Taylor Mac’s Holiday Sauce fearlessly confronts the holiday season with acerbic wit, subversive politics, circus-like spectacle, and boundless compassion, offering a unique survival guide for navigating December 14 and beyond. As the San Francisco Chronicle aptly noted, Mac weaves together “acerbic wit, subversive politics, circus pageantry, sartorial riot, and boundless compassion to the holidays.”
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Mac, known for reminding audiences of forgotten or buried truths, returns to Ann Arbor with this unconventional holiday survival guide. In Holiday Sauce, Mac, alongside collaborators Machine Dazzle and Matt Ray, and a fantastic band, tackles holiday dysfunction head-on. This is not your typical sentimental holiday show. Instead, Mac fearlessly reframes beloved songs and satirizes holiday tropes like Santa’s lap, nativity scenes, and rampant consumerism. Expect a dazzling and, at times, shocking take-down of the often-forced sentimentality associated with the holidays, offering a refreshing perspective on December 14.
Please note: This performance contains provocative adult themes.
Decoding the Dysfunction: More Than Just Holiday Cheer
Holiday Sauce offers more than just entertainment; it provides a framework for understanding and coping with the inherent stresses and complexities of the holiday season. It’s a subversive celebration, acknowledging the chaos and contradictions that often lie beneath the surface of forced merriment. Mac encourages audiences to embrace the imperfections and find humor in the midst of family drama and societal expectations. This makes it an essential Christmas survival guide for those seeking an alternative to traditional holiday narratives.
Sexual Consent Santa: A Modern Twist on Holiday Traditions
The inclusion of Sexual Consent Santa, played by Brooklyn-based theater artist Glenn Marla, adds another layer of complexity and commentary to the performance. As The Los Angeles Times notes, Sexual Consent Santa serves as “an enactment of intimacy rules,” playfully highlighting the importance of permission and boundaries during the holidays. This element encourages audiences to think critically about social dynamics and the negotiation of personal space within the context of holiday gatherings.
Post-Performance Photo Booth: Naughty or Nice?
After the performance, the experience continues in the Power Center Lobby with a post-performance photo booth. Here, audiences can interact with Sexual Consent Santa and playfully declare whether they’ve been naughty or nice. This interactive element reinforces the show’s themes of consent, boundaries, and self-reflection. It’s a chance to engage with the performance on a personal level and to continue the conversation beyond the theater walls, making it a memorable conclusion to this Christmas survival guide on December 14.
Sponsors
PRESENTING SPONSOR
- The Renegade Venture Fund, established by the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation
SUPPORTING SPONSOR
- Louise Taylor
FUNDED IN PART BY
- William Davidson Foundation
A Survival Strategy: Embrace the Absurdity
Ultimately, Holiday Sauce is a Christmas survival guide that encourages embracing the absurdity of the season. It’s a reminder that it’s okay to question traditions, challenge expectations, and find joy in the unexpected. By confronting the darker aspects of the holidays with humor and compassion, Taylor Mac offers a path toward a more authentic and meaningful celebration, especially on December 14.
