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"Santaland Diaries move over;
there's another seasonal satire
on the Christmas stage!"

Ithaca Journal

"Perhaps most impressive is his shift from
 the winking social critic his reputation has earned for him
to earnest heart-on-his-sleeve sentimentalist!"

Ithaca Times

“A charming story that only the Scroogiest could resist,
and it's told by a master storyteller.
Brian Dykstra features his signature wordplay
and a surprising amount of heart!”

Ithaca Journal

"Dykstra Paints a Portrait of Stunning Detail!"
"Touching in its Honesty and Simplicity!"

Ithaca Times

"Dykstra is neither Marley nor Scrooge. Dykstra reconceptualizes Santa as an omnivorous corporate predator who owns the holiday. This is not St. Nick, Kris Kringle or Father Christmas but rather a pompous Grinchwith a red hat and a pot belly who seeks to maximize the franchise so that girls named Holly and Noel would have to pay a licensing fee to hold their names. Once the outrageousness of the notion is on the floor, Dykstra raises the stakes by bringing Santa and his legal team into conflict with another big man of a different color, the Jolly Green Giant. Not only is this a rival marketer with a lot of muscle, but his tagline sounds like copyright infringement three times over, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" This rises to a corporate battle of the titans until the shocking (well, startling) denouement."

Syracuse New Times

Description

Dykstra turns the typical children's holiday story on its head in Act I with a Dr.Suess/Shel Silverstein-style poem about the commercialization of Christmas--Santa Claus sues the Jolly Green Giant for the use of the phrase Ho! Ho! Ho!  It’s packed with holiday characters you’ll never forget.  The second act is the charming tale of a Vermont Christmas tree in the big city. And just as the Grinch's heart grew three sizes one night, so does Dykstra's flare for a heart-felt tale about the true meaning of the holidays.

History

Productions

World Premiere

Kitchen Theatre Company, Margarett Perry, Director

New York

(Act One only) 78th Street Theatre Lab, The Drilling Co. (NYC) Elowyn Castle, Director

(Act One only) Access Theater, Major Deegan Lab Co (NYC) James Amler, Director