From Lunchbox’s Every Christmas Story Ever Told

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Every Christmas Story Ever Told! by Lunchbox Theatre
Lunchbox Theatre
Tuesday, December 4 - Saturday, December 22

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Lunchbox Theatre

Good intentions — they’re everywhere this time of year. Promises of seeing this person, going here or there and donating this or that are in abundance. Plus, there is that word that’s on everyone’s lips: tradition. How on Earth are we supposed to find time for all of these traditions, and buy gifts for everyone we’ve ever known, send Christmas cards with a hope of them arriving on time and not go insane and become incredibly bitter about the whole month of December? Thankfully, Lunchbox Theatre is here to help the seasonally over-taxed. Every Christmas Story Ever Told is a strong cup of mulled wine that does not scrimp on the spices. After all, why waste your time watching every Christmas play out there when you can hit most of them on your lunch break?

This lighthearted, family-friendly holiday spectacle was created by Michael Carleton, John Albarez and Jim Fitzgerald and first produced in New Jersey on the Cape May Stage in 2003. It has since travelled internationally, but Lunchbox Theatre presents the play’s debut as a one-act event. The artistic director of Fountainhead Theatreworks in London, Ontario, John Gerry, has made a special trip out west to direct this project and it is evident that cast and crew have had a veritable hoot with it.

Cory Hicks, Scott McAdam and Tyler Rive star, and their energy and exuberance is contagious. In what could have been a cheesy, obvious, line-by-line exercise in drudgery, these men keep the script fresh and funny, making use of more props than Carrot Top. They weave successfully in and out of stories and characters, calling forth moments that will be familiar to most. From The Grinch to Rudolph to It’s a Wonderful Life, most of the holiday heavy-hitters make an appearance. In fact, I counted at least a dozen references to various Christmas tales, far less than the 95 advertised, but still a fair number. To pass the time while I waited for new interim artistic director Martin Fishman to greet the chatty crowd, I made a little, slightly nerdy, list of all the Christmas stories I could think of. I only came up with 10.

So there we have it. Yet another Christmas play to see this season. And the moral of the story? We must accept the traditions of others. We must embrace cultural differences. We must extract the meaningful moments from all of the glitz and tinsel that hangs around us during this festive season. However, I won’t, and I can’t. This show is not designed to weigh you down with holiday guilt or force yuletide tears. It’s funny — pure and simple.