Hooray for Holidays @ Theatre Arlington

Photos by Jacob Oderberg

—Review by Jan Farrington

Remember when local TV stations were really local?

It’s that home-made flavor (today we call it “artisanal”) that Theatre Arlington aims to capture with Hooray for Holidays, a show—about puttin’ on a show—at a local TV station, one that seems to be caught in a ‘50s-‘60s time warp. There are showgirls dressed as boxed Christmas gifts, dancing like Rockettes, for Pete’s sake. Yet a few lines about the pandemic—and some cell phones—try to tell us we’re in the here and now. “That’s soooo 2019,” cracks one character to another. Bottom line: if that time-warp town exists, could I please book a room there for a month?

Time travel aside, the show mostly works. And sometimes, it’s hilarious, goofy, roll-yer-eyes but laugh anyway fun. Written by artistic director Steven D. Morris, Holidays premiered at TA in 2019. Then “it” happened…and now, in slightly revised form, the show has shown up again—just when (as the song says) “we need a little Christmas, right this very minute.”

Here’s the hook: Karl and Krissy Callahan (Morris himself, with Lori Woods and her little dog Leo) were once child stars on local TV. Their uncle Clarence (Truman Thompson) owns the station, and he wants the Callahan Kids back for a Christmas TV special, repeating their old stuff. They hate the idea, but can’t say no to him. As the Big Broadcast comes closer, the characters and their sub-plots pile up: a Merman-voiced director making her comeback (Hannah Bell in dangerous shoes); a hapless comedy duo (Landry Beckley and Darin Martin); a fabulous costumer with a (barely) hidden yen to be in the show (Micah Green); a singer who can’t make it home for the holidays (Aly Badalamenti); a young woman (Becca Brown) waiting for a proposal from one of the crew guys (Michael Green).

Lots of the fun is the real-life local-ness of it all. The “commercials” on the TV special are for my favorite Arlington restaurant and some actual in-town businesses. The surprise guests are from a nearby high school. (Hi, ladies!) And it’s fun to pick out cast members you’ve seen at TA in other recent productions (Sister Act, 9 to 5, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Biloxi Blues, etc.) or at other area theaters.

The cast is full of strong singers, and the playlist has a bit of everything—plenty of perky holiday tunes, but also a beautiful “Silent Night” led by Emily-Kate Ivey, Donovan Marie Dawson’s bluesy “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and Micah Green’s jazzy, speed-of-light “Jingle Bells.” There’s do-wop, tap dancing, disco, a kick line, a stray Elvis—and a “Twelve Days of Christmas” that will leave you giggling. Director/actor/playwright Morris basically takes over Act Two as the slightly off-kilter Karl, who’ll do anything (really, anything) to keep the telecast going.

Dawn Conley Prejean’s nifty choreography is a highlight, especially in ensemble numbers—and is helped by music director George Sepulveda’s lively offstage beats. Designer Bryan Stevenson’s classy set is a blank canvas for his lighting effects—colors pulse on and off, dim and glow, attuned to the tunes onstage. Ryan Simon’s sound is bell-clear; Karen Potter’s impressive array of Christmas costumes goes wild with the red, green, and glitzy—and somehow, stage manager Maria Leon Hickox gets everyone to the right place, in the right outfit, with the right props (from Robin Dotson).

Show-biz drama, riddles, rum balls, three French hens, and a bit with a dog.

What more could you want?

WHEN: Through December 18

WHERE: 316 W. Main Street, Arlington

WEB: theatrearlington.org