Theater Review - “A Christmas Story” Produced by: Engeman Theater – Northport - Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur
The opening night cast of “A Christmas Story”
The opening night cast of “A Christmas Story”It figures that an enthusiastic cast of sixteen adults and an equal number of youngsters would get a kick out of prancing around in this holiday potpourri at Northport’s Engeman Theater. “A Christmas Story,” which opened last weekend, provides the talented troupe (especially the kids, led by versatile Ethan Eisenberg and magnetic Katie Dolce) with all the playthings any actor could hope to find under the tree for the holidays.
Those toys are: A typically wonderful Jonathan Collins set … expert lighting by Driscoll Otto … mid-20th century period costumes by Tristan Raines … and the whole works ringing with Craig Kaufman’s precise sound design. Now, turn over the reins to veteran Director, Richard T. Dolce, and you have all the ingredients for a scrumptious yuletide feast!
That would be the case to an even greater degree if Joseph Robinette’s amusing book had contained a couple of memorable songs. Alas, the providing of even one outstanding toe-tapper was apparently too much for Benj Pasek (composer) and Justin Paul (lyricist) to deliver. It’s unfortunate, too, because while the kit of the Engeman cast is overflowing with all the necessary tools … musically speaking, there’s not a lot in this show for them to assemble.
One can understand how the Engeman producers might have been seduced into embracing “A Christmas Story” for their late-fall-early-winter extravaganza. After all, the film (on which the play is based) has become something of a seasonal classic. It’s even preserved as a “cultural, historical, aesthetically significant” movie in the Library of Congress.
That’s all well and good … but the Broadway show’s Pasek & Paul score does not begin to allow for the inclusion of Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, Fred Waring’s Orchestra, and the legendary Sammy Kaye … the way the original film “A Christmas Story” did. Deduct such icons from the mix (even though they’re mere cameos in the picture) and any musical is going to suffer.
But that is not the fault of the Engeman cast. If someone handed you the sheet music for ‘Georgia On My Mind,’ but it had the main melody deleted, and consisted only of the bridge, you might be hard-pressed to deliver an entertaining rendition of that beloved song. Those are the tough odds that the Engeman Theater’s performers (including the impressive six-piece orchestra) were up against when told to take the stage and turn a tunefully dry play into a pleasingly festive musical.
Dolce & EisenbergThis is not to say that “A Christmas Story” doesn’t make for a pleasant evening in the theater. No attendee between now and January 4th will be able to watch young Ethan Eisenberg play the central character, Ralphie Parker, for nearly two hours and not be absolutely enchanted by this boy’s stage presence and vocal range. Indeed, he delivers the Benj Pasek tunes with better styling than they deserve. As for the aforementioned Katie Dolce, we’ll all soon be saying ‘…we knew her when…’ that’s how enchanting she is in her fresh-faced role as the bouncy pre-teen darling, Mary Beth.
David Schmittou comes across as a wistfully reminiscent Narrator (The Adult Ralphie) and Kathryn Markey’s interpretation of an early sixties schoolteacher (Miss Shields) is just about as we septuagenarians recall—stern, but understanding, and even loving. Credit the director for the input. Though Richard Dolce wasn’t around to experience the phenomenon, this reviewer was—and Dolce got Miss Shields right.
In summary, “A Christmas Story” seems to support the hypothesis of many critics that, while countless plays have produced superb motion pictures, the reverse is rarely the case. This premise notwithstanding, how can one fail to enjoy one’s self when actors are having so much fun? The merriment is downright contagious. Especially during the holidays.
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Award-winning writer Jeb Ladouceur is the author of nine novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In Ladouceur’s new thriller, “Harvest,” an American doctor is ordered to perform illegal surgeries for a sinister gang of vital organ traffickers in The Balkans.