RIVERTOWN’S REVIVAL OF THE ICE DRAGON, WHICH PREMIERED LAST YEAR, IS LONG ON SUGAR AND CHARM.

While pondering the stories of Jonathan Kline (a solo raconteur at le chat noir), I happened on an article about the venerable "New York School" poet, John Ashberry. In a string of cryptic quotes, the writer tried to capture what it was about Ashberry’s poetry that was distinctive.

  "He begins anywhere and stops anywhere. … There is no indication that all this is leading up to something, that the result will be an enriching vision. … What we are left with is a bouquet of many layered, splintered meanings, to be clasped but never fully understood."

  For me, the quotes hit the nail right on the head — not just about Ashberry’s poetry, but about Jonathan Kline’s stories, as well. Kline, a native of Michigan who has lived here for seven years, says first got interested in performing when he studied "Time Art" at the Chicago Art Institute. Aside from making me acutely aware of the burden of the years, this unusual educational category actually explained a great deal of my confusion. You see, when Kline sat alone in a spotlight (wearing a dark shirt, gray corduroy pants and running shoes) and started talking in a low-keyed, personal way, I was expecting a "story." But Kline is not a storyteller in the traditional sense of the word — he doesn’t lead you through the usual arc of narration so that, at the end, you feel you know the point of what’s been said. Rather, as with the poet Ashberry, he seems to begin somewhere, go somewhere, stop somewhere.

  This is not to say we aren’t engaged by his brief oral voyages. The landscape is often fascinating and the tour guide has a deep, idiosyncratic commitment to his recital. But the implied destination never materializes. The bus rolls to a halt. The driver opens the door and walks off.

  Depending on your nature, you will either take this as a subtle, evocative technique — a call to re-examine your expectations and to experience "stories" in a new way. Or, you’ll feel a bit let down and cheated.

  In any case, all these original, unconventional tales take up the theme of Christmas and, if you want a bracing antidote to the endless loop of Yuletide cliches, Jonathan Kline could be just what the doctor ordered. Composer Eric Laws plays a lovely original piece on the baby grand as part of this latest "Mikko Presents," entitled, Whose Little Boy Are You?

  A different original take on Christmas was offered by Rivertown Rep, where writer Brett Ward and composer Christopher Ward presented a revised version of their musical The Ice Dragon. (which premiered last December).

  The show tells the story of Kimberly (Jennifer Marks), a young girl who resents her parents for working too much. When they fail to show up for her school choir concert in a shopping mall, Kimberly hides in the sleigh of the photo model Santa (Chip Steltz) — who for reasons never explained turns out to be the real Santa. At the North Pole, Kimberly learns all is not well.

  The spirit of Christmas is going out in mankind’s heart. This cold-heartedness is somehow empowering an evil monster called the Ice Dragon (Robert Richardson) to freeze Santa and his helpers (Gary Rucker played the head elf). The "Book of Knowledge," which Santa owns, contains the only way to defeat the Ice Dragon. Rather than avail himself of this remedy, Santa entrusts it to Kimberly, who — at the last minute, when all is lost — discovers the secret, which is to love others. She gives the Ice Dragon the love he has always desired. And all ends up happily ever after.

  If the story is a bit short on logic and long on sugary sentiment, it was told with a great deal of brio and charm by a cast of talented kids, supported by a few, well-chosen grown-up troupers. And this year’s production, under Chris Steltz’s direction, was crisper, clearer and more confident than last year’s — this was particularly true of the ensemble dance numbers choreographed by Lynne Lawrence. The songs were catchy, the show was well paced, and the special effects (by Lance Spellerberg and David Guidry) were both special and effective. Once again, the giant Ice Dragon himself was a beauty.

  Whereas Jonathan Kline refuses to make a point, The Ice Dragon seems obsessed with making a point. But, for all the effort at moralizing, we hardly follow what the story is about. Nonetheless, we are carried along cheerfully on the good cheer of the moment. And maybe that’s a better moral, after all. .