Potent package
By KAREN SHADE, 12/9/2007
Above: 50 Swats player Kaycee Johnson sets the tone of another set of original monologues and scenes in "Unwrapped," opening Thursday at the Nightingale Theater. Below: Jason Watts’ Santa gets into trouble in "Unwrapped." JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World
50 Swats offers a kinder, gentler Christmas show with 'Unwrapped'
When the 50 Swats writers group announces it has a Christmas show in the works, you can say bye-bye to those warm and fuzzy feelings that accompany most holiday programs.
But then again, John Cruncleton of the tight-knit writer/actor group that has provided the brunt of material performed at the Nightingale Theater over the last year said 50 Swats has "earned the right to be quieter" this time.
"This show seems to have a lot of depth. It actually doesn't go for Christmas-knocking so much," he said. ". . . It's not really a real critical show in tone this year."
The theater that gave us reindeer on the rampage last December has decided to keep some of the frivolity of "Old Fashioned Poison Candy" while adding some of the mood of the more astute "Humans" from January.
"Unwrapped," which opens at the theater Thursday night, is more reflective than past Christmas shows presented at the Nightingale, yet retains some of reckless edge that has become the group's trademark, he said.
Eight writers have created 22 character-driven monologues and short scenes on the holiday theme.
"Some of them exploit story and narrative. Some of them exploit character and psychology. Some of them exploit kind of a surreal landscape," with a straight-up absurdist piece and some sketch comedy thrown into the mix, he added.
The title has many connotations, but is most indicative of the 50 Swats' intention, he said.
"We kind of felt that 'Unwrapped' suggested the psychology angle as well as the Christmas reference, . . . some of the things that resonate with me with . . . the idea of the character laid bare, sort of looking a little deeper inside," Cruncleton added.
And if you keep looking, you'll find that the group that has more than occasionally stuck out a cynic's thumb actually likes Christmas. At least Cruncleton does.
"Yeah! Actually, it's more fun now that I've got the kids," he said. "It kind of becomes relatively pointless at a certain point in your adulthood, but the kids kind of wake it back up."
"UNWRAPPED"
When
8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and Dec. 20-22
Where
Nightingale Theatre, 1416 E. Fourth St.
Tickets are $8. For reservations, call 633-8666.