Script brings TOY's
'Little House' not quite home for the holidays
Published on December 10, 2006
Author: Nicole Peradotto - BUFFALO NEWS REVIEWER
© The Buffalo News Inc.
At a time of year when playhouses roll out their feel-good fare, Theatre of
Youth is presenting one of the warmest and fuzziest offerings of the holiday
season. Whether this big-hearted production has a pulse, however, is open to
debate.
For the first half-hour, "A Little House Christmas"
slogs along. There's barely a glimmer of tension until a few minutes before
intermission. Even the prairie's resident bad seed, Nellie Olesen, is given
scant opportunity to do more than pout and preen.
In stitching together several episodes from the
autobiographical books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, playwright James DeVita fails to
resurrect Wilder's masterful storytelling. His script offers a timeless message
about the meaning of Christmas, but he's not exactly using Fed Ex to deliver it.
Instead of propelling the narrative forward, he devotes his energy to developing
characters -- characters that many in the audience already know. Besides the
earnest Ingalls clan, they include Mrs. Olesen, played with pitch-perfect
snobbery by Linda Stein, the soft-hearted bachelor Mr. Edwards (Jeffrey Coyle)
and Uncle George (Kevin Keleher), a reticent war hero suffering from what
appears to be post-traumatic stress disorder.
When everyone gathers at the Ingalls' new homestead a week
before Christmas, a freak rainstorm hits. As her guests make a hasty exit, Laura
is left to wonder whether Santa Claus will be able to cross the flooded creek to
deliver presents. (Apparently, the pioneers didn't fall for the reindeer-driven
sleigh bit. Instead, the big elf traveled by mule.)
Their parents, meanwhile -- the settlers' version of
last-minute shoppers -- are doing some fretting of their own. How will they buy
gifts if they can't get to town? As the situation turns dire, even Pa (Todd
Benzin) loses his cool.
Happily, their problems are solved with the appearance of
big man in a red suit. And, no, it's
not who you think it is. Without revealing his identity, suffice it to say that
the ensuing scene injects "Little House Christmas" with such glee that
you can almost excuse its earlier failings.
Stepping into the shoes of familiar characters is no small
feat, and Theatre of Youth's ensemble does so without mimicking the television
actors who brought "Little House on the Prairie" into our family rooms
for nearly a decade. Susan Drozd blends sweetness with strength in her portrayal
of the family matriarch. Underneath a snooty exterior, Claire Cannon's Nellie
gives hints of humanity. Jeffrey
Coyle's Mr. Edwards is as funny as he is vulnerable. And Kaila
Rose Proulx does a perky turn as Half Pint.
Kenneth Shaw's beautifully rustic set captures the coziness
of the Ingalls' digs, complete with a sleeping loft and a fat chimney billowing
smoke. It's a pity that the cast and crew couldn't have lent their considerable
talents to a worthier script.
