Festival of Christmas at Lamb's Players Theatre

Michael C. Louis (left) and Steve Gouveia in Lamb's Festival of Christmas.     Photo by Ken Jacques

       Lamb’s Players Theatre’s annual Festival of Christmas marks its 40th year this holiday season with a new script, Kerry Meads’ A Fargo Christmas: North of Normal. Of course, Fargo has never been the same since the Coen Brothers’ classic film, and the town is very much (fairly or not) synonymous with cold, desolate temperatures and quirky inhabitants. A Fargo Christmas is decidedly lighter than the Coens’ depiction and certainly more spiritual. It comes with a narrative about a church up for sale to the highest bidder, the competitors being two fellowship communities vs. a dollar-signs-minded developer. But the story is secondary to some sublimely sung and performed music under the musical direction of Jon Lorenz.
        Steve Gouveia, recently of Lamb’s Smoke on the Mountain, and Michael C. Louis shine on guitars and vocals during “Mary Had A Baby” and Jackson Browne’s “The Rebel Jesus.” But the voices of Benjamin Roy, Katie Porter, Caitie Grady, Joy Yandell Hricko, among others, also make A Fargo Christmas a soothing seasonal treat. (Review originally published in San Diego CityBeat on 12/20/17.)