My Christmas In New York, some egg, plenty of nog.

Every Christmas hundreds of Québecois flock to Manhattan to sell Christmas Trees. Adam Manduski, a fledgling poet, did exactly this with a complete stranger, Charlot Corbeil, in 2007. They immediately realized a methadone clinic nearby caused an endless stream of junkies and thieves to pass by there stand. What followed next can only be described as a Christmas anti-miracle, a junky jaunt, a methadone ballet, a Fraser fir fairy tale, from knife fights to precious jazz, they learned a lot about themselves, and craziest of all is the fact that it’s all true. Based on the experimental literary journal My Duane Reade Cloister by Alain Mercieca, this Christmas play is for all the real poets.

This production is truly a mixed bag from Santa. A potpourri of: English and French dialogue, some improve, some scripted- text, some poetry, some humour, some drama, some intellect, and a lot of heart felt great performances from the talented cast. It is less of a play however, and is more of an over-extended 'sketchy' improve on an SNL holiday season special. It features a parade of 'questionable' yet 'captivating' characters from all walks of life; some of whom will either warm the cockles of your tender little hearts (especially those that are two sizes too small) or freeze your x-mass balls off. The central character, that of gritty New York City, the city that literally never sleeps, is captured to the extent that the sights and sounds are palpable. The stage-space set up is changed, the set design is adequate, and the costuming and the props are all utilized to help create an atmosphere that transports the audience to the world of the volatile Big Apple.

The sound was at times a bit wacky, either too low or too loud, as was the microphone. Some music queues were also rough and sporadically dispersed. The premise of the story is solid, where the production falls short is in the transitions that are too rough and unpolished. What is needed is some 'fiction' interspersed with the 'non-fiction' to smooth out the storytelling 'poetic' segments and a little more scripted text and less improv to turn this into a full play. -That and a workshop with a dramaturge, and then hand it over to a qualified director to re-mount.

Featuring: TJ Harris, Sandi Armstrong, Simon Chavarie, Jacqueline Sawatsky, Joe McLean, Maité Sinave, Catherine Moreau, Vincent Dow, Dayv Luciak, and Alain Mercieca, Production Design: Marie-Josée Houle. Lights & Sound: Dayv Luciak.

My Christmas In New York is presented by le nouveau international. December 9th to 19th at 8pm. @ Nouveau Théâtre Sainte-Catherine Information 514-284-3939 or lenouveauinternational@gmail.com