The Hunter Davis Christmas Special
created /performed by Hunter Davis & Francisco Rodriguez
Elephant Stages
July 21-24 only
When I was first informed that a Christmas Special would be presented on stage in July, my reaction was: "Yeah!" If you cannot guess, I love Christmas. Hunter Davis? My first reaction: Who the hell is Hunter Davis? Anyone unknown with the unmitigated gall to put his name in the title of a show has got balls, and I don't mean Christmas ornaments...and he obviously thinks he's good enough to have his name in the title! We go to see an Andy Williams Christmas Special or a Vicki Carr Christmas Special, because we respect their bona fide talent and know what to expect. But - and pardon my repetition - Hunter Davis? I don't know him and he's performing in an Equity waiver theatre, to boot. With this kind of pot luck, if I go, I really deserve to be disappointed. Nonetheless, I weathered the storm - the heat of July - made reservations to go, and did not expect much. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised with the talent on the Elephant Stage Thursday July 21 on the opening night of The Hunter Davis Christmas Special!
Much of it was OK funny; some of it, drop dead funny! The two guys who created it - Hunter Davis and Francisco Rodriguez - miles of chutzpah, but justifiably big, big talent!
What makes this Texas boy -Davis, that is - so lovable is a genuine down-home, boyish quality that is fresh and vibrant, sort of like Conan O'Brien, when he first began his career. He opened the show with some comments about wanting to honor his grandfather's local Christmas talent shows, but that the one we were about to see - being in July - would not have anything at all to do with Christmas. You know, of course, with such contradictions, that the lad is talking out of the side of his mouth, and before you had a chance to blink, there was a British caroler at the door - on his knees, to make him appear like Tiny Tim - begging to sing "Silent Night". Even with an ix-nay, he sang it and made several silly appearances throughout the two hour show. The set was a crumpled mess, but replete with Christmas tree, gaily wrapped packages, a fake fireplace for Santa's entrance, and even a cheesy wintry scene on art class paper to give the effect of an exterior through the living room window. The opening segment where Davis attempts to justify his presence and get his footing with the audience and the unwanted entrance of Rodriguez - his dear lifelong friend that he has quarreled with and broken up with for good; in fact, he has been barred from the set - goes on much too long. It needs cutting, and the whole play should be a one act to make it fuller and consistently enjoyable.
As is, Davis and Rodriguez have remarkable chemistry - like Laurel and Hardy, Seinfeld and Alexander or the Belushi Brothers - and other talent in the cast: Joseph Cheatham (a mammoth Peanut), Thomas Harvey (caroler), J. Louis Reid (Santa, Grandpa), the poker faced security guard (uncredited) and especially Fred Jones as Professor Scorpion in a Tonight Show segment spoofing Johnny Carson (Davis) and Ed McMahon (Rodriguez) with Scorpion's "aminals" is hysterically funny. The spirit of Christmas Present (also Jones) as a puppet named Sludgy who just cannot come up to the grandeur of Frosty the Snowman - He's melting into slush! - is also a funny bit.
Shorten the show and bring it back! There's a lot of talent here that LA casting people should look into - namely Davis, Rodriguez and Jones! It's like a Saturday Night Live show - at its high points! In the meantime, visit the Hunter Davis link below on Facebook for a very funny video with an elf scene, which, most unfortunately, was cut from this LA production. It's cute and endearing fun, as most of this show has the potential to be!
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