[NEohioPAL]Berko review: CHIRTMAS CAROL RAG (Kalliope Stage)

[Roy Berko]

KALLIOPE’S ‘THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG’ A LESSER HOLIDAY
GIFT

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times

‘Tis the season to be jolly.  Well, that may be true
for most of us, but this is a tough time of year for
theatrical producers.  There just aren’t enough good
holiday shows.  Yes, there’s the old chestnut, ‘A
CHRISTMAS CAROL’ but how many times can a theatre do
that script and still grab audiences?  Okay, Great
Lakes Theatre Festival has been doing the show for a
million years (or so it seems) and keeps pulling in
the crowds, but most theatres aren’t that lucky and
don’t want to duplicate the same thing.  So, the
search for a viable holiday show becomes a major
headache for theatres.

In this search, Kalliope Stage, Cleveland’s only venue
dedicated to musical theatre, stumbled upon ‘THE
CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG.’  The show comes with good
credentials.  It received the 2002-2003 Charles
MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Musical, given by
the Washington, DC theatre critics.  Of course this
was for the Signature Theatre’s staging by the their
brilliant Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer.  Eric
(yes, I can call him by his first name, having
volunteered at the theatre while I was spending an
extended sabbatical in the DC area), in his search for
a holiday show probably said,  "We can dig up the old
Scrooge chestnut, cast a female lead, put in some
turn-of-the-century ragtime tunes, set it in New York
and we'll have a blast."  And, in Shaeffer’s hands and
ingenious mind, it worked well.  In lesser hands,
well.... 

Playwright Norman Allen has adopted Dicken’s
‘CHRISTMAS CAROL’ by shifting the emphasis from a male
Scrooge to a female.   Evelyn Scrooge is a bitter
older woman.  As has happened in the umpteen staged
editions,14 film versions and 27 TV movies about the
male version of the character, the ghosts that come to
visit and make this female version of the originator
of the phrase “bah-humbug” see the evilness of her
deeds.  In this edition, we understand why she is so
bitter.  A meager upbringing, the death of her beloved
sister and a  failed love affair all have given her a
nasty disposition.  But, true to the spirit of the
season, all comes out well in the end.  

That is, all comes out well for the characters.  As
for the audience who attend the Kalliope Stage
version, I’m not so sure. 

Part of the problem with the production is that the
music doesn’t always fit into the story line.  For
those of us who like plays to have a beginning, middle
and end in which all the parts fit together, the
format is a little unnerving.  

Then there are the production qualities.  The Kalliope
Stage is postage stamp small.  This is an advantage in
such shows as their superlative ‘THE SUMMER OF ‘42,’
but is problematic when director Paul Gurgol tries to
shove 19 performers onto the small platforms.  Often
the sight is that of a mob scene with people dodging
around each other.

Gurgol shows little of his usual directing genius in
this show.  For example, he had Mrs. Scrooge (Adina
Bloom) sing all three of her major songs in exactly
the same spot on stage, looking exactly the same way,
all with no gestures and controlled facial
expressions.  Bloom is noted for her dynamic vocal
sounds and overblown facial gyrations.  She is best
when she does her Ethel Merman thing.   Restricting
her physically while singing takes away some of her
power.  The songs sounded good, but could have been so
much more if she hadn’t been physically hand- cuffed.

The vocal elements of the show were generally fine,
but much of the acting was overdone and unbelievable. 
Yes, the tale is a fable, but we still must believe
the characters are real.

Highlights of the show include:  “Where Did Robinson
Crusoe Go?” (I told you the songs don’t fit into the
story line), was well executed.   This is a vaudeville
act with tap dancing by Gurgol.  “Go Tell It on the
Mountain” (can you believe a Dickens-based show with
that spiritual) rocked the house.  On the other hand,
“If I Were On The Stage” was over the top with
affected acting and a mockingly bad Yiddish accent by
one of the characters was embarrassing.  Bottom
line--if you can’t do an accent well, don’t use one!

Brad Wyner’s piano accompaniment was top notch as were
performances by Bloom, Chris Pohl, Elizabeth Rubino
and Marni Task. 

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   Maybe in the hands of Eric
Schaeffer at DC’s Signature Theatre ‘THE CHRISTMAS
CAROL RAG’ was an award winner.  The same can’t be
said for KALLIOPE STAGE’s version.   The show isn’t
terrible, but it sure isn’t the best gift for the
holiday season.

‘THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG’ runs through December 19 at
2134 Lee Road.  For tickets call 216-321-0870 or go on
line to www.KalliopeStage.com.

Kalliope’s next production is Steven Sondheim’s ‘A
LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC,’ which runs from April 8-Mary 8.


=====
Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source, which can be subscribed to at no charge by contacting neohiopal at lists.fredsternfeld.com.


		
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