November 11, 1999 Just Around The Corner

CELEBRATETHEHOLIDAYSEASON

by Lisa Hummel

Ready or not, the holiday season is here. Preparations for basting the turkey are quickly making way for moments of gift-wrapping and last-second shopping. The snow will soon be flying and the annual search for scarves and gloves will at once become more of a necessity than an annoyance. Along with the craziness and headaches of the holidays, however, are the feelings of good-naturedness and cheer that have the ability to turn any Scrooge into a Santa.

Keeping that holiday spirit in mind, many of the local theatres and performers are doing their part to add to the festivities this year, putting together some of the finest productions, musical numbers, and family attractions that this area has ever seen.

Dutch Apple Dinner Theater, Lancaster

At the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre in Lancaster, memories and tradition abound as their production, "Christmas Thru the Century", takes the audience on a journey through the past — serving as a reminder to those in attendance of the history and happenings that have affected the holidays throughout the past 100 years. From the good times — the "boppin’ ’50s" and the "prosperous ’80s" — to the not-so-good times — the "war-torn ’40s" to the Vietnam-era ’60s — "Christmas Thru the Century" promises to be a time warp for everyone, with heart-touching dialogue and musical selections from popular and holiday favorites alike.

According to Dutch Apple’s Denise Trupe, "Christmas Thru the Century" is more than a retrospective, it’s an event that has already inspired viewers to take a look into their own family traditions and holiday cheer. "They watch the show and different things have reminded them of things that have happened in their families — and what a great idea it is for people to be able to look at this show and see the events that have happened."

The first piece ever written by Dutch Apple owner Tom Ross Pather, the production originated from both discussions with his relatives and the premise that holidays spent together always inspired "reminiscences from past holidays with family and friends" — a concept that convinced him that a show highlighting the best and worst of the past century was a perfect tie-in to the holiday season.

Mount Hope Estate, Cornwall

While Dutch Apple’s performance of "Christmas Thru the Century" is the first for the company, Mount Hope Estate is hosting their production of "A Charles Dickens Victorian Christmas" for the fourteenth year. An interactive show in Mount Hope fashion, the two-hour event is dependent upon audience participation and is made up of separate vignettes performed by favorite Dickens’ characters as opposed to one full-length production — a characteristic that makes "A Charles Dickens Victorian Christmas" unique and appealing in its own right.

Mount Hope’s Barb Lacek agrees that it is that sense of audience participation is what makes the production as charming as it is. "Dickens is just incomparable," she explains, adding, "having it in an interactive setting … I think is all the more a special way to enjoy the holidays."

Jewish Community Center, Harrisburg

In a manner slightly different than the productions at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre and Mount Hope, the Thelonious Theater will once again present its holiday show, Hanukkah According to Harry. Written by local playwright Todd Drazien, the show is described by Thelonious’ Thom Bissey as a "twisted comedy dealing with a young Jewish boy coming to accept his roots." A "very funny show", the audience watches as Harry goes on a "spiritual journey towards the appreciation of Judaism and family" — this year featuring original music by Bissey.

As Harry deals with his feelings of jealousy of his Christian friends for their Christmas celebration and all of its trimmings, Bissey promises that the audience will find themselves "accepting their family and their roots and where they came from."

Inspired by such holiday favorites as "A Christmas Carol" and It’s A Wonderful Life as well as real-life events, Hanukkah According to Harry is a comedic take on a universal problem — one that, at the heart of it, spans all ages and religions.

Along with dramatic performances, many of the area’s musical venues — from local colleges and coffeshops to the Whitaker Center and The Forum — are hosting a variety of holiday-inspired festivities.

Leffler Chapel, Elizabethtown College

On December 6, Music from Gretna will welcome The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, PA and Bach Festival Orchestra to Elizabethtown College’s Leffler Chapel. Under the direction of Greg Funfgeld, the musicians will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Parts 1, 2, and 3. Made up of 105 members, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem is often credited for being the true founder of the Bach tradition in North America.

Described in The New York Times as "one of American musical life’s best kept secrets" the Bach Choir and Festival Orchestra bring the spirit of Bach to Christmas in the same vein that they have been since the composer’s first American performances in 1900 and 1903.

Rose Lehrman Arts Center,
Harrisburg Area Community College

Another European-inspired musical production hitting the area is HACC’s "A Scottish Christmas." Called a "lovely collection of traditional Scottish carols, wassail tunes, and Highland music and dance" the chamber folk performance brings a vision of Scottish Christmas to life — complete with performers dressed in plaid and velvet.

For the evening’s events, famed Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout will be joined by Maggie Sansone on hammered dulcimer, Al Petteway on guitar, and traditional Scottish dancers, the renowned trio is bringing to the area an act that has won rave reviews and appearances on such programs as CBS Sunday Morning. Featuring such Celtic classics as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Greensleeves" the performance is in celebration of Christmas, Hogmanay (the Scottish New Year) and the New Year.

According to HACC’s Teri Guerrisi, the decision to bring "A Scottish Christmas" to the area was an easy one. "We wanted to try and do something … with a unique edge to it," she said, adding that her immediate fondness for the group’s works, combined with the "big love of Celtic music and Irish dance in the area" made this unique holiday program a perfect fit. "The quality [of the performance] is exceptional," Guerrisi promised. "What a fun kind of sound it is to have at the holidays."

Many area dance companies are gearing up for the annual performances of The Nutcracker the long-favored and highly respected ballet. Among those bringing the production to the area this year are the Greater York Youth Ballet, the Harrisburg Dance Conservatory, and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.

Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg Hershey Theatre, Hershey

A Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) tradition for the past 30-some years, the company prides itself on being the only regional ballet company in the country that is licensed to perform the George Balanchine version of The Nutcracker, the same version that has been performed by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center since 1954. CPYB’s production of The Nutcracker will be staged by CPYB alumna and Balanchine Trust repetiteur, Darla Hoover, a former soloist from the New York City Ballet who had the opportunity to work directly with the famed Balanchine.

After raising some $500,000 to pay licensing and royalty fees, the CPYB has been privileged to perform the Balanchine version for much of the past decade, an honor that CPYB executive director Maurinda Wingard speaks of with great excitement. "It’s a wonderful production," she raved, "George Balanchine had a wonderful theatrical sense … it’s very theatrical and entertaining, as well as challenging in the balletic sense."

Wingard also noted that this year’s version of the production will be the first time that The Nutcracker will be performed in Central Pennsylvania with live music — at the CPYB’s December 18 and 19 performances at the Hershey Theatre, Tchaikovsky’s famed musical score will be played by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

From York to Carlisle and all points in between, the holiday spirit is alive and well. So, take advantage of the local talents and make this season a festive one!