Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

'Classy and elegant'

The man behind the Show Palace's popular retro revues has produced another all-music show for the holidays.

By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN
Published November 24, 2006

Show Palace Dinner Theatre artistic director Matthew McGee has a prediction about A Show Palace Christmas, which opens Thursday:

"If there are people out there who enjoyed the 50s and 60s Revues, they will love this one."

That's because composer-arranger-director Joe Camper, who wrote the record-shattering 50s and 60s Revue (the latest one drew more than twice the number of any other show in its time slot), also wrote and arranged the Christmas show and is directing it.

"Yes, it's one of the Camper originals," McGee said.

Unlike previous Show Palace holiday shows, this one is pure music - no story, no plot lines, no characters.

"Joe's written new songs to tie it all together," and he has also staged most of the musical numbers, McGee said. "It's classy and elegant."

The 12-member cast has a mix of Show Palace favorites, returning favorites and newcomers.

The favorites are Timothe Bittle (Shout! in the 50s and 60s Revue), Andrea Eskin (Gloria in Mame), Zack Fowler (ensemble in Mame), Roy Johns (Beauregard in Mame), Susan Haldeman (Vera in Mame; Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret), Lisa Katt Watson (Sally Cato in Mame), and Stefani Wells (Cousin Fan in Mame).

Returning favorites are Sara DelBeato (Amnesia in Nunsense Jamboree) and Steven Flaa (Sparky in both productions of Forever Plaid).

Both Ms. DelBeato and Flaa have spent the last year or more performing in and picking up awards for shows across the United States.

Newcomers are Sean Loutzenhiser, a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, who has performed in shows at Naples Dinner Theatre; Robyn Pazieni, a veteran of Golden Apple Dinner Theatre in Sarasota, who has performed with the New Dawn Singers and at Disney World, Busch Gardens and Six Flags; and Bo Price, who has performed at Naples Dinner Theatre, theme parks and at Burning Hills Amphitheatre in Medora, N.D.

"We've done some enormous shows this year, and we thought it would be nice to have something with glitz and glamor, but on a more intimate scale," McGee said.

[Last modified November 23, 2006, 22:46:36]