(2015) A Child's Christmas in Wales NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (8)
See it if You like lovely Christmas songs, some in Welsh. Nice staging. A great show for the season.
Don't see it if If you don’t like Christmas.
See it if you love Christmas and Christmas music.
Don't see it if you're looking for a traditional narrative or something that's deep and thought provoking.
See it if You love Dylan Thomas, John Cullum (what's not to like?) and the Irish Rep. Solid, joyful production.
Don't see it if If you don't like the poem or Dylan Thomas and are played out on Christmas in general. You'd be missing something worthwhile!
See it if Very nice
Don't see it if Don't if you don't like carol music
See it if Extremely entertaining
Don't see it if You're not into history
See it if you like an okay show
Don't see it if you dont like shows
See it if Joyfulness and bright encouraging songs
Don't see it if You prefer more bold shows
See it if you like poetry - especially the lovely work of Dylan Thomas
Don't see it if You have no interest in cultures other than your own.
Critic Reviews (25)
"This sweet and modest show conjures plenty of good will toward men...The descriptions of treats and toys are evocative, the carols appealingly sung, the cast charming."
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"Without Dickens’s eye and ear for extreme emotional and fiscal predicaments, the story’s more fantastic moments wouldn’t have the weight of truth...Thomas’s script affords actors the opportunity to emote through speech rather than behavior; the words are their gestures...The reality that Thomas and Wilder offer us is filtered through memory and the self-absorption that comes with being—and the music that comes with it, too."
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"You don't even really have to pay close attention to Thomas' prose to absorb the warmth of his nostalgic tales of Christmases past. Just let it warm you inside like a cup of hot cocoa and take in the spirit of the holidays that exist only in our fantasies and fabricated memories...This fantasy world is the capital of all holiday fare, and 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' lets us spend a luscious 70 minutes inside."
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"Its devotion to faith and family makes it a gingerbread-scented charmer and, in its own special way, the perfect little Christmas show...Sprawling swaths of Thomas remain, largely unscathed, to anchor the reminiscences, and that's where most of the show's heft is found. But when they fuse most seamlessly, particularly during a late caroling session that doesn't quite go as planned, the effect is amusing, affirming, and original beyond merely the words on the page."
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"In addition to celebratory sequences, several spooky incidents are depicted with the cast gleefully performing as if they were children. Michael Gottlieb’s cheery lighting design appropriately turns moody and sinister...The appealing cast’s charming presence combined with the beautifully dressed stage makes this 'A Child’s Christmas in Wales' look and feel like an idealized family gathering. Seeing this production is a delightfully comforting way to spend time during the holiday season."
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"On one level, the reverie seems lovely, however staid. Closer scrutiny, however, reveals something much more disturbing: in conjuring up a simpler, but more sexist and heteronormative world...This makes 'A Child’s Christmas in Wales' nostalgic, sweet, and highly unrealistic. In fact, despite pleasurable moments of music and jest, the play is essentially an artifact of a time best forgotten or left to historians to analyze, critique, or parse for meaning."
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"The mood is nostalgic without ever getting gooey...This production couldn’t be more agreeably comfortable with just enough 'literature' for the adults and jolly carols for the kids. All the performers sang and acted perfectly and were convincing as a troupe that not only liked entertaining, but liked each other as well."
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"Robinson has an effortless charm that makes these words seem real as if they are coming from your own memories. Jacque Carahan, Danielle Erin Rhodes have the character roles such as Thomas’ drunken aunt. Katie Fabel is the love interest. John Cullum is the patriarch here and when he is on he is good. Equipped with a script he still gets lost so we feel as if we are in a under rehearsed production."
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