Waite to Star in Alley Theatre's Santaland Diaries

By Adam Hetrick
November 20, 2008

The Alley Theatre gets a visit from Crumpet the Elf this season when David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries begins performances at the Houston venue Dec. 2.

Running through Dec. 28 on the Neuhaus Stage, Alley Theatre resident company member Todd Waite (The Lieutenant of Inishmore) is set to star as Crumpet, the disenchanted Macy's Elf who shares his experiences of working the holiday Santaland display. An opening night has been set for Dec. 5.

Waite has appeared in the Alley productions of Cyrano de Bergerac, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Arsenic and Old Lace, Hapgood, Deathtrap, Twelfth Night, The Goat, Art, Stones in His Pockets and The Invention of Love.

The Santaland Diaries has scenic design by Karin Rabe, costume design by Blair Gulledge, lighting design by Kevin Rigdon and sound design by Pierre Dupree.

Tony Award-winning director Joe Mantello adapted Sedaris' original essay, "The Santaland Diaries," as a brief one-man play for the stage in 1996. Sedaris has also penned The Book of Liz for the stage.

Sedaris, a regular commentator on National Public Radio, is the author of the best-selling books "Barrel Fever," "Naked," "Holidays on Ice," "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim."

Tickets for The Santaland Diaries are available by visiting AlleyTheatre.org or by phoning (713) 220-5700.

The Alley Theatre is located at 615 Texas Avenue in Houston, TX.