James Wilson takes a look at A Child's Christmas in Wales at Irish Repertory Theatre:
Although Dylan Thomas was recounting his childhood in Swansea, Wales, when he wrote, "One Christmas was so much like another in those years," he could have been describing New York City's cultural landscape of practically every December in memory. Perennial favorites, such as Radio City's Christmas Spectacular, New York City Ballet's The Nutcracker, and a new Broadway production of the endlessly adaptable A Christmas Carol are just a few of the seasonal shows that provide nostalgic comfort in uncomfortable times. A comparatively newer entrant, having first appeared in 2002, is the Irish Repertory Theatre's production of A Child's Christmas in Wales. This chamber musical based on Thomas's prose-poem is beautifully sung and charmingly acted, and if it doesn't have the extravagance, pyrotechnics and froufrou of other holiday offerings around town, it's the equivalent of a perfect little stocking stuffer. |
