By Carol Kaufman Segal

‘A Don’t Hug Me Christmas Carol’

It’s not a wonder that this enjoyable holiday musical comedy has been extended more than once and will now play through January 27, 2007, at the Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre in North Hollywood.

This is a sequel to the original hit musical, Don’t Hug Me, which ran for six months in Los Angeles in 2003, and won numerous awards. The book and lyrics are by Phil Olson, music by his brother, Paul Olson. The Durector is Sean Mulcahy, Choreographer, Stan Mazin.

The play takes place in Gunner Johnson’s bar in Bunyan Bay, Minnesota on Christmas Eve. Gunner argues with his wife Clara (Therese Lentz) and storms out saying he’s going to skip Christmas. He snowmobiles across the frozen lake, falls through the ice and goes into a coma. He is “visited” by his nemesis, Sven Yorgensen (Chris Winfield), who takes him through Christmases past, present and future (shades of A Christmas Carol). Sven is Bunyan Bay’s famous local celebrity who was once in love with Clara. Just as Dickens wrote it, so goes the Olson story and Gunner comes out of his coma a “new” man. Also in the cast are Mark Atha (Kanute), and the night I saw it, understudy Rebekah Dunn (Bernice). The performers were all superb in their roles as comedians, dancers and singers. Dunn was spectacular as Bernice, hard to believe she is the understudy, and I am sure the regular performer, Emily Trempe, creates a superb Bernice.

The set design by Chris Winfield, Phil Olson and Sean Mulcahy is a charming and homey bar set in the “cold” environs of Minnesota. I was told that everything in the bar is from Minnesota. The top shelf around the entire “room” holds a collection of 376 beer bottles representing 68 countries, no two being alike. The Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre is located at 10900 Burbank Blvd. in North Hollywood. Their number to call is (818) 383-7767.