[NEohioPAL]Berko review: MRS. BOB CRATCHIT'S WILD CHRISMTAS BINGE (CPT)

[Roy Berko]

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR...HOLIDAY SHOWS ABOUND

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Dance
Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

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

Each year theatre producers scramble to find some
holiday show that will fill their theatre’s seats with
patrons either trying to escape from holiday shopping,
find the perfect Christmas/Channukah/Kuwanza
experience for their children, or view a show in which
their kids, grandchildren or the kids next-door are
performing.

The results vary greatly.  Great Lakes Theatre
Festival dusts off the set, props and costumes each
year and mounts Gerry Friedman’s version of 
‘CHRISTMAS CAROL.’  Magical Theatre Company exhibits a
different version of ‘CHRISTMAS CAROL.’  The Cleveland
Play House performs a joyful ‘A CHRISTMAS STORY.’ 
Both CPH and Cleveland Public Theatre decided it’s
time for both to stage ‘THE SANTALAND DIARIES, David
Sedaris’s classic of his short-lived experience as
Santa’s elf at Macy’s.  The Ballet Series at Playhouse
Square Center is bringing in the Cincinnati Ballet for
its interpretation of ‘THE NUTCRACKER.’  (Praise to
them for not returning with the poorly conceived
Pennsylvania Ballet’s version of that ballet).  Beck
ignores the holiday all together with “BEAUTY AND THE
BEAST.’  Carousel follows the idea of doing a
non-holiday holiday show as they rock their house with
‘SWING!’ which they bill as “two hours of pure
entertainment!”--which it is!

So, here I go, reviewing yet another in what seems
like a continuous diet of holiday offerings.  This
time it’s Cleveland Public Theatre’s production of
‘MRS. BOB CRATCHIT’S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE,’
Christopher Durang’s contribution to the season.

In its search for a holiday diversion, the City
Theatre in Pittsburgh commissioned Christopher Durang
to write a take-off on the classic ‘CHRISTMAS CAROL.’ 
Durang is noted for his jester-satirist look at the
world , so, his thinking supposedly went, “Why not
deconstruct a holiday tradition that has become as
common as petrified fruitcake?”  The result was ‘MRS. 
BOB CRATCHIT’S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE’ which premiered
in November of 2002.  Instead of Dicken’s serious and
moralistic writing, Durgang’s approach is to make fun
of and sarcastically present Dicken’s story with some
weird twists.

This happy perversion is emceed by a black female
Ghost ("I don't believe we have Negroes in 1843
London," Scrooge objects) who triples as Past, Present
and Future, but who keeps getting mixed up as to which
scene follows which.  Right off she runs into a Mrs.
Cratchit who won't play along, and in spite of her
ghostly skills in behavior modification she eventually
needs help from Clarence, the newly-winged angel to
straighten things out.  Yes, the angel from “IT’S A
WONDERFUL LIFE.”  This is only one of many literary,
theatrical and film illusions which includes forays
into ‘OLIVER TWIST,’ ‘UNCLE TOM’S CABIN, and ‘THE OLD
CURIOSITY SHOP.’  Durang also adds the mocking of Vice
President Chaney and the energy moguls who inspire
Scrooge to sell “Energy Units” in a get rich quick
scheme.   He even throws in a sibling rivalry between
Tiny Tim and Little Nell over who is more pathetic.  
(I told you this wasn’t traditional Dickens.)

CPT’s production, under the co-direction of Randy
Rollison and Gregory Vovos lacks polish, but is fun.

Meg Chamberlain, as she did in the previous CPT
production of this show, is right on target as Gladys
Cratchit.  She believes she is caught in the wrong
life, doesn’t like being poor, and eventually finds
out that she is right and gets to switch lives.  She
makes the transition between desperate housewife and
wealthy hotel baroness with delightful ease.  And, as
the tradition goes, “lives happily ever after.”

Nina Domingue plays it just right in her delightful
interpretation as scattered brain Ghost.  Dan Kilbane,
he of big eyes and innocent face, is correctly
irritating as the cloying Tiny Tim, complete with an
ever-smiling face and rasping voice.  Randy Rollison
actually makes Ebeneezer Scrooge a likeable character,
adding an interesting dimension to Durang’s mockery of
Dicken’s moralistic take.  Young Dan McCarthy is cute
and correctly playful as Young Marley.  Tom Weaver is
so good as Bob Cratchit that a woman sitting near me
moaned, after, once again, Cratchit acted as a wimp,
“I’d like to get up on that stage and give him a smack
across his empty head!”  (How’s that for holiday
spirit?)  On the other hand, Kevin Ritter often loses
his concentration as Young Scrooge, going in and out
of character.  

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  It’s not great theatre epic, but
if you've seen one too many productions of ‘A
CHRISTMAS CAROL’ and, upon hearing Tiny Tim proclaim
"God bless us every one!," you wish someone would
expose him for the attention-grabbing little urchin
that he is, you will enjoy CPT’s ‘MRS. BOB CRATCHIT'S
WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE.’  And, if you have had it with
all this holiday stuff, stay home!  Bah!  Humbug!

‘MRS. BOB CRATCHIT’S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE” runs
through December 18 at Cleveland Public Theatre.  For
reservations call 216-631-2727. 



Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.


		
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