Sugar Plum Fairy

Reviewed by Terry Morgan
Skylight Theatre Company
Through December 23

Every year theatre critics are haunted by the ghosts of perennial productions of A Christmas Carol past, present and ad infinitum. Sure, there are other standard seasonal shows, but the saga of Scrooge is ubiquitous — which has led artists to create non-traditional holiday fare for those who’ve had their aesthetic fill of figgy pudding. Along these lines, writer/performer Sandra Tsing Loh has brought us Sugar Plum Fairy, a piece about wanting the lead role in a presentation of The Nutcracker when she was twelve. The current production of Fairy at the Skylight Theatre is well mounted and often funny, and Loh’s many fans will almost certainly enjoy it, but it ultimately feels a bit slight.

In 1970s Southern California, young Sandra (Loh) permanently lives in the shadow of her perfect older sister, Kaitlyn. Feeling ignored by her mother, Sandra takes solace in the company of her friends, and plans to change her life by auditioning for the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in a local ballet class production. Things don’t go exactly the way she wants or expects, but she learns something about her sister and herself in the process.

Loh is an amiable storyteller whose comedic persona is beloved by public radio audiences, but in this show her acting is a bit strained. She performs with frantic energy, but some of this energy is over-the-top mugging that might be reined in. Shannon Holt is terrific in multiple roles, including an intimidating Russian ballerina and a sloshed ballet school owner. She particularly shines as Sandra’s young lisping friend Ruthie, who’s obsessed with horses, garners music from the rims of water glasses with hilarious intensity, and gets much comic mileage out of the word “Appaloosa.”

Tony Abatemarco steals the show in various female roles, from Sandra’s distant mother to a perfectly twee Mary Poppins–type who wears a gray floral cap and enthusiastically trills her dialogue. The actor’s best moment, however, is his first appearance as the elderly ballet teacher; bathed in crimson light like a horror movie villain, he stands there, hunched over in his pageboy haircut, glaring at the audience like a combination of Richard III and Rosa Klebb.

Director Bart DeLorenzo brings his considerable stylish flair to bear on the proceedings, getting great work from his actors and working well with lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg to deliver dramatic entrances and exits. Keith Mitchell’s set is a dense and lovely display of Christmas tropes, including a back curtain made of tinsel, a full-size sleigh, candy canes, Santas and snowflakes painted onto the theatre floor. Loh’s writing is sharply observed and humorous, which should not come as a surprise. I laughed quite often. However, it felt attenuated as the show progressed, and the conclusion seemed more like a shrug than a finish.

Loh’s fans will likely adore it, though, and newcomers will find much to enjoy. A note, however: You had better love audience participation, because there is a lot of it.

Skylight Theatre, 1816 ½ N. Vermont Ave., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 3 p.m.; through Dec. 23. www.SkylightTix.org. Running time: approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes, with no intermission.