Because he plays himself and tells amusing, surreal stories that actually happened to him, Les Kurkendaal's show at IndyFringe isn't nearly as formal as most one-person character sketches, say, like Hal Holbrook's "Mark Twain Tonight!"

Still, "Christmas in Bakersfield" -- essentially a black man's horror story about meeting his white boyfriend's family -- is a well-crafted play. It's good theater, even when it comes off as a cross between standup comedy and an intimate conversation with friends.

Kurkendaal, who lives in West Hollywood, Calif., has written four original shows. He has natural storytelling ability, and plenty of fun tales to tell.

"I hope you're not dreaming of a white Christmas, because this year, it's not gonna happen," Kurkendaal quipped to his unseen partner, Michael, as the audience at Theatre on the Square, Stage 2, roared with laughter Saturday night.

Mike's collection of conservative Caucasian relatives included a mother who wanted to know if Les tap danced, a brother-in-law who periodically referred to "Communists" and "the liberal media," and a child who said Les' dreadlocks reminded him of snakes. Of the three, Les first hit it off with the kid.

After Saturday's show, it seemed as if "Christmas in Bakersfield" could be a tighter show with brisker pacing if the script weren't quite so wordy. Roughly an hour of text by the same person on the same basic subject got a bit repetitive.

This probably has happened at other performances, but it might also help if anecdotes varied more in length, and if the stories were complemented or separated by something other than a single, recurring sound effect and an occasional blackout.

Technically, "Christmas in Bakersfield" can't be considered a family-friendly show because of its strong language and gay-themed material. But certainly it's a family story, or at least, a story about relatives who gradually become a family.

And the fact that many of us have nightmarish tales about close encounters with the other half's family only makes "Christmas in Bakersfield" that much more universal.

'Christmas in Bakersfield'

What: An Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival presentation of a one-man show by Les Kurkendaal.

Next show: 9 p.m. today.24 Runs through Aug. 31.

Where: Theatre on the Square Stage 2.

Bottom line: A funny, engaging play about gay-themed family situations, but with more universal implications.