I’ve reliably missed Tom Chalmers perform David Sedaris’ “The Santaland Diaries” every year so far, and will miss it again this year. So I made a special effort to see his autobiographical one-man show “Harm for the Holidays,” running as part of the Catalyst Series at NCSC.
I don’t think this is the funniest work ever I’ve seen from Chalmers, but the evening’s mix of personal stories is a good one, and the tone is set as something less than a “laff riot” from the very beginning. Which is not to say it is not funny — it is. But many of the biggest laughs come packaged in groans of discomfort that such horrible things could happen to poor Tom, and some of the most effective material is a gently comic slant on these otherwise horrible situations, most of which involve uncomfortable family situations, and all of which are undercut by the slightly melancholy sense of relying on comedy to survive tragedy.
The play starts with the Christmas Eve death of a beloved grandfather, and this sweet but somber beginning firmly establishes the layout of the evening. It is surprisingly funny, but it is tinged through with a hint of sadness that grounds the show in a nicely real way. As an added bonus, this allows the moments where Chalmers seemingly riffs off script to be true asides that break the mood and inject the purest, least compromised laughs of the evening.
I don’t want to say too much about the material, and risk giving away any surprises. I’ll just end with this: if you are only interested in seeing “Tom Chalmers: Funnyman,” you may be slightly under-whelmed. But if you are looking for a very sweet, very heartfelt, and, yes, very funny performance that makes you appreciate both the flaws and wonders of your own family, consider coming “Harm for the Holidays.”
And now I turn the joke writing back to Mr. Tom Chalmers, ladies and gentlemen, who’s actually good at it.
--Willie Repoley
20 November 2007
Harm for the Holidays at NCSC
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From the MX. Hope they don't mind.
BG--
Play review: Harm for the Holidays at N.C. Stage
Alli Marshall | 12/03 | 12:14 PM
I’ve been on a bit of a Tom Chalmers kick lately. I caught his standup routine at the most recent Laugh Your Asheville Off Comedy Festival, then I did a short preview of his self-written one-man show, Harm for the Holidays, followed by a longer preview of his David Sedaris-written one-man show, The Santaland Diaries, which opens at ACT on Thursday, Dec. 13 (see the Wednesday, Dec. 12 issue of Xpress for the full story).
I happen to think Chalmers is a pretty funny guy. He can do standup without resorting to lowbrow humor. He’s self-effacing without being totally disgusting and he manages to poke fun at political correctness without offending the P.C. sensibilities of a liberal-minded, egalitarian-leaning audience.
And while I’m not about to head up the local chapter of the Tom Chalmers fan club (I would, but I’m overextended at the moment), I have to say that, at his Friday, Nov. 30 performance of Harm at N.C. Stage (one of the show’s final runs), I laughed so hard I got a side stitch.
The 90-minute show is culled from Chalmers’ own holiday experiences; stories he claims prove that his family is somehow cursed to spend the holidays in the emergency room. “I love the holidays but I also fear them,” the comedian told Xpress. And that suspicion-tempered zeal is not restricted to Christmas, either. Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween and Columbus Day are equally dangerous dates on Chalmers’ calendar.
The performance is a fast-paced, sometimes breathless romp through the seasons with the actor presenting his tales monologue-style with plenty of physical comedy and caricatures of various relatives. The set is split between a Christmas tree and pile of gifts on one side of the stage and a lavish Thanksgiving spread on the other. Most of Chalmers’ action happens center stage as he recounts the death of his grandfather, an untimely breakup, and various sudden and violent illnesses. I don’t think it will ruin the play for anyone planning to go next year to say that a certain vomit/diarrhea sequence choreographed to a particularly famous symphonic overture was so hilarious the entire audience was doubled over in their chairs.
Okay, so Harm isn’t the stuff of grand epiphanies and probably not appropriate for really straight-laced out-of-town guests. But for anyone who stresses over the holidays or needs a break from shopping crowds, office parties and constant family, here’s a perfect escape. Hopefully Harm will be back next year.
—Alli Marshall, A&E reporter
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