santas.
Playwright: Jeff Goode. At: Bailiwick Repertory, 1229 W. Belmont. Phone: 773-883-1090; $25. Runs through: Dec. 30