Christmas in Hell

See it if If you want a show that tries really hard to be funny.

Don't see it if If you want a York, usual high quality production. If you want a good Christmas show.

See it if ur in the mood for a silly, unpolished, holiday-adjacent show that aspires to be South Park/Simpsons but lands more like middling SNL skits.

Don't see it if you've enjoyed York's typically reliable, high-quality productions & expect the same from this overlong, trite, awkward, unedited misfire.

Also Missing from the production credits: Set Design by Google Images.

Also, don't see it if... you expect a holiday musical. This is a Christmas show in the same way that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It begins with a song about a Christmas fruitcake, but the fact that it takes place around Christmas is really just incidental.... Read more Read less

See it if you're curious about the title, to discover the work of a composer-lyricist-librettist, enjoy nonsense plots & overwrought characterizations

Don't see it if you like musicals with peppy numbers, memorable music & mature lyrics, don't like foul language & broad depictions of Satan & Charles Manson

See it if you are looking for a show about Christmas, but don't have any sentimental attachment to the holiday whatsoever. Set is very clever.

Don't see it if Foul language and potty humor offend, especially at this time of year. It's irreverent, and unnecessarily so. Castellino kept it alive!

See it if I love York Theater. They never disappoint until now. This was hell to watch. The humor was not funny. Poorly casted, bad script.

Don't see it if I thought this was going to be like a over the top Christmas story that was funny... so not funny and seemed amateurish. York what happened?

See it if all of the other holiday-themed shows are sold out through the end of 2018.

Don't see it if you're expecting this one to align with the York Theatre's typically high caliber of stage offerings.

Also I'm a big fan of the dark side of holiday entertainment. American movies such as 'The Ice Harvest' and 'Bad Santa,' the wonderful Finnish film, 'Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale,' as well as last year's brilliant Off-Broadway production of 'Who's Holiday' have all been first-rate antidotes to the seemingly interminable onslaught of mass-produced seasonal convivialities we endure each year. Naturally, when I read that the York Co. was putting on a show called 'Christmas in Hell,' well - my inner Grinch was titillated. As it turned out, the proverbial bark was bigger than the bite. While the show has some intermittent cleverness and handiwork, it is ultimately lacking in a strong central idea. What we are given is an assortment of modestly amusing stocking stuffers, but not the “official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle" as hoped for. Maybe next Christmas.... Read more Read less

See it if You like South Park, Book of Mormon or The Producers, but trying too hard to be funny and clever and not quite making it.

Don't see it if You didn't like The Carol Burnett Show. It's like a really loooooong musical parody on a comedy show that doesn't know when to stop.

Also Some good laughs and the music and lyrics were fun, but not as clever as it wanted to be and it started to drag as well. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for juvenile humor; much of the audience seemed to be having a good time. The actors were quite energetic and a couple were outstanding (no spoilers, but the little boy was fantastic).... Read more Read less

See it if you are tired of the same old song in holiday entertainment (but is different necessarily good?) Well-directed, strong cast.

Don't see it if you avoid shows that use Charles Manson as a major plot point and profanity indiscriminately. Lyrics sometimes score, music disappointing.

See it if You like a silly story that did not need to be told. You know someone in the cast.

Don't see it if You value your time.

Also Although my parents and i did not like the show (and we like everything else we’ve seen at the York) My dad still quotes one line that was repeated in the show. “Nobody knows”.... Read more Read less

See it if You like off-color, non-traditonal Christmas shows. You're interested in seeing new musicals. You want a gr8 performance from Elijah Rayman.

Don't see it if You want modern and/ or edgy humor:lots of passe jokes & not as subversive as it thinks it is. You want a better bad musical ala Mormon...

Also It's hard to parody a bad musical w/out becoming a bad musical. Some times it works here; most times it doesn't. Despite a few good numbers & performances, overall, it's just OK.... Read more Read less

See it if You need a laugh or two.

Don't see it if you're looking for something serious

See it if A clever enough sendup of the Christmas season with plenty of irreverence & scatalogical language.

Don't see it if Don’t expect a compelling story - cartoonish characters, little relatable emotion. But there are lots of laughs & is still previewing.

See it if you'll enjoy good performances in a not very good show. Good one-liners, but no coherence. Performances 85, costumes 85, music 75, book, 50.

Don't see it if you expect something better than a good, but not great SNL skit; don't enjoy watching stereotypes of priests & nuns speaking w/Irish brogues

Also The performances are the reason to see this show. Most of the actors did a fine job. The play is still a work in progress, so maybe it will get better, but I don't think this will ever make Broadway.

Part of the reason I found this offensive was that I'm an Irish-Catholic. The priests and nuns in this all speak with Irish brogues--and this play isn't set in 1950.The priest is an idiot and confession is openly mocked. It's the worst of ethnic stereotyping. It's not funny; it's tasteless.... Read more Read less

See it if you’re curious of the concept of the story & accept that they’re in previews with room for many improvements or if you support works by York

Don't see it if you expect quality production with on point execution.

Also The concept of the story was funny but with poor execution. Mr. Morgan announced before the show that they had just made a change in the beginning and perhaps it will get better before the opening. For now, it just felt like I was watching a high school production and not a very good one. During the show, one of the actors totally messed up by skipping a number/scene and then stating “oh” and going back to it. He also said the wrong line later again. He just seemed a little awkward in the role. He needed more emotions in his face and some body language in my opinion. He stood there limply most of the time. However, singing by ALL the performers were good.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy a darker Christmas tale - some funny humor - if not complete.

Don't see it if you need a solid show. This has potential but needs more productions to get the kinks out . Early for off-broadway run.

See it if You want a MILDLY funny holiday diversion. Couple of really great numbers/performers, Was the first preview, so HOPING for improvements!

Don't see it if You want a tight, funny show. A lot of jokes beaten to a pulp. Way too long - could be trimmed to 90 min. Should toss a lot of the filler

See it if This is a dark comedy that Has a bit of an edge. It’s like Book of Mormon meets White Christmas.

Don't see it if You are easily offended and don’t enjoy dark humor shows like Avenue Q and Book of Mormon.

See it if You want something that has a number of funny moments and is overall entertaining and very silly.

Don't see it if You want something that is somewhat sophisticated and you like a little more in theater than to just be entertained

Also This show had a number of clever and funny moments, though to do this type of show they have to be very frequent, an here there just weren't enough of them, and often one joke initially funny gets stretched too far so loses its impact. The story is pretty ridiculous, but doesn't seem to show that enough thought was given to make it feel like it followed a logical progression, rather than just throwing a lot of things together, which seemed ok. Often the overall impression was that it felt like something a college group might have put together for a show for other students, rather than something aimed at a professional production.... Read more Read less

See it if you think loud and active equals funny; enjoyed baudy musical numbers; don't care much of coherence

Don't see it if you get put off by shock value for its sake alone

See it if Don't. Spend your time seeing anything else well reviewed on here. The singing is the only good part, but not the songs.

Don't see it if You want a funny clever witty story, it's bland and cliched. You want good musical numbers, they're cheesy and pointless.

Also This feels really amateurish from the plot, the jokes, the songs and the acting. I did enjoy Brandon Williams who was also great in Gettin the band back together. And the young boy was quite good as well. Also, the Christmas theme is just tacked on to sell tickets at Christmas time. It's about a ridiculous adventure to Hell followed by an obvious "lesson" ending with barely anything to do with Christmas. I wish there was a way to hide reviews from reviewers who scored this high, yuck.... Read more Read less