Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

We grew up on the original movie of Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, back when TV stations broadcast out of backyard shacks and kids ate nothing but Godzilla, kung-fu and just this sort of brain-scrambled ‘60s no-budget insanity and loved it but good. It’s basically Zardoz for the holidays—deep characters, innovative special effects and dialog that reverberates into infinity. (“Santa Claus, you belong to Mars now.”) Maverick Theater’s much-loved and long-running live theatrical adaptation digs out the real heart of this movie—which is a dedicated and cheerful idiocy that twitches constantly between the knowing and oblivious—and serves it up as Christmas dinner. Rocky Horror is certainly an institution, but Maverick’s Martians is becoming something even more adorable—a holiday tradition.

Fri., Dec. 3, 8 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 4, 8 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 5, 3 p.m.; Fri., Dec. 10, 8 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 11, 8 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 12, 3 p.m.; Fri., Dec. 17, 8 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 18, 8 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 19, 3 p.m.; Fri., Dec. 24, 8 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 25, 8 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 26, 3 p.m., 2010

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