"THE SANTALAND DIARIES, TOOTH & NAIL THEATRE COMPANY," Rose Wagner Center, through Dec. 30 (355-2787). Running time: one hour (no intermission).
After a year off, Crumpet, the feisty elf in Macy's Santaland display, is back in the Rose Wagner Center's intimate Studio Theatre, once again explaining how a hapless, 33-year-old ends up being employed in one of the most disagreeable occupations he could ever imagine.
Adapted for the stage by Joe Montello (who most recently directed the Broadway hits "Wicked" and "Take Me Out"), "The Santaland Diaries" is satirist David Sedaris' autobiographical glimpse at life behind the tinsel.
Tooth & Nail Theatre Company's latest production of the biting, cynical comedy features Robert Scott Smith as Crumpet (his Macy's stage name), leading audiences from one hilarious vignette to another as he tells how he applies for the job then — surprise! — gets hired.
Some jobs, he opines, require definite skills. This job mainly requires you to continually speak with forced merriment.
And, Crumpet quickly learns that there are varying degrees of Elfdom in Macy's department store — from the Magic Window Elf (who cajoles visitors into seeing an image of Santa reflected in a two-way mirror) to the Photo Elf (photo sessions turned into major productions by parental vanity) to the Exit Elf (directing folks out of Santaland).
It's a toss-up as to who is worse — obnoxious Santas or really stupid visitors. But through it all, Crumpet and his elite colleagues must smile and convey the happy Christmas spirit.
Smith has Crumpet's edgy persona down pat, but there were a couple of times during the opening weekend performance that his rapid-fire dialogue got a little ahead of itself. Still, Smith manages to deliver one hilarious bit after another.
One of the best is when he makes the change from his street clothes to his Santaland costume. It's a relatively, tasteful routine with a hint of Chippendale burlesque.
Rodney Cuellar's set and costume design are great.
Toward the end, just before Macy's chaotic countdown into the final, frenzied days of shopping, Crumpet notes, "Have you ever realized that Santa is an anagram for Satan?"
Which might offer a clue as to where Crumpet was last year instead of bringing Sedaris' strange but wickedly witty spin on the holiday season to Salt Lake City.
Sensitivity rating: Some naughty language and a brief episode of Crumpet puffing on dope (until he realizes that Macy's has security cameras).
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com