“Does anyone have a question about Christmas?”
Emmett Montgomery’s Sugar Plum Gary answered this year’s first show’s batch of questions in the sold-out space at 18th & Union on the night of Friday the 15th. The beloved character has returned to the stage to share the true meaning of Christmas as December 25th approaches: the fully gut-wrenching truth only the sole survivor of Santa’s visit to the Rankin Bass Home for Unfortunate Children could fully grasp.
Sugar Plum Gary’s answers are witty, hilarious, and full of existential dread. As is the explanation preceding the audience’s participation, which explains how just Gary became Sugar Plum Gary the night he first met Santa. We soon find out that Santa Claus is coming to town, whether we’re ready or not.
The majority of the show revolves around the audience’s questions to Gary about Christmas. There are no moments of awkward silence – at least not unintentionally – as audience members’ hands go up time and time again. The format, although simple, never gets boring. Crowd participation drives the rhythm of the show and Sugar Plum Gary’s perfectly delivered revelations of the Cosmic Christmas Horror reward the involvement at every turn as inside jokes develop quickly.
Every day is Christmas, and every day is Christmas Eve. In his red onesie pajamas, Sugar Plum Gary urges seasonal-ists – who ignorantly believe Christmas only comes once a year – to live each day as if it’s your last. With your name on Santa’s list, somewhere between “Next” and “Eventually”, it very well could be.
Emmett Montgomery is a fantastic performer and everyone who meets Sugar Plum Gary walks away as a changed person. I highly recommend going to see the show at 18th & Union between now and Christmas Eve on December 24th. Come willing to ditch your image of Santa – which has infiltrated your consciousness through the propaganda of the soda companies and The Government (or The Soda Company and the governments, if you prefer) – and to have your mind blown.
Sugar Plum Gary by Emmett Montgomery. 18th and Union. 1406-18th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122. (Central District-5 blocks from the PCC) Street Parking available. Dec 15-17 & 22-24, in-person tickets available every night, virtual tickets for the 17th and 24th. Evening shows at 7 and 9pm, Matinée at 3pm.
Tickets: https://18u.thundertix.com/