REVIEW: JACKIE HOFFMAN IN A CHANUKHAH CAROL

Only one more show left on tonight! Jackie is the real deal--actress, comedienne, singer, writer--essentially everything that most junk TV lacks. To spend an evening with such a powerhouse is a thrill and the pint-sized diva lights up that big room with sheer talent. While it's a one-woman show spoofing  A Christmas Carol, Jackie's uncanny knack for impersonations leaves you gasping--so it's more like a one-woman show with a cast of hundreds who are conversing with themselves at lightning pace. These include a dead-on impersonation of Shelly Winters as the Ghost Of Christmas Present, an overly grand Patrick Stewart as the narrator and the diva's entire orthodox jewish family whose insane holiday dinner banter would touch a nerve with dysfunctional family members of any faith. She targets Siri, Pinkberry delivery boys, camera phones, Ambien, and her own "12 minutes of stage time" as a character actress/scene stealer in Broadway hits like Hairspray, Xanadu and The Addams Family. And when she steps into the future, Broadway Equity Fights AIDS is still doing fundraisers for the disease (just because they love doing them) even though a cure for AIDS has been found years before! Never actually dirty but consistently outrageous, Jackie had the packed house shrieking! I took my real life sister Jaan and we bother hollered! Last chance to catch this irreverent diva is tonight at New World Stages. A bonafide treat!