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Shout for joy! OSF's Every Christmas Story Ever Told is pure holiday gold!
By Matthew MacDermid for Talkin' Broadway
The Orlando Shakespeare Festival has done it again, folks, with yet another holiday offering that provides just enough "Bah, humbug!" before spreading a tremendous amount of Christmas cheer that is able to grasp even the stingiest of Scrooge's and Grinch's. Last season's offering of The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge was a grand success, and with Every Christmas Story Ever Told--a piece penned in the same conceit as plays such as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and the other Abridged plays--OSF seems once again destined for holiday gold.
Written by Michael Carleton, John Alvarez, and Jim Fitzgerald, Every Christmas Story Ever Told starts off with the actors attempting to seriously perform the obligatory production of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Two members of the troupe are tired of performing the classic and want to try to take Christmas to the extreme, and infect holiday spirit through the presentation of, yep, you guessed it, every Christmas story ever told. And so, we get the Grinch, we get comic bits of history about the way the holiday is celebrated in various countries around the world, we get "Gustav the Green-nosed Reingoat" because copyrights keep our merry players from doing it as "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer," and in act two, a hilarious conglomeration of A Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life (which somehow they forgot to do in the first act).
However, it is the brilliance of the trio of actors onstage that make what could be a rather lame attempt at holiday humor (one Natalie Wood joke could easily be a groaner, but not in the hands of a master) light, frothy, and never overbearing. Eric Hissom, Timothy Williams, and Philip Nolen have long been regarded as some of Central Florida's best actors, and in this production it is very easy to see why. Hissom is delightful as the stereotypical Scrooge, and later showcases his comic expertise as the Grinch, Hermey (the elf who wants to be a dentist), and especially in his Scrooge/George Bailey combination. Williams is hilarious in his many roles, including a perfect Ed Wynn impersonation as Charlie-in-the-Box, and especially recreating his Ghost of Christmas Future from last season in a tremendously funny (and unexpected) game of charades.
However, Philip Nolen, in a grand departure from his portrayal of Scrooge last season, is perhaps the best part of the evening's festivities, providing a great naivete and gentleness to every character he brings, including Gustav, Linus of Peanuts fame, and nearly all the principal players of It's A Wonderful Life. Nolen's rendition of the famous "True Meaning of Christmas" monologue from A Charlie Brown Christmas is plaintive in it's delivery, and beautiful in it's honesty. Mr. Nolen is able to bring a wonderful wide-eyed appeal to the proceedings, and it is he who is most successful at promoting the Christmas spirit.
All three performers are directed with a light and cheesy hand by OSF artistic director Jim Helsinger (who, despite what his own program bio states, is more than capable of directing more serious faire), and they play on a wonderful unit set designed by Bob Philips. Eric Haugen's lighting design never over complicates matters, and Kristina Tollefson's costume designs are clever and well-executed, while Britt Sandusky's sound design is exceptional and humorous.
So, even if you have missed some of this year's holiday specials when they have been shown on TV this season, chances are you'll be able to catch it--well, at least a glimmer of it, including all of the requisite charm fused with lots of heartfelt humor--at OSF's production of Every Christmas Story Ever Told, playing in the Margeson Theatre at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park through December 24th. For ticket information, visit www.shakespearefest.org, or contact the box office at (407) 447-1700, ext. 1.
The Cast:
Eric Hissom*
Philip Nolen*
Timothy Williams*
* Courtesy of Actor's Equity Association