December 16, 2008
'Striking 12' perfect cure for holiday blahs
What are you doing New Year's Eve?
If you're anything like the holiday-phobic hero of "Striking 12," you'll be sequestered in your cozy apartment, surrounded by a pile of classic books and hoping that no one calls with a last-minute party invitation. When the clock finally strikes 12, you'll be blissfully and grumpily alone.
The latest production at Vandivort 2nd Stage marks the area premiere of pop group GrooveLily's lilting musical about the New Year's Eve blues. The funny and touching off-Broadway hit takes the form of a semi-staged concert by five performers who are called upon to act, sing and play one or more musical instruments.
Under Rick Dines' polished direction, this "rewired" version of Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Match Girl" strikes just the right balance of post-modern hipness and old-fashioned sentiment. With clever writing and 20 catchy pop/rock songs, "Striking 12" provides the perfect cure for the holiday blahs.
Ryan Thomas King is winning as a "grumpy guy" whose deadening office job and failed engagement have put him in a Christmastime funk. Just as he's settled in for a solitary "Last Day of the Year," someone knocks on the door. It's none other than a modern-day match girl, a waif-like figure who goes door-to-door selling high-powered light bulbs that combat SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
He shoos her away, then turns to his handy volume of Andersen's tales to learn the fate of the 19th century character. For the rest of the 90-minute show, the action shifts smoothly from present to past and back again to comment on the vagaries of the human condition.
Bethany Ziskind plays bass and acts the roles of the Light Seller and the Little Match Girl. Her ragamuffin charm is perfect for the tender ballad "Snow Song," while deeper, more heartfelt emotions surface in the anthemic "Caution to the Wind."
Tina Sibley serves as narrator and plays the electric violin with finesse. The instrument lends a melancholy Celtic tinge to songs like the plaintive "Can't Go Home," then casts a haunting spell in the solo "Violin Ascension."
Shawn Teague propels the music from the drum kit before taking center stage in "Give the Drummer Some," his lament at having to play secon-banana parts in the saccharine "Match Girl" story. (He gets revenge in the encore, a cheerful rock version of "The Little Drummer Boy.")
Music director Ned Wilkinson handles keyboards, plays party animal Jack and supplies tasty sax backup to King's '50s-style rock 'n' roll vocalizing in "Green & Red (& I'm Feeling Blue)." His most thought-provoking song, though, is "Screwed-Up People Make Great Art" which, like the endearing show itself, poses some serious questions in toe-tapping comical form.
"Striking 12" plays at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Friday-Sunday and Dec. 31, Jan. 2-3; and at 2 p.m. Jan. 4. at Vandivort 2nd Stage, 440 S. Campbell Ave. For tickets ($16-$20; $12 student rush), call 831-8001.
Larry T. Collins reviews the performing arts for the News-Leader.