**** Highly Recommended **** If you’re looking for some adults-only holiday cheer and a raucous good time, head for Theater Wit and the fourth year of their smash hit Who’s Holiday! a one-woman show, starring Veronica Garza as 40-something Cindy Lou Who. You might remember a certain cartoon, and a cute little tot who caught a green guy stealing her Christmas tree. That was then, this is now! This version of Cindy Lou Who has a story to tell – and everything she says is in rhyme! Garza has incredible comic chops, so Who’s Holiday! is raucous, raunchy and absolutely hilarious. 4 Spotlights
The trailer door opens, Cindy Lou Who, wearing a red coat trimmed with white fur, steps in, spots the audience, gasps, yells “What the f**k” and drops her packages! Then she pours herself a stiff drink – for her nerves – before taking off her boots and putting on her sparkly crocs.
By the way, Cindy Lou’s hairdo is slightly different this year. It’s still elaborate – befitting a who – but the bleached blonde is toned down to an ash blonde and she’s wearing a red Christmas bow over one ear, a green bow over the other ear, as well as a tiny gift and an ornament.
She says she’s having a party tonight, so she needs to get everything ready as she pours ice into the ice bucket and puts a tray of goodies in the oven. As she mixed herself another drink, she offered one to a gal in the audience. She asked her name, which was Brandy, they had a little conversation, and then she talked about/to her the rest of the evening.
When the doorbell rang, Cindy Lou Who opened the door to snowballs thrown by the neighborhood kids. When this happened a second time, she complained that her outfit was soaked so she ducked into her room emerging in a dark red, Christmas print dress with a bright red belt, worn over black print leggings.
When Cindy Lou Who chatted with the audience – there’s no fourth wall here – she had a lot to say, a lot of it profane (dropping F-bombs frequently) but always funny – and always in rhymes.
The phone rang several times, with someone (characters from the Seuss books) calling to cancel. Each phone call meant she poured another drink. Finally, she took that pan of pigs-in-the-blanket out of the oven, ate one, then shared them with people in the audience.
Cindy Lou Who shared all the intimate details of her life. Her fascination with the furry green guy started when she woke up in the middle of his Christmas heist. I don’t want to spoil Cindy Lou’s story for you, so I won’t tell you anything about her later relationship with him, except to say it’s complicated.
Angela Weber Miller’s set, a teeny tiny trailer totally decked out for Christmas with lights and decorations is a sight to see. A teeny tiny kitchen, with a teeny tiny stove and refrigerator, has a table with one chair. Note the shelf above the stove is filled with booze bottles. On the opposite end, there’s a built-in bed with a bench in front, a TV tray and a Christmas tree. The door is in the center. Tacky is an understatement!
Victoria Garza received a Jeff nomination for her 2021 portrayal of Cindy Lou Who. Angela Weber Miller’s set won a Jeff award for Short Run-Design. Who’s Holiday! Is directed by Christopher Pazdernik. Costumes (and wig) by Uriel Gomez.
Incidentally, the New York opening of Who’s Holiday! was delayed for almost a year while playwright Matthew Lombardo was in a legal battle with Dr. Seuss Enterprises. He won in the end when the court ruled his depiction of an adult Cindy Lou Who living in a trailer was “fair use.”
Who’s Holiday! runs through December 29th at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago. Parking is available in Theater Wit’s lot across the street.
Running time is 65 minutes, no intermission. Mature audiences only.
Upcoming Performances:
- Thursday, December 12th at 7:00 pm
- Friday, December 13th at 7:00 & 9:30 pm
- Saturday, December 14th at 7:00 & 9:30 pm
- Sunday, December 15th at 3:00 pm
- Thursday, December 19th at 7:00 pm
- Friday, December 20th at 7:00 & 9:00 pm
- Saturday, December 21st at 7:00 & 9:00 pm
- Sunday, December 22nd at 3:00 & 7:00 pm
- Monday, December 23rd at 7:00 pm
- Thursday, December 26th at 7:00 pm
- Friday, December 27th at 7:00 & 9:00 pm
- Saturday, December 28th at 7:00 pm
- Sunday, December 29th at 3:00 pm
Note: no shows Christmas Eve (December 24th) or Christmas Day (December 25th)
Tickets range from $15-$45. FYI (773) 975-8150 or www.theaterwit.org.