OK. When the average person hears the words “improv show,” often the instinct is to run in the other direction — too many cringeworthy tales of bad comics and awkward situations. And yet that could not be further from the truth for the wholly improvised, entirely delightful ho ho ho ha ha ha ha now playing at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. In a show newly reimagined for the holiday season and back after its successful run in summer 2024, creator and performer Julia Masli weaves together an experience of compassionate, off-kilter group therapy meets absurdist, sock-stealing tomfoolery that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Loosely structured and ably improvised around the holiday problems of various audience members (particularly those in the front row), each performance is masterfully balanced by Masli, who is an award-winning Estonian clown. What results is an intensely personal, deeply funny, and beautifully collective experience that is quite literally made by the audience — with different problems, different laughs, and different tones every night. And yet, despite the different energies of each iteration, a persistent thread is people’s willingness to help one another, to understand each other as barriers are broken between strangers and friends brought together in such a space. Vulnerability begets vulnerability, laughter fosters laughter, and together with Masli, each audience builds an environment of generosity and belonging that feels miraculous.
Particularly for DC — when the darkness of the past year and the current season are closing in around us — it’s not surprising that the problems brought to the mic during opening night were a mix of personal and holiday, but also profound societal and systemic challenges. From breakups to holiday gift woes, to the fight against fascism and the heavy weight of anticipated loss, each shared story drew the audience closer together. Masli taps into these dramatic highs and lows with her mood-lifting quirks and deeply rooted compassion, mixing the personal with the communal and finding the kind of relief that only laughter can provide. What she builds in just 75 minutes is a space where each challenge is treated reverently, intently, and with a messy joy, reminding us that we are all human and that no one is alone in their struggle.
Making this wondrous bit of magic happen is an incredibly agile and resourceful creative team. With eccentric flair and an eye for the fascinating, direction by Kim Noble set a tone that was flexible enough to handle the wide-ranging troubles shared and compassionate enough that audience problems were never treated as jokes or used for quick laughs. The set, designed by no one in particular, took on an organic life of its own while the layering of props allowed for unbridled imagination. The scattered vignettes that resulted throughout the theater allowed for maximum whimsy: a workdesk set up downstage right, a suspended chair from the fly, and a secret snow-filled door all played their part. The live light design by Sarah Chapin and the live audio mixing design by Sebastián Hernández deftly contoured the evening, from fairy lights to feedback loops, to set the vibes of one part immersive theater and one part Narnia. And the otherworldly costuming by Alice Wedge, Annika Thiems, and David Curtis-Ring, including, but not limited to, a spotlight helmet and an odd golden extremity, added to the production’s quirky atmosphere.
Back for a new year and a new season, this unscripted and unpredictable show delivers precisely what’s needed right now: light in even the darkest of times. ho ho ho ha ha ha ha at Woolly Mammoth Theatre is a celebration of our intrinsic human instinct to reach toward one another to help, to comfort, and to connect even as problems swirl. An absolute must-see, this wild and wonderful show is a reminder that together we might just find a little more joy, a lot more laughter, and (you’ve been warned) a few fewer socks than when we first began.
Running Time: 75 minutes with no intermission.
ho ho ho ha ha ha ha plays through December 21, 2025, at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St NW, Washington, DC. Tickets ($25–$49, with discounts available) can be purchased online, by phone at 202-393-3939, by email (tickets@woollymammoth.net), or in person at the Sales Office at 641 D Street NW, Washington, DC (Tuesday–Friday, 12:00–6:00 p.m.). Discount tickets are also available on TodayTix.
The digital playbill is downloadable here.
This show is improvised and heavily based on audience interaction therefore the content of the show will vary. It is suitable for ages 10 and up.
SEE ALSO:
A captivating clown whose schtick is trust, in ‘ha ha ha ha ha ha ha’ at Woolly (review by John Stoltenberg, July 21, 2024)
An Estonian clown walks into Woolly Mammoth and … ‘ha ha ha ha ha ha ha’ (interview with Julia Masli, by Ravelle Brickman, July 4, 2024)
