Emmett Montgomery's
Sugar Plum Gary
A Lovecraftian, interactive fun cosmic Christmas horror comedy show, Sugar Plum Gary has earned a cult following as an annual Seattle holiday tradition. It’s been described as “beautifully sleigh[ing] from the absurd to the existential” (Crosscut) and “legitimately Seattle’s best holiday tradition” (Seattle Weekly).
Join Sugar Plum Gary at Seattle Open Arts Place (formerly 18th & Union) the week of December 16-20, and at Vermillion Art Gallery on December 24 (Christmas Eve!) for live performances.
All performances at Seattle Open Arts Place will be live streamed with support for digital audience participation!
In-person shows with live streams at
Seattle Open Arts Place (SOAP)
1406 18th Ave, Seattle WA 98122 [map]
Wed. Dec 16th 2026, 7:00 pm
Thu. Dec 17th 2026, 7:00 pm
Fri. Dec 18th 2026, 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Sat. Dec 19th 2026, 7:00 pm and 9:00pm
Sun. Dec 20th 2026, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm
All shows at SOAP are for all ages.
In-person shows at
Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar
1508 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 [map]
Thu. Dec 24th 2026, 7:00 pm (all ages)
Thu. Dec 24th 2026, 9:00pm (21+)
All tickets are Pay What You Choose.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Who is Sugar Plum Gary??
One fateful night many ages ago, Santa Claus visited the Rankin Bass Home for Unfortunate Children. By the time the sun rose, the boy who would become Sugar Plum Gary was the only survivor. In December of 2016, the kind-hearted Santanist manifested at the just-opened storefront performance space 18th & Union to share about the reason for the season. After wandering for a couple of years in the wilderness known as Annex Theatre, Gary returns to his original Seattle home (now known as Seattle Open Arts Place) in his signature jolly footie pajamas to lead a discussion about the mysterious truths about the ancient magic of the thing known as Santa, his reindeer, the sinister motives of the soda companies and the government who try to lull us into a false sense of safety with their seasonal propaganda and other things we should know so that we all survive the night. All by letting the audience lead the way as he puts forth the proposal: “Does anyone have a question about Christmas?” Each show is different depending on the bravery and curiosity of the audience and the questions that are asked.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Sugar Plum Gary is presented by Seattle stand-up comedian, storyteller, and gentle weirdo, Emmett Montgomery. Known for creating opportunities for odd, fun times on Seattle stages for two decades, Emmett was in the top 100 of season nine of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, voted by the readers of Seattle Weekly as “Seattle’s Best Comedian” three times and declared by the Stranger "an indisputable genius of Seattle comedy.” Emmett currently runs the twice-monthly stand-up variety showcase, Joketellers Union, with cartoonist Brett Hamil at Clock-Out Lounge. He’s one of the hosts of the Seattle Moth Storyslam, travels the country performing stand-up, teaches story-telling and comedy workshops, and is quite possibly one of the Pacific Northwest’s best paper bag puppet makers.
While Emmett and Gary have never been seen in the same place at the same time, people have claimed they bear a striking resemblance.