Review: BROADWAY CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND at Music Hall At Fair Park

Perhaps it's because I'm a Jew, bringing my two Jew daughters (age six) to a Christmas musical, or perhaps it's the fact that a strong majority of the Christmas songs presented in Broadway Christmas Wonderland were, in fact, written by Jews, however when sitting down to enjoy this show, it quickly becomes obvious that a person doesn't have to be a Christian or celebrate Christmas to enjoy this musical at the Music Hall at Fair Park. The cast is filled with unbelievably skilled dancers and singers, and the stage presence of all six of the leads is delightful and carried with strength.

From the moment the great red curtain rises, the show is mesmerizing with a fabulous rendition of Let it Snow. The performers are decked out in all white, with strong opening choreography by Sarah Rouet and Erin Rogers, providing layers, depth and constant transitions. This quality choreography lasts throughout the show with only a couple of issues. Interestingly enough, there is a uniqueness to each individual chorus member. They each dance in their own distinctive way, paying little attention to synchronization, a significant deviation from the standard chorus line on Broadway. But it works and is unique. Instead of seeing an entire chorus dance in perfect unison, the audience can observe the individual dancing abilities and styles of each dancer.

The lead vocalists AlFred Jackson, Laura Mansell, Kate Somerset How, Dwanna Orange, Mathew Jeans and Simon Schofield were sensational, offering flawlessly rich and pure voices able to hit extraordinarily high and low notes. The beautiful melodies covering evocative beloveds such as "Let it Snow", "White Christmas", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "The Christmas Song", "Silent Night", "Deck the Halls", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and many more classics.

The most disappointing part of the show was the number that included Santa Clause and began with him riding in on his sleigh. His presence was goofy at best, but borderline clumsy and uncomfortable. The choreography for Santa was as simple as possible. Something that untrained dancers could master in an hour. His voice was decent but certainly nothing spectacular. Essentially, in this production, Santa was made out to be an underdeveloped caricature, played by an actor who clearly doesn't possess the talent of his peers on stage. In the one, and only, monologue in the show, Santa spent the entire speech stepping back and forth nervously. The chorus line at the end of the number looked awkward with Santa center stage, unable to kick anywhere close to as high as the rest of the chorus members.

Two additional aspects of the show that cannot be overlooked are the scenic design (Dave Webb and Chris Penn) and the costume design (Jonelle DeBlanc and Nicole Estes). The large number of costume changes (which had to be in the high hundreds), offers an indication of how prolific the costume development was for this musical. However, this large number of costumes created for the musical certainly did not sacrifice quality in design and execution of all the glittering and dazzling costuming. The set design was of similar caliber. The quick and drastic set changes were on a grand scale, particularly for a touring show. Webb and Penn designed elaborate and nearly magical sets to accompany the mood established onstage.

Two of the shining stars of the show were the figure skaters that made two glorious appearances onstage. They both were incredibly graceful and made spectacular, jaw-dropping lifts. Broadway Christmas Wonderland is full of excitement and warmth. It is a show meant to be fun, meant to make you happy, and it accomplishes exactly that. This is a show for the entire family and there is something for everyone. Broadway Christmas Wonderland is presented by Spirit Productions at the Music Hall at Fair Park December 6-18, 2016. For tickets go to http://dallassummermusicals.org/shows/broadway-christmas-wonderland/

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