Kids’ tales for adults only

Francophile alert. When you enter the lobby of the Art/Works Theatre, notice the flag of Lyon, donated courtesy of the French city. It’s your first indication of the evening’s tone. As performers in Pierrot costumes and young women in scantier attire offer food and libations, you start to get into the spirit of the occasion. And when, in a delightful pre-show segment, a French-speaking Green Fairy (Tina Van Berckelaer) demonstrates the proper way to prepare absinthe, you get the strong impression you are in for a Gallic-style romp.

You’re not mistaken.

Trained at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre in Northern California, writer/director Debbie McMahon shows a deft sense of slapstick in “A Grand Guignol Children’s Show,” a charming, very French production much in the spirit of the Grand Guignol, that famously sanguinary Paris theater that had its heyday beginning at the turn of the last century. McMahon, who paired with Amanda Haney for a 2007 “Grand Guignol” show, goes solo here, with delightful results.

The show, which features “absinthe, blood, birthday cake and witch burning,” is largely based on traditional fairy tales from an era before children’s stories were as carefully homogenized as they are today. (The program title, “Children: The Other White Meat,” should give you a clue. The bloody effects and erotic references rate an “adults only” advisory.)

The ebullient performers, including McMahon herself, throw themselves into the festivities with brio. It’s all in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the beloved French puppet character, Guignol, whose party takes a gory turn when mischievous Punch takes over as master of ceremonies. Among the ambitious technical elements, Chris Bell’s sets and puppet designs rate particular mention. And although a final “Hansel and Gretel” segment grinds on far too long, it’s a blip in an otherwise enchanting evening.

-- F. Kathleen Foley

“A Grand Guignol Children’s Show,” Art/Works Theatre, 6569 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Also Dec. 18, 28 and Jan. 8. $20-$30. (323) 871-1912. Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

In the spirit for holiday high jinks

Audiences who seek free-form yuletide frivolity should catch “Every Christmas Story Ever Told” at the All American Melodrama Theater in Long Beach. In its goofy mix of high school assembly, theme park specialty and Kiwanis Club holiday party, this winking assault on virtually every secular seasonal classic since Charles Dickens is brashly enjoyable.

The venue, located in the Shoreline Village district, is equal parts vaudeville house and Shakey’s Pizza, with a concessions bar located behind the seating area. It seems perfect for an anniversary or birthday, and the alternating three-member cast and accompanist are certainly ready to party. Scripted by Michael Carleton, Jim Fitzgerald and John Alvarez, the scenario is just clever enough to keep us off guard. It opens with a retelling of “A Christmas Carol,” halted by a plea that “it’s been done to death.”

That launches a running joke, one player persisting in trying to reboot “Carol,” his colleagues repeatedly overriding him. Audience participation gives the trio ideas (and guest stars), as Dr. Seuss, Charles Schulz, Dylan Thomas and more collide. The handling of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is maybe the best sight gag, and the finale, which merges Dickens’ London and Frank Capra’s Bedford Falls, is a knee-slapping hoot.

At the reviewed performance, Ken Parks sailed through this fracas, switching between Ebenezer Scrooge and George Bailey on a shilling. Paul Villano made a lower-case feast of his various underlings and ingenues, and Rob Thurmond exuded a nervous wit that suggested Harold Ramis’ long-lost son. Throughout, pianist Rick Illes was invaluable, supplying atmosphere in styles that ran from Vince Guaraldi to John Williams.

If hardly miraculous, “Every Christmas Story” is agreeably corny, high-spirited fun. Its goodwill and energy create an undemanding family-friendly diversion.

-- David C. Nichols

“Every Christmas Story Ever Told,” The All American Melodrama Theater and Music Hall, 429 Shoreline Village Drive, Suite E, Long Beach. 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 4:30 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends Jan. 4. $18. (562) 495-5900. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Naughty words, sex and Scrooge

We’ve always needed Scrooge. This distant relative of Gregory House lets us indulge our capitalist misanthropy while offering the fantasy that our sins can be cleansed by a little show and tell. But Angela Berliner’s frenzied, dirty-minded “Scrooge Must Die!,” now at the Actors’ Gang, makes you long for the delicate Chekhovian pathos of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

This potty-mouthed cartoon imagines that Scrooge (Scott Harris, impressively committed) acquired his rectal obsession from cruel parents and employers. Imagine Mr. Fezziwig as a Dickensian Caligula, and you begin to get the picture. Violent (albeit simulated and clothed) sex abounds, insistent sexual metaphors for the abuse of power and corruption of intimacy. But rape can only get you so far -- even in an evening this short -- and all the leering and groaning soon wear thin.

