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Regional Reviews: Connecticut and the Berkshires Regional Reviews by Fred Sokol Christmas on the Rocks Also see Fred's review of Fences
Actor Ronn Carroll tends bar during this Christmas Eve as various types wander in. Michael Schweikardt's set is specific and terrific. Harry Bouvy and Christine Pedi more or less alternate their appearances. The latter two performers are wildly and delectably versatile as Carroll tries to maintain, perhaps, some calm. John Cariani, actor himself and author of Almost, Maine and other plays, brings All Grown Up and Ralphie (of BB gun fame) from A Christmas Story along. "We became real," he states but happens to sport a black patch over an eye. Accident way back when? The character confesses that adjusting to reality isn't all that easy. Next, we meet Susan Walker, drawn from Miracle on 34th Street and now a real estate broker searching: for homes, for peace of mind, for stability? Jonathan Tolins wrote this piece which is entitled The Cane in the Corner. Tolins wrote the Off-Broadway play Buyer & Cellar. Hermey, a flaming elf, barges in to kick off Jeffrey Hatcher's Say it Glows. Hatcher has penned many a play, including Tuesdays with Morrie. Hermey dreamt of becoming a dentist once (see "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer") but his aspiration has not been realized. Harry Bouvy, with blond wig and lisping a bit for this vignette, bursts in with "Give me a root canal!" Dr. Seuss, complete with rhyme upon tantalizing rhyme, is referenced by playwright Matthew Lombardo (High and Looped) in the snappy Going Green. Cindy Lou Who, in this somewhat darkish tale, talks about a marriage gone bad in allusion to her partner, Grinch. Theresa Rebeck, the talented writer who has provided Bad Dates and many others, has imagined Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol. Appearing in ragged garb (courtesy costumer Alejo Vietti), Tim has struggled to make a living, pay for medical costs. This one is sobering. Still Nuts About Him, by Edwin Sanchez, finds Clara, a ballerina with a Russian accent, dealing with aging and more, expressing just how she feels about a spouse who strays. Sanchez (La Bella Familia) opens language faucets for Christine Pedi here and she is undeniably uninhibited. The evening comes to a conclusion with Jacques Lamarre's Merry Christmas, Blockhead and Charlie Brown, now an adult and somewhat saddened. He has lost various Snoopy dogs and Charlie's wife is a psychiatrist ... Still, this feels sweet, well bittersweet. Lamarre's I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti was at TheaterWorks in 2012. Christmas on the Rocks really rocks! Confession: who knew? This world premiere might have actualized into an exercise for talented playwrights and three actors which is moderately appealing. Instead, TheaterWorks' presentation flies at everyone attending with sparks, spirit, skepticism, some side-splitting comic riffs, and even some touching moments. It will be one's individual taste which determines, for each theatergoer, absolute favorites. Christmas on the Rocks continues at TheaterWorks in Hartford through December 22nd. For tickets, visit www.theaterworkshartford.org or call (860) 527-7838.
- Fred Sokol |
