Playwright: book, music and lyrics by Brendan Milburn, Valerie Vigoda and Rachel Sheinkin. At: Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood. Phone: 866-811-4111; $15. Runs through: Jan 8, 2011
In the world of entertainment, Christmas is more like “the most predictable The BoHo Theatre Company brings their considerable talents up to the North Pole at the Heartland Studio on the north side of Chicago. Expectations were high as one of the writers won the Tony for penning The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee back in 2005. The ensemble brings a light feeling to the material, breaking the fourth wall down and talking directly to the audience. The old theatre expression “I’ve got a barn, let’s put on a show” holds true here with the friendly group. Eric (keyboard), Mallory (guitar, bass), Amy (violin) and Dustin (percussion) use their actual names and play their own instruments, while singing throughout the show. It’s interesting to note that this is all of the cast’s first show with BoHo.
They combine a holiday story with band camp and seem to be enjoying the piece. Fresh holiday songs are touched upon with “It’s Coming Down” (possibly not the name of the song since it’s not listed anywhere). Amy has a nice tone to her voice and Mallory is fun to watch as she switches with ease to various instruments. Eric plays a grumpy scrooge and the little drummer boy Dustin resembles Mr. Schuester from Glee with his curly locks and positive attitude. Much like that Fox program, the cast members try very hard to get the audience to like them. The performers almost never step away from their instruments to feature their acting chops. The intimate setting almost works against the production. With a little distance, the material could be featured in a concert setting and not the showcase style that it currently lives in.
The director, Lara Filip, states in the program that she felt “there was no direction to be done” at times and the songs speak for themselves. This is never a good sign. The show needs tweaking and more than just Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of the Little Match Girl being referenced throughout to tie it together. The title refers to the clock striking twelve for New Years. Unfortunately for this show, many may be looking at their watches as the Bohemians strike out at bat.