REVIEW: Avalon Theatre Company Delivers Charming Production of AN O. HENRY CHRISTMAS

Though only one of the stories that's adapted here, "The Gift of the Magi", is truly Christmas-themed, this musical adaptation of writer William Sidney Porter, who's certainly more recognizable under his pen name, O. Henry, delivers enough positive messages about faith, hope and love to make it perfectly suited for the holiday season. Avalon Theatre Company is offering up a solid presentation of this work that's greatly enhanced by sensitive direction and a strong cast.

The show opens with O. Henry's familiar tale, "The Gift of the Magi", an oft read classic tale with a twist; the kind that this writer was most famously associated with crafting. It's Christmas eve in 1905, and Della and Jim are a young married couple who are very much in love, but lack the money to express their feelings for one another with gifts. Both concoct schemes to generate some quick cash, but each plan requires a sacrifice that may well leave the presents themselves a moot point.

The second segment is adapted from a lesser known story, "The Last Leaf". Two young artists, Sue and Johnsy (short for Joanna), move into a cheap apartment together and become fast friends. An aging, widowed German artist, with a weakness for gin, named Behrman, lives next door to the pair. Their arrival brightens his existence, and his encouraging attitude toward their work brightens theirs, in turn. Johnsy, who's already expressed a morbid curiosity about her own death, contracts pneumonia and begins to waste away, convinced that when the last leaf on a withering vine outside her window falls, she too will shuffle off this mortal coil. Only the creation of a final "masterpiece" can change her fate.

Leah Berry is very good as Della and Sue, bringing a sense of warmth and concern to both parts that works to make each characterization sincere and believable. Stephen Rich is good as her husband Jim, and he also does a nice job as the doctor/narrator of the second piece. Jennifer Theby impresses as the talented, but death-obsessed Johnsy, and her vocals match especially well with Berry during their numbers together. Jerry Vogel amuses as Behrman, full of bluster, but resigned to his own failure as an artist.

Larry Mabrey directs with a light touch that really brings out the comedic elements of the first act. However, the second act drags a bit under its own weight, although it still manages to pack the proper dramatic punch. Kevin Kurth's musical direction is serviceable, making the most of Peter Eckstrom's forgettable score, which is further undermined by the use of overly synthesized sounding backing tracks. Igor Karash's smartly designed scenery allows the dingy apartment of the first act to neatly divide into two such spaces for the second. John Burkley's lighting scheme is particularly well conceived, providing unexpected mood and atmosphere. Soon V. Martin's costumes and wigs add nicely to the overall period feel.

Avalon Theatre Company's production of An O. Henry Christmas continues through December 20, 2009 in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Plaza.

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