Review: Heartfelt holiday laughs to be had at Fat Man Crying

Imagine getting cozy with your sweetheart on a quiet Christmas Eve only to have your amorous overtures interrupted by a rotund trespasser dressed in a Santa Claus costume and carrying an enormous sack. Skepticism would be understandable…until the intruder resolves to prove his identity by recklessly revealing the innermost secrets of your personal lives. And imagine further that while you’re coping with the devastating disclosure of long repressed resentments and accusations, this utterly indiscreet Santa proceeds to wolf down a tray of cookies with a bottle of whiskey as he sinks ever further into melancholic despair. Merry Christmas!

Okay, so on paper the premise to Joking Envelope’s Fat Man Crying, now playing at the Minneapolis Theater Garage, initially seems more sadistic than mirthful. As scripted by renowned local humorist Joseph Scrimshaw, however, the work derives life-affirming (and often uproarious) laughter from the small details of holiday stresses on the magical and mundane alike. Though rife with sidesplitting moments, the wisecracking narrative never loses its warmly human focus, making Fat Man Crying the rarest of holiday entertainment; one that wields its sharply irreverent wit in the service of a subversively heartfelt Christmas story.

Particular accolades must be given to Scrimshaw for the complexity written into his characters. Whereas lesser playwrights would be content to coast on a superficially wacky premise like a chronically depressed Saint Nick, Scrimshaw makes the work resonant far deeper by studiously developing each role. The two characters at the center of the piece, George and Skye Deal, are fully believable as a married couple whose once improbable romance has cooled into predictable routine. Though imbued with magical abilities, Santa himself is equally fraught with emotional frailties. Even the final character, a hard-luck layabout known only as The Dave, has an empathetic backstory far greater than his surface would suggest. Of course, such rich characterization wouldn’t mean a thing without the spark of an eminently talented cast.

As bickering couple George and Skye Deal, Matt Rein and Amy Schweickhardt, infuse their performances with carefully observed nuances to underscore the characters’ contrasting personalities. Playing the tightly-wound, ultra-practical George, Matt Rein is coiled nerves of denial as he continually insists that Santa is merely a thief come to steal “small electronics.” Amy Schweickhardt’s Sky is, by opposition, all-too-willing to hop upon the alleged Santa’s lap and share shots of whiskey. It’s to both performers credit that their depicted relationship, despite the obvious differences, never comes across as unbelievable. In fact, the unexplainable attraction between such incompatible personalities forms one the work’s driving themes.

The catalyst for the Deal’s impromptu crisis, Santa Claus, is rendered shamelessly intrusive and irresponsibly omnificent by Matt Erkel’s hysterical take. Far from the wizened gift giver of folklore, this Santa suffers from neurosis severe enough to recommend him for intensive therapy. Erkel’s manic-depressive mood swings, existential angst, and lustful cravings present a Santa in serious need of sympathy. Likewise, Santa’s own downtrodden opposite, The Dave, is affectionately shaded by playwright Joseph Scrimshaw’s delightfully delinquent performance which slowly revels a remedial heart and soul just as worthy of compassion.

Though not a new work, Fat Man Crying does represent the initial production for Joking Envelope, the comedy oriented theatrical company founded by Joseph Scrimshaw and his wife, fellow artist Sara Stevenson Scrimshaw. Part of the company’s stated mission is to create shows that “make you laugh and think – because there’s no reason laughter and thought should be mutually exclusive.” With this production, Joking Envelope is off to an exceptional start, illustrating relationship truths in the midst of domestic Yuletide turmoil. And unlike so many holiday productions, Fat Man Crying earns its sentiment by depicting relationships which – while exaggerated – remain movingly familiar. Rest assured, however, that any tears shed at Fat Man Crying while be those of pure hilarity.

Fat Man Crying runs through December 20^th.

For more info: Joking Envelope