THEATRE REVIEW:
KPBS
AIRDATE: December 19, 2003
Holiday traditions come in all shapes
and sizes. But if you like yours with harmonious singing and an uplifting
message, I've got some sugar-coated theatrical Christmas confections with your
name on 'em. Both have been around for more than two decades, in various
incarnations, and this year's productions are especially tasty.
The San Diego Repertory Theatre has
been cooking up "A Christmas Carol" for 28 years, in widely varied
interpretations and adaptations by Rep co-founder D.W. Jacobs. This year, with
Todd Salovey directing again, we're back in a traditional Victorian setting,
with some twists. For one thing, the narrator is Charles Dickens, a role
deliciously inhabited by Jonathan McMurtry. Tiny Tim is a tiny little 6
year-old dynamo, Bibi Valderrama. And the three famous Ghosts -- Past, Present
and Future -- take some fascinating forms. Many "Carol" favorites are
back -- from Shana Wride, Linda Libby, Jennifer Shelton and Paul James Kruse to
more recent additions like Doug Roberts and Robert Townsend. Javier Velasco
choreographs again, the very Dickensian sets are by Giulio Perrone and the
inspiring original music and vocal arrangements are by Steve Gunderson. Onstage
at the Rep for the first time is Broadway veteran Peter van Norden, who whisks
us along with him on Scrooge's harrowing journey, from monstrous miser to
fearful regretter to giddy receiver of wisdom, revelation … and the spirit of
Christmas. It's a thrilling ride when it's done right, and it is -- touching,
moving, downright elevating.
At the same time, in Coronado, which is
beautifully bedecked for the season, Lamb's Players Theatre is presenting its
23rd Festival of Christmas, with one of the 12 plays penned by
Lamb's associate artistic director Kerry Meads. This is the most popular, and
deservedly so. Third time's a charm for this warm, witty creation; thanks to
the exceptional and unpredictable musical arrangements of Vanda Eggington, the
production makes a joyful noise. The setting is TV Studio 22 in New York,
1952…. A blizzard detains all the guest performers on a Pop-Song show -- except
for the Harmonaires, geeky winners of the Amateur Talent Search, who've just
arrived from Dubuque. Well, you can probably guess most of the rest, but it's a
fun ride getting there, especially with the comic performances, precise timing
and gorgeous singing of a stellar ensemble cast. Director Deborah Gilmour Smyth
keeps the pace lively; despite a few temptations, everyone who belongs together
winds up together, and the audience goes home humming carols and feeling fine.
So, deck the halls with theater tickets… You can buy Giftix from the Performing
Arts League, which are good at more than 60 performing arts venues around the
county… Have a dramatic holiday!
©2003
Patté Productions Inc.