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| Show 50 of 2016 |
Truth time...this show had nothing to do with saltines or anything in their family. I was very silly and could NOT wrap my head around 'Christmas Cracker'. I just had to get that off my chest!
Jane Austen's Christmas Cracker, written by Erin Woods, was an interactive Christmas party featuring Jane and Cassandra Austen and many beloved characters from Jane Austen's novels. I am not very familiar with Jane Austen's work aside from the names of the books so I was glad to have my friend Paige along with me who is practically an expert in all things Austen!
The show took place in a rehearsal hall at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall. There were refreshments for guests to indulge in. When the show 'started' Jane and Cassandra Austen welcomed us to the party and introduced us to some of the other 'guests'. Four novels, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park, were represented. Each novel had three to five characters.
In the four corners of the room scenes from the novels played out. Audience members were encouraged to mingle throughout the room and 'eavesdrop' on the conversations of Austen's other guests. Each conversation was repeated several times allowing the audience to see each of the scenes.
When a set of scenes completed audience and cast members returned to the center of the ballroom to engage in period dancing or games or Christmas carols. Cast members were in character through the entire performance and many audience members came in costumes as well (sometimes making it tricky to deduce who was in the cast and who was just watching!).
At the end of the performance the central love stories were resolved with Miss Austen wandering around the room writing in a leather bound book as though she was writing the books while at the party.
This was a fantastic evening of fun. It was such a different theatre experience and that's what made me enjoy it even more. The interaction of the characters with the audience members was incredible. Every single one stayed in perfect character in each interaction. Their improv skills had to be top notch because they couldn't always anticipate what an audience member might say or do and they did it flawlessly.
This was the second year for Reduxion to perform this show and I hope it continues to be a tradition. I do recommend you study up on your Jane Austen before attending or better yet, take a friend who knows it all with you to explain the characters!
I had three friends in this show, Chelcy Harrell, Isaiah Werner, and Korri Werner. All three of them are alumni of Oklahoma City University and were in the praise band at my church while they were in college. Chelcy and her husband lived and worked in Boston and New York before returning to Oklahoma City. Korri and Isaiah lived and worked in Chicago until recently moving back. Isaiah has an original production, Scissortail, based on the Murrah Building bombing that premiered in Chicago and will be produced by Reduxion this spring. I will post more information as I learn about it.
For More Information:
Production: Jane Austen's Christmas Cracker
Company: Reduxion Theatre
Venue: Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall
City: Oklahoma City, OK
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