Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
A delightful holiday medley, this solo musical Mrs Christmas is being performed through December 21st by the enjoyable and talented Linda Libby, and accompanied gracefully by Cody Bianchi on piano. Their collaboration is enchanting. My Goodness how busy our Mrs Christmas is, effortlessly accomplishing multiple tasks; singing and changing costumes, talking and moving props, passing out the cookies and gracefully sending out the vibes of Christmas. It seems there is nothing she cannot do.
The little theatre space is charming. There are some old interesting looking musical instruments on the walls around the small but carefully arranged stage with piano, fireplace, the antique clock, and a nice size Christmas tree with handmade ornaments on it, and the snow – through the windows, coming down heavily. The feeling of being cold yet enjoying the beautiful scenery is magical. The story is about Mrs Christmas’ mom, holiday traditions, and the “irreverent, laugh-out-loud” history of Christmas carols. Of course, since the narrative is about Mrs Christmas, there is a sleigh and a reindeer on the stage.
The songs are chosen from musical memorabilia and they dig into 15th Century and up. They are songs I have never heard of before. Entirely surprising and captivating, they penetrate deeply with a warm feeling of Christmas. The lyrics are created by Tom Jacobson and just to mention a few: It came Upon a Midnight Clear (Edmund Sears, 1849), I saw Three Ships (Traditional English, 15th Century), Bring a Torch Jeannette, Isabells (Nicolas Saboty, 1668), Where is my Babe? (Composer- Kelly Green), The Pelican Carol (Composer-Veronica Krausas), Sweet Cookies (Composer-Christopher Reiner), The Snow Falls Silently Down (Composer- James McFadden-Talbot), The Seven Days of Solstice (Composer-Jason Barabba), A Baby Dreams in Bethlehem (Composer-David York), In A Stable (Composer-Christopher Hamilton), and Mrs. Christmas (Composer-Deborah Wicks La Puma). The Christmas carols sung by Libby, in her penetrating soprano, show her talent and fill our souls. The very creative original costumes are a delight!
Produced by Signal Hill Sandbox, Inc., in association with Carrie Menkel-Meadow, Robert Meadow, Diane Naegele and Reverend Robert Sterling Richards, after 40 years in the making Tom Jacobson and Director Karole Foreman brought the play to life for world premiere. Congratulations! Wonderful work from both.
The multi-award-winning director Karole Foreman joyfully and kindly welcomed us all and shared her director’s note with us, ‘I have been wanting to collaborate with Tom Jacobson for a decade, since I first became acquainted with him and his work back in the 1980’s. The scope of Tom’s imagination and the breadth of his intellect is captivating, and Mrs. Christmas is a delightful addition to his already prolific body of work. His musical is a rich exploration of relationships between parents and children and the legacy of family holidays.’ The play spreads lots of holiday cheer and recaptures the holiday spirit.
The understudy for Mrs Christmas is Michelle Merring (Singer). The creatives are Jon Hycras (Lighting Designer), Jacquelyne Quinn Estrada (Scenic Design/Props), Solomon Joseph (Assistant to Scenic), Lisa Hopperton (Costume Designer), Filisha Jones (Wigs/Crew), Margaret Kruszewska (Production Consultant), Kim Crossman (Social Media).
Mrs. Christmas runs through December 21 at the Aurora Theater, 4412 E. Village Rd., Long Beach, with shows Mondays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit AuroraTheater.com. Free street parking is available, or in a lot behind the theater. Run time is 80 minutes with no intermission. Recommended for ages 15+
*** Exciting production – worth seeing.
Instagram: mrschristmas_musical
https://www.instagram.com/mrschristmas_musical/
Linda Libby photos by Rhyan Michelle