THE GODDAMN COUPLE DOWN THE HALL - Theatre West

It's Christmas and writer Mark Wilding (Grey's Anatomy, among many others)  didn't like the only choices out there: The Grinch and A Christmas Carol. So, he set to creating a unique and raucous romp about a "nuclear family with all their baggage," (his words, not mine.) With a sure-fire genre that crowds love, he picked crime drama.

            I've been listening to a lot of radio dramas on Sirius XM, and it never grows old. That can be seen in the popularity of the podcast drama shows such as Crime Junkie, Rotten Mango and Serial Killers. Throw in the hit streaming series, "Only Murders in The Building," and you have a movement. So, Mr. Wilding has caught a little lightning in a bottle.

            The Woodruff family is meeting at their oldest daughter's place for Christmas dinner. Two daughters, both within reach of the parents' inheritance, vie for Jerry and Maureen's money in a very common way. They turn the screws with upcoming marriages. Never mind that Sydney just met Lance last month and they can't keep their hands off each other. Just remember this scientific fact from a survey: 75% of all families are dysfunctional and the other 25% are lying.

The chemistry of the actors of this harmless but thought-provoking two-act is at times, caustic: Liv Denevi's Dana cares more for her Brazilian Teak floor finish than her own family.

At other times it is hilarious: the choreography of four of the family hopping across the stage to stay away from the villain, Lucinda, played by Presciliana Esparolini with a snarl that was coated with sugar syrup. Highlights of the cast were Steve Nevil's Jerry, the hapless Dad who found a formula for living within the family dysfunction. He had many of the best lines   and his deadpan delivery was perfect.

            Dave Kumar's Lance was the uninvited boyfriend that we all cringe at but put up with for the sake of holiday. Kumar had the spot-on devil-may-care "Dude" thing happening and his lack of self-awareness was palpable. Of note for this viewer was the touching moments that the sisters, Dana and Sydney (played by Denevi and Sam Gregory,) had when they finally dropped their pretenses and got real. Cecil Jennings' Chad was just the perfect soy-boy, cooking the family dinner, always with twin oven mitts on, and forever seeing the good side of things - until his own plans go awry. And John Combs' Officer Hoyt was the perfect foil for all the antics, inside the family condo and within the couple's next door. He drew a fine line between a buffoon and a good-willed bumbler. And this comes from a 74-year-old LAPD volunteer. He's one of us.

            Their interplay was Swiss-watch precise, and the rapid-fire dialogue was directed superbly by Charlie Mount. What struck us so strongly was the slow, inevitable change of belief by all the family. First, Sydney suggested that there was "foul play" next door. One by one, they all came to believe it and that has to be written and directed into a company. Bravo, Mr. Wilding and Mr. Mount for a sharp, clever, and wholly (holy?) new Christmas production. The set, called mid-Century post-modern, by a character, was museum perfect. Jeff G. Rack even had the foresight to insert my favorite, a Charles and Rae Eames lounge chair, 60's perfect.

And I do side with Jerry: "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie, just as The Goddamn Couple Down the Hall (Oh and Merry Christmas is as must-see Christmas play! (and hopefully, soon-to-be holiday movie.)

The Goddamn Couple Down the Hall (Oh and Merry Christmas) . runs  through December 15,    Fri. & Sat. at 8:00, Sun. at 2:00, a t Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles 90068.

Tickets:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-goddamn-couple-down-the-hall-oh-and-merry-christmas-tickets-1029825585047