On A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas
by Nancy Churnin ~ The Dallas Morning News
"Loss permeates the festivities in A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas,
which makes this Dallas Children's Theater production particularly apt
for the shell-shocked sensibilities of Americans wading through the
devastation of war, hurricanes and economic hardship.
Playwright Laurie Brooks, who has already impressed with her plays for
young-adult audiences, aims at the younger crowd here, but with an
emotional depth and complexity that adults should find moving, too.
Wilder fans know Laura as the spunky heroine of Little House in the
Big Woods, the first of the autobiographical book series that inspired
the successful TV series about being raised on the American frontier of
the late 19th century.
But instead of dishing out the familiar, Ms. Brooks focuses on a true
story Laura never told - a time when her family's dream of settling
the West seemed to end with the death of her infant brother. The family
moved to the city for a while, managing a hotel and bar in Burr Oak,
Iowa, with Laura and her sisters, Mary and Carrie, scrubbing floors and
doing laundry for the guests.
In the play, Laura offers a child's-eye view of her family's
struggles. Laura thinks her parents are angry with her because her sad
mother doesn't sing and her father never plays his fiddle anymore. She
is so insecure that when a wealthy woman says she would like to adopt
her, Laura fears her mother will give her away.
Robyn Flatt's direction deftly mixes sorrow with humor and older,
experienced actors with young ones who impress. Ashley Puckett Gonzales'facial and body language palpably portrays a mother's wordless grief.
She's compelling, yet gracious to her youthful co-stars, never
overshadowing Evelyn Roberts' radiant, funny and sweet-voiced Laura
(Audrey Gieseman alternates in the role).
And Pam Covington (alternating with Elise Broadway) provides welcome
comic relief as Laura's little sister Carrie. Kids in Friday's
opening-night performance giggled when she yelped in fear that Santa
wouldn't visit if she came down with the measles.
Zak Herring's light approach to the scenery a few simple boxes
rearranged as carriage, bed and storage chest keeps the focus on the
feelings. Lyle Huchton's soft, layered costumes with muted colors
suggest both period and mood. Adam C. Wright directs the cast's a
cappella voices in lovely renditions of familiar songs and hymns.
The play ends optimistically as the family sets out to explore again,
just as they did in real life. Those who have read the stories know
other tragedies will befall the Ingallses. But the triumph of A Laura
Ingalls Wilder Christmas is not about the transient ascendancy of good
luck over bad. It's about how members of this family hold fast to each
other and refuse to let dreams die, no matter what life throws at them.
Through Dec. 18 at El Centro College Performance Hall, 801 N. Main St.
90 min. $18, $16 for children, seniors, students.
214-740-0051
www.dct.org.
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