Artists Repertory Theatre
November 17 - December 20, 2009
Summary:
A.R.T. remounts Holidazed after receiving numerous requests from audience members to bring back the popular holiday comedy. The unique holiday comedy is the hilarious and heartwarming story of the do-it-all super mom and wife who throws her Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas season on its ear when she takes in a feisty homeless teenager.
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4 comments:
I saw Holidazed at Artists Rep and was not terribly amused by it. The jokes always seemed to appeal to the least common denominator, and would have made the writers of "Suddenly Susan" blush with embarrassment.
Despite its horrid script, I felt the actors were very professional and managed to put a nice shine on this load.
Only the gay Acito could manage to reverse the progress gays have struggled to attain by showing them as merely camp and silly drage queens.
...and only a guilty liberal would call the author "the gay Acito" and refer to the process of "gays".
I don't like the script much, either. I also felt the humor was tired, low-brow and a bit insulting. I also found it surprising that some of the content came from someone who is (according to PR, since I don't know the man) purported to be a fairly culturally "current" artist. I just don't think there is anything new in this material. Certainly nothing remotely edgy. The "holiday stress" formula, the "reconciling with the memory of a deceased parent" formula. The "taking in a lost soul" formula (although this one really never goes much of anyplace, does it?)
Yes, it's a slice of life. ok. Is the point that it normalizes a family blend that has not in the past been normalized? If so, I suppose it does that OK. The problem is, the whole thing is just too normal to be very interesting. And the humor is well-worn territory. It's very, very funny to watch Todd Van Voris in drag. But I think that's pretty much circumstantial. Even the rest of Van Voris's "Aunt John" routine is a yawn - I think I remember it as the "Francesca" sketch on the old Tracy Ullman Show.
The script is evidently and unfortunately the work of a writer reared on television, not live theater. The language and plot never rise above the level of a mediocre sitcom.
I loved this show. I think it is a wonderful, touching, hilarious and contemporary holiday show. The entire cast is outstanding. Congrats ART!
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