‘Celtic Holiday’ mines spirits past and present
by Eric Marchese
Writing a new holiday show from scratch in less than a year is a huge undertaking, and an amibitous one – but that was the task facing Chance Theater when “Striking 12” was taken off its December schedule earlier this year.
Chance resident artists Jocelyn A. Brown, James McHale, Karen O’Hanlon and Jennifer Ruckman went to work in spring, crafting “A Celtic Holiday,” an original show built upon the music of Craic in the Stone. Formed in late 2012, the band, of which Brown is lead singer, specializes in traditional Irish and Gaelic music. The production is the show’s world premiere.
While wholly original, “A Celtic Holiday” certainly takes its cue from “Striking 12,” working at three levels.
The first is in the here-and-now, as the members of Craic in the Stone portray themselves and offer up some of their repertoire of ethereal Celtic tunes, traditional pub songs and some well-known spirituals, hymns and carols.
The word “craic” (pronounced “crack”) is from the traditional Irish or Gaelic for “fun,” and band members tell us part of what they do is “‘craic’-ing open those ancient Irish tunes for their stories.”
Thus begins “Celtic Holiday’s” second level, a contemporary tale about Meara (Brown), a New York singer-songwriter reluctantly headed home to California for the holidays.
On her way out the door, her roommate gives her a book of Celtic stories. She begins reading it on the plane and is drawn into “The Voyage of Bran,” a medieval Irish narrative first written down in the sixth or seventh century.
Meara’s pre-Christmas run-ins with her parents and other relatives revolve around her brother Ryan, a rock musician who partied too hard and recently died of a drug overdose. To her dismay and disgust, everyone around her is “acting like everything is just fine.”
To escape this stress, Meara retreats further and further into the Celtic tale. Both of these levels are cannily illustrated in songs, but even more compelling is how Meara’s spiritual journey, and her interactions with Ryan’s best friend Sean (McHale), mirror the actual seafaring trek of Bran (McHale) and his encounters with an otherwordly Celtic woman (Brown).
That structure, of a modern story told alongside an older literary tale, is at the hearts of “Striking 12” and Chance’s new show, where the most affecting moments are those where the parallels carry emotional resonances beyond the immediate characters and their trials.
If much of the storytelling via some of the older songs is densely impenatrable, and often too esoteric to easily follow, the music itself, much of it incredibly lovely, is a joy. We’re treated to authentic renditions of several ancient songs – many revolving around Christ and the winter holidays – plus originals, written by Brown and McHale and arranged by the band, that sound wholly true to the form, as though they, too, were centuries old.
Overlength is also an issue, and while the songs themselves are enjoyable to hear and behold, the show would benefit from some tightening. As good as the music is, once we’ve passed the 90-minute mark, our desire to see things concluded is met with more scenes, dialogue and songs.
On the plus side, “A Celtic Holiday” delivers wonderful music, emotive singing and sterling musicianship from all, starting with Brown and McHale.
Having starred in many past Chance musicals, Brown is a solid leading lady, a likable figure with a natural stage presence who moves effortlessly between her own persona, the stressed-out Meara, and the mysteriously wise Celtic Woman (Gaelic dialect and all). As if that weren’t enough, her lead vocals are expressive and almost endlessly compelling.
McHale hasn’t been with Chance as long as Brown, but you wouldn’t know it from this show. His vocals and guitar-playing are unimpeachable, and he’s as charismatic and affable as Brown whether portraying the quietly heroic Sean or the ancient traveler Bran.
The pair are surrounded by impeccable instrumentals and backup vocals from Craic’s original members: bass guitarist Bill Strongin, who narrates the frame story; violinist Aimee Gomez; and percussionist and mandolin player Scott B. Well.
Each of these three portrays various characters at both levels, while guest artist Katie Brown (no relation to Jocelyn) provides backup vocals, narrates “The Voyage of Bran” and fills some supporting roles.
Those of you who attend will probably find comfort in the show’s many Christmas-oriented musical interludes, and in the way Meara, like the focus of so many holiday stories, finds her way back to connecting with others – at first tentatively, then wholeheartedly.
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