By MAUREEN JONES
The humor and oddities of a family gathering for the holidays is featured in 'A Farley Family Christmas,' premiering Wednesday at 7:30 in the Pardoe Theatre.
Actor James Arrington of Orem plays all of the Farley family members in this one-man production.
According to a news release, Heber Farley is the patriarch of the Farley clan. The action centers around a Christmas party held at the house of Heber's brother, Parley Farley's.
It is not a traditional Christmas party, though. There are relatives who are not normal in an environment that does not follow the customary Christmas pattern, Arrington said.
Arrington said he has developed his program based on observing how people act and what they do, especially at Christmas activities in wards and stakes.
'It's not hard for me to find these things and put them on stage,' he said.
His performance in the show is grueling, Arrington said. Since he is the sole performer, he also has sole responsibility for how the show is performed each night.
An element which aids him in performing is the audience, he said. The audience motivates his to perform with the same energy he receives from them.
Arrington attempts to keep the costume changes simple when he portrays the different characters, he said.
'I only try to do costume changes that give the idea of a character. I leave the rest up to my acting,' he said.
He can create a character using a pair of glasses or a hat, he said.
The thing he enjoys most about performing in this play is he gets to make a living in the theater while obtaining satisfaction from performing each night.
'I don't know anyone else who does what I do,' he said.
'A Farley Family Christmas' first began as a spin-off of Arrington's 'The Farley Family Reunion,' the first installment in the Farley family's escapades 17 years ago.
It began as something fun to do for his friends, but he decided to formalize the play in a holiday setting, he said.
Each person in the Christmas production was originally featured in 'The Farley Family Reunion,' Arrington said.
'A Farley Family Christmas' is part of this year's Entr'Acte Series sponsored by the Department of Theater and Media Arts.
The show runs through Jan. 3. Monday performances are held at 5 p.m., Saturdays have matinees at 2 p.m., and all other evenings are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 for the public and $7 for faculty, staff and students, and may be purchased by calling 378-4322.