No local holiday season is complete without a visit to The Holiday Extravaganza, playing through Dec. 31 at the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville in Oceano.
The annual production features the classic A Christmas Carol, a hilarious fractured fairytale, and a vaudeville revue featuring song, dance, and comedy. The Melodrama brings Ebenezer Scrooge, Hansel and Gretel, and Rappin’ Reindeer all in one evening. Whether you have been naughty or nice, be sure to add The Holiday Extravaganza to holiday wish list.
The show opens with a one-act version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” adapted for the Melodrama stage by director Suzy Newman. Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Billy Breed), who thinks Christmas is a “humbug,” is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley (Mike Fiore). Marley warns Scrooge that to avoid a dreadful fate, he will be visited by three spirits (Jackie Hildebrand, Alex Sheets, and Toby Tropper).
Over the course of the night Scrooge visits Christmases past, present, and future. On his journey he sees glimpses of his lost love Belle (Mia Mekjian), his only sister Fan (Tabatha S. Skanes), and the family of his lowly clerk, Bob Cratchit (Jeff Salsbury). These magical visits lead to heart-warming scenes of redemption and reunion as Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas.
Joining the Melodrama’s professional performers are talented local young actors portraying the Cratchit children at alternate performances. They are: Peter Conti, Aidin and Ayla Gharavi, Ethan and Skylar Platt, Makenzie, Stewart, and Bennett and Steaphenee Wittlieb,
Following A Christmas Carol is the fractured fairy tale opera Hansel and Gretel, by Jordan Richardson and Marian Partee. This madcap version of the timeless tale follows Hansel and Gretel as they journey with their friend, Little Red Riding Hood, from their parent’s gym to grandmother’s house.
Along the way they meet the Big Bad Wolf and a mysterious witch named Sara Lee (Meggie Sigrist). Will Hansel and Gretel make it home again? Find out in this hysterical musical lark directed by Dan Schultz.
The Holiday Extravaganza ends with the company’s traditional vaudeville revue, this year titled Home for the Holidays. Written and directed by Kevin Lawson, the show features skits mixed with favorite holiday songs. Enjoy musical numbers like the ever-popular “Reindeer Rap” and the Melodrama’s famous Water Glass Orchestra.
A performance calendar can is located at www.americanmelodrama.com. This is the Melodrama’s most popular show of the season, and tickets are selling fast, so reserve now. Tickets are $22 and $25, with discounts available for seniors, students, active military, and children.
For more information and to purchase tickets or passes, call the Melodrama box office at 805-489-2499, or visit their website at www.americanmelodrama.com. The Great American Melodrama is located on Highway 1 in Oceano, just three miles south of Pismo Beach. The Melodrama has been providing professional family entertainment on the Central Coast since 1975.