Philadelphia Spotlight: December 2005

Like natives of many other cities, Philadelphians believe there’s no place like home for the holidays. And with so many wonderful theatrical productions available — for children and adults alike — there truly is no reason to leave.

That’s certainly true when the Prince Music Theater presents a brand new production of the showstopping 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls (December 3-31). This tale of the onstage and offstage turbulence among a Supremes-like musical trio will be directed by Barrymore Award winner Richard M. Parrison, Jr., and feature Nova Payton, Chauntee Schuler, CJay Hardy Philip, Alexis Sims, Kevyn Morrow, and Eugene Fleming in the leads. Step on to the bad side, indeed.

No company in the city scored a bigger holiday hit last year than the Arden Theatre Company with their hugely successful production of A Year with Frog and Toad by Willie and Robert Reale — so it’s not a surprise to try to recreate that success with the world premiere of the Reales’ The Dinosaur Musical (through January 22). Helmed by Frog and Toad director Whit MacLaughlin and starring Joshua Lamon (who grabbed a well-deserved Barrymore for his performance as the achingly slow Snail in Frog and Toad), the show concerns a prehistoric food shortage which causes the world’s dinosaurs make a pact to no longer feast on each other for lunch. But the most carnivorous of the giants, the T-Rex, breaks the agreement, leaving it up to a group of peaceful dinosaurs to save the world.

When it comes to holiday productions, no company can match the track record established by 1812 Productions. This year, artistic director Jennifer Childs turns to the great comedy teams of yesteryear with Double Down: A Good Bet on a Comic Pair for the Holidays (The Adrienne, December 2-January 8). Featuring the formidable pairing of Scott Greer and Tony Braithwaite, the show is structured as a class in comic chemistry, as the duo recall vaudeville legends Zeb and Zarrow, radio stars Bob & Ray, TV’s The Smothers Brothers, film and nightclub buddies Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and even campy comic book heroes Batman & Robin.

Stage adaptations of A Christmas Carol continue to be the standard issue holiday production among the nation’s regional theaters — but Dickens’ yuletide tale is facing increased competition from Joe Mantello’s stage adaptations of humorist David Sedaris’ Santaland Diaries and Season’s Greetings to our Friends and Family (Red Room@Society Hill Playhouse, December 1-17). In this new production from Flashpoint Theatre, Derrick Loafmann portrays the beleaguered Santa’s helper at Macy’s as he faces pushy parents, frightened children and a flirtatious elf named Snowflake, while the companion monologue recounts the newsletter of a suburban housewife with her holiday troubles — which includes the unexpected arrival of her husband’s purportedly illegitimate Vietnamese love child.

Theater Catalyst gets in on the holiday production bonanza with their first-ever Christmas show, Amerrycan X-mas (The Playground@ The Adrienne, December 7-23). This work from the always-subversive Gin Hobbs focuses on a slightly off-beat family’s holiday with an African exchange student — and considering Hobbs’ history, don’t expect this to be a sentimental story intent on making you feel warm all over.

Another company staging their first holiday production, Azuka Theatre presents the world premiere of ‘Twas the Night…, a wacky take on the famous poem by Clement Moore (Independence Foundation Black Box, Upstairs at the Prince Music Theater, December 6-31). Penned by Veronica Griego and directed by veteran Dominick Scudera, the farce concerns a group of staffers at a television station who discover at the last moment that instead of simply reading the aforementioned poem, they must instead perform it. Staged with a video camera to broadcast the TV show, the audience will be able to see not only the action in the studio, but also view on a giant screen what is going out “on the air.”

It’s difficult to recall a local production that struck a chord with audiences quite as strongly as Theatre Exile’s recent production of Bruce Graham’s The Philly Fan, which makes a re-appearance this month (Christ Church, December 14-January 21). The excellent Tom McCarthy stars in this solo comedy, which looks at a long suffering Philadelphia sports fan who sticks by the city’s professional teams despite years of defeat. Take note: the show can be enjoyed even if you’ve never watched a sporting event before in your life.

Two continuing attractions shouldn’t be forgotten either: Ken Ludwig’s Shakespeare in Hollywood follows the filming of Max Reinhardt’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream — mixing in such off-the-set characters as Dick Powell, Jack Warner, and Louella Parsons (Wilma Theater, through December 30), and the Walnut Street Theatre’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is another winner for the company and audiences alike — especially the little ones (through January 8).