HOLIDAY STAGE REVIEWS : ‘Groundlings Nog’ a Nod to Holidays

Out of 14 sketch titles or improvs listed in the program for “Groundlings Nog,” five have something to do with the holidays--and that’s a stronger correlation between title and content than usually exists at Groundlings shows.

The holiday highlight is the return of George McGrath, who opens the show with an improvised Christmas carol (a hilarious “Silent Afternoon” at the performance seen) and concludes the scripted part of the show with an appearance in drag as Melba, an irrepressible do-gooder whose devotion to the true meaning of Christmas knows no bounds.

An amusingly miserable family spends “Christmas Morn” with the son’s new girlfriend, and the troupe improvises a scene at an office Christmas party. But a sketch about a New Year’s Eve TV special, “Tampiwangi New Year,” shows why the tired old idea of parodying foreign TV shows should be ushered out along with 1992.

* “Groundlings Nog,” Groundlings Theatre, 7307 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 and 10 p.m. Ends Dec. 19. $15.50-$17.50. (213) 934-9700. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.