100 Years of Christmas in Solitude
Stage adaptations of classic literature can be either a clever means of expanding and illustrating the author's intent or a cheap way to mount a royalty-free production without all of the hassle of being inspired by original thought. Around the Holiday season, one can count on any number of local theaters to mount yet another version of Christmas Carol, Nutcracker, Amal and the usual suspects. Rhode Island's crowded Theater scene has at least three Dickens adaptations (including a musical version) running and a fistful of just about every other Christmas-themed script to ever fall down a chimney. Excellent news for those who look forward to the tried and true to usher in the Nativity and bring a warm glow to the family heart. Another public domain chestnut that is readily available in the tradition, but is not as overused, is Dylan Thomas' autobiographical 'A Child's Christmas in Wales'. Perhaps because Thomas chose to paint a picture of evocation, capturing the mood of a particular time and place rather than slam home a moralistic vision, 'Wales' has a particular niche in the Christmas literature canon. The tale is too subtle to hold the attention of a child for very long unless the child in question has an air of melancholic nostalgia in their soul from birth; it takes decades to acquire the insight to appreciate childhood through scraps of remembered images, smells and the stillness of time that we cannot experience once adult life takes over.
The Gamm's Tony Estrella has revisited his earlier reworking of 'Wales' into a broader vision, incorporating music and characters not part of the original story. Will it capture the simple poetry of Dylan Thomas' reverie on lost youth and innocence? Or will 'Wales' become another overburdened collection of elements that serve as just another entertaining distraction of the Christmas Theater tradition? More Teeth returns to The Gamm to find out.
December 8, 2010
Wry, Witty and Flamboyant - the cut and paste tag line that serves not only Dylan Thomas' output as a whole, but also Tony Estrella's compilation of the author's various prose poems, letters and stories framed by 'A Child's Christmas in Wales'. The Gamm's Tom Gleadow portrays Thomas as a man-child who only happened to grow up. Just as the window of his hotel room gives him a glimpse of the sights and sounds of his Welsh youth, Gleadow's Thomas opens up his past to us in a kaleidoscopic vision of his youth, both remembered and imagined.
Gleadow's affable, rambunctious performance is complemented by an ensemble of players who bring Thomas' bittersweet remembrances to colorful life. This is no one-man show, as we meet the entire cast in an informal preshow singalong. Partly in character as welcome shades of a past time, but also themselves, at one with the audience, this crack ensemble makes it clear that we are invited to engage, not stare at a storybook reimagining of Christmas past. A nip from the flask reminds us that Gleadow is Thomas, but a round of "The Dreidel Song" from musical director/utility player David Tessier brings an improvisatory air to the proceedings. Loose, homey and ramshackle, the opening says, "relax, dont take yourself so seriously...it's only Christmas." And the ghosts here are more likely to throw snowballs at you than show you your grave.
'A Child's Christmas...' turns out to be quite effective musically as well, with the addition of eleven traditional Welsh melodies that evoke both heartrending melancholy and taproom bawdiness. Tessier and David Rabinow move deftly from their ensemble roles to sparse house orchestra. From the high-spirited romps of Wendy Overly's Aunt Hannah (who manages to steal the show more than once in her dipsomaniac flights of fancy) to the haunting melancholy of pieces like "The Rejected Maiden" (a gorgeous duet by Amanda Ruggiero and Karen Carpenter), music pervades this piece. Music/Sound designer Charles Cofone has crafted the perfect alternate Christmas soundtrack - 'Wales' is worth seeing just for the chance to hear these pieces performed by this nimble cast. An accidental Christmas musical theater favorite has been born in Pawtucket.
Estrella's staging wisely divvies up the overly long descriptions of Thomas' imaginings into bits of character dialogue. And while the seams show in places, rendering some of the resulting monologues a bit forced, the overall effect is highly engaging. And while the addition of the short story "Patricia, Edith and Arnold" veers the narrative off into left field, it does give us a chance to hear the aforementioned "Rejected Maiden" and to see the delightful addition of Gleadow's son Max as the young Dylan. And while the colors of Katryne Hecht's set are rooted in muted memory, the performers find every possible moment to push out of the frame in bursts of punctuated multi-hued joy. Thomas' reflections are just that - fond remembrances that are black and white until you close your eyes and recall the reds of wintered cheeks and the tips of candy cigarettes.
'A Child's Christmas in Wales' is a welcome addition to the slew of Holiday offerings in area theaters this month. Recapturing childhood from any era is no easy task, but Dylan Thomas was a master of the craft. Estrella and company have created something more than the sum of its parts. They ask us to come at Christmas sideways. It's a show that feels like it happened in our living room, complete with drunken aunts, sleeping uncles, fidgeting sisters and even a little snow...those were the days.
The Gamm Theatre presents Dylan Thomas' 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' : a play with music adapted and directed by Tony Estrella, based on the works of Dylan Thomas. Dec. 9-26 at The Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket, RI Tickets:$25 & $30 depending on day/time of performance. Ages 4-17 $15 all performances. 401-723-4266/ gammtheatre.org
