BWW Reviews: Act II Presents the Light-Hearted TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS
By: Kelli Curtin Dec. 18, 2013
It is the holiday season, and most theatres are putting on a production full of holiday cheer filling each of us with the holiday spirit. Act II Playhouse is no exception to this, except that THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS is about searching for love and being single during the holidays. Act II Playhouse's production of this show is pleasant and tells the story of how one woman tried to find true love over the course of a year.
THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS is the story of Mary, and her search for one true love. Mary goes on this quest after she sees her fiancé on Thanksgiving Day kiss another woman on national television. As a result Mary goes on several dates (12 to be exact) to find Mr. Right. The show reveals Mary's highs and lows, and there are moments that are humorous and at times you feel for Mary's disappointment. THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS is a 90-minute monologue where Mary chronicles all her dates of the last year.
Maggie Lakis stars in this show as Mary. Lakis is charming and animated in this part. Tony Braithwaite directs this production, and he deserves credit for bringing out the humor of this script. However, this play written by Ginna Hoben is lacking in the ability to emotionally draw the audience in. Throughout the performance, although I enjoyed Lakis's energy and animation, I did not feel any tie to her character at all. During the production there are individual stories in which Mary tells the audience about the events of her many dates. I had a difficult time investing in her story, and there were moments where the story became very repetitive. That being said, both Lakis and Braithwaite are incredibly talented individuals, nevertheless this particular script did not let their remarkable talents shine.
THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS runs at Act II Playhouse through December 29, 2013. For more information and tickets visit their website at www.act2.org or call their box office at (215) 654-0200.
Photo Credit: Mark Garvin
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