by Tim Takechi

One cannot help but feel both tons of sympathy and absolutely no sympathy for Bob. In Burien Actors Theatre’s annual Christmas show, “Bob’s Office Holiday Party” tells the story of a pleasant but weirdly deluded young man named Bob Finhead who really needs a change of scenery. Born and raised in a small town that seems like the Small Town from Hell, Bob is a meek insurance salesman whose sole purpose in life is to bail out the kooky personalities he happens to call “neighbors.” His willingness to lend a helping hand to anyone in need, regardless of the head-scratching reason why that person would get in trouble in the first place, is a reason why the audience would feel sympathy for Bob. On the other hand, why Bob doesn’t “get the hell out of Dodge” as soon as humanely possible gives us a justified reason for thinking, “well, he may not have the most fulfilling life, but he can leave at any time…and doesn’t.” Bob Finhead is played by Thomas Maier, whose spot-on embodiment of happy-go-lucky merriment combined with his boundless faith in humanity carries the show from start to finish. Like BAT’s previous show, “Out of Sterno,” “Bob’s Office Holiday Party” features a strong lead whose joyful naivety must be the only reason why they haven’t gone insane yet. Bob’s hometown friends include a wild mixture of stereotypes of what Blue State elitists must think all Red State folks must be like, even if they’ve never actually met anyone from Middle America. Bob might be an insurance salesman, but his dream is to one day move to the big city (Des Moines, Iowa in this case) and become a world-class inventor. Good for Bob. We really start to root for him to pursue his dreams once we meet the residents of this Small Town from Hell.We first see the town sheriff, Joe (John Lynch), a heavy drinking good-old boy who really wants Bob to stay. Then there’s La Donna (Amy Korver) and La Voris (Leslie Youngblood), two loudmouthed Sarah Palin-esque ladies who in most likelihood did not vote for Barack Obama in the last two elections. We also meet Marjorie (Jenn Kennelly), the mayor’s wife, who might be philandering with Bob behind her husband’s back. This affair, of course, isn’t terribly surprising considering the questionable sexuality of the mayor himself (Ian McIntire). Naturally, there’s Marty (Dan Zertuche), the token stoner who both sees UFOs and gets himself into incredibly creative automobile accidents. Marine Madesclaire plays two roles, one of the emotionally disturbed wife of the town minister and the other as a sexy party girl who was probably very popular with the boys back in school. The plot is pretty simple. Bob throws his annual holiday party right in his office and invites everyone he cherishes to get drunk, go wild and let loose all the pent-up tension they must be carrying throughout the other 364 days of the year. The show’s antagonist, Elwin (Casey Raiha), like Bob the protagonist, grew up in town. But unlike Bob, Elwin actually left and got to experience the outside world. His desire to purchase Bob’s humble business and install a mega shopping complex forces our hero to make a choice: Stick by these gang of yahoos or finally progress toward achieving something greater? Director Isaiah Crowson keeps the irreverent comedy going from beginning to end. You expect the kitchen sink to fly into the audience at some point. If you enjoy raunchy comedy where its satirical targets are spared no punches, put on your Santa hat, kick back a shot of bourbon or two, and make your way to Burien to watch “Bob’s Office Holiday Party.” This show is appropriate for audiences 13+ due to language and adult content. “Bob’s Office Holiday Party” runs from Nov. 28 through Dec. 21, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. General admission is $20 and senior/student is $17. Visit www.burienactorstheatre.org for ticket information. Burien Actors Theatre is located at 14501 4th Avenue SW, Burien, WA 98166.