Here’s an inventory of some of the Jacksonville area’s more quirky Christmas themed productions for the holiday season:
The Oasis Theater Studio in partnership with Theatre Jacksonville will present a reader’s theater presentation of EB SCROOGE: a Southern Fried Carol – a contemporary re-telling of the Dickens’ classic adapted by local playwright Ian Mairs December 14th through the 16th at Theatre Jacksonville’s Harold K. Smith Playhouse, located at 2032 San Marco Boulevard.
Set in the North Florida area in the 1980s, the center of this oft-told tale with a Southern twist is Eb Scrooge – a cold-hearted, money-grubbin’, slum-lordin’ nightmare who spends his days foreclosing and repossessing and his nights at home, counting his pile of money. This modern spin on a timeless classic captures the sights and sounds of Florida’s First Coast. The streets and mansions of turn-of-the-century London are rolled up and replaced with fish camps, mega malls, and lazy, dreamlike back roads characteristic of Jacksonville. The new adaptation preserves the spirit of Dickens’ beloved tale of greed and redemption while still keeping its feet in the wet, mossy lands of North Florida.
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Jacksonville (formerly JMOMA) in association with the Oasis Theater Studio will present The Santaland Diaries, a one-act play by NPR commentator David Sedaris featuring Jacksonville actor and playwright Ian Mairs opening Wednesday, December 6th at 7:30 pm in the museum theater, located at 333 North Laura street in downtown Jacksonville. Additional performances are scheduled for December 13th, 20th ,21st. Sedaris, best selling author and humorist, burst onto the national scene in 1995 with this merrily subversive yuletide tale. Our hero, a restless slacker obsessed with watching soap operas, takes a job working as an elf at Macy’s on a dare from his roommate (not to mention the threat of eviction). Through a series of hilarious and disturbing interactions with burned out Santas, flirty elves and a nightmarish public, he arrives at a deeper understanding of the true spirit of Christmas. Tickets are $12.00. Seating is limited. Reservations are encouraged. Cash or checks only. To make a reservation call (904) 386-5675.
The cast of twenty five performers (adults and children) is made up of community actors and students. George Judy, professor of Theater at Florida State University, returns in the title role that he originated when the play had its premiere in 2003. Evening performances are on December 14, 15 and 16 are at 7:30 p.m. with a 2:30 pm matinee on Saturday, December 16th. Tickets are $10 for general admission. For reservations and information call (904) 396-4425.
It’s just twenty-four hours before Christmas in Tuna, the third smallest town in Texas, where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. A Tuna Christmas, running December 1st through the 16th on the Mainstage at Players by the Sea, celebrates the holidays with Southwestern sass and side-splitting humor. Playwrights Jason Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard revisit the lovably wacky characters they introduced in Greater Tuna, with the town’s entire population played by just two actors. Anthony Hodge and Tom Ming change costumes, gender and age at the drop of a hat, under the deft direction of John Pope. Ticket prices are $18.00 and $15.00 for students, senior citizens and the military. Call 249-2022. or go online at http://www.playersbythesea.org/MakeReservations.htm for more info.
Limelight Theatre Artistic Director Beth Lambert is pleased to announce the cast for the holiday comedy Greetings! by Tom Dudzick. Described by the Los Angeles Times as a “wonderful, wacky look at how cleverly a mixture of Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Age philosophy can...flick on the electricity.” The Limelight is eager to introduce this miraculous comedy to local audiences as it is fast becoming an alternative to the traditional A Christmas Carol in theaters across the country.
The play centers around the very Catholic Gorski family who are celebrating the holidays and expecting a visit from their oldest son and his Jewish financee. Amid petty family quabbles, mysterious miracles happen to confuse and ultimately brighten the holiday atmosphere leaving the audience touched and enthralled.
Director Jean Rahner has selected a talented cast for this family comedy. They are: Carol Mandel, Eddie Gantner, Stephen Pigman, and Cathy O’Brien from St. Augustine, with Zack Bass of Jacksonville completing the newest Limelight family.
Opening on December 14th, the production will run through January 7th with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30, selected Saturday Matinees at 2pm and all Sundays at 2pm. Terrific Tuesday (2 for 1) will be on December 19th. Gift Certificates are available. The Limelight Theatre is located in the Joukowsky Family Foundation Center for the Performing Arts at 11 Old Mission Avenue, uptown St. Augustine. Box Office hours are 10-4pm Tuesday-Saturday. Call (904) 825-1164. Visit the web-site at www.Limelight-Theatre.org.
The Christmas murder mystery, A Christmas to Die For, will be on stage at Professor Plum’s Playhouse on Blanding through December 30th. Call (904) 772-7707 for reservations.
|
