Not another takeoff on Dicken\u2019s \u201cChristmas Carol?!\u201d Yes, Virginia, but this\none is different and alive! Music comes\nto the rescue with \u201cAll We Have is Now\u201d to wake us up to our present\npossibilities (or is it our possible present?). \nLucky Penny grabs us by the wine glass and rocks into the present world\nwhere we are so hesitant about living again after COVID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The setup is a marketing meeting for a winery, which is looking at new wine\nnames for the company. Fighting to stay\nfocused, the people finally give up and go home to Christmas Eve. We find\nourselves in the Patchett living room decorated for Christmas while Christmas\ncarols are sung with an eye to making cheer. \nTimes are tense with the issues at hand, however. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We move back to the winery while the Boss, Alexander Yuge (pronounced \u201chuge,\u201d\nplayed by Tim Setzer), is trying to drown down the year, alone. After a quick visitation by the ex-wife,\nVivian (played by Karen Pinomaki), we see the plot thicken with hints that Yuge\nis not all bad, as he laments the \u201cSchlock\u201d of his business with a bright dance\nstyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first act is slow, with the new wine name, \u201cLlama For Your Mama.\u201d Act 2 takes up the slack as the spirits\narrive to cheer us on. Ghost of\nChristmas Past (played by Dennis O\u2019Brien) comes in like a team of reindeer with\namazing music of the \u201890\u2019s. Sure, the\nshould\u2019a, could\u2019a, would\u2019a come through the door too, but the music takes over\nand keeps us entranced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ghost of Christmas Present (played by Daniela Innocenti Beem) takes over and\ngets Yuge to focus on the here and now, which is not difficult with the\nexciting musical scene by Beem. \nEventually, Ghost of Christmas Future (played by Cecilia Brenner) brings\nthe play to a head with a very hip costume and routine to show that \u201cDeath\nComes for Us All,\u201d but we have time to make the best of the time we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For its size, the venue is quite comfortable with a center stage on the\nfloor. The lights and music are done\nbrilliantly (pun intended!) by Jeff Bristow in the booth. The ghosts appear immediately when lightning\nstrikes with all effects. O\u2019Brien\u2019s costume is stunning for the \u201890\u2019s past. Beem\u2019s costume for her ghostly appearance\nnuances the glass out of Yuge\u2019s hands by way of waking him (and us) up to the\npresent. Brenner\u2019s ghost slowly greets\nYuge with cold facts. The doubling up of\nPatchett family members to play the ghosts was delightful; one did not\nanticipate the double meanings behind the choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matt Davis played the perfect middle-level manager and head of the Patchett\nhousehold. Davis was neutral to all the\nenergy flowing around him while the winery (figuratively) burned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Writer and director Barry Martin create a happy twist on the old storyline of redemption. Rob Broadhurst\u2019s music and lyrics create a memorable show for all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lucky Penny Productions cast and crew and house are fully vaccinated for\nCOVID-19; masks are required for all audience; reservations are for 100% of house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“A Napa Valley Christmas Carol” continues at Lucky Penny\nProductions at 1758 Industrial Way, Ste 208, Napa, CA through December 19,\n2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n