Theatre Guild's Christmas Show

Israeli army veteran Keren Eisen played the cat

Scenes from the Theatre Guild of Ancon's Christmas Show
photos by Eric Jackson

The biggest problem with reviewing this show is that there were two shows, only the second of which featured the Cantus choir, but this reporter only went to the first show. And then, the program was not in the usual format to be the definitive cheat sheet for a lazy reviewer. Fortunately, however, the Guild seems to be getting its online act together and the program published on their website is far more definitive than the one that was passed out at the theater.

I can say that it was a wonderful show and important community gathering, and I will stick my neck out to say that in the first show at least the outstanding musical performances were the singing of Emely Myles and the saxophone playing of Alfonso Lewis.

Dance is not my area of expertise, but some of the kids in the Escuela de Danzas Teresa Mann troupe were very good, and the tap dancing with Myriam Guevara and José García was to my untrained eyes the night's best dancing.

In another cultural context, language, to which anyone who would edit something like The Panama News has to pay great attention, Joe Varela did a phenomenal Spanglish version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. There are various Spanglishes here, and that's not to mention those in other places. (I once heard it explained by a Nuyorican, for example, how hilarious it is that in Tex-Mex Spanglish they call the railroad tracks the "traquis.") In Panama there are four major trends in which Spanish and English are mixed: the Spanglish current of Gringo assimilation into Panamanian Spanish, the Spanglish of West Indian assimilation into Panamanian Spanish, the Spanglish of the wealthier classes of Panamanians who are educated in English, and the anglicisms that have worked their ways into Spanish as popularly spoken. Due to all of this I have heard Colombians sniff that Panamanians really can't speak Spanish.

Varela's presentation was in English with Spanish words and phrases, and with a few uniquely Panamanian concepts thrown in. The Theatre Guild celebrates its 60th birthday in 2010, and this little performance was just perfect for an English-language institution assimilated as it has into Panamanian society.

This year's Christmas show was mostly in the format of a variety show, but there was a play of sorts stitching the pieces together. In Western culture, the plebian undead are the zombies, but vampires tend to be aristocrats. Not so with Aquilino Arias, whose plan is not to take a large bite out of somebody's neck but to move out of the sewer and into a middle class family's home. The plot ruins Odette Versailles's turkey and sends her and a family composed of Ana Teresa Rovetto, Charles Rangel, Katheryn Hutt and the cat (Keren Eisen) out into the cold for awhile.

One of the kids from the Escuela de Danzas Teresa Mann,
in The Children's March from The Nutcracker

Emely Myles

Alfonso Lewis

Panama's not big on respecting any right to bear arms, and thus the likes of Aquilino Arias
feel free to stalk the Ancon Theater, knowing that nobody will be packing a wooden stake

Gale Cellucci did the munchies

Katie Zien did the sound