What Reviewers Are Saying About King Island Christmas
“… it’s simply one of the most moving, uplifting holiday oratorios ever written. It is never preachy: the lessons we learn from these simple villagers are basic and civilized. It is a spiritual play without being directly religious, and destined to be a classic holiday show.” — The Daily News Lender, Staunton, VA
“The music is the thing here, and, at its best, it’s superb …” — The Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, VA
“Listeners will be enthralled by this welcome addition to the holiday-music canon. This original holiday oratorio is sure to become a family/community listening tradition.” — Publisher’s Weekly
“King Island Christmas breaks every rule and succeeds – much like the true story that inspired it …. Eloquent and soaring score …. One of the best Christmas stories you are likely to see this season …. a tale with a message that will warm you every day of the year.” — Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX
“As soon as I heard the music, I knew this was a special story … Families will fall in love with this holiday celebration of community, strength and perseverance.” — Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis IN
“King Island Christmas is a ‘must see.’ It nurtures a warm spirit in a hectic holiday season. King Island Christmas is, like Camelot, a time out of mind.” — Juneau Empire, Juneau, Alaska
“Paper Mill (Theatre) producer Angelo Del Rossi fell in love with the real-life story told entirely in song and said, ‘We hope its heartwarming message and use of two classic Christmas traditions, caroling and storytelling will become an annual tradition for Paper Mill audiences.” — Daily Record, Millburn, NJ
“Culturally rich and compellingly inspiring, this title is destined to become a holiday classic. A welcome addition to any collection” — School Library Journal
“As a Christmas story, King Island Christmas has all of the elements for success: lilting music, a story of overcoming hardship to bring Christmas to the people, warmth, an original setting, a refreshing lack of sentimentality, humor, a religious element that interweaves with one of the neighborliness, and the Alaska native respect for the environment … Simply not to be missed!” — Capital City Weekly, Juneau, AK
“From the opening moments, King Island Christmas proved to be full of music. I felt that the first 10 minutes of the show had more music than the entire mega-musical, Miss Saigon. The tunes were lilting, the lyrics poignant … Many of the numbers were what I often call ‘philosophy songs.’ So many of the great musicals have them. Do you remember ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ ‘My Boy Bill,’ ‘More I Cannot wish You,’ and ‘I Dreamed a Dream?’ King Island Christmas was replete with many songs near the impact of those greats.” — Oakwood Register, Dayton, OH
“Several days after seeing Theatre IV’s holiday musical King Island Christmas, I’m still humming pieces of melody from the show. From the plaintive ‘Waiting’ to the stirring ‘Over the Mountain,’ composer David Friedman’s songs are uniformly well crafted with catchy melodies … With music this good, King Island (Christmas) could be a classic holiday tale to rival stalwarts such as ‘A Christmas Carol’.” — Richmond Style Weekly, Richmond, VA
“… A lively, energetic show laced with a variety of musical styles, including chant, calypso, American folk, pop, and some particularly stirring gospel … The enthusiastic audience seemed to cast its vote for King Island Christmas becoming a tradition” — Home News Tribune, Milburn, NJ
“… It reminds the audience of the importance of teamwork, family and community … King Island Christmas delivered me from society’s imposed obligation to enjoy a Christmas classic just because it’s Christmas.” — Anchorage Daily News, Anchorage, AK
“This unusual oratorio, based on a true story from Alaska’s Bering Sea … is suffused with fascinating details of life under the northern lights.” — Family Fun Magazine, (Editor’s Pick)
“This spirited oratorio (is) performed by a sterling cast of Broadway singers … (and) tells the story of community, love, courage and spirit. The optimistic lyrics seamlessly move the action along in this fine addition to holiday audio collections.” — Booklist
