[NEohioPAL]another review of THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG

Thu Dec 2 10:28:25 PST 2004

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Kalliope earns another rave from the Sun Press for the regional premier of THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG. Read the entire review here . . .

'Carol' makes a classic sing
By Ygal Kaufman

Conceived and adapted by Normal Allen, "with apologies to Charles Dickens," THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG is for the most part a straight-up adaptation of the classic novella.

The story is essentially the same, but the setting is different. This version, now running at Kalliope stage, takes place in New York City instead of London and incorporates ragtime-style music.

Like Dickens' story, this musical affirms the notion that it's never too late to change.

With not much space to work with in the tiny theater set designer Russ Borski and director/star Paul F. Gurgol (name corrected) utilize revolving doors and the area between the stage and first row of seating to make a convincing late 19th century New York street corner come to life.

The look of Dickensian London translates very well to pre-Depression New York City. Credit Russ Borski's (name corrected) exceptional set design. 

This transformation is vital to the success of the musical, which attempts to capture the hopelessness of poverty and the hope of a new generation.

But Kalliope has added one other twist: Scrooge is a woman. This opens the doors to many tangential thematic possibilities, but the Kalliope production unfortunately never explores them. This is a small quip, though, because ultimately, the lively, energetic cast carries the day.

Adina Bloom makes excellent use of the small space in her turn as the lovable grouch Evelyn Scrooge. Bloom's voice echoes with the mythic power of Dickens' characters.

The cast holds the audience in its grip through lively numbers like "Deck the Halls" and an especially jovial "Go Tell it on the Mountain." During the latter, the entire cast dons gospel choir uniforms and performs the spiritual with the Ghost of Christmas Present, played nicely by Kimberly-Fain Bryant.

Director Gurgol also is responsible for the liveliest and largest musical number in the 90-minute performance when he makes a cameo as Mr. Fezziwig. With the entire cast on stage for a sing-along, Gurgol breaks into a tap dance that wows the audience.

The songs are not rife with originality, at least not lyrically, but Brad Wyner's piano accompaniment and the Kalliope players' voices more than make up for what the source material lacks.

Besides Bloom and Gurgol, other standout performances came from John Paul Boukis as Bob Cratchit, Elizabeth M. Rubino as Anne Cratchit, Marni Task as Agnes, and Halle Barnett as the amusing, Jewish Ghost of Christmas past.

Katherine DeBoer is heartbreaking and beautiful as the young Evelyn Scrooge and gives an exceptional performance.

The cast features all ages, and the rousing conclusion gets the audience clapping in rhythm.

Kalliope's production is sure to reaffirm Christmas spirit for the entire family.

WHAT: THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG
WHEN: 8pm Wednesday through Saturday and 2pm Sunday, through December 19
WHERE: Kalliope Stage, 2134 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-0870
COST: $27, students/seniors discounted

Adina Bloom is Evelyn Scrooge in Kalliope's THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG. She commands a sweatshop in old New York until the chain-rattling Janet Marley comes to call. Halle Barnett returns to the stage as the Yiddish-speaking Ghost of Christmas Past and Kimberly Fain Bryant is the gospel-belting Ghost of Christmas Present. Get tickets for this favorite of critics and audience before they're all gone--several performances are sold out. Wednesday through Sunday, through December 19, www.KalliopeStage.com and 216-321-0870.

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<DIV><FONT face=arial><STRONG>Kalliope earns another rave from the Sun Press for the regional premier of THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG. Read the entire review here . . .</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="times new roman" color=#ff0000 size=5>'Carol' makes a classic sing</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="arial narrow" size=3><STRONG>By Ygal Kaufman</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="times new roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="times new roman" size=3>Conceived and adapted by Normal Allen, "with apologies to Charles Dickens," THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG is for the most part a straight-up adaptation of the classic novella.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The story is essentially the same, but the setting is different. This version, now running at Kalliope stage, takes place in New York City instead of London and incorporates ragtime-style music.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Like Dickens' story, this musical affirms the notion that it's never too late to change.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>With not much space to work with in the tiny theater set designer Russ Borski and director/star Paul F. Gurgol <EM>(name corrected) </EM>utilize revolving doors and the area between the stage and first row of seating to make a convincing late 19th century New York street corner come to life.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The look of Dickensian London translates very well to pre-Depression New York City. Credit Russ Borski's <EM>(name corrected) </EM>exceptional set design. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>This transformation is vital to the success of the musical, which attempts to capture the hopelessness of poverty and the hope of a new generation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>But Kalliope has added one other twist: Scrooge is a woman. This opens the doors to many tangential thematic possibilities, but the Kalliope production unfortunately never explores them. This is a small quip, though, because ultimately, the lively, energetic cast carries the day.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Adina Bloom makes excellent use of the small space in her turn as the lovable grouch Evelyn Scrooge. Bloom's voice echoes with the mythic power of Dickens' characters.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The cast holds the audience in its grip through lively numbers like "Deck the Halls" and an especially jovial "Go Tell it on the Mountain." During the latter, the entire cast dons gospel choir uniforms and performs the spiritual with the Ghost of Christmas Present, played nicely by Kimberly-Fain Bryant.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Director Gurgol also is responsible for the liveliest and largest musical number in the 90-minute performance when he makes a cameo as Mr. Fezziwig. With the entire cast on stage for a sing-along, Gurgol breaks into a tap dance that wows the audience.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The songs are not rife with originality, at least not lyrically, but Brad Wyner's piano accompaniment and the Kalliope players' voices more than make up for what the source material lacks.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Besides Bloom and Gurgol, other standout performances came from John Paul Boukis as Bob Cratchit, Elizabeth M. Rubino as Anne Cratchit, Marni Task as Agnes, and Halle Barnett as the amusing, Jewish Ghost of Christmas past.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Katherine DeBoer is heartbreaking and beautiful as the young Evelyn Scrooge and gives an exceptional performance.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The cast features all ages, and the rousing conclusion gets the audience clapping in rhythm.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Kalliope's production is sure to reaffirm Christmas spirit for the entire family.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="arial narrow" size=3>WHAT: THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="arial narrow" size=3>WHEN: 8pm Wednesday through Saturday and 2pm Sunday, through December 19</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="arial narrow" size=3>WHERE: Kalliope Stage, 2134 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-0870</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="arial narrow" size=3>COST: $27, students/seniors discounted</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=arial>Adina Bloom is Evelyn Scrooge in Kalliope's THE CHRISTMAS CAROL RAG. She commands a sweatshop in old New York until the chain-rattling Janet Marley comes to call. Halle Barnett returns to the stage as the Yiddish-speaking Ghost of Christmas Past and Kimberly Fain Bryant is the gospel-belting Ghost of Christmas Present. Get tickets for this favorite of critics and audience before they're all gone--several performances are sold out. Wednesday through Sunday, through December 19, <A href="http://www.KalliopeStage.com">www.KalliopeStage.com</A> and 216-321-0870.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
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