'The Santaland Diaries' comes to the Black Mountain Center for the Arts Theatre

What's it like being one of Santa's elves, clad in green velvet, as thousands of children wait in line to meet the big guy? 

Well, according to Crumpet the Elf, the character made popular by David Sedaris in "The Santaland Diaries," it turns out the experience can be a pretty funny one.  

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts Theatre will present performances of "The Santaland Diaries," starring David Brosher in the role of Crumpet, for two weekends this month.

The show opens at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13 and return the following evening, Saturday, Dec. 14.. A Sunday matinee will begin at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 15.  

Tickets for the one-man holiday play, which will also run Dec. 20 - 22, are $20.

Broshar will perform in the seasonal staple, which was adapted by Joe Mantello from the original Sedaris essay, with permission of Dramatist Play Service. The show is directed by BMCAT Artistic Director Matt Lutz.

”You can’t go wrong with David Sedaris,” Lutz said. “He’s like our national jester laureate. And his hilarious take on Christmas is just too good not to share with the people of the Swannanoa Valley.”

The show is a humorous account of Sedaris' stint working as a Christmas elf in "Santaland" at Macy's department store. The author first read the essay on National Public Radio's Morning Edition on December 1992. The story was adapted for the stage in 1996, and has since been widely performed by professional and community theaters at holiday time.

In the BMCAT production, veteran actor Broshar fills the curly shoes of Crumpet with aplomb. He performs regularly with the Montford Park Players in such works as as Shakespeare in Love (Kit Marlowe), Richard II (Mowbray), Henry V (Exeter); Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus) and numerous versions of A Christmas Carol (Bob Cratchit).

“David Sedaris is truly a national treasure of dark humor,” said Broshar, who lives in Black Mountain at teaches sixth-grade language arts and social studies at Carolina Day School. “It is an honor for me to be given the opportunity to bring his words to life as the iconic Crumpet the Elf with BMCAT this holiday season. Having worked with the Montford Park Players over the past decade, I am a great believer in the mission and quality of local community theatre, and I’m delighted to be involved now in the artistic life of my very own neighborhood - Black Mountain.”

The Santaland Diaries contains mature content and is for adults only. For tickets or more information visit BalckmountainArts.org or call 669-0930. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 West State Street.