Review: WRECK THE HALLS at Sherman Players

Holiday traditions are sweet, but sometimes the stress of the holidays outweighs the joys. That's where Wreck the Halls comes in: It points out the pain of the holidays and is committed to making you laugh. And this raucous production of Wreck the Halls had the audience rolling!

I had the intense pleasure of seeing Brad Blake’s Wreck the Halls in 2019, so when I was invited to see if again- this time at the Sherman Playhouse- I wasted no time in clearing my schedule as quickly as I could! Blake's holiday revue about the pains and gains of holiday cheer is a surefire way to bring in a crowd and leave them laughing. Without an overarching plot, a loose timeliness of going from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and an experienced cast, the audience was able to just let loose and enjoy the show!

Brad Blake wrote, composed, directed, and choreographed Wreck the Halls for the sixth time- this being the third at this venue- and he surrounds himself with familiar faces in both the cast and crew, with half of the cast- Priscilla Squiers, Diana Peterson, and Alexis Vournazos- having been in every production of this musical. Filling out cast is the experienced trio of Anya Caravella, Kevin McNulty, Bret Bisaillon, who have all done the show before: No greenhorns here. Having this much experience in the cast can go one of two ways: the production either feels stale and overdone, or the cast is so in tune that they nail every joke, innuendo, and stylized pose that heightens the hilarity.

The audience was treated to the latter.

Supporting the cast is the equally experienced and talented crew of Charles Smith on Music Direction, Tina Morrissette and Matthew McGregor as the Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Manager duo, and Technical Director, Al Chiappetta.