with video: Blackbird's "If Only in My Dreams" a different take on holiday theater

Barton Bund recently started calling the Blackbird Theatre’s newest offering, “If Only in My Dreams,” a two-man one-man show.

What exactly does that mean? That Bund and fellow actor Will Myers, directed by Michael Williams, will both portray two different authors telling a Christmas- or winter-themed story.

Of course, for several years, Myers performed David Sedaris’ one-man show “Santaland Diaries” at the Blackbird during the holidays. This year, he and Bund “were looking for something more literary that turned us on,” said Bund. “We looked for pieces that looked at Christmas in the way we like to see it. The ones we picked see the holidays through the eyes of a child, but the story’s told from an adult’s perspective, so it’s a sophisticated kind of evening.”

The four authors depicted in the show are Dylan Thomas, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote and Roch Carrier. If the last name doesn’t ring a bell, don’t worry. Carrier’s story, “The Sweater” — an animated version of which is available on YouTube — is often more recognized than the writer.

“The Sweater” is the autobiographical tale of Carrier as a young boy in Montreal. He and all of his friends wear their Canadiens sweaters while playing hockey, but when Carrier grows too big for his jersey, he ends up, by accident, with a new, reviled Toronto Maple Leafs sweater.

“It’s a story that really gets to the heart of the way kids think, and what a big deal those kind of things are,” said Bund.

Myers and Bund have been in contact with Carrier, the only living author featured in the show, while preparing for “If Only.” Myers’ other monologue will be Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory,” which focuses on the author’s memorable experience as a boy in Alabama.

Bund, meanwhile, will present Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” which he has previously performed as a monologue. “There’s a hard quality to (Thomas’) writing, so it’s refreshing to hear what his childhood was like,” said Bund.

Bund’s Kerouac excerpt, meanwhile, comes from the novel “Visions of Gerard,” which focuses on the death of Kerouac’s older brother, Gerard, when Jack was only 3 years old.

Watch a preview of "If Only in My Dreams":

“The story is told in three parts,” said Bund. “The experience he’s having, leaving his brother … to go out and sled, while down the street, these sorrowful churchgoing ladies in black are always at the church, while their husbands are at the bar. So it tells this wonderful, cynical story of a community, from mothers to fathers to kids, and it takes on different voices. “

Bund views “If Only in My Dreams” — a title drawn from a lyric in his favorite carol, “I’ll be Home for Christmas” — as a show that explores childhood and memory.

“It’s about what it’s like to be a kid at this time of year,” said Bund. “It’s a confusing time, when things are building to a head. People like to say that it’s the most wonderful time of the year … but it’s the most stressful time of year. (The show) is a lot like what Charles Dickens did with ‘Christmas Carol,’ in that it talks about the beauty of Christmas, but doesn’t shy away dark reality of Christmas, either.”

PREVIEW
“If Only in My Dreams”
Who: Blackbird Theatre.
What: Actors Bart Bund and William Myers portray Dylan Thomas, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote and Roch Carrier for an evening of unconventional Christmas stories.
Where: The Blackbird Theatre, at 1600 Pauline, for performances happening November 27-December 6; the Sh-/Aut/ Cabaret and Gallery, at 325 Braun Court, for performances scheduled December 11-13.
When: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., November 27-December 13. (November 27-29 performances are previews.)
How much: $10-$20.
Info: 734-332-3848 or the Blackbird Theatre web site.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.