Arts & Entertainment
'Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some)' - My Review
They're back! "Marley was dead to begin with..."
If the thought of sitting through yet another production of A Christmas Carol makes you cringe, read on. If having to watch the Grinch makes feel far too much like the title character, or the prospect of seeing a performance of It’s a Wonderful Life is not so wonderful, or you are tired of the eternally upbeat Frosty the Snowman, then the Phoenix Stage Company on Rubber Avenue in Naugatuck has found the perfect show to make you laugh during this holiday season. Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some) is a riotous send up of all these “beloved Christmas stories” and much more. There is only enough of each classic that even the most jaded will be able to tolerate the bit, and those of us who love them will laugh at their absurdity.
The PSC had a successful run of ECSET at the end of 2012 and due to popular demand decided to revive it to close out this year’s season. Friday marked the third time that I had seen this production written by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, & John K. Alvarez with original music by Will Knapp and I still enjoyed every minute. Not that I expect any two performances will be exactly the same in this improv-filled extravaganza.
Director Tim Phillips has put his comic stamp on this show and even did some very funny voice-over work, and the three stars took the scripted lines and brought them to another level of hilarity with some updating to make it even more topical. The show is a mixture of vignettes that include the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Grinch, Rudolph, Christmas Around the World, George Bailey, a fruitcake game show, Frosty and oh yes, Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. There are many pop culture riffs that were different from the last time the show ran at the Phoenix two years ago. The bios in the program have been updated and are marvelously cheeky and fun to read. The running gags are hard to resist and I won’t spoil them for the reader.
The three talented actors, a truly unholy trio, are all amazing. In this show they work together seamlessly and feed off each other (and the audience as well) as any fine comedy troupe should. Ed Bassett is at his comedic best in the role of the traditionalist. What he can say with just a look is hysterical. Wise guy Ian Diedrich speeds his way through a ridiculous number of costume changes, all while charming the audience. The always fearless Rob Richnavsky, the traditionalist/wise guy, shines in all of the huge number of characters that he takes on in this show and gets to recite the bible verse as Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Click to read the rest of my review on OnStage.
Pictured: Ian Diedrich, Ed Bassett and Rob Richnavsky in Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some) Photos by Sharon A. Wilcox
