"Enchanting and Whimsical"
--The Daily Record

An excerpt from The Star-Ledger
"'Christmas' Gift: Charming Musical Conveys Dylan Thomas' Wales Tale"
December 9, 2003
By Peter Filichia

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey['s]...Christmas present...is "A Child's Christmas in Wales," the lovely little musical that the troupe produced in 1998 and 1999. This year, though, it has a new set design by Michael Schweikardt, which greatly enhances the mood.

Schweikardt has captured the village of Swansea by showing us its skyline -- if one can call it that. A little row of cottages is the best this itty-bitty burg can offer. But Schweikardt has also opened up the stage to suggest the vast breadth of the Welsh countryside.

On that expanse, director Robert Duke stages a charming production in which Welsh author Dylan Thomas (played by Andy Paterson) tells what Christmas meant to him when he was a kid. He remembers an entire day from morning until night, stepping into the action and portraying himself as an adolescent.

Nothing much happens. But just as "Our Town" reminds us that the best things in life are the charming little moments we don't particularly appreciate while they're happening, so too does this adaptation by Jeremy Brooks and Adrian Mitchell.

Theatergoers will smile at a Christmas when $100 bells-and-whistles toys weren't the norm. Instead, Dylan finds in his stocking chocolate coins, a water pistol and marbles -- and considers that a good haul. There are other presents, too, which Dylan rips open with zest -- only to find that they're what he least wants: clothes.

Dylan goes out to meet his friends so they can compare gifts -- and create a little mischief. To harass a neighbor, they write in a snowbank, "Mr. Daniels looks like a spaniel." Compare that to the more permanent graffiti of today.

Then comes dinner and the evening by the fire. Brooks and Mitchell dot their script with many a Christmas carol and traditional air, though they put new words to the tunes. So "Rock of Ages" becomes an enthusiastic tribute to the candy that the boys love.

Paterson, back again as Dylan, looks not a whit older than he did five years ago when he initiated the role for the Shakespeare Theatre. The actor has a wonderful face that at times is craggy and at others is malleable. How delightfully he conveys a kid's sense of wonder, his mischievousness, and his love of family.

What's amazing is how the cast members, after just a few weeks' rehearsal, really seem to be family and friends. Sue Brady is funny as Dylan's mother, ever so distraught that the turkey didn't turn out as splendidly as she assumed it would. Bryan Scott Johnson is humorously pompous as Dylan's father, who's intent on beginning many a sentence with "When I was a boy ..." The always reliable James Michael Reilly is on hand, too, to play an uncle with Communist leanings, who's always ready to make a toast that somehow turns into a political harangue.

...it reminds us that there was a time when people didn't rely on television, the Internet or Game Boys for fun. They just entertained themselves.

What may be most valuable about "A Child's Christmas in Wales" is that it might make theatergoers actually look forward to eating with their relatives this holiday season.

Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.

"'A Child's Christmas in Wales' is a Holiday Treat for Everyone"
By William Westhoven
--The Daily Record

Fabled poet Dylan Thomas may have met a sad and untimely end, but based on his childhood recollections of Christmas, his life did not start out that way.

History tells us that, born in 1914, Thomas was a neurotic and sickly child who had trouble with school. By age 20, he was a published poet, but by age 39, he was dead from drink.

Thomas, however, was one of those writers who apparently never let the facts get in the way of a good story. How fortunate for us; otherwise we would not have the chance to experience the many pleasures of "A Child's Christmas in Wales," which returns for a third time as the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's holiday treat.

Robert Duke has returned to direct this enchanting and whimsical musical production, which he directed here previously in 1998 and 1999. Andy Paterson has also come back to reprise the role of young Dylan he played here those same years. It was a winning combination then, and remains so.

Recalling the original 1998 production, it seems Duke has placed more emphasis on the music, including a three-piece ensemble visible in the corner of the theater near the stage. The traditional Welsh folk songs are lovely and delightfully unique. Young Dylan and his friends (like Paterson, they are portrayed by adult actors) also take great joy in improvising silly lyrics sung to traditional holiday melodies.

Paterson's impish grin and loose body language immediately inform the audience he is a true kid at heart, even while delivering typical Thomas observations such as when he describes warming his frostbitten hands by the fire: "My hands hurt from the heat and cold so much that I cried for 20 minutes -- and then I had some jelly."

Some of the action takes place outdoors, as the "boys" romp in the snow, imitate Indians and gangsters, make mischief in the park and try to avoid the bullies from Town Hill (played by young boys, who menace the "bigger" boys by mere reputation).

Most of the story, though, takes place inside Dylan's house, where his mother is busily preparing a feast for the aunts, uncles and cousins that fill out a large cast of disparate characters. Mother (Sue Brady) is kind and loving, but comes apart after burning the turkey and setting the kitchen on fire. Father (Bryan Scott Johnson) is teased for his lack of humor, but dotes on his son and loosens up after some rum, telling tall tales of when Welshmen "chased out the English and the bears with the jawbone of a deacon."

Aunt Hannah's (Eleanor Glockner) weakness for parsnip wine is excused, tongue-in-cheek, because "it's only once a year," while Uncle Glyn's (James Michael Reilly) socialist rants are tolerated for the same reason. Aunt Elieri (Melissa Gallagher) has an interest in the supernatural, and happily fills Dylan's Christmas wish for "a magician set that does real magic, not just tricks." As for cousins Glenda and Brenda, Dylan can't avoid them, so he engages them in a series of teases and torments you might expect from rival siblings.

There are many more characters, with several among the cast of 20 playing multiple roles, including the tipsy postman, a stuffy constable and the park keeper, who is determined to keep the park free of litter (and children). The endless parade of relatives and townsfolk keeps the action lively, and their idiosyncrasies are the foundation of the constant supply of humor.

This delightful ensemble also features several lovely singing voices, backed nicely by the musicians, led by musical director F. Wade Russo.

"A Child's Christmas in Wales" manages to blend the period charm (albeit post-Victorian) of "A Christmas Carol" with the innocent, childlike perspective of Jean Shepherd's "A Christmas Story" to craft a holiday treat the entire family can watch and enjoy. And much like Shepherd's original writings, adults and children will see the same story and take something different home with them.

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