THEATER REVIEW : Pair of Visiting Space Aliens Find Earth Traditions Are Easy : Original work by local playwright Linda Livingston explains the origins of Hanukkah and Christmas.

Christian and Jewish holiday traditions are explained in terms even very young people should be able to understand in “A Holiday Happening.” The original, 40-minute work by local playwright Linda Livingston concludes a two-weekend run Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the Plaza Players Theater in Ventura.

Two space aliens--who evidently learned English from watching Coneheads sketches on “Saturday Night Live” reruns--are attracted to Earth because of the warmth and love they feel emanating from the planet toward the end of each year.

The first people the aliens meet upon landing are a pair of teen-age mall rats who themselves don’t seem to have much of a grasp of the meanings of the holidays . . . or of much else, for that matter. But with the aid of figures including Mama Chanukah, several shepherds and Elvis (they were calling for “elves”; he misheard), everything becomes sort of clear without being too heavy-handed in the theology department.

This isn’t very deep, but it does illustrate that Hanukkah isn’t “the Jewish Christmas” while explaining the holiday’s historical origins. It borrows situations from the old fable “The Littlest Shepherd” to deal with the birth of Christ. Add a few songs, some colorful costumes and makeup, and you’ve got a show aimed at children old enough to understand the concept of war--more like a tug-of-war in Patricia Lynn-Strickland’s staging--and young enough that they won’t care that “Elvis” is lip-syncing while everybody else is singing live.

Eric Tooke and Brian Maulhardt play the two spacemen; Laura Dekkers and Ravyn McClosky are the spaced-out teen-age girls. Marlene Reinhardt shows considerable panache as Mama Chanukah, entering through the audience and grabbing a hand-held microphone as if she were Liza Minnelli, leading everybody in several choruses of “Light One Candle,” by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary.

Sahn Berti is amusing as Elvis, adding the very secular “Blue Christmas” to the show’s song list (“Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me” might have been more appealing to the target audience), Richard Goad, Aaron Barrett and Brian McAleney are shepherds; and Aubrey Barrett pulls duty as a little girl (which she is) and a star, singing “O Holy Night.” In addition, there’s a chorus of 15 young children--adorable, one imagines, for those who enjoy choruses of young children.

Details

* WHAT: “A Holiday Happening”

* WHEN: Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2

* WHERE: Plaza Players Theater, 34 N. Palm St. (in the Livery Arts Center), Ventura

* COST: $5 adults; $3 children

* FYI: For reservations or further information, call 643-9460