I wanted to like Company One and Phoenix Theatre Artist’s production of Christmas Belles so much.  It seemed to me like a little gift from heaven, a Holiday show by the creators of one of my favorite and arguably one of the funniest television sitcoms of all time, The Golden Girls, and I was prepared to be dazzled by the jollity of comedic genius.  I’m afraid that I was left feeling immensely underwhelmed by this production.

The cast wasn’t bad, in fact, I enjoyed the performance of almost all of the jovial crew, but it was hard for them to make up for what was lacking in the script- that is, something that linked together the moments of obscene exposition and cheap one-liners that actually managed to warm the audience’s heart.  I am a firm believer that any holiday story, no matter how cheesy, needs to have the “heart warm” factor firmly in place in order to be successful in the genre.  This script just didn’t cut it for me, and though the second act did pick up a little with brief moments of good writing, the first act was so dismal I almost stopped paying attention.

I could go on about specific reasons why I didn’t like the script of Christmas Belles, but Company One and the Phoenix Theatre Artists did assemble some great talents, and I want to give them the credit they are due.  They were the only thing that saved this cardboard cutout of a Holiday show.  First and foremost let me say that I absolutely loved Terrence P. Haddad as Sheriff John Curtis Barker.  He perfectly balanced the need to be a ridiculous caricature with moments of real character development, and his lines were perfectly accented.  It was fantastic to get to see him with lines and vitality after his amusing but fairly silent stint in the Superheroine Monologues.   I also enjoyed Barbara Douglass as Frankie- surely she must be a mother herself because she was a natural at waddling around with that pregnant belly strapped under her clothes.  Light and clever, she actually plays with the sub-par lines she’s given and manages to imbue them with a little heart.  She’s got good chemistry with her on-stage husband, Dub, played by Dave Sanfacon.  Some of the funniest moments of the whole production are their repartee and clever mirroring medical conditions. Rory Kulz as Raynerd is my other favorite of the night.  Somehow he breathed life into the “village idiot” stereotype and gave the audience a very sensitive performance- and the red flyer wagon was the perfect finishing touch to his ensemble.

Direction by Greg Maraio shines in act two’s holiday pageant, when finally the comedy starts to click into place.  I have to admit that the baby Jesus doll with full beard and blinkie eyes made me laugh out loud, especially with the polar bear holding him upside down.  I almost wish I could have that scene captured in my memory as the entirety of the production, because Maraio clearly helps to lead the cast to the finer points of the script at that moment!

All in all, not my favorite of this season’s Holiday fare, but not a total bust for our friends at Company One and Phoenix Theatre Artists.  I am going to keep coming back.  I am really looking forward to the Company One production that wows me as much as my colleague enjoyed The Overwhelming but I don’t think anything can top last season’s The Memory of Water produced by Phoenix Theatre Artists while still under the “Way” label.

An unusual Christmas Pageant.

The Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and Boston Children’s Theatre have joined forces this month to present the warm, nostalgic, little jewel, A Child’s Christmas in Wales.  Dylan Thomas’ touching tribute to the holiday spirit of his youth is enchantingly captured and lovingly celebrated by this delightful cast.

Part holiday story, part salutation to a beloved aunt, A Child’s Christmas in Wales delivers the morality of a seasonal tale with the sophisticated execution of a poet.  His turn-of-phrase and treatment of his memories steer the story away from the cliché and set it in a world of tenderness and reminiscence that we can all relate to. This treatment was adapted for the stage by Burgess Clark, the Artist Director of Boston Children’s Theatre, and he did it wonderfully. Scenic Design by Anthony Phelps, Lighting Design by Dale Placek and Costume Design by Rachel Padula Shufelt work in perfect harmony to draw the audience into the preciously small world of Thomas’ 1923 childhood home.

Stephen Libby is captivating as older Dylan Thomas. Like the ghost of Christmas past, he embodies the essence of a beloved literary genius perfectly.  He infuses each line with passion and whimsy, and looks so startlingly similar to Adam Freeman who plays his 9-year old manifestation, that you just don’t question that young Thomas is truly looking into a mirror of his future.  Freeman is also a delight to watch.  Expressive and engaging, he charmed the audience time and time again with his combination of sensitive interactions and child-like glee.  Flanked by his adorable sister, Nancy, played sophisticatedly by Linnea Schulz, and his childhood friend Jack, played by Coleman Hirschberg, there is just no question that these talented young actors steal the show.  Freeman, Schulz, and Hirschberg must be commended for their excellent vocal work- their accents were spot on (Dialect Coach, Christine Hamel should be proud), and their work with period clothing and movement was wonderful.  All three were consummate professionals on the stage.

