LIFESTYLE
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19 - 25, 2019 • PAGE 18
P^\Y REVIEW
beverages
|PARCHMfNf
11
L
1
.
.
i
^1
i
1
Waffle Palace Christmas is smothered
and covered in laughs
BY GALE HORTON GAY
FREELANCE REPORTER
Holiday humor is
being served up in the
Horizon Theatre Company’s
production of Waffle Palace
Christmas.
Set in a midtown Atlanta
Waffle Palace, the eatery is
under siege by the demon
Krampus who’s bent on
destroying the popular
24/7/365 restaurant. (Waffle
Palace Christmas is a
sequel to The Waffle Palace
Smothered, Covered and
Scattered, a play based on
true stories from Waffle
House restaurants. Waffle
Palace Christmas premiered
last year and has been
revised for 2019.)
While owners John
and Connie bicker over
management of the
restaurant and new and
old customers drop in,
Krampus, who isn’t seen by
the characters, cavorts about
the fringes of the stage and
interacts with the audience—
explaining what he’s up to
and how he’s going to carry
The Cast of Waffle Palace Christmas.
out his plans. Also part of
the storyline is a question
about the identity of a young
woman who spends a great
deal of time at the palace
working on her laptop and
asking questions.
Five of the eight
actors return to the roles
they created in the 2018
production of Waffle Palace
Christmas including
Larry Larson as John.
Larson and Eddie Levi
Lee, veteran dramatists
of award-winning plays,
wrote the play. Other cast
members worth noting: Rob
Cleveland as the spirited
and sinister Krampus, Maria
Rodriquez-Sager who takes
on dual roles as waitresses
Mavis and Esperanza
and Brenda Porter as
headstrong Connie. Lala
Cochran and Allan
Edwards pull triple duty as
three characters each and
have some hilarious scenes.
Dialogue is fast-paced,
loaded with contemporary
references such as mention
of a green card and
withholding waffles from
the Ukraine and other laugh-
out-loud commentary. And
the production also involves
singing, dancing and special
effects such as snow falling
outside and critters dropping
from the ceiling.
The set design is so
immersive it’s likely to
make audience members
feel they’ve been transported
to that around-the-clock
waffle eatery. Booths, a
dining counter with multi
colored stools, juke box,
soda dispenser, checkered
floor and laminated menus
are among the items that
bring the small stage to life.
There’s also a bright glowing
yellow and black Waffle
Palace sign in those familiar
block letters just outside the
door of the restaurant. A tip
of the hat to scenic and prop
designers Isabel Curley-
Clay and Moriah Curley-
Clay.
Waffle Palace Christmas
is a treat that can be enjoyed
by anyone seeking a little
holiday levity.
Waffle Palace Christmas
runs through Dec. 29.
Horizon Theatre is located at
1083 Austin Ave., Atlanta.
