THEATER REVIEWS : ‘White Christmas’ a Very Zany Comedy

You can’t accuse “A Very White Christmas” of sentimentalizing the holiday season.

Family dysfunction and cartoon violence are the ornaments in John Benjamin Martin’s zany one-act comedy at the Zeitgeist Theatre Company in West Los Angeles.

Disguised as Santa Claus, jilted boyfriend Larry (Martin) arrives Christmas Eve at the house of his ex, aspiring actress Angel (Shana Stern). He ties up Angel’s goofy parents (Casey Kramer and Bob Sutton) and at gunpoint forces her to perform dramatic monologues from high school productions.

Yet the vengeful scheme collapses into a loony party as more unexpected guests arrive. Aunt Dolly (Jill Jacobson) lets slip a long-ago affair with Angel’s dad. Flirtatious sister Bambi (Maureen Muldoon) comes on to the gunman. Angel’s mom, drunk on eggnog, relives her own acting triumphs.

Martin’s script never seems quite as funny as it should, given the circumstances. But it’s refreshingly free of the earnest cant that bedecks many holiday productions. Sidney Wickersham’s solid staging is on the inviting, well-appointed set he designed.

* “A Very White Christmas,” Zeitgeist Theatre Company, 2330 Sawtelle Blvd., West Los Angeles. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 23. $15. (310) 444-1867. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.