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REVIEW: A Texas Christmas Carol at The Long Center

By Rob Faubion

Producer Charles Duggan knows a thing or two about creating a successful stage production. After all, this is the man that took Joe Sears and Jaston Williams to national icon status by producing the national tours of the Greater Tuna trilogy. He’s also been the guiding force behind Broadway’s K-2, The Twilight of the Golds, and Private Lives starring

Joan Collins.

So when the impresario decided to take the whole of the performing arts community and put them on The Long Center stage in one big holiday spectacle, no one doubted his ability to deliver an exceptional show. Well, he has succeeding beyond expectations.

In his curtain speech at Tuesday’s final dress rehearsal, Duggan noted that the show is a “complete Austin-based endeavor - on stage and off. All the people involved in the show are from Austin.” That says a lot for the caliber of talent in our community, because A Texas Christmas Carol rivals any touring Broadway musical production or Radio City Musical Hall spectacle.

From the Rockettes-inspired curtain raiser and on-stage live orchestra, to the Big Band production numbers with tap-dancing Christmas trees, the dazzling show glows with Austin entertainers outshining the follow spots. Duggan’s old-fashioned variety show captivates both young and old, with a carefully-crafted blend of entertainment designed to keep the kids engaged and the adults enthralled.

More than 130 Austin artists fill the stage during the evening - all singing, dancing, and playing to their fullest. Highlights include:

- an opera-inspired aria featuring soloists, dancers, and the Tosca String Quartet;

- a rousing gospel number with ZACH Theatre musical regulars;

- Singer Jill Blackwood fronting a swinging Big Band orchestra, while the Tapestry Dance Company tears up the stage in a black tie and tails tap dancing number.

The Act II opener is pure Radio City Music Hall,

and the whole show sports a ten-gallon hat full of Austin talent and Las Vegas glitz. Guest stars The Biscuit Brothers - a.k.a. Jerome Schoolar and Allen Robertson - sing, joke with the audience and emcee the evening with aplomb, and singer Tish Hinojosa provides an elegant, earthly charm among the sea of spectacle. Her bilingual rendition of “Silent Night” - starting with just her and guitarist Marvin Dykhuis performing in front of the main curtain - builds to a lavish finish that includes the entire cast.

Biscuit Brother Allen Robertson pulls double duty as co-emcee and musical director. But he has long proven his ability to guide immense musical productions - both at ZACH Theatre and abroad - and he delivers in spades for A Texas Christmas Carol. His orchestrations are lush, and he pulls heavily from his ZACH Theatre connections for the production numbers.

Tony tucci’s lights dance across the stage, making Susan Branch Towne’s costumes sparkle. And yes - it snows in The Long Center auditorium by the final curtain.

Producer Duggan said “this show is a form that doesn’t happen very often - and now I know why.” Yes, it’s an incredible task to pull this many Austin performing groups and individual artists together to create one cohesive show that will keep an audience glued in their seats for a full two hours. It takes a special vision to make that magic happen on a scale worthy of The Long Center stage. Charles Duggan has that magic touch, as A Texas Christmas Carol provides a dazzling finale to Austin’s 2009 arts season.

A Texas Christmas Carol plays December 29th and 30th at 7:30 p.m., January 1st and 2nd at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and January 3rd at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $65, with half-price admission for children under the age of 12 for all seats, all performances. For tickets and information, call (512) 474-LONG (5664) or visit www.TheLongCenter.org.

(Texas Christmas Carol image courtesy Charles Duggan Productions;

Tish Hinojosa photo by Gunnar Geller)