No Reservations at the Adrienne Theater

This highly original madcap holiday comedy satirizes our celebrity-obsessed, media-saturated culture, and asks what the age-old story of Christmas might look like today. The writer behind the play is New York Times best-selling humorist, Josh Piven, who says, “We’ve developed such a fascination with the cult of celebrity, and there’s now a virtual imperative to put our entire lives online. I thought it would be fun to re-imagine such a traditional story using modern themes: not only social media but also the housing crisis, reality television, and same-sex marriage. If the Nativity is a story for all time, then No Reservations is definitely a story for our times.” With this as his first live theater comedy, Piven really nailed so many key societal topics in a way that had us laughing throughout the entire show.

The characters of the cast were so well-played and each person brought their own energy to the stage. There was great chemistry between couple Mary Beth Shrader and Colleen Corcoran, as did innkeepers Jared Michael Delaney and Wendy Staton. One of the best parts is the sarcastic carolers are the same ones that comically changed stage props. Every detail of this production was meticulously thought out.

No Reservations runs now until December 15 at the Adrienne Theater (Skybox @ The Adrienne Theater). Tickets are $18 to $25 at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/449685. Come out to support the local arts and prepare yourself for some serious laughter.