TheatreSquared’s holiday medley provides delightful Yuletide mashup

“Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)”

A TheatreSquared presentation, written by Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald and John K. Alvarez.

Starring Jim Goza, Jordan Haynes and Sean Phillip Mabrey.

The TheatreSquared performance hall in Nadine Baum Studios was abuzz Friday night with opening performance excitement. I was there with my reporter’s notepad and a mediocre set of expectations; after all, this was local theatre, and right down the street from the Walton Arts Center to boot.

But I was soon impressed by the number of people milling about the lobby who were encouraged to explore the pottery studios around the corner. Carolers sung by the coffee pot, murmuring songs of Christmas joy and holiday mirth. It was a lovely place, and a hint of the high-quality experience to come.

The performance hall is a simple black space, with an almost-floor-level stage surrounded by three sets of risers. This setting made for a casual atmosphere.

At $25 a ticket or $10 if you are quick and under 30, it makes for a budget- and student-friendly night of entertainment.

I settled into my chair, took note of the red and green paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, and spent the remaining pre-show minutes reading the T2 mission statement in the program to the tune of Run-D.M.C.-esque 80s Christmas rap.

In contrast to the kitschy opening music, a man in classic Old English dress (Jim Goza) took the stage, reciting the opening lines of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

I didn’t have to wait long, though, for the comedy to arrive.

Just as the actor was beginning to discuss the nature of Ebenezer Scrooge, a disgruntled fellow actor (Sean Phillip Mabrey) in modern street clothes interrupted the monologue to bemoan the tradition of performing Dickens’ classic every year. He was joined by the third and final member of the case (Jordan Haynes), after A Christmas Carol was traded in favor of a performance of Every Christmas Story Ever Told, a patchwork, improv-esque journey through age-old Christmas traditions.

It was a whirlwind performance, and seemed exhausting for the actors who were sweating profusely ten minutes into the play.

Nothing was left out, from Swedish Christmas cultural practices to Kwanza. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas was complete with a musical interlude – “I’ll steal all their Who-crap and smoke all their Who-hash…” – and minimal, crafty props.

In this skit, the first use of audience participation resulted in thunderous applause and the humiliation of the audience member roped in to play Cindi Lou-Who. He was a middle-aged man who bore his burden honorably, while his wife was reduced completely to giggles.

The trio didn’t merely recycle old Christmas favorites, but put new pop culture spins on even the most sacred of holiday treasures. The poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas was parodied by Mabrey as a “Creole-flavored Cajun Christmas,” while Goza answered the challenge with a hyper-intellectual version. Haynes was left unprepared, and so filled his spot by reading celebrity tweets from his phone. Mariah Carey, Glen Back, Kanye West and Dame Judi Dench were all included in his ironic smear.

Gustav the Green-Nosed Rain-Goat, whose nose “glow[ed] like a radioactive avocado” was a spot-on spoof of the classic claymation Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer film from 1964, complete with the Elf-cum-Dentist and the Island of Misfit Toys…only weirder, and with Rain-Goats.

More audience participation, plus a super-fast version of The Christmas Story and A Charlie Brown Christmas rounded out the first act, and ended with a burst of physical comedy in honor of The Nutcracker Suite. Yes, there were men in tights – and one in a tutu to be exact. (Nothing is funnier than a man in pantyhose.)

The second act lost a little of the spark and momentum seen in Act I. Skits were harsh and many of the jokes fell flat, as if the plot was trying too hard to keep all the Christmas stories fresh without recognizing the natural humor already available.

The second act was saved, however, by a touching oration inspired once again by A Charlie Brown Christmas, taken from Luke 2: 8-14 – it was simple, it was earnest, and it brought the production back to a place of stability.

One of the last acts, and one of my favorites, artfully intertwined A Christmas Carol with It’s A Wonderful Life, with Goza doing a superb job at switching seamlessly between George Bailey and Scrooge. This was, by far, the best example of the actors’ prowess as performers, and was a quirky take on the classic Christmas stories.

A medley of “every Christmas song, ever” served as a coda of sorts to a very successful performance. This collaged song, accompanied by coordinated dancing, three-part harmonies and guitar picking on the part of Goza, was my absolute favorite moment of the entire production. It was hilarious, it was impressive, and it really did touch on every well-known Christmas song.

My lukewarm perception of local theatre was traded for a hearty appreciation for the attention to detail and the work put into what really is a gift to the community of NWA.

“We believe that theater, done well and with passion, can transform lives and communities,” read an excerpt from the T2 Vision Statement.

TheatreSquared was founded in 2005 as a regional theatre committed to bringing professional and challenging performances into the public arena while also reaching out to the community through service and educational programs.

Their purpose is heartfelt, their passion is visible, and from the type of humor exhibited in the show, TheatreSquared sure knows how to have fun.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some) runs through Sunday, Dec. 26 at Nadine Baum Studios

[Disclosure: Ozarks Unbound received a free press ticket while attending this performance.]

Erin Robertson

Erin Robertson is a student journalist at the University of Arkansas.

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