Charles durning santa claus11/27/2023 ![]() But it's Christmas Eve and an injured reindeer is patched up (gimmick that keeps her grounded in New York in the first place), so it's not clear why she takes so long to hop back in the sleigh and go home. Lansbury's delivery of "He Needs Me" is pleasing enough as she considers Santa. "Suffragette March" has verve and wit, and ostensibly brings various ethnic sorts in line with one another. Best of the lot are "Avenue A," featuring just about everybody "Almost Young," a jolly anthem for the older contingent sung energetically by Lansbury and the inevitable "We Don't Go Together," delivered aptly enough by Wiseman and Norona. Generally they're appealing and often clever, standard show songs. Lansbury, taking up with secondary characters, dances and sings charmingly through Jerry Herman's tunes, some of which are not only in Herman's style, but are reminiscent of earlier works. ![]() Lowenstein and assorted Lower East Side stage types. She and Saltzman explore engaging if stock characters, such as Norona's Marcello, who all but steals his scenes young, spirited Irisher Nora (Lynsey Bartilson) Officer Doyle (Bryan Murray), whose uniform frightens Mrs. Claus is not only undercover, she's teaching the kids about work slowdowns and how to strike, espousing women's rights and challenging boss Tavish to improve working conditions. Tavish (Terrence Mann), whose factory mistreats the children. Claus, settling in, begins working as supervisor for arch-villain toy maker A.P. Sadie's immigrant mother (Rosalind Harris) runs the boarding house where Mrs. Claus leaves the reindeer with stable boy Marcello (David Norona), who's got an eye out for suffragette Sadie Lowenstein (Debra Wiseman). Landing at Manhattan's Avenue A and calling herself Mrs. Claus, left at home during the annual Santa-and-reindeer run, this year grabs the sleigh just before Christmas to check out a new route for Santa (Charles Durning in a subdued interp). Having been stuck at the Pole for hundreds of years, Mrs. She's hot for women's equality, cold about child-labor bosses. ![]() Claus is instead vivacious and delightful. ![]() Hardly the plum-pudding-pushing type of North Pole first lady, Lansbury's Mrs. Santa Claus" showcases the incandescent Angela Lansbury in fact, it wouldn't be much of a show without her. CBS, the producers, writer Mark Saltzman and resourceful director Terry Hughes combine to present an original, if oddly tilted, TV musical comedy with a new slant on Mrs. Cast: Angela Lansbury, Charles Durning, Michael Jeter, Terrence Mann, David Norona, Debra Wiseman, Rosalind Harris, Bryan Murray, Lynsey Bartilson, Grace Keagy, Linda Kerns, Chachi Pittman, Sabrina Bryan, Bret Easterling, Mitchah Williams, Stacy Sullivan, Kristie Lynes, Jamie Torcellini, Jean Kaufman, Toni Perrota, John Wheeler, Ken Kerman, Mick Murray. Katz editor, Stan Cole production designer, Hub Braden art director, Priscilla Morgan costume designer, Bob Mackie choreographer, Rob Marshall sound, Brian Bidder composer-lyricist, Jerry Herman visual effects, Greenberg/Schluter casting, Mike Fenton, Allison Cowitt. Boyce Harman co-producer, Eric Ellenbogen director, Terry Hughes writer, Mark Saltzman camera, Stephen M. Executive producer, David Shaw supervising producer, Mark A. (8), 8-10 p.m., CBS) Filmed at Universal Studios, Stewart Stages, Valencia, and Havenhurst Studios, Van Nuys, Calif., by Corymore Prods.
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