👽 Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
December 4 – 19, 2015
The Playhouse on the Park Theatre – Phoenix, AZ

Based on the infamous 1964 cinematic misfire, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was adapted for the stage by Brian Newell and Nick McGee (from a screenplay by Glenville Martin and Paul L. Jacobson), and originally performed at The Maverick Theater. For APP’s 2015 holiday run, McNamara handed over directing duties to David Chorley, making this the one and only production in APP history not helmed by its founder, Shaun Michael McNamara.

The story is exactly as insane as the title suggests: Martians kidnap Santa Claus to force him to bring joy to their grumpy Martian offspring. What followed was a mix of puppet absurdity, human performance, and Christmas sparkle, with a cast of misfit Martians, heartwarming humans, and one seriously patient Kris Kringle.

But despite the top-tier puppetry and signature production style, this show marked the end of APP’s family-friendly era. While it was billed for all ages, audiences expecting the usual puppet anarchy were instead met with a surprisingly sweet, straightforward holiday tale. It wasn’t bad—in fact, it was fun, funny, and impressively staged—but it was a clear sign: the kids market wasn’t built for APP, and vice versa.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians stands as a peculiar and festive outlier in the APP catalog. It was big, bold, and endearing… and also the final nail in the family-friendly coffin.

Performances ran:
December 4 – 19, 2015
The Playhouse on the Park Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
(Santa got abducted. Puppets stayed polite. And APP said goodbye to the kids table.)