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Sprawling story weighs down 'Civil War Christmas'

The setting of “A Civil War Christmas” Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve 1864 offers a rich opportunity for great storytelling.

It will be, of course, President Lincoln's last Christmas. Slaves in the South dream of freedom. A nation, weary of war, continues to bury its soldiers. Via telegram, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman offers the captured city of Savannah as a “Christmas present” to the president. John Wilkes Booth sets in motion a plan that will have a profound effect on the country.

You get a sense of this extraordinary period in U.S. history steeped in both hope and sadness in Northlight Theatre's production of Paula Vogel's “A Civil War Christmas.” But you also get a sense of how much more this sprawling tapestry could have been had Vogel made it, well, a bit less sprawling.

The stories, many revolving around the power of loss, unfold on an uncommonly cold Washington Christmas Eve. A melancholy Mary Todd Lincoln (Paula Scrofano), still grieving for her dead son, sets out to find a Christmas tree for the White House. The president (Will Clinger), meanwhile, slips away despite warnings about his safety to retrieve Mary's gift unwilling to face his mentally ill wife without a proper present.

At the same time, a runaway slave, Hannah (Mildred Marie Langford), and her daughter Jessa (a sweet Khori Faison) become separated in Washington with clothes too thin to protect a child from the cold.

And there's more. Mrs. Lincoln's confidante, a former slave named Mrs. Keckley (Felicia P. Fields), remembers the horrors of her childhood and mourns for her son. Bronson (James Earl Jones II), a free black man and soldier, pines for his wife, who was kidnapped by Southerners. A young boy (Bethany Jorgensen) runs off to join the Confederacy and comes face-to-face with the “enemy.” A Jewish soldier (Samuel Roberson) lies wounded and is consoled by Mrs. Lincoln, unknowingly singing him “Silent Night.” A plot to kidnap President Lincoln unfolds.

A who's who of 19th century history crosses the stage, if only for scattered moments. We meet Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, Robert E. Lee and others. They mingle with composites and fictional creations with mixed results.

Twelve actors, helped by acting students in the ensemble, fill dozens of roles in sometimes-intersecting storylines. The sheer number of characters seems a burden at times, and having actors switch at sensitive moments can water down the play's potent themes of death and rebirth. In one instance, poor Derek Hasenstab goes from macho fighting man to matron slipping on a shawl and black bonnet to play Mary Surratt complete with bushy black mustache. That's fine in a farce, but the laughs it produces seem woefully out of place in an otherwise serious story.

The play, directed by Henry Godinez, makes excellent use of period music, effortlessly incorporating Christmas songs and spirituals to both set a mood and nudge the stories forward. And the acting can be quite moving at times.

Paula Scrofano makes us ache for Mrs. Lincoln. She convincingly captures the many moods of the controversial first lady, struggling to remain cheerful despite the loss of her son and mounting debt. Felicia Fields adds a powerful presence as Mrs. Keckley. James Earl Jones II is compelling as a black man who continues to pay terribly for his “freedom.” And his beautifully sung “Follow the Drinking Gourd” is a highlight.

Together, they create some memorable characters. In the end, though, there are simply too many of them. Their stories are either offered too fleetingly or as in the case of the runaway mother and daughter not given enough substance. We want to care, but it's hard to when the characters come and go as quickly as the wrapping paper on Christmas morning.

<p><b>'A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration'</b></p>

<p>Rating: ★ ★ ½ </p>

<p>Northlight Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, (847) 673-6300, <a href="http://www.northlight.org" target="new">northlight.org</a></p>

<p>Showtimes: 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 and 7 p.m. most Sundays. Also 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. Through Dec. 19</p>

<p>Running time: About two hours, 20 minutes with intermission</p>

<p>Tickets: $45-$55</p>

<p>Parking: Lot and valet parking available</p>

<p>Rated: Fine for families, but some of the history will be lost on younger members</p>