Review for LA Weekly

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This week’s theatre review for the LA Weekly is of Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre’s late night Christmas offering,

CHRISTMAS THRILLS AND HIGH ADVENTURE

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Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre takes a break from its usual Grand Guignol gore to present Richard Nathan’s zany collection of holiday miniplays. Short and sweet, the Christmas-themed sketches feature songs, comedy and scenarios that range from an Elizabethan setting to a frontier tale to futuristic space travel.

The late-night show kicks off in style with a racy rendition of “Santa Baby” as a passel of cute, red-cheeked elves sing and strip down to their underwear and beyond, revealing tinsel-encrusted nether regions. In “The Visitor,” deep-space denizens get an unexpected visit from Santa.

Denise Devin directs an energetic young cast of 10 who enthusiastically pull out all stops to give every character they quick-change into the maximum intensity and commitment. Kevin Michael Shiley is especially good as a hardboiled P.I., while Shali Mals brings an astounding and hilarious ferocity to her performance as a swashbuckling pirate on the high seas.

Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre,

4850 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hlywd.;

Fri., 11 p.m.; thru Dec. 30. (818) 202-4120,

(Pauline Adamek)