Madhouse Theater is proud to present The Madhouse Holiday Spectacular at 2nd Stage, 2030 Sansom Street on Monday, December 1st at 8:00 PM.

The Spectacular will present some of what Madhouse does best: sketch comedy.

On the program for the evening:

- How Mrs. Klaus Saved Christmas by John Stanton. The titles says it all. When the chips are down, and Christmas is in the balance, it takes Mama Klaus to save the day. With hilarious results.
- A Very Special Hanukkah Special by Mark Harvey Levine. Holidays collide as Murray Baum has an It’s A Wonderful Life type epiphany.
- Madhouse Christmas Commercials. We spoof products and holiday habits.
- Therapy Session by John Stanton. A patient retells her Thanksgiving hell. You might loose your appetite for turkey from this one.
- Slap Happy by Alex Dremman. Office high-jinks of another sort here. Absurdity in the work place.
- Pledge Drive by Marc Schuster. Spoof of PBS pledge drives. The hosts just can’t take the silent phones anymore!
- In So Many Words by John D’Alonzo and Ed Miller. Two ham actors go up on their lines in the Shakespearean style play. Very Monty Python.

Live music from local singer-songwriters will round out the fundraising evening. Plus food and drink for all who attend – sponsored by Whole Foods Market and Sly Fox Brewing Company!

From the people that brought you those hilarious late-night comedy shows: Saturday Night Special and Late Night Snack. The Philadelphia Weekly named Saturday Night Special top of its “Hip-O-Meter. “The Madhouse Theater Company’s late night variety show is the perfect antidote to lame bars and tired club scenes. Wholesome theatrical wackiness guaranteed.” J. Cooper Robb wrote the Special is “much more fun than cruising the bars” and is “consistently irreverent.”

Madhouse changed gears last Spring with Eric Bogosian’s Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead. The show was a terrific success at Fergies Pub.

Madhouse has been around for a few years and is now holding its second fundraiser. Though it may seem to some that the company is slow in coming, the company looks at it differently. John Stanton, Co-Artistic Director, is pleased with Madhouse’s progress. “We’re like the tortoise in the race. We’re deliberate and consistent and make very few false steps. We take our time and know what we’re doing. Though some other companies might have scooted ahead of us in size and productivity, our track record of work is second to none.”

Madhouse is planning a run of another Bogosian play in March of next year. And this fundraiser will help finance the production. Karen DiLossi, Co-Artistic Director, is excited about their Spring production. “We’re a small company and we keep within the boundaries of what we can do. We also know the power of good acting and terrific writing and we rely on that more than production values. Bogosian is an actor’s writer. And you’ve got to be a dedicated professional to tackle him. And ultimately, when you strip away the artifice, that’s all great theatre is about anyway. Good writing and acting.”

DiLossi and Stanton have assembled a group of young Philadelphia actors for the fundraising Spectacular. Stanton said, “I like the actors because they work fast and can do comedy. These are two qualities that are not readily available.” The performers include Keith Conallen, Colleen Corcoran, Ashley Duffy, Allison Heishman, Robert Neddoff, Gregg Pica, and Matt Rohner. “We have a core group of people we’ve worked with over the last few years. We know them, their strengths and they are comfortable with us. The more an actor is comfortable the farther they are willing to go with the material.” said Stanton.

The Fundraiser will not only hopefully provide much needed funds for the Madhouse coffers, but will kick start the holiday season. “It’s the perfect start,” said DiLossi. “You need to go into the holidays laughing.”

Madhouse Theater got its start as a slap dash, make-shift, three legged producing organization by John Stanton in 2000.

The Madhouse Holiday Spectacular
2nd Stage, 2030 Sansom Street
Monday, December 1, 2008 at 8:00 PM.
All Tickets $25.

For information and tickets, call (215) 260-4968 or email madhousetheater@yahoo.com.