Review: EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME) at The Weekend Theater

It’s December and the holiday offerings are abundant in central Arkansas. Running through Sunday, Dec. 16, The Weekend Theater, 1001 W 7th St, in Little Rock, is performing the three-person comedy EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME), which was a hit with my fellow audience members last weekend. This celebration of everything Christmas wrapped it all up nicely with a lot of laughs and a touch of sweetness.  

Written by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez, and directed by Tricia Heinrichs Spione, EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD begins with Jason (Jason Green) wanting to perform A Christmas Carol. Patrick (P.A. West) and Donna (Donna Elkey) are tired of A Christmas Carol and propose to perform every BHC “Beloved Holiday Classic.” Jason says ok as long as he can do A Christmas Carol at some point. From there they perform abbreviated versions of The Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Gift of the Magi. They also have their own interpretive dance of the Nutcracker, tell different histories of Christmas from around the world, throw in some famous Christmas commercials, and end with A Christmas Carol that is laced with It’s a Wonderful Life. To finish out, they sing every Christmas carol they know.  

This play is similar to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare…Abridged and is super funny. They had so many puns and Christmas wit, that it took you and your neighbor to catch all of it. It was one joke after the other, along with quite a bit of physical humor as well. They had audience participation during a rigged game show, and at the very beginning, they went through the crowd asking for suggestions. The spoof of the Macy's Thanksgiving parade was especially funny. It did take a serious turn for a moment when Donna became Linus and added the Luke 2 scene, where he reminds everyone of the Reason for the season.  

This was a great ensemble cast. They made the acting look like playtime and was so much fun to watch. Jason plays the serious actor of the group. His character is taking his craft very seriously and huffs at Donna and Patrick for making him put on silly costumes and do the various plays. Patrick and Donna took turns coming up with the crazy ideas. They were both giddy and increasingly exuberant with each idea they chose to do. Donna was so childlike that it was precious watching the joy beam from her eyes as she dressed up and brought all her favorite stories to life.  

This is a fun show for the whole family, especially if you are tired of watching the same Christmas performances over and over.  

After the holidays, The Weekend Theater will present Yellowman. For more information and ticket sales, visit their website at weekendtheater.org.  

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