FARMINGTON – Imagine that you have totally lost your Christmas spirit – in fact all the winter holidays just seem blah. What would you do?
This situation is what the Sandy Rivers Players will explore in their upcoming variety show called Holiday Cheers. This holiday special will be presented in Alumni Theatre on the UMF campus on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Farmington Public Library.
Co-directors Karen West and Robin Lisherness will play a couple who try to find the true meaning of the holidays by watching television. As they flip through the channels, they will find and comment on 12 different scenes – and commercials, too – that represent Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, and even Festivus!
“Think Bing and Bob with a twist,” West said.
The 12 scenes are performed by actors, musicians, and improv artists, who will present a two-act show that will give the audience a big dose of Holiday Cheer(s). The individual performances will range from the serious – comments from Mrs. Charles Dickens on her husband’s writing “A Christmas Carol” – to the absurdly comic – a skit about two “frenemies” who attempt to outdo each other with holiday goodwill.
A large cast of mostly local talent includes a 9-year-old singer, a University of Maine at Farmington professor, the professional music trio known as the Achords, and Farmington’s well-known improv group, The Teachers Lounge Mafia. Many faces will be familiar to Sandy River Players fans.
“There will be actor-audience interaction, too,” says co-director Lisherness, “with a couple of opportunities to sing along.”
Tickets may be purchased at the door: $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.
