The holidays, Atlanta get zinged in new comedy ‘Too Fast, Too Festivus’

Horizon Theatre Company and Dad’s Garage are teaming up again this holiday season to assure that Atlanta audiences of all ages find festive fun under the Horizon roof.

While Horizon is once more staging the family show “Madeline’s Christmas,” and Dad’s stage is busy with the annual “Invasion Christmas Carol,” a new, scripted sketch show, “Too Fast, Too Festivus,” will debut Friday. Developed by a cast and crew of Atlanta comedy all-stars, the show, running through Dec. 31, will offer audiences more grown-up fare.

“Everybody has a hand in writing this sketch show, which I think is really cool,” says "Too Fast, Too Festivus” co-director Eve Krueger. (Nick Sketchety)

“Going back to Horizon was something artistic director Lisa Adler really wanted and we were really enthusiastic about,” said show co-director Eve Krueger, a Dad’s Garage alumna. “Lisa likes offering her patrons something (humorous) like ‘Santaland Diaries,’ ‘Waffle Palace’ or ‘Y’allmark Christmas.’”

These titles refer to grown-up hits for Horizon in holiday seasons past. “Y’allmark” — now encamped at 7 Stages, where it also opens on Friday — concluded its Horizon run in 2023.

Led by Krueger and Tim Stoltenberg, the new show will have a distinctive Atlanta flavor to its humor, sure to resonate with metro audiences. The cast — Adam Archer, Christina Cusack-Curbelo, Joshua Quinn and Gina Rickicki — all helped develop and write the show with Christian Danley, Justin Geer and Megan Leahy, finding laughs through improv and brainstorming.

“Everybody has a hand in writing this sketch show, which I think is really cool,” Krueger said.

She and Stoltenberg, who previously helmed the Dad’s sketch shows “Reversible Lane” and “To Peach Their Own,” honed their sketch skills at Chicago’s Second City, where Archer also trained.

“Tim and I feel like there’s room for really great sketch comedy in Atlanta,” Krueger said. “We wanted a show with Atlanta-specific comedy and also holiday-specific comedy.”

There’s a lot of Christmas in “Too Fast, Too Festivus,” but other holidays are also highlighted. Additionally, there will be improvised sections where the audience can provide prompts to the performers, so holiday surprises may run rampant.

Rickicki said comedy serves a good purpose in these times.

“It’s bittersweet to perform holiday fare in such dark times, but the more people are able to experience laughter, joy and relief as a group, the stronger we are,” she said. “This isn’t AI slop that encourages isolation or an endless doom scroll. This is one of the most basic, ancient human traditions: gathering in the dark to hear stories told while the wind rages outside.”

She believes the show will lift everyone’s spirits.

“I hope that people see others who don’t look like them laughing and remember that we all deserve comfort and joy,” she said. “Comedy is a very serious thing.”

THEATER PREVIEW

“Too Fast, Too Festivus”