Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

A Broken Christmas Carol

A Broken Christmas Carol is a modern version of the old classic,

complete with a pot-smoking Mrs. Cratchit and biting jokes about the Jewish

experience during the Christmas holiday. The play opens with Maddie (Aly Wirth) in

bed with her loving, yet emotionally guarded, boyfriend Shawn (Keith Arthur

Bolden). After the couple smoke a holiday doobie (indeed, pot pops up everywhere

in this production), Shawn is visited by the ghost of his childhood friend

DeWayne. As DeWayne, William Jackson Harper bursts with humor and energy and his

arrival sets off a whole host of events--including a glimpse into Shawn's past

as a dope-dealing kid from a rough neighborhood who pushes pot to pay for

college.

At times, Mr. Bolden garbles his lines, but overall gives a solid

performance as Shawn. As Shandra, Shawn's girlfriend from the old neighborhood,

Danielle Davenport is uneven. Ms. Davenport brings depth to her character, yet she

fails to emotionally carry through. Aly Wirth is believable as Maddie, but her

real talent shines when she later appears as Martha, eldest daughter to the

Cratchits. Depicting Martha as a strung-out exotic dancer, Ms. Wirth's quirky

antics are charming and funny. As Mrs. Cratchit, Ellen Daschbach hits all the

right marks, yet her voice is noticeably constricted, adversely affecting her

performance. Leo Lauer plays the head of the Cratchit family, and as such, has

tremendous drive and energy. When he gets sentimental, however, Mr. Lauer

becomes lost and fumbles emotionally. Chaz Brewer delivers an energetic and

over-the- top performance as Tiny Tim, and Guil Fisher as the greedy corporate

billionaire, Scrooge, is smooth and spontaneous.

An interesting twist in this updated Christmas Carol includes the

Cratchits' appearing on a reality show in an attempt to win some cash. The audience

is suddenly treated as a television studio audience, complete with men with

head sets encouraging clapping and participation. William Jackson Harper appears

as the host of the reality show, humorously commenting on holiday gluttony

poverty, social hierarchy and the pipe dream of the perfect Christmas.

The makeshift cloth set and props, smartly conceived by Joshua Alan

Robinson, are Brechtian inventions: they remind the audience that we are watching a

play, and in doing so, call attention to the ridiculousness of holiday

over-indulgence. The script, co-written by James Christy, J. Holtham and Kendra

Levin is witty and well written. Packed with sarcasm and holiday cheer, this spoof

on the old classic is entertaining yet has serious undertones, making it a

complete, fun-filled theater going experience.