‘Santaland’ actor Brian Sills is no stranger to holiday retail

Nov. 27--When Brian Sills was offered the role of a disgruntled elf toiling in Macy's during the Christmas shopping season, he inevitably looked back on his own job history.

The Toronto-born actor, who first performed for Kansas City audiences in 2011 as the blithely malevolent Emcee in "Cabaret," has returned to the KC Rep for "Santaland Diaries," a one-actor stage version of the radio essay by David Sedaris recounting his experiences working in the famed department store that long ago made its name synonymous with the holidays.

It turns out Sills, during his table-waiting days in New York, worked on the floor of another retailer during the holidays. He chose not to identify the company.

"It was like a home-decorating, make-your-life better kind of store with tons of Christmas decorations and things," he said. "And what starts off as a kind of happy holiday experience quickly turns into chaotic mayhem. As Christmas approaches people just lose their minds. It's amazing how bizarre or strange or rude people can be."

Sills added that some people seemed to walk into the store with something other than shopping in mind.

"I would get hit on by strange people, men and women," he said. "It was a bizarre experience. It was my first day working in this store, the very first time I had worked retail, and this gentleman literally followed me around for two hours and watching me in a slightly sleazy way. He wasn't buying anything. The store I worked in was in the heart of New York, so it really was a sea of humanity from around the world."

But being stalked by creepy strangers was just one aspect of the experience.

"The worst part is the music," Sills said. "It's the Christmas music playing on a loop over your head that would drive anyone to insanity. You never want to hear Christmas music again after working in retail."

The stage version of "Santaland Diaries" was adapted by Joe Mantello, who directed the premiere in 1996 at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York.

Jerry Genochio, the Rep's director of production, is staging the Sedaris piece. He also directed the Rep's season opener, "The Foreigner."

Sills said he had never performed a one-actor show before this opportunity came along.

"No, this is the first time, which is kind of exciting and kind of terrifying," he said. "But it's thrilling. It's a completely different way to work. And there's no one else to blame. That's the problem. But the neat thing about this material is that it's very basic storytelling. It's a man chronicling this chapter of his life, this experience, so it's a direct conversation with the audience."

Sills said he opted not to listen to the original Sedaris broadcast, but he said he's read most of Sedaris' book. He's a writer Sills admires.

Sills attended the Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto, and it was in Toronto that he began his professional career. His first job in the states was with a tour of "The Lion King."

"'The Lion King' is what got me to Chicago," he said. "It was a brand-new tour at the time and it started in Chicago. They cast me out of Toronto and brought me down and I did the show just over two years."

The role he played was Ed the Hyena.

"I remember thinking, here I went to a great theater school and this was my first job: a nonspeaking hyena," he said.

There was a period of time when Phil Fiorini, a Kansas City-based actor, played Pumba in the same tour. Another KC actor, John Rensenhouse, also toured with "The Lion King" but Sills said they were never in the show at the same time.

After "The Lion King,' Sills was based in Chicago about three years, where he often worked for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Eventually he relocated to New York.

During "Cabaret" and now working on "Santaland Diaries," Sills has developed respect and affection for this town.

"I really like Kansas City," he said. "When I came the last time, I'd never been here before, although I had several friends who had worked here. And everyone I know that had worked here gave glowing reviews not only to the theater company but to the city itself. I had a wonderful time. I really like this town. It's more artsy than I ever anticipated it being. It's wonderful to perform for audiences that actually appreciate what you're doing."

Because the Rep's annual production of "A Christmas Carol" takes up every available inch of studio space, Sills and Genochio have been rehearsing the show at "The Living Room" near 18th and McGee. That gives him a chance to explore a bit of downtown.

"All in all, it's a beautiful city," Sills said. "Everyone here is so welcoming. I think the quality of work the Rep does and the reputation that work now has across the country -- it's a great place to come to work."

"Santaland Diaries" begins performances Friday and runs through Dec. 22 at Copaken Stage, 13th and Walnut streets. For more information, call 816-235-2700 or go to KCRep.org.

Viewing a classic through a different lens

The Unicorn Theatre continues its season with Bruce Norris' "Clybourne Park," a clever response to Lorraine Hansberry's classic, "A Raisin in the Sun." Among the awards Norris has collected for his play are the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for drama, the 2011 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2012 Tony Award for Beat Play.

Hansberry's 1959 drama depicts the Youngers, a black family living in a low-rent apartment, using money from an insurance claim to buy a home in a previously all-white neighborhood. At one point a representative from the neighborhood offers to buy them out to avoid the tensions of integration. Ultimately, the family moves into their new home, although their future is far from certain.

In the first act of "Clybourne Park," set in 1959, Norris puts on stage the white couple who sold to the Youngers. They are motivated in part by the way their neighbors treated their son after he returned from the Korean War. Pressure is brought to bear, but they cannot be dissuaded from selling their home to the African-American family.

Act 2 is set nearly 50 years later. The neighborhood has now become exclusively black and when a young white couple decides to buy the Youngers' house, they meet stiff resistance from African-American residents who fear the disruptive effect of gentrification.

The cast includes David Fritts, Jessalyn Kincaid, Jen Mays, Brian Paulette, Mykel Hill, Janae Mitchell and Michael Pauley. The director is Joseph Price. Performances begin Wednesday and continue through Dec. 29th. The Unicorn is at 3828 Main St. For more information, call 816-531-7529 or go to UnicornTheatre.org.

To reach Robert Trussell, call 816-234-4765 or send email to rtrussell@kcstar.com.

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