I like family time around a tree/group of candles/monthlong fast as much as the next person, but today I think if I hear another carol I might vomit. If you are similarly seeking relief from a month of earnest cheer, and you happen to be in the greater Los Angeles area, I suggest you hunt down the macabre balm of this show. The Grand Guignolers promise to de-sanitize your favorite fairy tales to the tune of absinthe, blood, birthday cake, and witch burning. It looks like great twisted physical puppet fun.

If any of you make it, drop a line and share your thoughts. I’m off to hunt for a bar with absinthe and dirty-minded wolves.

photo: Mark Bennington