Review: CHRISTMAS MY WAY at Broadway Rose

With everything going on, I'd nearly forgotten the holiday season entirely. It wasn't until I watched the streaming production of Broadway Rose's CHRISTMAS MY WAY that I started to feel an inkling of the holiday spirit. This Frank Sinatra-themed revue -- full of holiday music, Old Blue Eyes standards, and delightfully corny jokes -- made life feel briefly normal again. I've seen at least five of Broadway Rose's Christmas shows in the seven years I've been in Portland, and this one takes the top spot, not only because the music and the performances are excellent but also because the show is uniquely suited to the streaming format.

The only requirement for enjoying CHRISTMAS MY WAY is to like Frank Sinatra music (and who doesn't?). There are some jokes -- mostly about Sinatra's womanizing -- and a few stories, but the real star is the 40ish songs, all of which you likely already know and love.

The show features Broadway Rose regulars (and adorable real-life newlyweds) Joe Theissen and Malia Tippets alongside newcomers Charles Cook and Courtney Temple. All four have gorgeous voices, which they have plenty of opportunity to show off. The highlights for me were the non-holiday Sinatra standards, including "Fly Me To the Moon" and "I Get a Kick Out of You." In the Christmas song department, a creative rewrite transformed "The 12 Days of Christmas" from its usual slog into an edge-of-your-seat showcase for the cast's talent in the timing department.

Although I miss live theatre terribly (and find most online productions lacking), I actually prefer to watch a show like this streaming. As a revue, it's more cabaret performance than musical theatre, and I've always preferred watching cabarets from a bar table rather than a theatre seat. The digital production is very high quality, and I felt like I had been transported back several decades to a Rat Pack performance at a supper club. I could grab a refill on food and drinks, comment to my partner about the performance, and sing along to my heart's content.

I found CHRISTMAS MY WAY a much-needed respite -- 90 minutes when I could forget about everything else and just enjoy great music sung by talented performers. It made my heart feel lighter and reminded me that this time of year is supposed to be about joy and togetherness. If you (or anyone you know) need a gift like that right now, this show is for you.

CHRISTMAS MY WAY is available for streaming through December 31. More details and tickets here.

Photo credit: Mark Daniels