The adult cast complimented these talented children perfectly, from bumbling Father (Steven Gagliastro), to boisterous, drunken, Auntie Bessie (Mary Callanan).  Dylan Thomas himself would have been enraptured with Meagan Hawkes’ portrayal of his beloved Auntie Dosie. She brought me to tears at the conclusion of the show, not through any grand gesture, but through the quiet expression of love for her young nephew. What a lovely way to pay homage to the loved-ones that Thomas held so dear, as to appoint such a dynamic, nuanced troupe to embody each character.  They were absolutely fabulous.

A Child’s Christmas in Wales is the perfect show to take your children to, as the show, which provides a comfortable fifteen-minute intermission, is only a bit longer than 90 minutes total.  It would also be a wonderful way to top off a day of holiday shopping in the city.  We’re so lucky here in Boston to have so many non-traditional holiday offerings to supplement the classics, and A Child’s Christmas in Wales tops the list.

Auntie Dosie (Meagan Hawkes) and Young Dylan (Adam Freeman) share a Christmas dance.

If someone told me that a play that included a man doing a techno dance in a full body panda suit would be my favorite show of 2009, I would never have believed them, and yet sitting here looking over the program for Boston Playwrights Theatre’s The Salt Girl, I cannot help but relive the flood of emotions I felt when I saw this show on Saturday night.  Was it the handfuls of Fruity Pebbles being thrown into the audience?  Perhaps the hunks of celery that Actor and Playwright John Kuntz hacked apart with a meat cleaver and threw at audience members crunching all around me in the otherwise silent theatre?  It could have been the breathtaking set, a wall of televisions glowing ominously and flickering with film clips and pictures, as if we were seeing directly into the mind of the character, or it could have been delightful sound-scape which seamlessly led the audience through time periods and state of mind (Adam Stone should be commended).  I’m not sure I could pinpoint one detail of this thrilling play that could define its perfection, but as my companion and I agreed, we would be forever changed for having seen it.

Staring out into the open theatre space (a miraculous transformation from Little Black Dress) I cannot help but see the set of one of my favorite one-man shows of all time, I Am My Own Wife.  The wall of televisions and lamps is artfully arranged with various items that define the character’s journey- salt canisters, cereal boxes, toy cars, a geranium, a lone cup of pudding, a fish bowl, a garbage can- there are so many small details that they blend together, and the audience delights in seeing them appear again throughout the show as each item takes on their symbolic significance in the character’s journey.  Lighting by Jeff Adelberg highlights these moments subtly and perfectly.

Throughout The Salt Girl, Kuntz, as sullen, hollow-eyed, Quint, takes us on a dark journey through the life of his character.  Part monologue, part narrative, we see him through a variety of ages and we watch him embody several different characters.  Young Quint is rebellious and angry, working through the death of his sister and mother through reckless behavior and packages of self-narrated audiotapes.  Older Quint is solitary and particular as he faces the impossible task of ending life support for a father he has been estranged from for 18 years.  In between those two different manifestations of “Quint” is a lifetime of pain and discovery, each moment compellingly and sensitively illustrated for the audience.  Kuntz is harrowing- at times so funny that it’s hard to catch your breath (as in the genius drive-thru window scene) and in the next moment, so darkly heartbreaking that the tears in your eyes take you by surprise.  Despite the roller coaster of emotions, the show is never too dark or too heavy, and every serious moment is earned by his strong stage presence.  He deserves an award for the stamina required of him just to work through the character of Quint on stage, let alone the fact that he embodied this character throughout the writing and rehearsal process of this piece.  I was a little harsh on Kuntz in my review of The Superheroine Monologues, but not here.  The Salt Girl is masterful.

A word about nudity.  I hate it.  I almost always end up disliking shows where actors take their clothes off on stage.  I cannot rationalize the need to pull the audience out of the flow of the story by allowing an actor to get naked.  I just cannot be convinced that what might be a very poignant moment just cannot happen while the audience members are screaming “penis!”, “boobies!” in their heads.  It just can’t happen.  When I read the sign in the lobby of the theatre warning us that this show contained nudity, I was extremely skeptical.  When Kuntz took off his clothes near the end of the second act though, I was breathless- I didn’t even notice what was happening.  It marked the only successful interaction I have ever had with a nude actor where I didn’t feel uncomfortable and slightly grossed out.  He was confident and calm- not a single muscle in his body held nervous tension, even in a somewhat awkward masturbation scene.  Again the lighting was superb here, giving us neither too much or too little exposure.  When the show was over we couldn’t help but comment on the nude scene- and not in the usual way with giggles and jabs.  It was impeccably done.

