Christmas on the Rocks ‘23
Theaterworks
Hartford
Through Dec. 23, 2023
Sitting in the big Santa chair that welcomed visitors into TheaterWorks made me feel like a kid again, excited for the presents that awaited under the tree for me. It was the perfect way to prepare me for an evening of childhood memories, served on the rocks.
Now in its 11th year, Christmas on the Rocks is a series of scenes that take place in an unnamed, local bar on Christmas Eve. It’s a slow evening until grown-up versions of several characters storm through the bar in rapid succession.
With eight different scenes and a 110-minute runtime, none of the characters overstay their welcome. The pace moves quickly enough that none of the gags get worn out. I found myself thinking, “What will they do next?” just as the character exited the stage to prepare for the next.
I would love to talk about the various characters that find their way into the bar, but this is one play where the less you know going in, the better. Part of the fun of the evening was seeing how the performers embodied each character and revealed their identity — some right up front and some a slower burn, relatively speaking.
It was also great to see each character played almost exclusively for laughs. Too often, when childhood characters are imagined as adults, they’re given an absurdly sad backstory that’s supposed to serve as a commentary on growing up or aging or shattered dreams or some other equally heavy subject. Don’t get me wrong: These reimagined characters are losers, drunks and misfits. But they have a good sense of humor about it.
The success of the play falls squarely on the shoulders of the three leads. Richard Kline, known for his role as Larry Dallas on Three’s Company, plays the Bartender. He approaches the role as a chameleon, changing from a sympathetic ear to a dry-witted smartass as the scene calls for. He plays it straight when he meets these fictional characters, and grounds the antics of the play so that it doesn’t get too wrapped up in its high concept.
Opposite him are Jen Cody as The Woman and Harry Bouvy as The Man. Each of them takes turns entering the bar and playing a different character. Cody brings hilarious physicality to her roles, along with equal parts sass, raunch and bombast. Bouvy plays the more understated characters in the performance, but with no less energy and comedic timing. While I understand the structure of the play, it would have been great to see the three of them together at some point bouncing off each other’s energy.
In fact, the structure in general may be the only drawback of the entire evening, albeit a minor one. The play has no less than seven different playwrights listed in the bill, as each essentially contributed one of the scenes in the play. This is part of the tradition of Christmas on the Rocks, as scenes are added and changed each year to keep the material fresh and topical. I appreciated the references to works both modern and classic, but at times the scenes did feel a bit disjointed.
Still, the laughs outweigh any minor nitpicks I might have. I enjoyed Christmas on the Rocks, and I’m sure that you will too.
NEXT
Christmas on the Rocks ‘23 will continue at TheaterWorks through Dec. 23.
Jamil keeps up the Christmas spirit and goes to Rentschler Field for a lights show.
