***** Highly Recommended ***** After a five-year hiatus, Towle Theater’s A Fabulous 50’s Christmas is back! I can’t quite believe it but the first time I reviewed this show was in 2004! According to Director Jeff Casey, the show pays homage to the old Perry Como/Andy Williams TV specials. It’s just not Christmas without A Fabulous 50’s Christmas, a delightful holiday must-see! 4 BIG Spotlights
A Fabulous 50’s Christmas features a blend of traditional and contemporary (written before 1960) carols. It’s divided into sets of songs interspersed with clever re-creations of TV commercials from the ‘50s featuring products like Brylcreem, Folger’s Instant Coffee and more.
This year’s cast includes Trillium Falotico, Emil Ginter, Danielle Kerr, Jim LaPietra, Cory McMenomy and Natalie Rae. Towle Musical Director Elizabeth Tuazon plays the piano accompaniment with Steven Moeller on guitar.
You’ll hear traditional carols like Silent Night and Coventry Carol; and some favorite oldies like Dashing through the Snow, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Silver Bells, Santa Baby and Winter Wonderland.
Selections from (almost) everyone’s favorite holiday musical, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas include Love, You Didn’t Do Right by Me, Snow, White Christmas and Count Your Blessings.
Over the River and Through the Woods is often overlooked these days, so I was glad to hear it. Of course everyone wants to know the answer to this question, What are you doing New Year’s Eve?
Every production of A Fabulous 50’s Christmas includes Valerie Webdel’s arrangement of Little Drummer Boy/Do You Hear What I Hear? done specifically for the Towle (the only song that’s been in every production).
Finally, the show closed with something called Christmas in About 3 Minutes which included the opening line from almost every carol we’ve ever heard.
Kudos to Set Designer Kevin Bellamy for the set which includes a 50’s living room, complete with the aluminum Christmas tree and a tiny kitchen with a poinsettia-covered tablecloth. Off to one side, there’s an outdoor scene with Christmas lights on a white picket fence in front of snow covered evergreens.
By the way, I was thrilled to see the perfect Christmas boxes from E.C. Minas, Carson's and Marshall Field's that I found in my mom's closet and donated to the Towle under the aluminum tree.
Next up: the Towle’s 2022 Season Preview, January 8th & 9th
A Fabulous 50’s Christmas runs through December 19th at the Towle Theater, 5205 Hohman Ave., Hammond. Running time is about 1 hour, 45 minutes with an intermission. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:00. Both Sundays are sold out. Tickets are $21. Parking is free and abundant. FYI (219) 937-8780 or www.towletheater.org.