BWW Reviews: Mustard Seed Theatre's Moving Revival of ALL IS CALM

Mustard Seed Theatre has brought back their popular staging of All is Calm - The Christmas Truce of 1914, which premiered around this time last year, and it's definitely a piece of theatre that demands your time and attention. Somehow I must have missed mentioning this the first time around, but this was originally a broadcast that occurred on Minnesota Public Radio. Artistic director/director Deanna Jent took that raw material and molded it into a moving and compelling stage production that won deserved accolades and awards for its excellence. If you didn't catch it last year, then you need to make sure you do so during its current run, and even if you did see it, I can promise you that it's certainly worth seeing again.

World War I was a bloody confrontation that took the lives of millions of young men, and it was fought in trenches by soldiers who were convinced it would be over quickly. But, that was not the case, and horrible chemical weapons like mustard gas were utilized by the enemy in their efforts to overcome the allied forces. But, for a brief shining moment an unscheduled truce occurred at Christmas time during 1914. Songs were sung, drinks were consumed, soccer was played, and the dead that littered the battlefield were buried with some semblance of honor. It was a memorable time that would not be repeated, with the fighting resuming until the conflict was finally resolved in 1918.

The splendid ensemble that originally performed this piece returns, and their work is as stellar as it was last year. Charlie Barron, Shawn Bowers, J. Samuel Davis, Gary Glasgow, Christopher Hickey, Jason Meyers, Antonio Rodriguez, Tim Schall, Luke Steingruby, and Jeffrey Wright reprise their roles, and bring this piece to life with songs that capture the spirit of the season and the period. They also act as various characters, on both sides of the fray, and speak dialog that is derived from various historical documents that chronicled the events of the play. I should also make note of the fact that this is an a capella musical that relies on the considerable talent of these performers to create a truly gorgeous and affecting sound.

Deanna Jent's direction is, once again, superb. In fact, the play seems even tighter and more emotionally charged than it did before (if such a thing is possible). Jent really has a gift for adaptations (and original plays), and for a little over an hour we're transported back a hundred years ago, to a time that is far removed from the conveniences of modern life. Kyra Bishop's wonderful scenic design, Michael Sullivan's evocative lighting, Jane Sullivan's period costumes, and Meg Brinkley's props all add authenticity and atmosphere to this production. Joe Schoen's music direction is simply perfect, and Richard Lewis does a nice job as dialect coach.

I'm so glad that Mustard Seed Theatre brought back All is Calm - The Christmas Truce of 1914 for another go round. It's the kind of show that makes you think not only about the horrors of war, but also about the ability of humans to rise above their situation, if only for the briefest of times. This production continues through December 14, 2014 in the Fine Arts Theatre at Fontbonne University.

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