Playing a harried temp worker fielding calls from Santa, a precocious five-year-old, and a spunky elf with a penchant for bringing audience members on stage, Robert Vest mixes song, silliness, and seriousness in his Christmas stew.  He uses the season as a reason to shamelessly embrace his inner goofball and inner choirboy for reverent carols.  Commenting on global warming, he vamps through Irving Berlin’s “Heat Wave,” wears a Hawaiian lei, and showcases his plucky original song, “Santa Goes Boating.”  Dressed as Santa’s helper with elf-reverential humor, a touch of Paul Lynde and a touch demented, he touches on various aspects of Yuletide.  More polish could be added to the act which coasts on impudence and his Southern accented charm.  Cabaret-connection gets shorter shrift, but he gets it here with “Get Here” emoted sincerely in good, full voice with drama, delivered just in time for Christmas (it would work any time). 

Rob Lester
Cabaret Scenes
December 23, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org