Umbrella Group and playwright Neil Haven’s two-part theatrical extravaganza is a great holiday selection and a triumph of hilarity. Who Killed Santa?, now in its sixth reprisal, features delightful hand-and-rod puppets created by Dan Katula and brought to life by five premier Milwaukee actors.
Nate Press animates Frosty the Snowman with lumbering movement and a voice that sounds like Fozzie Bear from the U.P. Kelly Doherty operates Tiny Tim, imbuing him with a spunky cockney accent and raucous asthma attacks. As Rudolph, Sara Zientek delivers a snarky, congested little deer with a big secret. T. Stacy Hicks’ Little Drummer Boy (Steve) is an amusingly modernized metal head, and Liz Shipe plays a ginger minx with the voice to belt dirty Mrs. Clause-themed lyrics to the tune of “Lady Marmalade.”
Bo Johnson takes on all the non-puppet characters: a drunken, lecherous Santa who gives each of the other holiday characters ample reason to want him dead, a bumbling detective, a mincing Tooth Fairy and the play’s deus ex machina Mrs. Claus. Johnson’s range is stunning and his characters well defined.
The genius of this show is in its incorporation of incredibly dark subjects into the world of puppets. The dialogue is punchy, the comedy blue and the speakers adorable—a formula for over-the-top laughs.
New this year, Neil’s Dirty Shorts features six comedic sketches with all the Santa actors, plus Katula and Grace DeWolff.
Shipe and DeWolff do a fantastic seriocomic turn in “The Campsite Rule” as friends talking the nitty-gritty of breaking up. The wittiest scene of the series is undoubtedly “TimeWaster Cable,” a disturbingly accurate satire on the hell that is customer service. The piece is deftly scripted and smoothly carried out by the fantastically articulate Zientek, Doherty and Hicks.
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Engaging, fast-paced and connected only by the universal “dirtiness” of their content, the shorts make a smashing partner piece to Santa and the two together are a thoroughly entertaining night of theater.
Both shows run at Soulstice Theatre (3770 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 2) through Dec. 31. For tickets, visit whokilledsanta.com.
