A Holiday At War In "A Civil War Christmas"

War makes a mockery of the holiday spirit.

This is exactly what comes to mind as "A Civil War Christmas," at the New York Theatre Workshop through December 30th, begins to tell its story of the last Christmas eve of the Civil War.

Playwright Paula Vogel may have intended it to be a history lesson, but "A Civil War Christmas," is  in fact a mixture of pageant-- in the tradition of the season,-- minstrel show and music hall folly.

A wartime Christmas is most often wistful and nostalgic. The Civil War with its outsized carnage was especially harrowing. The country divided as it was was ground down and in a very low place. Christmas 1864 was anything but festive.  Much of "A Civil War Christmas," seems to trivialize its subject.

Sean Allan Krill, Sumaya Bouhbal, Antwayn Hopper, Bob Stillman,  Rachel Spencer Hewitt, and Alice Ripley in Paula Vogel's "A Civil War Christmas." Photo by Carol Rosegg. 

President Abe Lincoln (Bob Stillman) is forgetful and neglectful of his own safety, cartoonishly evading his security detail (Sean Allan Krill as Mr. Lamon.) The conspirators, who history has shown eventually succeeded in their assassination-- John Wilkes Booth (Sean Allan Krill, again), John Surratt (Chris Henry), and Lewis Payne (Alice Ripley)-- are bumbling whiners.As the First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln (Alice Ripley-- everyone does multiple duty in this cast), comes across as a kind, erratic and silly woman.

Alice Ripley, Jonathan-David, Sean Allan Krill in in Paula Vogel's "A Civil War Christmas." Photo by Carol Rosegg.

There are notable exceptions to this paint-by-numbers approach to characterization in "A Civil War Christmas," of course.

The well-developed and astutely portrayed Decatur Bronson (K. Todd Freeman), fuelled by his fury at the Confederates who nabbed his wife, Rose (Amber Iman) off their porch, is valiant. Freeman's performance is strong and moving. His Sgt. Bronson, a Black soldier in the Union Army, has a fierce oft-sung mantra, "Take No Prisoners" in keeping with his nature.  Amber Iman lends credence to her roles as Rose, and as a mother, Hannah, searching for her little girl, Jessa (Sumaya Boulbah.)

K. Todd Freeman as Sgt Decatur Bronon with Amber Iman as his wife Rose  in  Paula Vogel's  "A Civil War Christmas." Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Songs,  (musical direction by Andrew Resnick, with supervision & arrangements by Daryl Waters, and incidental music also by Waters,) some traditional like the Negro hymn to freedom, "Follow The Drinking Gourd," some original and others originally built on Yuletide standards, and dance move the narrative along.

Working on a bare, wood-planked stage, the actors pluck props, instruments, and costumes out of the open "closet" that runs along the side. Despite the wealth of talent on display, -- most of the cast not only act, sing and dance, but also play a fiddle or guitar or drum-- all admirably -- and assisted by director Tina Landau, "A Civil War Christmas" feels amateurish. It is a sincere effort but unfortunately, "A Civil War Christmas" never delivers on its promising and heartfelt concept.

For more information about "A Civil War Christmas," please visit http://www.nytw.org/.