STAGE REVIEW : ‘Child’s Christmas’ Becomes a Wale of an Annual Treat
GARDEN GROVE — The Grove-Shakespeare’s “A Child’s Christmas in Wales†appears to be as durable as the Dylan Thomas poetry that inspired it. Now in its seventh year, the staging at the Gem Theatre remains gentle, evocative and (in keeping with the holiday spirit) pleasantly cornball.
The production has undergone some tinkering over the years. A more fanciful offering, complete with giant Mylar-wrapped presents, was unveiled in 1989, to be replaced a couple of years later by “a more Welsh†(whatever that means; moodier, I guess) approach.
This time out, director Bud Leslie works with an entirely new set designed by Rob Wyatt. Gone is the single large turntable, replaced by four smaller ones used to create the chummy Thomas family living room and various outdoor locales of the seaside village of Swansea. The technology is graceful, and Wyatt’s scenery, benefiting from a well-placed scrim or two and D. Silvio Volonte’s soft lighting, is atmospheric.
Just about every year, GroveShakespeare directors say they want to emphasize Thomas’ language, a mix of poetic cunning and a diarist’s prose (adapted for the stage by Jeremy Brooks and Adrian Mitchell). That’s smart, because even with the wreath of traditional carols that hangs as the show’s centerpiece, it’s the writing that echoes.
The cast, especially baritone-rich Gary Bell as the adult Dylan and exuberant Danny Oberbeck as the boyish Dylan, pay rapt attention to phrases like “the irreligious snow,†“wind-cherry noses†and “making ghosts with their breath.†Few Christmas shows have a distinctly literary aura; this is one of them.
Of course, the holiday songs are remarkable as well, if only for their unfamiliarity. Many are Welsh in origin and help to create a Christmasy air but in a refreshingly foreign way.
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen†is on the list, but alongside melodies like “Calon Lan (Shining Heart),†“The Soft Snow Falls All Around†and “Oh, Christmas Means Pudding,†all sung with the heartiness of a clannish get-together, but where all the relatives have nice voices. Bethanie Knieser, who plays Dylan’s emotional cousin Brenda, offers a standout rendition of “The Holly and the Ivy.â€
The only complaint, one I have every year, is that the scenes with Dylan frolicking mercilessly with his pals require our patience. Men playing boys invites excess and Oberbeck and the others go to the limits with their juvenile antics.
This turns out to be more of a distracting quibble than a troubling flaw, though, especially when you see how comfortable Oberbeck is in other, more relevant passages.
‘A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES’
A GroveShakespeare production of the Dylan Thomas story adapted for the stage by Jeremy Brooks and Adrian Mitchell. Directed by Bud Leslie. With Gary Bell, Danny Oberbeck, Jenifer Parker, Bill Robertson, Jane Armstrong, Marnie Crossen, Dan L. Stroud, Bob May, Meg Gilbert, Renata Florin, Bud Leslie, Rick Tigert, Joseph Foss, Bethanie Knieser and Mary Beth Basu. Set by Rob Wyatt. Sound by Chuck Estes. Lighting by D. Silvio Volonte. Costumes by Laura Deremer Bonsall. Makeup and hair by Karen Juneman. Plays Wednesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 3 and 7:30 p.m. at the Gem Theatre, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove. Tickets: $20-$24. (714) 636-7213.
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