ELVES RUN AMOK IN PORK FILLED PLAYERS’ NEW HOLIDAY COMEDY SHOW

What is the secret of Santa's laptop? Why the elves so upset? And what about...Fruitcake???

Elves run amok on-stage in song, dance and comedy in Crouching Elves, Hidden Packages (the musical), the new show by the Pork Filled Players (PFP), now running December 7 to 23 at the Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S., in Seattle’s International District).

Elves on audition for Hollywood! Asian Santa suffers identity crisis! Multi-cultural Christmas carolers mired in muddled mystery! What force underlies these events? What connects them? Do they even belong in the same plotline? Find the answer to these and other burning questions in Crouching Elves!

Director Cyndie Mastel-Rokicki and producer Roger Tang lead the usual gang, including Sharon Holmes, David Kobayashi and Daren Wade, in an hour of new sketch comedy, song and dance. New to PFP are Edward Tonai (child star of the Emmy-winning The Baseball Bunch, and possible inspiration for Ichiro), Aileen Strain and Audrey Wang.

Ticket prices are $8 general, $6 student, $5 for groups; shows are 10:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 7 pm Sundays. Info and reservations can be made at 206/365-0282 or via email, oink@porkfilled.com.

The Pork Filled Players is Seattle's closest approximation to a multicultural/multi-ethnic/multi-you-name-it comedy group. PFP creates original sketch comedy that explores underexamined viewpoints and characters so that EVERYONE gets the joke, celebrating the similarities and differences between groups.

Using madcap (and sometimes zany) material, the Players aim pointed barbs at the sacred cows and other aspects of modern life (especially if they’re not pork-like), through humor (hopefully funny) and song (hopefully on-key).

The Northwest Asian American Theatre is the premier Asian American theatre in the Northwest, and the second oldest on the continent. Now entering its 28th season, NWAAT's mission is to discover, create, develop and promote exceptional Asian Pacific Islander and international works, emphasizing the original and the innovative. Which doesn’t explain PFP (but those negatives we’re holding just might...).

Questions? Email gwangung@u.washington.edu