The Troubies are back at their old stomping grounds in Toluca Lake with a fresh new take on one of their all-time favorite holiday offerings, Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Motown, and what a tune-filled, joy-packed December delight it is.

Writer-director Matt Walker once again stars as (among others) S.D. Kluger, thrilled at long last to “see so many familiar foreheads” at the Garry Marshall Theatre and eager to tell us everything we always wanted to know about Santa, where he comes from, how he met Mrs. Claus, and most importantly, “Does he bring presents to Jews?”

And so we journey “back to when gasoline was still four dollars a gallon” to a place called Sombertown, ruled with an iron Teutonic fist by Burgermeister Meisterburger (Rick Batalla) and populated with the gloomiest of townsfolk including toymakers Dingle Kringle (dance captain LT Martinez), Bling-Blingle Kringle (Cloie Wyatt Taylor), and matriarch Tanta Kringle (Malynda Hale), who come across an abandoned babe and kidnap him. (Sorry, I meant to say take him in as their own.)

Unfortunately, there’s no possible way for the Kringles to deliver toys on Christmas Eve so long as the evil Winter Warlock stands between them and the tiny tots on the other side of the mountain.

If you’ve seen the classic 1970 stop motion Christmas television special on which Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Motown is loosely based, you know what comes next, plot twists that involve a now grown-up Kris Kringle (Terron Brooks) and comely schoolteacher Jessica (Taylor again, gowned and coiffed as if for a 1960s Oscar night), though it’s not storyline that matters so much as the Troubies’ trademark quips and ad-libs, pop culture references, powerhouse vocals, and snappily executed dance numbers, this time choreographed by Chris Payne Dupré and Nadine Ellis with additional choreography by Suzanne Jolie and Walker.

Most exciting of all are the songs, and unlike Santa Claus’s 2015 visit to the Falcon, this time round the songs are Motown all the way: “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” “Baby Love,” “A.B.C.,” “Dancing In The Street,” “War,” “It’s Your Thing,” “You’re All I Need To Get By,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To (Mo)Town” as recorded by the Jackson 5.

Batalla, Brooks, Daniels, Hale, Martinez, Taylor, and Walker prove themselves consummate comedic triple threats throughout, as are a couple of players whose unbilled appearances prove a delightful surprise.

Music director Ryan Whyman and his onstage bandmates (John Bigham, Thomas Drayton, Frank Fontaine, and Kevin Stevens) keep the joint jiving throughout as Jessica Champagne-Hansen’s imaginative costumes give this Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Motown a fresh and fanciful new look distinct from either the TV special or the show’s 2015 Falcon Theater incarnation.

Tanya Orellana’s multipurpose set (aptly described by narrator SD as “Liberace’s closet”) is another design winner, and lighting designer JM Montecalvo and sound designer Robert Arturo Ramirez merit cheers of their own.

Lastly, there could be no Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Motown 2021 without the multitalented Joseph Leo Bwari and Beth Kennedy, and not just because the former is Garry Marshall Theatre Producer and the latter Troubadour Theater Company Producer.

Corey L. Womack is stage manager. Tym Brown plays Kris Kringle December 10, 11, and 12.

After three Decembers spent in the cavernous El Portal (and no show in 2020 for reasons I need not elucidate), it’s a joy to have the Troubies back at the more intimate Garry Marshall (nee Falcon) Theatre. To paraphrase a classic Motown hit, expect to be dancing in your seat!

Garry Marshall Theatre, 4252 West Riverside Drive, Burbank.
www.garrymarshalltheatre.org

–Steven Stanley
December 3, 2021
Photos: Ginger Sole Photography

Covid-19 Protocol:
Proof of vaccination or a negative test result is required for everyone 12 years and older. A face covering is required for the entirety of the performance and at all times indoors. There will be no food or drink permitted inside the theatre. Concessions will be available in the outdoor courtyard.

Tags: Garry Marshall Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review, Matt Walker, The Troubadour Theater Company, The Troubies