"Christmas Carol, OY! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan".

In what bills itself from ages 5 years old to 105 years old, "Christmas Carol, OY! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan" is more to keep children's attention I think rather than an adults. It is not because of the plays plot, but rather because of the marionette's. The Theater for the New City is famous for shows with puppetry (Bead and Puppet as well as others). Like Bread and Puppet, this play is based on radical undertones; poking fun at religion and capitalism, "Xmas Carol" has a very thin plot at best and is loosely based on Dickens "A Christmas Carol".

In its absurd form, "Xmas" brings us the base of Dickens and then incorporates jokes about Uber and modern day technologies as well as songs. Seesawing between the puppets and the actors on stage, this play tries to be a little something for everyone and in doing so leave many adults confused.

Trying to be inclusive of all religions, the Czechoslovak Marionette Theatre has Hanukkah, Ramadan and Kwanzaa thrown in at various times during the seventy five minute performance. As a parody, if written well, it could be hilarious, however, the jokes just aren't that funny, nor is the movements on stage. Playing around the world, it is difficult to believe that it would not be sharper, more refined for all ages to enjoy.

In what is billed as a new world inclusiveness, it reeks of the new world order. Set more to Trotskyism, the play is more down trodden and not very festive whatsoever. Much like Bread and Puppet, it mocks our traditions and is heavy on the political under tones. In the Theater for the New City, one comes to expect plays and musicals that are driven by politics and many times the message is neither really put forth or even written well.

If left for just the puppetry, the show could be enjoyed by the youth watching. Further confusing is the two woman actors, Valois Michens and Katerina Vizina who randomly sing songs that are neither very good nor meaningful to the performance. The two do help Milo Kasai execute the use and movement of the puppets.

If "Christmas Carol, OY! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan" was able to stick more to the Dickens classic with the use of other religions worked in to a clear comedic scheme, this show could be way better than what it is. Most audience members get the "Jewish Schtick", but most do not understand the Kwanzaa nor Ramadan inclusion in the show, and as such, are baffled by what is being said during the play.

If a farce is to work well, the parody must hit home with the audience; writing for spoof must have meaning in what is occurring on stage. What made companies like the Ridiculous Theater Company so good was that the parody hit a familiar note to its audience regardless of a persons political leanings. " Christmas Carol" had most of the jokes fall dead on arrival and the writing was not cleaver at all.

In the era of virtual theater, it is also important to bring the direction up close and personal. It felt watching virtually that the audience was watching the game from left field and down in the lower level so that we never felt part of the action. Many of the puppets were tiny and seeing them like we would anything resembling reality was difficult. Unless this show has an unground following much like Bread and Puppet, I cannot imagine that it is widely sought after by the theater public.

The flow of this show, which would be exponentially enhanced by better writing, is sporadic at times, boring at others and decent at certain points. If rewritten, "Christmas Caro, OY! Hanukkah" could be a lot of fun, until then, this one can be missed.