Well, it's that time of year, and while you're GOING to hear this music, there's no point in taking it seriously, is there? Our favorite micro-auditorium rings out with this tightly arranged medley of most of the hits and a few of the misses of seasonal music. A rather extensive cast of 4 students and 4 professionals cover the bases, opening with 9-something Tianna Stevens asking "Where Are You, Christmas?" It's a dangerously cute beginning, but by the Irving Berlin Medley sung by Heather Alexander and company, you'll be relieved to know most of what makes up this show is more tongue in cheek than tear in eye.
There's a wonderfully funny "50's and 60's medley," capped off by Caitlin Kimball giving a free form beat poetry reading of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Occasionally we return to the sentimental, as with Todd Long and Patti McGuire's duet of "I'll Be Home for Christmas,” set as a soldier and his girl (or wife, who knows these days?) wishing for better sleeping arrangements. Wrapping up the first act is a "Bell Medley,” with the company complaining about the silver bells and jingle bells and caroling bells. The bell leitmotif came from decorations on horse draw sleighs in a previous century, and counts as anachronism by any standard. Perhaps these tunes could be upgraded to reflect holiday ring tones?
Kimball reappears in the second act as the befuddled Norwegian singing "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas". She didn’t have that right Midwestern accent, that belongs to Heather, a fellow Milwaukeean, but the paste on mustache went over well. The big comedy number followed by Heather and James Berkley presenting "Christmas Time with Bob and Flo", a pair of lame lounge singes in the Holiday Inn of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I've actually been there, these guys are much better than the act I saw. Berkeley didn’t get any real solos until the second act, but they are worth the wait, as he belts out "Home" and "All I want for Christmas is You".
This company always pulls off the best singing of anyone in town, and it's worth saddling up the SUV to make the long trek past grandma's house, through the blown down woods, and all the way to Orange Avenue to see them.
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