Santa’s Basement
Sat. 3/3 4:00pm
Sat. 3/3 10:00pm
Sun 3/4 5:30pm
Fri. 3/9 5:30pm
Fri 3/9 8:30pm
$9
Neighborhood Thrift – 353 E Olive Ave.
A whacky comedy about two Jewish elves that work in Santa’s basement on “The List.” They hope to one day climb out of the basement and become toy makers to Santa. Coming along the way are two flamboyant elves who do not know how to keep their noses out of other people’s business and two female elves that find love in the most unexpected way. Come join us as we keep the season going in this festive play involving unordinary and extraordinary elves. This play involves comedy, love, and drama. I promise you will enjoy it.
The People Next Door Theatre Company
Fresno, California
Comedy, 55 minutes, rated PG-13
Latecomers permitted within 15 minutes
This was a very tough one to sit through….there were 8 seats in the front row where we were sitting, and all but myself and my date left during the show! While I feel it is rude to walk out on any live performance, I think it is rude to charge $9.00 for a poorly written absurd show and the acting was painful to watch. The program stated the show was 55 minutes, but thankfully the pain was over in 45 minutes!! Many people got up and left…I wish I would have asked for my tickets back. I tried really hard to give this cast a break, but I don’t know how this one made it to Rogue? Save your money and enjoy something else….anything else…
Why was this included in the great Rogue Festival? The worst performance and worst play I have ever seen. I checked website to see if troupe was from a special needs program. Even that would not have fully explained this embarrassment. Was this a bet to see how long and audience would put up with crap? Is this part of someones masters level research project? Please do not include this theatre company again.
“What the hell was that?”
This was my first and only sentence uttered after this performance.
I can only assume that the playwrite was battling a terrible addiction to glue huffing while he/she wrote this play. While I’m sure their lack of oxygen gave way to some “creativity” the lack of a plot should have been observed well after the high.
My only regret to this experience is that they didn’t hand out glue to the audience before hand.
Unfortunately, this was a must-not-see. The story line was slow, the actors mumbled their lines, and it just did not present well.
several audience members walked out. not from being offended, but due to the quality of the performance. paid too much and walked away disappointed.
Great story idea, some really clever bits, but overall really poor writing. Too many flubbed lines, a thousand needless scene changes, slooowww pace. This could use a rewrite, a couple more weeks of rehearsal, and a new director to tighten it up. A two dollar show, not a nine dollar show. I get that Rogue is non-juried, but there must be some way to weed out the goofs and scammers.
I was taught, “If you have nothing good to say, say nothing”… so I will saying NOTHING about this play.
sigh..that should have been “so I will SAY nothing”
yes….well I think the story line was clever and there was potential…maybe next time…
If only the people who enjoyed the show spent more time on the internet. But I guess they have lives and don’t feel the need to spend their time posting reviews on shows they liked. I think it’s a good show And most people in the audience seemed to enjoy it. Especially the first show. The audience gave them good reactions through out the play.
Having been on the receiving end of negative reviews I will tread lightly. Go see this show. Take a seat in the back if you are inclined to leave when the going gets rough, whatever your definition of rough may be. I agree with a previous comment suggesting this has to be some kind of study in theatric tolerance. The good things about the show are it’s short, it’s bad, it will give you a lot to talk about in the days after. If you go in thinking it will be the new “worst” on your theater list, you can not lose. It removed high school Shakespeare from my top spot. Bless those who take a risk, write a play and perform it. But we’ve seen better Christmas plays on the hearth with 5 year old actors. It may be a little over priced at $9 a ticket but I believe it has cult potential. It may be the very definition of rogue and is some of the most uncomfortable 45 minutes you will spend in a theater seat. But I get the feeling we were all set up for that very purpose.
THIS SHOW is a MUST SEE!! After reading some of the nastiest reviews that I’ve ever seen in this business, I decided to see the Sunday 5:30 pm show if for no other reason than to get a laugh out of how bad the show was suppose to be. THE SHOW WAS REALLY GOOD!! I don’t know what play Mr. “Painful” saw before his review or what glue Ms. Huffhead was on when she wrote her TERRIBLE review, I found the play to be hilarious, clever, first class. The acting was fine too- definitely good enough for the Rogue Festival. The play was about two Jewish elves going out on their first date. It was more about two first-time daters than about Jewish elves so don’t get hung up on the Jewish elves or the occasional fowl, but funny, dialogue that occurs in the story. I found the familiar boyish antics the two elves went through preparing for their first date hilarious! I also found the physical comedy and the elf who always talks through his hand puppet always kept me smiling. If you listen carefully, there are some GREAT lines in the dialogue. I especially liked the straight talkin’ coffee waitress who always has something inappropriate to say, sometimes even shocking (lmao), to the shy elves on their first date, Funny story with a nice honest ending.
I counted over 30 people in the crowded theater of the Neighborhood Thrift Store at the beginning of the show. Contrary to “Painful”, no one left during my show. After paying $9 a ticket, I noticed the previously empty tip bucket that the host passed around after the show filled up quickly with tips. I put in a $10 bill and felt like I got a good deal. Unlike Ms. “Nothing to Say”, there are lots of good things to say about this play!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
* * * *
(FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS)
Thank you! They were nasty. I understand not liking the show and criticizing it in a comment but some seem to go over the top with the criticizing.
This play has multiple levels. It can be taken as a Christmas play, a play about elves, or a love story. What it really is most of all is a love story. If you look at it as a Christmas play then you might not enjoy it because it’s not really about Christmas and so you don’t get what you want. If you look at is as a story about elves, it’s not really that either. What it is is a story about elves as if they were real people. As if Santa’s helpers were regular people, just like us. It shows the real world of the elves, not just the making christmpas presents elves.
Maybe I can explain the “nastiness” as you call it. There are some very professional accomplished and veteran acts, that charged far less than you guys did. Also, the show that I attended, most of the audience left before the show was over. I can understand loving to act and be on stage, but one must perfect one’s craft before one takes it to the public and expects money for it. Also, serious actors can take serious criticism… people left because the show was unevenly paced, poorly written, not funny, with clumsy set changes and an ending that made zero sense. I’d suggest watching the shows that get the highest reviews, and learning from them.