Thursday, December 16, 2010

Merry F***ing Christmas: December 17 and 18 at Quig's Pub

Merry fucking Christmas
I was sitting in a Locust Bar booth a few years ago, perhaps three places into an ambitious dive bar tour of Center City, trying to explain to a visiting English friend that particularly Philly attitude --- friendly, sure, but with a healthy dose of no-bullshit grittiness. At a bar stool near us, a barfly was railing the familiar refrain against politically correct festive greetings, complaining having to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." An attractive young businesswoman came into the bar, too well dressed for the place, and walked toward a booth at the back at the room. The barfly greeted her: "Merry f***ing Christmas," he said. "You got a problem with that?"

"That," I said to my friend, "is what I'm talking about."

With that same festive Philly sentiment, Josh McIlvain, editor of Don Ron Books, is presenting a seasonal theater event, Merry F***ing Christmas and other short plays about holiday cheer . Produced by SmokeyScout Productions, the production company run by Josh and his wife Deborah, Merry F***ing Christmas is an irreverent, shocking, and hilariously disturbing antidote to the holiday season. Written and directed by Josh, the eight short plays are performed by an ensemble of Philadelphia's finest theater artists: Chris McGovern and Domenick Scudera of the Waitstaff (The Real Housewives of South Philly), Jennifer Summerfield of Curio Theater (The Iliad) and SmokeyScout (Boat Hole), Anna Watson of Theatre Inbetween (Teenager: Anne Frank), and John Rosenberg of hellafreshtheater (Cheap Guy Hall of Fame).

It was hilarious in rehearsals, so make sure you catch one of the two performances this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 17th and 18th) at Quig's Pub, upstairs at Plays and Players Theatre. Doors open at 6:30, plays begin at 7pm sharp. See Jesus and Santa Claus battle for Christmas supremacy, a wholly inappropriate secret Santa, and the unholy origins of Christmas II. Plus, you won't believe what Jesus does to the poor lamb!---cpm

Details:
Merry F***ing Christmas and other short plays about holiday cheer
written and directed by Josh McIlvain
SmokeyScout Productions
December 17 + 18, 2010
Doors (and bar) open at 6:30. Plays begin 7pm (45-60 minutes running time)
Quig's Pub Stage, above Plays and Plays and Players Theatre
$10 advance and at door
click here for tickets (no fee)