If you see anything at all in what remains of 2009, see this show.  Run, do not walk to get tickets before it is too late.  It was perfect. The show runs through Sunday, November 22^nd at normal show-time intervals (their website has all the exacts).

Kuntz as Quint

My love affair with Ronan Noone started way back when I was a starry-eyed college sophomore at my very first American College Theatre Festival.  Fresh from the high of competing in the festival with Stonehill College’s rendition of Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, I was replete with enthusiasm for the art form- and ran head first into Noone’s debut of The Lepers of Baile Baiste. So moved, was I, that I became a life-long enthusiast of the piece, toting it as one of my favorite new plays.  It is still widely discussed among my circle as once the most inspiring theatrical moments of our young lives.  It was with that much expectation that I entered the Boston Playwright’s Theatre to see Noone’s newest: Little Black Dress.

I will admit that I came with almost impossible-to meet-standards about how wonderful this play was going to be.  How could the cast compare to the fantastic cast of Lepers that I had seen?  How could a story be as inspiring?  I am pleased, no, delighted to say that though I was not as emotionally ravaged as I was as a college sophomore, I really and truly enjoyed Little Black Dress.  I was not disappointed.

I must start out by saying that Noone shines in his character development.  The show opens with a soul-baring monologue by the leading player, Amy, (played with sophistication and nuance by Marianna Bassham) where she explains the state of her life after marrying her high school sweetheart almost two decades before.  “Fantasies,” she says, “if you hold them for much longer than 19 years, they become regrets.”  Those ominous words open the audience up to the last few weeks of a woman dying of boredom and desperation, and the circle of those closest to her as she brings her life to an unexpected climax.  Amy is joined, in her fantasy world, by her husband Jimmy (Jeremiah Kissel), a drunk who’s heart has hardened past the point of redemption, her son Jimmy Jr. (Alex Pollock) who spends his days smoking and playing video games, and her son’s best friend Charly (Karl Baker Olson) who has made a name for himself in town- with the ladies- by offering his services as a male prostitute.  Upon the urgings of Amy, who Charly also happens to be sleeping with, he pressures Jimmy Jr. to become involved in the sex trade by explaining the love and passion he has for women.  Besotted with love and the change in routine, Amy and Charly plot to move away together to Miami beach to spend their lives together living in hotels and enjoying carnal pleasures- but when Jimmy Sr. finds out his wife is finally leaving him, Amy’s fantasies come to a crushing halt, leaving the whole family changed forever.

Director Ari Edelson is at his best for this production and his passion for the material shows.  He led the cast into the depth of each well-written character.  Never could I have imagined that I would love and adore a male prostitute as much as I loved Olson’s portrayal of Charly.  He was enchanting in a heroic 1950’s way.  I wanted to embrace him.  It was completely plausible that every woman in town would be in love with his warmth and sweetness.  In contrast, but equally loveable was Pollock’s Jimmy Jr.  He embodied a young man that every one of us knows, the bumble-headed loser with a heart of gold.  He alone brought tears to my eyes at the show’s climax.  Kissel, as Jimmy Sr. gave a harsh, at times painful performance.  I wanted to find even one tiny kernel of him that I could empathize with, but couldn’t come away with a single word.  Noone didn’t give him much of a chance with his callous words and cruel motivations, but Kissel didn’t fight against that at all, leaving me to just blatantly disregard the character’s worth- which I think was the only thing that detracted from the story.

Jon Savage’s set was a spot-on rendition of the lower-class chic farmhouse, from the drab and dirty couch to the old fashioned stovetop.  Lighting by Nikki Pierce complimented the stage nicely, and the actors worked well with their lighting, something that can make-or break a performance.  Overall, it was an excellent use of the space.  Boston Playwright’s Theatre has done nothing but impress me every time I’ve had the pleasure of participating as an audience member in one of their productions.  A kind staff and inventive space really make the evening a nice one to share.  I’m looking forward to seeing The Salt Girl in November.

Amy and Jimmy Sr. share a tense moment after dinner.