Local theatre offerings abound for the Holiday Season, and The Cloverdale Playhouse is showing a partly scripted/partly improvised laugh-fest with Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!). This popular comic mash-up of reliable Christmas fare by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez has been making the rounds at theatre across the country since 2003.
Played by a trio of actors who each take on multiple roles -- Sarah Housley, John Selden, and Hunter Stewart -- and at the Playhouse abetted by an Australian warm-up comedian [Nick Morgan-Moore], the success of the show depends on the audience's input and participation as well as the acting and improvisational skills of its nimble cast.
Directed by J. Scott Grinstead on a forced perspective Dickensian set he also designed, with inventive costumes by Katie Pearson, zany props by Rita Tidwell, evocative lighting by Chris Roquemore, creative sound design by Jason Grinstead, and atmospheric projections by Mr. Roquemore and Clyde Hancock, the flexible nature of the script also allows for local Montgomery references and acknowledgements of current events to liven up the proceedings.
After an extended warm-up that sets a relaxed tone to the evening, the matter at hand is that one of the rag-tag theatre company members' determination to perform A Christmas Carol is continually thwarted by the others who want to explore alternate plays for their group...and we're off as they deliver on the title's promise, assisted by suggestions from the audience and a couple of audience members being conscripted to join them on stage.
With outlandish versions of and references to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Misfit Toys, A Christmas Story, The Gift of the Magi, The Nutcracker, Star Wars, and pretty much every Christmas song and every celebrity who appeared on a television special at Christmastime, the impish delight of the actors is evident throughout...and their collective skills are impressive. Several of the scripted sections are quite demanding; yet is in the improvised moments that their abilities and ensemble performances shine.
At a time when we need to laugh and forget about the world's problems, this production is a welcome antidote.
