The holiday spirit descended upon Savannah a little early this year, much to the joy of each of its beneficiaries. "So This is Christmas," the Cardinal Rep Christmas program, is truly a gift under the tree this season.
For lack of better terminology, one can call this work a music revue... or perhaps something of a cabaret. But no matter what tag it bears, it is a great deal of fun. Ryan McCurdy uses his extensive musical talents on pieces ranging from A Nightmar Before Christmas, Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts Themes, and Christmas in Sarajevo from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Backed up by various members of the Cardinal Rep family, the evening reaches heights of true Christmas joy.
Valerie Lavelle begins the evening by outlining other holiday offerings, panning numerous elementary school pageants with the sort of gusto all theatre critics wished they had. Sheila Lynne provides an entertainingly depressing rendition of Frosty the Snowman, and Phil Keeling not only plays guitar ably, but is delightfully disturbing in his turn as grandmother Christmas.
But more importantly, this is an evening "with the Cardinal Rep family." Given that this is embraced, it lends a very tribal and inclusive feel that has marked Cardinal Rep's best work. Indeed, the only criticism falls on the calendar... that we will be waiting another year for the next holiday evening with the Cardinal Rep Family.
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