Fullerton\u2019s Maverick Theater<\/a>.<\/p>\nTo say the production has developed an Orange County cult following for the holidays since being adapted to the stage by theater co-owner and director Brian Newell and local actor Nick McGee in 2006 is an understatement. The show debuted Thursday and every single performance through Dec. 24 has completely sold out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed a holiday show and remember seeing the film when I was a kid on KTLA channel 5\u2019s \u2018Family Film Festival,\u2019\u201d Newell recalled of the show\u2019s inspiration. \u201cEven at a young age, I knew it was a stinker of a film. The quality was so low budget and I couldn\u2019t understand why Tom Hatten, the show\u2019s host, was showing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newell said in 2006, when he was putting together his stage version of \u201cNight of the Living Dead,\u201d he discovered \u201cSanta Claus Conquers the Martians\u201d was public domain. <\/p>\n
\u201cI mentioned it to my friend, Nick McGee, and just hearing the title, he couldn\u2019t stop laughing,\u201d Newell said. \u201cSo together we adapted [it] into a stage script in just two weeks and opened it three weeks later. Nick really had the worst part because he had [to] endure watching the film over and over again while he transcribed dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the uninitiated, Newell describes what has now become a beloved local tradition as \u201ca 90-minute \u2018Saturday Night Live\u2019 skit about Martians kidnapping Santa.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Half](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765490588_992_\")
<\/p>\n
Santa, played by Jamie Scheel, with Nathan Makaryk as Voldar, Patrick Heyn and Hailey Tweter star in \u201cSanta Claus Conquers the Martians\u201d at the Maverick Theater.<\/p>\n
(Jessica Peralta)<\/p>\n
Throughout its long run, the show has largely remained the same. What changes from year to year is the improv \u2014 and that depends on the audience. If most of the audience is returning, improv is significant.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s rarely ever the same show each night,\u201d Newell said.<\/p>\n
Michael Geifman, of Lake Forest, agrees. He\u2019s been going to see the show every year since the production first graced the Maverick\u2019s stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year it\u2019s slightly different, but it\u2019s always hilarious,\u201d he said. \u201cSome friends agree and we\u2019ve made it a tradition. Plus, I like the shows that the Maverick puts on, and this is an easy and enjoyable way to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he often recognizes some of the other people in the audience from previous years.<\/p>\n
![\"Nathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765490588_260_\")
<\/p>\n
Nathan Makaryk as the villainous Voldar, with Hailey Tweter (as Betty Foster) and Patrick Heyn (as Billy Foster) in \u201cSanta Claus Conquers the Martians,\u201d a sold-out hit at Fullerton\u2019s Maverick Theater.<\/p>\n
(Jessica Peralta)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just good, lighthearted fun,\u201d Geifman said. \u201cThe actors seem to have a ton of fun, and the changes keep it fresh and interesting. Every year, there is a huge amount of laughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jodi Seidenberg, who also makes the journey from Lake Forest each year, said she saw the first presentation of the show and was hooked.<\/p>\n
\u201c[\u2018Santa Claus Conquers the Martians\u2019] is silly, funny, good-natured entertainment, and real life is often challenging and stressful,\u201d she said. \u201cGoing to enjoy a heartwarming production that makes you laugh out loud is the perfect antidote to the trials and tribulations of real life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Actor Makaryk, who\u2019s portrayed nearly every male role in the show at some point, primarily performs as evil Martian Voldar. He is also co-founder of Improv Shmimprov, a comedy group that performs at the Maverick Theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of think of the Martians as puppets that want to do a good job, but they are easily distracted,\u201d Makaryk said. \u201cAnything that distracts them, they will obsess about that, and then kind of return to trying to do a good job. And so, I mean, clearly, it helps to have improv actors who are in those roles that are going to deviate, but it also helps to have actors who can get us back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the audience is mostly what drives the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe vibe heavily off of the audiences,\u201d he said. \u201cWhatever the audience is bringing \u2026 their energy, what they react to, what they find is funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
If they have a quiet audience, the actors will lean more toward the script and improv less. But if the audience is engaged with the show or if they have seen the show before, things go more off-script.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to be derailed, and that\u2019s where we personally get to have more fun,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the same plot, but every year something wild and stupid and new.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe Sanders, who\u2019s been in \u201cSanta Claus Conquers the Martians\u201d since 2012, plays the robot character, Torg \u2014 constructed from a large moving box, 5-gallon bucket, ducting heat shield, dryer duct arms and press-on lights.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t talk at all, which is cool,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I can emote using my body and doing whatever. \u2026 You can tell if I\u2019m angry or if I\u2019m sad or if I\u2019m funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torg has become pretty popular with audiences, which Sanders says may have something to do with his dance moves.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has become another crowd favorite of the show,\u201d he said. \u201cTorg has twerked. Torg has done the \u2018Oppa Gangnam Style.\u2019 Two years ago, I did the \u2018M3GAN\u2019 dance from the horror movie, which was fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Becky Jones \u2014 now in her fourth year, portraying Lady Momar, Queen of Mars \u2014 says the performers laugh just as hard backstage as the patrons in the audience. That kind of comedic symbiosis may be why the show has developed such a cult following.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have patrons that come every year and some with multiple groups of friends and families. They come for the laughs and holiday cheer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps that the show is always a little different. But if we do our jobs right, at the end there is a feel good Hallmark holiday vibe that hits \u2014 to me, that\u2019s the best part.\u201d<\/p>\n
While this year\u2019s performances are sold out, those interested may email mavericktheater@gmail.com<\/a> to be put on a waiting list and receive updates on future shows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As an original cast member of Maverick Theater\u2019s annual holiday production \u201cSanta Claus Conquers the Martians,\u201d Nathan Makaryk…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90630,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[50280,1872,163,165,164,48937,38548,1576,2628,48943,50281,50282,50283,5927,49403,1860,3239,50284],"class_list":{"0":"post-90629","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-anaheim","8":"tag-19th-year","9":"tag-actor","10":"tag-anaheim","11":"tag-anaheim-headlines","12":"tag-anaheim-news","13":"tag-audience-member","14":"tag-comedy-film","15":"tag-friend","16":"tag-fullerton","17":"tag-good-job","18":"tag-martians-land","19":"tag-maverick-theater","20":"tag-newell","21":"tag-production","22":"tag-santa-claus","23":"tag-show","24":"tag-stage","25":"tag-torg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}