Theater Review: "Christmas on the Rocks" at TheaterWorks Hartford

Review by Nancy Sasso Janis

TheaterWorks Hartford is serving up “Christmas on the Rocks” through Dec. 23. This “Offbeat Collection of Twisted Holiday Tales,” which is not a part of the 2023-2024 season, was conceived and directed by Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero.

TheaterWorks boasts on their website that this “delightful parody” has spent “11 years on the Naughty List.” The show is back this year with all of audiences’ favorite scenes, plus one new story with the suggestion that we should “think pink.”

This hysterical compilation of eight scenes is written and sometimes co-written by seven talented playwrights. The printed program lists John Cariani (known for “Almost, Maine”
and “LOVE/SICK,” ) Judy Gold, Jenn Harris, Jeffrey Hatcher, Jacques Lamarre (“I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti,” “Secondo”) Edwin Sánchez and Matthew Wilkas as the authors of the scenes.

It is not often that the bios of the playwrights far outnumber the bios of the Equity performers in the program. If I hadn’t noticed the list of authors, I would have easily believed that one person had penned all of the scenes, which are set in “a local bar in a lonely corner of the cosmos (on) Christmas Eve.”

The overarching concept of this offbeat holiday play is that surprising (yet familiar) holiday characters walk into the bar and interact with the bartender working alone on Christmas Eve. Figuring out the identity of each icon is part of the fun, as is trying to predict where each comedic bit will end.

Even sharing the titles of the eight scenes would give away too much, ruining the surprise of which character will enter the bar next. Suffice it to say that between the costume and the tale of woe delivered by each character, it quickly becomes apparent who is speaking with the bartender.

This year, TheaterWorks is excited to welcome Richard Kline as “the Bartender.” Many will remember Kline from his run as the neighbor Larry on the television show “Three’s Company,” and his celebrity may attract some of his fans to experience the fun of this annual show in Hartford. The actor appeared in “Spamalot” at UConn and his other Connecticut appearances include Westport Country Playhouse and Goodspeed Musicals.

Equity actor Harry Bouvy returns for his fourth season of “Christmas on the Rocks” to portray “The Man,” covering all of the male holiday characters. He slips easily into each of the well-known characters and nails all of the comedic elements of his performance. Bouvy spent most of 2023 working on Broadway as a swing in the Tony Award-winning revival of “Parade,” and on tour he has played Dr. Dillamond in “Wicked.”

The delightful Equity actress Jen Cody also returns to Hartford for year three to play “The Woman.” This petite bundle of talent appears as all of the female iconic characters in wonderfully accurate costumes and wigs. Connecticut audiences recently got to see Cody on the stage of Sharon Playhouse in the role of Donna Nostradoumus in “Something Rotten.” She is a highly-awarded voice actor and therefore shines in the voices of the characters she has been assigned.

One of the highlights of the production for me was seeing what costume each character would be sporting when they make their entrance into the rundown but festively decorated bar. Each ensemble wraps the actor from head to toe as their classic holiday character, with amazing wig design by J. Jared Janas and costumes designed by Alejo Vietti.

John Lasiter designed the lighting for this very detailed set of the bar on Christmas Eve designed by Michael Schweikardt. Sound design by Michael Miceli performs well.

The script contains more than a few four-letter words and most of the humor would be lost on the very young. There are also many topical references that are very funny, at least one of which was undoubtedly added this week. Tickets are available at twhartford.org. TheaterWorks Hartford is easily found at 233 Pearl Street and paid parking (now via an app only) is available behind the theater.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the CCC Facebook page.