Kevin Kling returns to the Guthrie for Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log

Humorist Kevin Kling Returns to the Guthrie
for annual holiday laughs in
Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log
on Monday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m.


Book signing for his new children's book, Big Little Brother, to follow performance

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) The Guthrie will again host nationally acclaimed humorist, actor and playwright Kevin Kling and his celebrated one-man show Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log on Monday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m. Kling will be joined by special guests Simone Perrin, Dan Chouinard, Peter Ostroushko and the Brass Messengers. Following the performance, Kling will greet fans and sign copies of his recently released children's book, Big Little Brother, now available for purchase in the Guthrie Store. Single tickets are $28 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

Best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and his storytelling stage shows, Kling delivers hilarious, often tender stories, which have delighted audiences around the country. Yule Log is no different, as Kling spins his hilarious yarn of family traditions and holiday merriment. Wry tales, both old and new, of Midwestern Americana take surprising turns, from laugh-out-loud bizarre to touchingly insightful.

Kling has just released his first children's book, Big Little Brother. Published by Borealis Press, Big Little Brother features whimsical drawings by noted local cartoonist and illustrator Chris Monroe and traces a familiar arc from sibling rivalry to brotherly love.

As a playwright, Kling has authored 21A, Home and Away, Fear and Loving in Minneapolis, The Ice Fishing Play, and Lloyd's Prayer, in addition to his co-adaptations of Goldoni's The Venetian Twins and The Canterbury Tales for the Guthrie. In 2005, the Guthrie launched an eight-week regional tour of Kling's Freezing Paradise: An Evening with Kevin Kling, which visited more than 20 Minnesota communities and performed in Iowa, Michigan, and North and South Dakota.

In the wake of a number of compact disc collections of his stories, Kling's first book, The Dog Says How, brought readers into his wonderful world of the skewed and significantly mundane. He did it again in Kevin Kling's Holiday Inn (2009), a romp through a year of holidays and a lifetime of gathering material.

Kling describes his zodiac sign as "Minnesota with Iowa rising..." He grew up in Osseo, a Minneapolis suburb, and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. His storytelling started when a friend from the now defunct Brass Tacks Theatre asked him to perform his stories. Since then, he has been awarded numerous arts grants and fellowships. The National Endowment for the Arts, The McKnight Foundation, The Minnesota State Arts Board, The Bush Foundation, The Jerome Foundation and others have recognized Kling's artistry.