Where did the year go? It seems like yesterday I was cutting open a watermelon, exploding fireworks, and re-watching my DVD of 1776 (I still vote for the turkey). The next thing I knew, there’s holiday music playing at the store — which means it’s September, when the retail world believes hearing “Ding Dong, Merrily on High” will get me to buy stuff for other people during a non-charitable month. Nice try, Price Chopper, but I didn’t fall for it, because all my attention was focused on the most important holiday of the year – Halloween. How can I think of Santa Claus and mistletoe when I’m putting the finishing touches on my awesome Eye of Sauron costume? I scared a few kids that night! The days were a blur, however, and a few Baby Ruths later I found myself at my folks eating a turkey dinner, and that’s when it dawned on me – the holidays are here, and I’m not prepared. I’ve got to go shopping, wrap presents, hang the stockings, trim the tree, deck the halls, mail the cards, put Ringo Starr’s I Wanna Be Santa Claus on my iPod, and figure out which holiday shows I’m going to see. I’m seriously late.
Halloween trumps Christmas
How could I have forgotten about Christmas? What happened to my holiday cheer? How did I get so dispirited? Oh, I remember now. It’s because last year the Kansas City Repertory didn’t stage A Christmas Carol. December just wasn’t the same. Somehow it made the whole holiday season empty and meaningless. Oh, I tried. I went to the Rep’s worthy replacement – A Christmas Story – and as tuneful and nostalgic as it was, it just wasn’t A Christmas Carol. I even tried to seek out other Christmas Carols, only to learn that Christopher Durang isn’t very nice to Christmas at all.
That’s why I was thrilled to look in KC Stage and see that A Christmas Carol was back at the Kansas City Rep. Sure, they built a new set and changed a few things here and there, but I don’t care. I’m just happy it’s back – happy and warm inside – as if I’d set fire to that lump of coal Santa gave me. For a moment I thought my only Christmas Carol option was going to be The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Production of A Christmas Carol by the Corbin Theatre in Liberty. Sounds like fun, but it’s just not the same. I need A Christmas Carol that only the Kansas City Rep can give me.
Now that my spirit’s rekindled, I think I’ll over-indulge in holiday shows this year. Why get fat on my mother’s fudge when I can gorge myself on live entertainment? I’ll start with all the classics. It’s a Wonderful Life? I’m off to Ottawa to see the ACT Ottawa production. White Christmas? I’ll go to Topeka to see the Topeka Civic Theatre’s production. The Nutcracker? Yes, I’ll see all four productions – Ballet North, Owen/Cox Dance Group at Union Station, The American Youth Ballet, and the venerable Kansas City Ballet – and I’ll like every single one of them. Give me a belly full.
With the standards out of the way, I’ll check out some of those alternative holiday plays – you know, plays that haven’t been done every year for the last 30 years. Playwrights love to write new plays about the holidays, because it gives them an opportunity to make a living wage. Put the word “Christmas” in your title and somebody, somewhere, will produce it. That’s how we get Rented Christmas, the Musical at Blue Springs City Theatre and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Topeka Civic Theatre. I’m sold! Some of these alternative plays don’t sound like Christmas at all though. The Mystery Train’s Terror on the Toyland Express might be a holiday show, but it’s got killers and murder and trains. Shiver! But if you really want to get wacky, Martin City Melodrama’s got a Triple Threat Holiday Show, which not only features their famous Water Glass Symphony, but two short plays called “Hamletta, or the Three Little Pigs” and “A Star Trek Christmas, or Beam Me Up Santa.” Everyone knows I like Star Trek, so I’ll be first in line.
Now that I’m fat on pure yuletide cheer, it’s time to plump up the kiddies, starting with Theatre for Young America’s Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells at Union Station. They’re already laughing, just hearing the title. The River City Players has a children’s Christmas play called A Gift for Santa. Well, I think it’s time Santa got a gift, so we’ll road trip it to Lexington and catch that. Of course, what the kids really like is puppets, so we’ll be seeing A Holiday Happening at the Puppetry Arts Institute and then catching the Paul Mesner Puppet’s annual Nativity. The kids think holiday shows are swell, and if theatre were food their bellies would be swollen too.
For dessert, nothing beats a little music, and there’s plenty of sweet treats to choose from this year. Should I sample Christmas in Song at the Quality Hill Playhouse, or spice things up with the Musical Theatre Heritage’s Christmas Spectacular? The Lee’s Summit Symphony is offering some Holiday Magic, but across town I can hear the Dickens Carolers in Concert at the Chestnut Fine Arts Theatre. Which one should I taste? You know what, I’m just going to have to try all of them. Yep, that will round the holiday out nicely.
It’s so nice to be back in the holiday mood. Who knew the Kansas City Repertory had so much influence over my whole demeanor? Now when I sit down to open presents with my family, I’ll be a cheerful and gracious, unlike last year when I left a bear trap in front of the fireplace as a little Santa surprise. I’ll finish out the year and the holidays with some New Years’ entertainment – Memories Are Made of This at the Chestnut Fine Arts Center, and the New Years Eve Cabaret at Quality Hill Playhouse. Yes, 2011 is going to be sweet.
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