(L to R) Justin Smith, Gil Faison, Lora Deneen Tatum, Alphonse Nicholson, Bonnie Roe. Photo: Adam Graetz.

The Carrboro ArtsCenter Stage has just opened a Christmas production to culminate its 2013 explorations in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The play, by Paula Vogel, is narration-heavy, but intriguing. The acting is good, the singing strong, and the whole production heartfelt and heart-warming.

From my review on CVNC.org, published today with the title, Christmas Eve Time Machine at the Carrboro ArtsCenter:

The most touching of Vogel’s observations here is that Christmas is the time when every child is celebrated like the Christ child; her most astringent is that “the hope of peace is sweeter than peace itself.” The play, in a digressive way, is a retelling of the Christmas story, but here the mother and child are Hannah and Jessa (Terra Hodge and Alyssa Coleman), who, escaping from the south over the wide Potomac, find no shelter in the crowded city. Hannah and Jessa follow the star, the clear North Star in “the drinking gourd,” but are separated and the child is lost, to be sought by an assortment of wise men and shepherds before being found asleep in the hay.

Read the full review here. The production runs through Dec. 22. Tickets at http://www.artscenterlive.org or 919-929-2787.

(L to R) Gus Allen, Mark Phialas, Bonnie Roe, Mary Forester, Alyssa Coleman, Lora Deneen Tatum, Terra Hodge, Gil Faison. Photo: Adam Graetz.