‘Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Show’

‘RUBEN & CLAY’S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL FAMILY FUN PAGEANT SPECTACULAR REUNION SHOW’: Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken. Photo: Carol Rosegg

RUBEN & CLAY’S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL FAMILY FUN PAGEANT SPECTACULAR REUNION SHOW
Written by Ken Arpino & Jesse Joyce
Directed by Jonathan Tessero
Through December 30, 2018
Imperial Theatre
249 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), http://www.rubenandclay.com/

By Scott Harrah

Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken reunite on Broadway this holiday season to celebrate the 15^th anniversary of their finale on “American Idol” back in 2003.

For those that remember and care to reminisce about Mr. Studdard and Mr. Aiken’s pop heyday for the holidays, this “first annual” Christmas Show might be something worth taking the entire family to, but anyone else expecting a razzle-dazzle Broadway seasonal extravaganza will be disappointed.

Mr. Studdard and Mr. Aiken have aged well since their halcyon days, and they are both still in fine voice. Mr. Studdard, one may recall, was the winner of “Idol” in 2003 and was christened “America’s Velvet Teddy Bear” by R&B legend Gladys Knight. He went on to have a platinum-selling album, Soulful, the same year, and has since been seen on reality shows like “The Biggest Loser” and done a national tour of Ruben Sings Luther, a musical tribute to Luther Vandross. Mr. Aiken also found success after “Idol,” with mega sales of his albums Measure of a Man and his 2004 release Merry Christmas with Love. Mr. Aiken is also no stranger to Broadway because he took over David Hyde Pierce’s role in Monty Python’s Spamalot more than a decade ago. So, why are these two pop stars on Broadway for the 2018 holidays for three weeks? ‘Tis simply the season for this type of expensive family fare, perhaps?

Last year, Broadway gave us Home for the Holidays, a Christmas concert featuring lesser-known contestants from “Idol” and “America’s Got Talent” (which was also directed by Jonathan Tessero). Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show is certainly a step above the Christmas concerts and overpriced magic shows we get this time of year. In fact, the first act is consistently clever and amusing. While singing Christmas standards like “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night” and “O Come All Ye Faithful,” the two spoof Broadway shows, with Mr. Studdard dressed as the lead from Phantom of the Opera, while the camp-as-Christmas (pun intended) Mr. Aiken sings as he rises above the stage like Elphaba in Wicked. It’s as funny as anything one may have seen in the cabaret satire series Forbidden Broadway. They are also not afraid to address controversy: Mr. Studdard does a nice, cleaned-up “PC” version of the much-maligned 1950 pre-feminist-era holiday song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with one of the female vocalists.

The duo has a great group of supporting singers (Farrah Alvin, Ken Arpino, Julian Diaz-Granados, La’Nette Wallace, Khaila Wilcoxon), but unfortunately most of the actual fun is all packed into Act One. At the end of the first act, Mr. Studdard, Mr. Aiken and company all try to cram in a medley of holiday classics into just a few minutes. That’s truly a shame because Act Two is mostly filler, complete with a silly word game about the 12 days of Christmas with an audience member, and Mr. Studdard and Mr. Aiken singing downbeat Christmas songs while reflecting on Yuletide memories. Mr. Studdard’s tales of past Christmases with his late brother are often touching, while Mr. Aiken recounts some pointless stories about how his mother used to surprise him at Christmas by pretending he wouldn’t get everything he wanted.

Both men still have fantastic voices, and Mr. Aiken’s is particularly soaring and suitable for live theater, so it’s puzzling why he chose, as a solo, a rather dull Christmas hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (a song about the Christ child that’s in all the hymn books but is not that popular at many churches).

Throughout most of the second act, the kids in the audience were restless and bored. Other than some lame jokes (“all Clay wants for Christmas is Mario Lopez”), there is little memorable material. Director Jonathan Tessero should have simply made the show 90 minutes long, with no intermission.

The official title notes the show is not only the “First Annual” Ruben and Clay Christmas but also a “Carol, Family Fun, Pageant, Spectacular Reunion.” The duo may or may not have enough fans and sell enough tickets to make this an annual holiday event, but they would be wise to add a bit more glitz to make everything more “spectacular” and trim the padding if they return next year.

Reviewed at December 9, 2018 press performance

‘RUBEN & CLAY’S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL FAMILY FUN PAGEANT SPECTACULAR REUNION SHOW’: Clay Aiken, the cast & Ruben Studdard. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘RUBEN & CLAY’S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL FAMILY FUN PAGEANT SPECTACULAR REUNION SHOW’: Clay Aiken & cast. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘RUBEN & CLAY’S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL FAMILY FUN PAGEANT SPECTACULAR REUNION SHOW’: The cast & Ruben Studdard. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘RUBEN & CLAY’S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL FAMILY FUN PAGEANT SPECTACULAR REUNION SHOW’: Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken. Photo: Carol Rosegg