Yet Another Visit With ‘Reindeer’

Jeff Goode’s “The Eight: Reindeer Monologues,” now at the Met, has become a perennial Christmas irritant that ranks up there with crass materialism and overcrowded malls. Its persistent revival probably derives from the fact that it presents eight showcase-starved actors with lengthy monologues.

A more unappealing premise is hard to imagine. Here, Santa’s not a jolly old elf. He’s a “grotesque, libidinous troll” whose pederastic depredations have spawned a generations-long cover-up. His depraved appetites encompass all ages, sexes--and species. But now, voluptuous Vixen (Clarinda Ross) has come forward with the scoop about the saint. Will the scandal end Christmas as we know it?

Santa’s eight reindeer--some vehemently pro-Santa, others vociferously anti--deliver wildly contrasting stories about the allegations--kind of like “Rashomon” with mistletoe. Of “the eight,” only wry Rochelle Robinson outstrips her meager material. There’s a lot of purposeless shuffling in John James Hickey’s staging, and a few of those long pauses that come from forgotten lines. Or perhaps the actors are simply frozen--like reindeer in the headlights--at the tedium of it all.

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* “The Eight,” Met Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Hollywood. Tonight-Saturday, Tuesday, Dec. 15-18, 8:30 p.m. $12. (323) 957-1152. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.