Lena Moy-Borgen
A Very Jewish Christmas Story:
Tradition, Laughs and All-American Chutzpah
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, December 13, 2024
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
From the minute she took the stage, Lena Moy-Borgen made it very, and uproariously, clear that this wasn’t going to be the typical Christmas cabaret show. She kicked off the show with “I Hate Christmas” (Sam Pottle/David Axelrod) in a voice that suggested a petulant adult Shirley Temple, and her attitude was abundantly clear. In clarifying her qualifications as a Jewish expert on the subject (despite her mother having been raised by Catholic nuns), she quoted from the Jewish rule book, the cover of which closely resembled the artwork for the original production of Fiddler on the Roof, and the rules of the evening were firmly set, as was the screwball spirit.
Much of the show was devoted to Christmas songs written by Jewish composers. Although she pointed out that if it “mentions Christ it wasn’t written by Jews,” she found Jewish thoughts in “White Christmas” (Irving Berlin–yearning for a tradition he was now estranged from) and “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer” (Johnny Marks–the outsider with the noticeable nose), among others. There was also a lovely moment where she blended “Far from the Home I Love” (Sheldon Harnick/Jerry Bock) and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (Hugh Martin), two minor-key classics that blended so well. (Credit goes to her and music director/pianist Katy Pfafll for this arrangement.) By the way, she sang the original set of lyrics to the latter song—the bittersweet ones Judy Garland rejected but fit so well here.
Moy-Borgen also offered one of the many recaps in Cabaretworld of the holiday movie White Christmas (with songs by Berlin), this one filtered through her jaded viewpoint of being shown it for the first time by her Christian mother-in-law. It was a hysterical and unique show-off routine that worked because of her comedy chops and her warm personality. Her entire show was infused with her personality and that made it a very special occasion. Now let’s see what she has to say about Easter and Passover.
