This delightful play finds us
celebrating Christmas in Minnesota with an emotionally reserved Norwegian
household where hugs are verboten and emotions blocked by jokes. (My heritage
is Irish but the dynamic in these relationships was familiar.)
A son comes home
to find his widowed mother cooking in the kitchen; garrulous grandma visiting
from Florida; his doctor brother grieving over his bad marriage; his sister
explaining how she’s a gay mom; his sister-in-law demonstrating all the signs
of a nervous breakdown, and Uncle Bob wooing the lady of the house with flowers
and mushy demonstrations of affection.
Greg D. Barnett is the
journalist son who decides to write an article on his wacky family; Marcia Rodd is a scene-stealer as
the grandmother whose wicked sense of humor takes the mickey out of everyone; Belinda
Howell is the mother who tries to calm every situation with the production of
food, while Fox Carney is her shy
lothario joining the party uninvited. 
Patrick
Burke is the son reeling from a marriage break-up and family secrets while Rebecca Dunn is his hysterical but loving wife. Truett
Jean Butler is the daughter who has a problem explaining the origin of her
child to people who don’t get that she’s gay.
Author Phil Olson’s latest family
comedy was a well-deserved recent winner of The McLaren Comedy Festival in
Midland, Texas. Doug Engalla directs with flair and the set by Chris Winfield
is superbly inviting.
At Lonny Chapman Theatre,
10900 Burbank Blvd, NoHo, through December 18. Tickets: 818-763-5990 or www.thegrouprep.com
Photos by Doug Engalla.
Also reviewed in the December
issue of NOT BORN YESTERDAY.
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