Bernard Mendillo

Santa Claus Just Left Town Bernard Mendillo

Santa Claus Just Left Town is a comedy about a man trying to write a play about Christmas that will please everyone. Bill Munroe is a playwright who is not the perfect choice to write a Christmas play for a community theater. His working title is "Another Miserable Christmas "-and it reflects his cynical view on life and the holidays. His wife, Cindy, and their friends are not slow to give advice-and they insist on seeing themselves in the play's characters. There are multiple relations being explored-both in "reality" and in "the play" - which leads everyone to learn something about themselves-and about the holidays. Take the enigmatic Johnny Caruso, Bill's brother-in-law. He owns a company that provides happiness. He is invited to the house to meet Sara Moore, Bill and Cindy's neighbor. In "reality" they don't seem to hit it off, but, in "the play" they find that they can help each other. In "the play," Johnny keeps popping up in a variety of roles-from a street Santa Claus collecting money, to a toy-store clerk, to a chef at a diner. Johnny is the glue that holds both aspects of the play together. Then there's Steve Stevenson, the director, who fights with Bill about everything - but they learn to work together, as "magic makers." In the meantime, Steve's girlfriend, Karen, has a long-standing, unrequited crush on Bill. Karen learns what's important in life from Johnny Caruso. Santa Claus Just Left Town is a general-audience play: It's funny, it's uplifting - but with a bit of an edge to it that has a literate appeal.