The West Side Dinner Theatre’s holiday presentation this year is The

Trouble With Christmas, an original play by award-winning Knoxville

playwright Mark Hatmaker.

The play opens at the office Christmas party at Sanders Greeting Cards.

Greeting card writer Leo (Mark Hatmaker) is lamenting his recently rejected

marriage proposal. Eva (Lisa Hatmaker), his prospective bride, answers him

with a slap in the face. He is interrupted in his monologue by various

drunken revelers from the party.

It is evident from the start that Leo’s love for Eva has been a mistake all

along – evident, that is, to everyone but Leo. Great pains are taken in the

script to present Eva’s “loose woman” nature. She keeps her dates organized

by morning, afternoon and evening. To help Leo get his mind off his

troubles, his boss Ed (John Tuck) invites him home to spend the holiday

with the Charles family. This turns out to be a loaded prospect – Ed’s

in-laws redefine the word “bizarre.”

This is one of Hatmaker’s funnier comedies. The first act drags a bit, but

the tempo speeds up when Leo and Ed leave the office. One-liners zip by

relentlessly, begging for rim-shot punctuation. Many of the puns are

groaners, but most of the gags are fresh and funny. When Leo tells Ed,

“You’re smarter than you look,” Ed replies, “I know, I practice in the

mirror.”

The supporting cast helps to make this a fun production. John Tuck is

properly droll as Leo’s quality-minded boss, Ed. Nancy Harless carries off

two very different roles with enthusiasm, showing a relaxed and effective

acting style. Hatmaker’s Leo is somewhat one-dimensional for a lead

character, though he carries some of the play’s better gags. The standout

cast member is Sanjay Guha. He plays several entertaining support roles

(Leo’s Amway-selling imaginary childhood friend, a money-conscious mugger

and a tomato), showing skill at comedy performance.

Overall, The Trouble With Christmas is a fun way to spend a holiday

evening.

The plays runs through Dec. 23 at the Dinner Theatre, located at 12801

Kingston Pike in Farragut. Reservations can be made by calling

966-8768.