That said, Berliner the director keeps a much tighter rein than Berliner the playwright, and her dark fantasia has real drive, even if it can feel like watching somebody’s homemade S&M; videos. And there are strong turns, particularly from Toni Torres as Belle, the girl who got away, and Chris Schultz as Bob Cratchit, both of whom ground their performances without departing from the show’s grotesque style. Kathryn Poppen’s costumes hit just the right spot between period flavor and satirical pop.

I’m all for dismantling masterpieces. But what would happen if the Gang applied its bold style to a straight telling of this holiday classic? It might be pretty wonderful.

-- Charlotte Stoudt

“Scrooge Must Die!” The Actors’ Gang, Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. No performances Dec. 25-Jan 1. Ends Jan. 10. $20-$25. (310) 838-4264. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.

Humor and solemn reflection

Although undeniably among the year’s more low-key yuletide stage offerings, “A Christmas Pudding” serves up more than mush.

David Birney’s adaptation is an evening of song, poetry and stories that celebrate the spiritual dimensions of the season. There is no overarching plot; in Melanie MacQueen’s minimal staging for Theatre 40, four actors -- Dan Leslie, Jackie Maruschak, Jeanne Spain and Steven Shaw -- read from a diverse array of classic and modern texts, punctuated with musical interludes.

Tone ranges from lighthearted whimsy to solemn reflection. A wryly delivered 1873 “Letter From Santa Claus,” written by Mark Twain to his daughter, confirms delivery of requested gifts except for “one or two small orders which I could not fill because we ran out of stock.” Another humorous segment features George Bernard Shaw’s typically acerbic dismissal of the season as “An Atrocious Institution.” Softer sentiments prevail in O.Henry’s “Gift of the Magi” and poems by Emily Dickinson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Contemporary voices include meditations by screenwriter A.J. Carothers, as well as Birney and his daughter, Mollie.

And of course there’s no escaping the inevitable excerpts from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Under Kathrine Bates’ musical direction, a six member chorus performs songs and carols either a cappella or with accompaniment from harpist Lyda Eddington.

While the readings are generally accomplished, the delivery and staging add little dramatic energy. The contemplative nature of the material will not likely capture the attention of younger viewers.

This is definitely a Christmas show -- not a “holiday show” -- and one that wears its theology proudly on its sleeve. Nevertheless, its openhearted sentiments send a message that’s reassuringly inclusive.

-- Philip Brandes

“A Christmas Pudding,” Theatre 40, Beverly Hills High School Campus, 241 Moreno Drive, Century City. 8 p.m. tonight through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Ends Sunday. $20. (310) 364-0535. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Nothing’s sacred in theater sendup

Scrooge may fear the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, but theaters dread a different visitation: the evaluator from the National Endowment for the Arts, who decides whether your art deserves a government check.

“Inspecting Carol,” Daniel Sullivan and the Seattle Repertory Company’s winning backstage satire now at the Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre, imagines the resulting train wreck when a regional theater mistakes an incompetent actor (Doug Haverty) for an NEA evaluator. With operations running in the red and only a few rehearsals left for their annual cash cow, the director (Kady Douglas) and her bean counter (Fox Carney) jettison artistic integrity with record speed to curry favor with their guest. Pretty soon the lame thespian is reconceiving Dickens’ classic in all directions, including working with the cast’s sole actor of color (Disraeli Ellison) to insert anti-imperialist monologues. Even Tiny Tim’s sexuality gets a makeover.

“Carol” is a delicious excuse to skewer familiar stage offenders: the supercilious British voice coach, the needy male lead, the spoiled child actor, the god-awful audition monologue from “Richard III.” The ensemble relishes the sendups -- Carney is wonderfully harassed, and Kent Butler shines as a supporting actor smarting from his director’s brush-off -- although a tired prop turkey almost steals the show. If Judith E. and Chris Winfield’s production disperses some its comic energy, it delivers plenty of affectionate laughs for this deeply silly and magical profession.

-- Charlotte Stoudt

“Inspecting Carol,” Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. No performances Christmas weekend. Ends Jan 11. $20. (818) 700-4878 or www.lcgrt.com. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.