MARQUETTE—The play Santaland Diaries, which is based on an essay of the same name by David Sedaris, will be performed at Northern Michigan University. Show times are 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, and 11 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8. The play will be staged in the James A. Panowski Black Box Theatre in the McClintock Building. It is for mature audiences only because of language and sexual references. Tickets are $5 for students and the general public, and are available at any NMU EZ Tickets outlet.

            Santaland Diaries reflects Sedaris’ real-life experience as Crumpet the Elf in the Macy’s department store Santaland display. Sedaris, an NPR humorist, is the best-selling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. The stage adaptation of Sedaris’ essay is written by Joe Mantello.

            This performance is the capstone project for NMU senior Jacob Barbot, a theater major from Big Rapids. Barbot’s past performances at NMU include Peter Pan, Of Mice and Men, The Near East, Compleat Female Stage Beauty and 1776.