Jay Brian Winnick, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Maya Sofia Enciso and Cameron J. Armstrong (Photo by Ray A. Rochelle)
Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
El Portal Theatre
Through December 22
RECOMMENDED
The title of the latest offering at El Portal Theatre – Oy! to the World: Christmas with a Twist – is not only clever but hints at what is frequently viewed as a surprise: that many of the most beloved Christmas songs were written by Jewish lyricists and composers.
Billed as a musical comedy, Oy! has virtually no plot so it’s really a revue — but it’s entertaining and providesan alternate spin on holiday shows. It was conceived by Gregory Thirloway, also the co-writer.
Shelly Abrams (Jay Brian Winnick) has inherited a shuttered Catskills lodge and wants to bring it back to its former glory with a holiday show, just as his grandparents had done. He invites three friends and a piano accompanist (Gerald Sternbach) to put together a show called Christmas with a Twist.
From this opening, Oy! to the World essentially becomes a performance of one song after another, with a brief introduction to their Jewish composers. Intertwined are interludes of dialogue and mostly corny vaudevillian jokes that made the rounds in the heyday of the Catskills Jewish resorts.
Numbers include Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s Ugly Duckling), Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas, and There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays. Composers and lyricists spotlighted range from Irving Berlin to Mel Tormé to Jule Styne. Interestingly, Do You Hear What I Hear? was written by Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne in 1962 as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Through the dialogue, we learn a little about the other characters’ backgrounds, particularly as it relates to the holidays. Joy (Sarah Uriarte Berry) is a “goy” who grew up on a Connecticut farm in what is described as a “frickin’ Hallmark movie”; Arnold (Cameron J Armstrong) has a Jewish father and a Catholic mother and celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah; and Becky (Maya Sofia Enciso), who is Latine, sings a song about Christmas poop candy (yes, poop candy).
Director Maurice Godin, also the co-writer, keeps the action moving in natural ways around a basic set. Accompanist Sternbach plays with gusto and is also credited with musical arrangement and musical direction.
Each of the cast members has a likable stage presence, though their vocal chops vary from song to song. The funniest is a rendition of Santa Baby, sung by Berry with a weird Eartha Kitt imitation.
The show also features some basic choreography by Jeffrey Polk that is more successful in some numbers than others, but overall adds a nice element to the performances.
Oy! often feels like a show suitable to tour schools for both entertainment and educational purposes. For that very same reason, it makes for good family viewing — and its informational aspect is not heavy-handed.
And so, in the spirit of the holidays, let us say: mazel tov to Oy! to the World.
El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Thursday, 7 pm; Friday, 7 pm; Saturdays, 3 pm and 7 pm; and Sunday, 1 & 5 pm. https://elportaltheatre.com. Running time: One hour and 30 minutes with no intermission.
