A Tuna Christmas

Through Jan. 4, $30, Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St., 215-574-3550, walnutstreettheatre.org.

by A.D. Amorosi

Theater

The last time I set foot upon a stage in any sort of actorly fashion was to perform in a version of Greater Tuna. I say "version" because it may've looked a bit different through what was then a haze of cocaine and mescaline drops. (Casting directors: That wouldn't happen now if you hired me. OK, I'd still do mescaline.) That said, there're few better shows in which to drop any psilocybin derivative than A Tuna Christmas. Greater Tuna, A Tuna Christmas, Red, White and Tuna and Tuna Does Vegas weren't born just to make light of the mythical ville that is Tuna, Texas, and its dizzy alumni. The psychedelic Tuna series is a sharply snarky version of a dream — think Ken Kesey meets Kinky Friedman — emanating from the minds of Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard. And with its two-man tag-team of actors playing each and every of TC's 24 characters, it's a guaranteed trip. This take, directed by Madi Distefano and performed by Philly actors Benjamin Lloyd and John Zak, involves a ruinous production of A Christmas Carol. "This show defines quick-change comedy," Distefano says. "Plus I'm from Virginia and have parents from Louisiana and a sister in Texas. So I'm more than familiar with the stereotypes." Expect to see men as (several) dogs, used-gun salesmen and racist disc jockeys at play under the mistletoe. And if you need any tips, just ask me.

Through Jan. 4, $30, Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St., 215-574-3550, walnutstreettheatre.org.