*REVIEWED 11-19-09 PERFORMANCE

REVIEWED BY Mandy Rausch
ASSOCIATE THEATER CRITIC for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

Directed by Kyle McClaran
Musical Direction by Pam Holcomb-McLain
Choreographed by Todd Aragon
Costume Design by Kyle McClaran
Lighting Design by Donna Covington
Set Design by Kyle McClaran

CAST:
Jackie L. Kemp
Emily Hunt
Chad Bozarth
Catherine Montgomery

_______________________CHRISTMAS MY WAY _________________________

Oh by gosh, by golly, it is time again for mistletoe and holly. Commercials are
already advertising Christmas sales, local radio stations are blasting holiday
favorites (even in Texas's 70-degree weather), and the theatre community has a
plethora of festive holiday shows to choose from as we embark on another holiday
season.

Having recently reviewed another Frank Sinatra tribute in September, I jumped at
the chance to see another of the David Grapes/Todd Olson songbook tributes,
CHRISTMAS MY WAY, now showing at Garland Civic Theatre through December 5th.
Unfortunately, this compilation of holiday tunes recorded by Ol' Blue Eyes and
standards from the Sinatra catalog just isn't quite as cohesive as the other
Grapes/Olson tribute. Even with a valiant and energetic effort by the dedicated
cast of four, the production has a lot of bumps and hiccups that aren't quite
covered by even the most familiar and beloved of songs performed.

I will grant that the book for this show—chatter between the songs consisting of
truly terrible jokes (one can only groan so many times before it just gets
tedious) and some holiday anecdotes related to Sinatra (or not)—is incredibly
awkward and doesn't give the director or his actors much to work with. In one
breath, an actor would tell a joke with a terrible pun, and in the next he would
introduce a completely unrelated song from the Sinatra catalog. This made the
transitions between numbers very disjointed.

Director Kyle McClaran did his best with the material he had been given, and
even had the actors pepper in lots of local asides in order to immediately
relate to the audience. The actors must also be commended for giving a hundred
and ten percent, even with the cheesy material. Nothing is quite as
uncomfortable to watch as a visibly uncomfortable performer, and thankfully that
was never the case.

The costume design seemed very out of place and was generally confusing. When
you hear the voice (or even the very name) of Frank Sinatra, mental images of
classy, cocktail attire are conjured. The men were dressed to the nines in
suits and tuxedos with tails, but the women were dressed in gaudy and
ill-fitting sequined dresses and adorned with costume jewelry and feather boas
in both acts, which just did not seem to gel with the material being presented.

The set design was festive, if not a bit chintzy. There were several pre-lit,
colorful Christmas trees decorating the perimeter of the set, and there was, of
course, a bar set up on stage right (a necessary staple of any show honoring
Sinatra). Upon entering the theatre, I was reminded of the standard set for
most network television holiday specials! However, most of the action happened
in the center of the stage and up near the bandstand. It would have been nice
to see more action happening with and around the holiday set pieces. The
different areas of the stage were lit only once as the actors mentioned each
area towards the beginning, but then were clothed in darkness for the remainder
of the show.

The lighting design by Donna Covington was a bit uninspired and too dark in
general. The same red and pink lights were the foundation of the light design,
but gave off more of a bordello vibe than a festive holiday atmosphere. Also,
there were more than a small handful of instances in which the actors stood,
spoke and sang in complete shadow. Follow spots would go away from an actors
face mid-song, leaving him or her in complete darkness to finish a song.

Pam Holcomb-McLain and her jazz trio of musicians (Cassie Conway on upright bass
and Wes Kucera on drums) held the evening together and even participated in the
action at times, which was a fun element in the production. I did not
understand why, at times, sound effects and recorded music were used to
underscore a reading by the actors while the musicians just sat there. Ms.
Holcomb-McLain and her band were more than capable of providing both!

Choreography by Todd Aragon was simplistic, but not terribly innovative. All
actors moved well enough, and I would have liked to have seen more variety.

The foursome of singers, composed of Jackie L. Kemp, Emily Hunt, Chad Bozarth
and Catherine Montgomery, worked very hard all evening. Their voices ranged
from pleasant to show-stopping, and when they sang in four-part harmony they
generally blended quite nicely, despite the very different sounds each singer
brought to the table individually.

Tall and lanky Chad Bozarth used his physical appearance to comedic advantage,
and he had a sweet, 50s boy band crooner sound. A few pitches got lost along
the byway, but he had great energy and an adorable smile to boot. Catherine
Montgomery brought feisty sass and a great set of vocal pipes to wow the
audience in her solo numbers, especially "The Man That Got Away." Emily Hunt
brought big laughs, especially at the top of the show, and had the most
classically trained voice of all four singers.

It was Jackie L. Kemp, however, who stole the show. He had a strong, clear
voice and had completely mastered the storytelling style of Frank Sinatra's
songs. If you closed your eyes during "Old Fashioned Christmas" or "Fly Me to
the Moon," you might just think you were listening to ol' Frank himself.

This production is far from perfect, but it definitely deserves a gold star at
the top of the tree for the effort put in.

REVIEWED by Mandy Rausch
ASSOCIATE THEATRE CRITIC for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

___________________________________________________________________

CHRISTMAS MY WAY
Garland Civic Theater
Through December 5, 2009

(Thursdays at 7:30pm, Matinee performances at 2:30pm, Friday and Saturday
evenings at 8:00pm) at the Granville Arts Center; 300 North Fifth Street,
Garland, TX.