Well, dear readers, what is one to do while recovering from am overindulgence of champagne on New Year’s eve, closely followed by the same of pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day' I can’t help myself. I love them both, and “It’s only once a year!” I tell myself, as a surfeit of both go sliding down my gullet, so here I am dealing with the abundance of both those lovely treats. But then I had an epiphany. “Aha!” say I. “I’ll put my New Year’s Resolution to its very first use.” “And what was that' say you.
This year it’s a very simple resolution: To be grateful. However, it’s difficult to be grateful for feeling like an overstuffed sausage, so I decided to be grateful for the many excellent holiday performances I had seen at various venues throughout the Valley during the month of December, and here I am to tell you about them. However, there are two caveats: this was not a long-ago goal of mine, so I did not save programs and will not be mentioning specific names, except directors, because I no longer have them available to me, and second I am not going to do ANY rating about what was my favorite show or shows. Truthfully, and you can call me a Goody-Two-Shoes if you want to, I thought they were all terrific, but the fact of the matter is, so did a lot of other people, because each and every one of these shows was completely sold out, yes, every single seat, so if that’s what I am, then there are a lot of us in the Valley. Also this list is by no means comprehensive, it just represents the productions I happened to attend, in the order in which I saw them.
First off was the DeSales production of Merry Christmas George Bailey,directed by their Chair of Theatre Dennis Razze. This was a cleverly staged production of a radio play broadcast of It’s A Wonderful Life,
where sound effects technicians were visible throughout the show, and specialty acts, stage managers, other crew members and actors all gathered to present the timeless tale of George Bailey and his guardian angel Clarence. If you think of the film A Prairie Home Companion, you’ll get the idea. It was a beautiful, family-friendly spin on a Christmas classic and a perfect start to the holiday season.
Second came an invitation from a friend to experience the Bethlehem Bach Choir’s Christmas Oratorio, performed at the First Presbyterian Church in Allentown (to be performed the next day in Bethlehem.) This is the oldest of the many Bach Choirs in the country, founded in 1900, and they are justly very famous, led by their noted director Greg Funfgeld. The Oratorio told the story, in German, of Luke’s version of Christ’s birth, but the dual language program made it easy to follow along. I’ve heard the Choir before, but somehow this hour-and-a half- work, with a complement of over 80 singers, nearly 30 instrumentalists, and four soloists with resumes longer than some novellas, seemed the most glorious way I could ever have imagined the story of the nativity being told. It was no less than rapturous.
Next up on my agenda was a performance of The Nutcracker at Allentown Symphony Hall (now called Miller Hall) for which I happened to be serving as an usher. OK, I thought, this won’t be so bad since it was an evening performance, and I figured most of the kiddies (it’s always popular with parents and their little girls) would have seen it during the afternoon performances. Uh, no. I worked the balcony (highest) section, which often times doesn’t sell many tickets - think nosebleed - but to my amazement up they came by the droves and were packed to the point of little ones sitting on parents’ laps! And by gosh if that ballet doesn’t captivate everyone, each and every time, even if the music is canned! The little ones stop fidgeting, and even the parents seem to stare in wonder. I give regards to the troupe for their casting this year: the principal male ballet dancer was a beautiful man of vary dark skin color.
Fourth on my agenda was a play I had reserved because I knew it would be sold out in advance: White Christmas, directed by Chip Rohrbach at the Pennsylvania Playhouse. I didn’t know anyone in the cast of 26, or the director, but I was curious to see what could be done on a stage of rather limited size with such a large cast. And I happen to like the story. Mr. Rohrbach made a touching curtain speech giving all credit to the hard work of his actors and emphasizing that the dance troupe of twelve came in often on their own time to rehearse because “they wanted to be perfect.” My comments here are that this was a complex and very pretty set which was changed quite skillfully by the cast; in a group of 26 the quality can often be uneven just due to sheer numbers, but I must say the level of talent was very high overall for such a large cast, and damn if those twelve dancers didn’t just about nail their desire to be perfect. The precision they managed in their two rigorous dance numbers was jaw-dropping. Kudos to all.
And finally, my last Christmas gift took place at the Whitehall location of the historic Helfrich Springs Grist Mill where Selkie Theatre, run by Artistic Director George Miller and his wife Producer Kate Scuffle presented their concert reading of Dylan Thomas’s holiday tale A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Set in the wintry Welsh countryside of the poet’s youth, this prose poem is one his best-known works, and the four actors who sat on stools in the festively decorated old Mill vividly evoked the sights and sounds of a long-ago Christmas to an appreciative audience. A wassail and dessert buffet was served as a final treat.
And so gentle readers, my list of holiday viewings is complete, and in the spirit of my resolution, but even without it, I am truly grateful for this abundance of treasures I was privileged to witness.
But I cannot leave my musings without mention of one loss that is so crucial to the subject of theatre, a death which took place in December which touched me and so many others greatly. That is the passing of a wonderful gentleman, the Rev. Gerard J. Schubert, O.S.F.S., or Father Schubert as he was known to most. Among so many distinctions, he founded the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University, which will be celebrating its 25th summer season in honor of Father Schubert in 2016. I have volunteered at the Festival, due to being a devoted lover of all things Shakespeare, since my arrival in Pennsylvania in 1996, which will be 20 years come this summer. I have had the privilege of knowing Father Schubert to a limited extent, but certainly enough to know of his warmth, integrity, kindness to all, and very high ideals for theatre in general and the PSF especially. The visitation service to honor him took place at Connolly Chapel on the campus of DeSales, where three fine celebratory addresses captured his true spirit well. I best remember that Father Schubert was noted for saying that “Theatre puts life into focus and helps to show its values. Theatre illuminates life and makes it clearer.” With that kind of thinking, is it any wonder he became a visionary for the theatre' The night of the day I learned he had died, I dreamed I was having a conversation with Father Schubert in some beautifully lit place. At first I thought we were on a stage. The suddenly something else occurred to me, and with a start I said, “Oh, Father Schubert, we’re in Heaven, aren’t we'” And he smiled this beautiful smile at me and said, “Yes, my dear, and isn’t it wonderful'” And then I awoke. Well, I rest my case for the afterlife.
Best wishes to you all for 2016!