Thursday, December 6, 2012


A CAROL FOR CLEVELAND
Cleveland Play House

November 30-December 23, 2012
                                                   216-241-6000 or www.clevelandplayhouse.com


Bob Abelman

Cleveland Play House offers a no-thank-you portion of holiday fruit cake that is damn-near inconsumable.

To see a full review of this show, read Bob Abelman's News-Herald article here.


Roy Berko

A CAROL FOR CLEVELAND, is a pleasant holiday diversion, written by local playwright Eric Coble, based on a short story by Cleveland mystery writer Les Roberts, which is getting its world premiere at CPH.  It is a look at how recessions cause frustrations, the importance of family, and how an accidental incident can make a difference.

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Fran Heller

"Carol" is about family, community and love, and pulling together in uncertain times.
 Its upbeat message of goodwill towards men may be saccharine, but is delivered with so much integrity and heart, that for 90 minutes, one can almost believe it to be true.


To see a full review of this show, read Fran Heller's review at the Cleveland Jewish News


Christine Howey

Written by two local luminaries (script by Eric Coble, based on a novella by Les Roberts) the play is 90-minute slide down a razor blade of treacly sentimentality and tone-deaf lunges at a tale of redemption.

To see a full review of this show, read Christine Howey's blog Rave and Pan

Kory
With a little spit and polish, A Carol For Cleveland could become a holiday tradition for the Land of Cleves!
To see a full review of this show, read Kory's blog here.


Marjorie Preston

The World Premiere Cleveland Play House production of “A Carol for Cleveland” by Eric Coble, based on the novella by mystery author Les Roberts, is a touching postcard from the gritty side of 1970s Cleveland at Christmastime, with a few clever nods to Dickens. “A Carol for Cleveland” will leave a lump in your throat ...[and] has all the right elements to be a holiday success: a solid, gritty, and genuinely funny script from the minds of two of Cleveland's most talented writers and a touching, family-friendly storyline.

To see a full review of this show, read Marjorie Preston's blog here.

Andrea Simakis

"A Carol for Cleveland" is original work brimming with heart, its roots planted deeply into the city's sooty soil. The script is littered with crowd-pleasing touchstones, from navigating the pulsing red-and-green arrows through rivers of traffic on Carnegie Avenue to griping about those perennial losers we love, the Browns.

To see a full review of this show, go to
http://www.cleveland.com/onstage/index.ssf/2012/12/a_carol_for_christmas_a_clevel.html

Art Thomas

This new production has enough local references to be indigenous to Cleveland. It tugs at the heartstrings in a valid way, and will be even better next year after some rewriting and tweaking of content and structure.

Click here to read the complete review at WestLife

 Kerry Clawson

 A Carol for Cleveland, a world premiere holiday play at Cleveland Play House, has awkward moments along its story trajectory but ultimately offers a heartfelt, positive message for families to enjoy. Adapted by prolific Cleveland Heights playwright Eric Coble, it is based on Cleveland mystery writer Les Roberts’ novella of the same name.
The original story was a slight one, and Coble has done a good job of fleshing out the background on main character Ed, an anti-hero who has fallen on very hard times.


 To see a full review of this show, read Kerry Clawson's review at http://enjoy.ohio.com/things-to-do.