Someone murders Santa!
There you have it – I just gave away the ending. But wait; there are four different endings, so I didn’t really give anything away. Heck, the title is Who Killed Santa? It’s the choose-your-own-ending musical murder mystery holiday whodunit. Try and say that three times fast.
Both live actors and puppets portray beloved characters like Frosty, Tiny Tim, The Little Drummer Boy and Rudolph. “They [puppets] give you a ‘get out of jail free’ card because they are fun, funny and adorable,” says playwright and director Neil Haven. “But the live actors are key because they can convey emotion that puppets can’t.”
The whole production is a labor of local love. Haven, a Milwaukee native, premiered this original play in Milwaukee in 2008 and returned in 2009. It’s since been edited, honed and published. The 2011 run will be the world premiere of the definitive script and utilize all local actors. The puppets were created by Milwaukeean Dan Katula, too.
The premise is this: Santa is hosting his annual holiday party, but all his guests are holding a grudge. Enter the sexy Little Drummer Girl. She causes a stir and after a scuffle, Santa is dead. Because no one will confess, no one can leave, and Christmas cannot go on. As the investigation unfolds, so do the secrets of Frosty and his friends.
The four possible endings are each based upon who is the killer. Actors poll the audience to see who they think the killer is, and then based on their suspicions, they perform that ending. The actors (and puppets) have rehearsed and memorized the lines for each of the four endings, so they are able to think on their feet and react to the audience’s selection.
“We get lots of repeat customers,” says Haven, “because the ending is always different.”
The play satirizes both the murder mystery and the musical theatre genre (because it’s just so easy). Haven elaborates: “At any given moment, the puppets will bust out into song and they actually sing really well.”
Who Killed Santa? runs December 20-30 at Carte Blanche Studios (1024 S. 5th St.), with both evening and matinee performances. Monday, Dec. 26 is a “pay what you can” show, so take advantage of that if you spent all your cash on Christmas gifts. For a full schedule and to order tickets, click here. The show does contain adult language and content so leave the kiddies at home for this one.
Photo by Amanda Schlicher.
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