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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2009 > December > 31
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Review: ‘A Texas Christmas Carol’
Variety shows are tough. They can demand lightning fast emotional shifts as a troupe moves from lighter fare to more melodramatic matters. But they also can offer quick hits of all kinds of entertainment - here’s a show choir, here’s some ballet, here’s a jazz singer — a jukebox of the stage, if you will.
It helps to have a theme, and “A Texas Christmas Carol” pretty well explains it. No, Scrooge is not involved, thank God — transplanting him to Austin would be a bad look.
Instead, veteran producer Charles Duggan (“A Greater Tuna” and two sequels) has assembled an all-Austin talent revue based around a loose Christmas/holiday theme.
The MVPs are the almighty Biscuit Brothers and Tish Hinojosa — the former move the show along, the latter sings a mess of songs. Dancers from Ballet Austin crank out a nine-minute Nutcracker, perfect for your local 4-year-olds. (I took my 4-year-old Tuesday night.)
The Amazing Grace Gospel Choir gave us “Go Tell It On The Mountain” (not sure if the intro was supposed to remind me of Gyorgy Ligeti’s “Requiem,” but the effect was cool). Members of the Austin Lyric Opera were sprinkled throughout — they led a “Hallelujah” chorus sing-along and soloist Liz Cass delivered a sharp “O Holy Night” (a.k.a. the best Christmas carol ever).
Jazz vocalist Kat Edmonson was the guest star for the Dec. 30 performance, torching up “Santa Baby” and “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” The Tapestry Dance Company kicked, the Bowie High School Silver Stars show-choired and Zach Theatre regular Jill Blackwood seemed to sing on just about everything. The show benefits a variety of charities on various nights (see below).
At one point, Duggan emerged with his twin 7-year-old sons to talk about how the show was for them and children everywhere (see also the list of charities involved). It’s the first year for this production and Duggan hopes to make it an annual event. He’s enough of an old pro to learn from some slower moments (and a second act that’s longer than the first) and tighten things up next year.
Here’s hoping “A Texas Christmas Carol” is around for enough years for the twins to get thoroughly embarrassed by their dad bringing them out on stage.
‘A Texas Christmas Carol’
When: 1 and 6 p.m. today.
Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Drive.
$10-$60
www.thelongcenter.org
Each performance features a special guest artist or artists and also benefits an Austin charity with 20 percent of the ticket proceeds donated.
2 p.m. Saturday: Matthew Hinsley, Austin Classical Guitar Society (Helping Hand Home for Children)
7:30 p.m, Saturday: Anton Nel, Stanislav Pronin (Any Baby Can, Ronald McDonald House)
1 p.m. Sunday: Anton Nel (St. David’s Foundation)
6 p.m. Sunday: Matthew Hinsley and the Austin Classical Guitar Society (Make-a-Wish Foundation)
