Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park, FL
by Carl F. Gauze
Conceived by David Grapes and Todd Olson
Book by Todd Olson
Featuring Kevin Kelly, Pat Bloomfield, Rebecca Jo Lightfoot and Russel Stephens
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park, FL
The race is on to collect as many holiday themed shows as possible! You might be a little light on your Christmas entertainment list opportunities, what with the plague and all, but here’s a show to get you caught up. On a set that recalls earliest days of television four holiday troopers are ready to sing you through an hour plus of Sinatra holiday-ish material. Technically, “New York, New York,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and “I Get a Kick Out of You” are not very cookies and eggnog centric, but Frank recorded them so they they count in this punch bowl. The overall theme feels good and I’m not yet holly-jollied out; this is my first holiday review for the season.
The ensemble opens with “Mistletoe and Holly” then races through “Deck the Halls” and closes in on a much funnier “Twelve days” then rings in “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Next the cast nestle at the bar for a rather booze soaked “Twelve Days of Christmas” sing-along with super titles and zero tough key changes, then they sober up with “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” Amongst the read and green tunes, the show tosses in more palette cleansing material to counter act the buttery holiday classics. “Night and Day,” “Chicago,” and “Witchcraft” all resonated.
There was a fake bar on stage, but no one downed a real handle of Jack Daniel’s, they just acted like they did. The cast remained relaxed and in tune as Kevin Kelly played the comic relief role against a more sedate Russel Stevens. Rebeca Jo Lightfoot played the Big Blonde while Patrice Bloomfield went for the more intellectual chanteuse role. It’s a fun, low calory evening, light on the icky icing and long on New York mid-century sophistication. Get in while you can, tickets are flying out the window. I wonder who left that window open?
