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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2000)
U2Ü0QJ THEATER ................▼............... Bah! Ha! Hal ille s i M (vit tnipeA iol cM ujiineM ei. P'linee X X V /CotAinci V ielfp i, P'unceAA XXX VeAomca tbeUoAe A Cay Christmas Carol gives Charles Dickens <£ i t e im p eria l tioveAeujn Po4e C qua I a sense of humor by * P'leAent ... A ndy M angels m 4 Q m d & Ppince & PpinceAA ß a ii & P n u e A Ì fU iA & i 2 0 0 1 ßatu/ulcuf,, Pbecemhe/i 9th Pile OmbeM, A aem ie - 1 1 0 P iti ßpaculoacuf, % ObrnàX 5 :0 0 fun ßalL 6 :0 0 fu n $ 1 2 . 0 0 fb c m c ä ix u t Scrooge gets dragged out of the closet he holiday season is full of all sorts of fluffy things: fluffy snow, fluffy trees, fluffy pres ents, fluffy songs. And every year, like clockwork, two entertainment events hap pen to lend a little depression to our holiday cheer, although each has an uplifting message. It’s a W onderful Life and A Christmas C arol are as regular as an old-timer on bran, and you can catch them in umpteen versions on televi sion or stage. But this holiday season, triangle productions! is putting a queer spin on the fes tivities with a fluffy production of A G ay Christmas C arol. Ebenezer Scrooge (James Lawrence) is a heartless money lender who has kept his gay side hidden ever since his partner (in both meanings of the word), Jacob Marley, passed away in an unfortunate hair dryer accident. Scrooge works his lesbian assistant, Bobbi Cratchett (a Clark Kent-looking Michelle Seaton) until she’s about to drop and cares little about her or her wife Martinas (Tori Zanzalari) adopted gay stepchild, Tiny Tim (James W. Peppers). Scrooge is also grouchy with his granola- dyke niece Fredricka (Sharon Mann), refusing to attend her Christmas party. But on Christ mas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of Marley (Todd Chatalas), who is a precursor to the Spirit of Christmas Past, Judy Garland (Jodi Eichelberger), Christmas Present, Liza Minelli (Eichelberger again), Bette Midler (Gary Nor man) and the hood-wearing Ghost of Christ mas Future (Chatalas again). I won’t spoil the ending for you, other than to say you probably know what it is, as the tone of the play veers little from Charles Dickens’ original. The text, however, is campier than an episode of Will & G race, and many of the actors mug shamelessly to the audience, eye popping and telegraphing punch lines like aging vaudevillians. T he comparison to a sit com is not far off, as the humor in the play comes fast and furious, with verbal gags side by side to physical slapstick. As befits a play with “Carol" in the title— but differing from most “straight” versions— this also has a selection of musical numbers, but the mixture o f songs makes it tonally and w jM LL.naàeauiA i.viC f, T CPort fa n d — fro m th e o e s tp o in t o f uiew. __ ________ » Putting the fun in dysfunctional fam emotionally schizophrenic. Some are rewritten parodies of other songs, while some are sung seriously (as several of Judy Garland’s num bers). Eichelberger has a strong voice and sounds something like Garland (although much less like Minelli), but Peppers shows he’s not so tiny with a vocal number that is well- sung, crisply emotional and heartbreaking. Most of the cast members show up in multi ple parts, with Mann showing the most range as both tofu-loving PC lesbian Fredricka and a leather-wearing, Xena-worshipping Brooklyn - esque baby dyke. Director Angela Keene makes the best use of a too-barren stage and deserves kudos for her casting of several “nontradition- al” heavier actors in major roles. I enjoyed A G ay Christmas C arol while watching it, but like any light and airy confec tion, it wasn’t tremendously emotionally satis fying in the long run. That isn’t what it’s meant to be, however. A G ay Christmas C arol is meant to be campy, corny, queer fluff, and it succeeds in being just that. j n A G ay C hristmas C arol runs through D ec. 23 at Theater! Theatre!, 3430 S .E . Belmont St. For tickets call the box office at 503-239-59/9 or Fastixx. A ndy M angels wore his first facial hair as a young performer m a production o f A Christmas Carol, and he now sports an infamously large mustache. H e is a longtime entertainment writer, and you can write him at A M angelsSW @ aol.com . »4L v e ssa > M lf 4 ' y tr Willamette Star Crystal Dolphin I l l P i l l l l l i n i l l l l l l i i i n l Portland Spirit Enjoy Sunday krunch, luneb or dinner cruises on tbe Portland Spirit. Fbrfect for out-of-town guests. Commitment Ceremonies, group booking and private yacbt rental available. Portland For reservations and inform ation please call 5 0 3 - 2 2 4 - 3 9 0 0 or 8 0 0 - 2 2 4 - 3 9 0 1 . Book on-line at www.portlan dspirit .com Now booking December Holiday Cruises plus New Year’s Eve Dinner Cruise and New Year’s Party Cruise. Gift Certificates Available.
