THEATER REVIEW

Tom Titus

Local theatergoers generally celebrate the holiday season by catching

a performance of “A Christmas Carol” at South Coast Repertory or visiting

one of the innumerable “Nutcracker” ballets being presented in the area.

But this year, Orange Coast College is offering a radically different

Christmas diversion.

It’s “Sand Mountain,” two one-act plays by Romulus Linney set in the

hills of Tennessee “a while ago,” as the program states. Only the second,

“Why the Lord Came to Sand Mountain,” touches on the yuletide theme. Both

plays can accurately be termed hillbilly theater.

Director Alex Golson has injected a full dose of backwoods atmosphere

into each of the playlets, which vary in both theme and overall effect.

The first, “Sand Mountain Matchmaking,” is a clever but talky trifle,

while the second toys with the supernatural while putting a new spin on

the Christmas story.

In “Sand Mountain Matchmaking,” a pretty young widow (Nancy Troia)

sits rocking and knitting as she fends off a succession of nightmarish

gentleman callers until she finally lands a keeper (Sean Hesketh), who’s

as close to what passes for normal in the mountains as could be imagined.

The alternatives are a pair of unwashed, uneducated clods (Shane

Robertson and Isaac Giron), a buttoned-up religious fanatic (Andrew

Vonderschmitt) and a dimwitted mama’s boy (Scott Baltes), who comes

complete with Mama (Heather Layton). It’s a formula piece enriched only

by some outlandish interpretations.

“Why the Lord Came to Sand Mountain” is a more intricate piece,

chronicling the visit of The Lord (Derek Wiley) and St. Peter (James

McGinnis) to the same backwoods community. After spurning a “normal”

farmer couple (Frank Miyashiro and Jennelle Smith), the celestial

visitors settle in at the hilltop abode of an impoverished family.

There, they are hosted by an old man (Ryan Gray) and his young wife

(Erin Heather Ainsworth), who ultimately play the principal roles in a

reenactment of the first Christmas, in exaggerated hillbilly fashion.

Their son (Vincent Torres Jr.) takes the part of a bratty Jesus in a

segment that may rankle the more devout in the audience.

Raine Hambly excels as the wily narrator, while Emily Rued is

effective as the female representation of the mountain couple’s 14

children. David Scaglione’s cabin setting and Erik Lawrence’s ragged

costumes further enhance the rustic flavor.

* * *

Next week, OCC returns to a more traditional yuletide celebration with

“Christmas is for Kids,” playing Thursday through Saturday only in the

Drama Lab Studio. The show, under the direction of OCC theater arts

professor Rick Golson, will feature carols, vaudeville acts and a number

of surprises, capped by a visit from Santa Claus.

Performances will be given 7 p.m. Dec. 13; 10 a.m., 2 and 7 p.m. Dec.

14; and 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday. Call (714) 432-5640, Ext. 1, for ticket

information.

* * *

Estancia High School will open its fall production, Thornton Wilder’s

“Our Town,” this weekend. Directed by drama instructor Pauline Marianian,

the production will be given at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Dec. 14-15

in the school’s Barbara Van Holt Theater.

Tickets are on sale now for $6 or may be purchased for $8 at the door.

Call (949) 515-6537 for more information or reservations.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

What: “Sand Mountain”

Where: Orange Coast College Drama Lab Theater, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa

When: Closing performances 8 p.m. today through Saturday, with 2 p.m.

matinees Saturday and Sunday

Cost: $8-$10

Call: (714) 432-5880