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Bob’s Holiday Office Party
Reviewed by Terry Morgan
Pico Playhouse Theatre
Through Dec. 20
In a month where various iterations of A Christmas Carol proliferate like mistletoe, an antidote is required for those of us who prefer our holiday spirits bottled.
Bob’s Holiday Office Party, written by Joe Keyes and Rob Elk, has been fulfilling this duty for two decades. Unfortunately, this twentieth anniversary production is scattershot in its effectiveness, perhaps relying too much on the affection of longtime fans rather than working to entertain new audiences.
Every year Bob (Rob Elk) has a holiday party at his insurance office, but this year something is distracting him from the festivities. Elwin (Toby Huss), an old schoolmate who has become a wealthy entrepreneur, has offered to buy the business, which would allow Bob to pursue his lifelong dream of being an inventor. Meanwhile, Sheriff Joe (Joe Keyes) flirts with the Johnson sisters, LaDonna (Maile Flanagan) and LaVoris (Melissa Denton), while stoner Marty (Mark Fite) has a car accident, and the town’s mayor Roy (Pat Towne) doesn’t notice that his wife Margie (Andrea Hutchman) is having an affair with Bob.
Elk has the unenviable role of straight man amidst a crew of seemingly improv-happy comedians, but he manages to keep the chaos marginally under control. Keyes is the most consistently funny as the amoral sheriff, regularly threatening to taser folks in their beds. Flanagan and Denton are a memorable team as the very conservative Johnson sisters, although some of their routines are repeated a bit too much. Towne makes the most of limited stage time as the ninety percent out-of-the-closet mayor, but Fite, Hutchman and Huss seem underused.
It’s hard to tell how much of this show is improvisation and how much is scripted, but either way, Matt Roth’s direction seems lackadaisical, allowing some bits to drag on long past the point of effectiveness. At some point it seemed like the cast had dropped the script entirely and were simply goofing around, which would be fine if it were funny, but the audience I saw this show with only laughed intermittently.
There are plenty of clever lines in Keyes and Elk’s script, but the story is flimsy and forgettable. I can imagine this show with these performers being hilarious, but in its current incarnation the fire of inspiration isn’t blazing just yet.
(Note: Many roles are double-cast; this is a review of the performers seen by this critic.)
Pico Playhouse Theatre, 10508 W. Pico Blvd., Cheviot Hills; Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m.; through Dec. 20. (310) 204-4440; www.plays411.com/bobs; Running time: approximately one hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.
