Jerry Draper, left, and Randy Forester appear as Bertha and Charlene, two of the 20-plus characters they play in the Dalton Little Theatre production of “A Tuna Christmas.”
Coylee Bryan, May Wood, Jeff Hill, Jenny Bacon Shoop and Kendra Gross, from left, portray characters in the Oak Street Playhouse production of “Seeing Stars in Dixie.”The holiday season is packed with extra obligations, but several local theater companies can offer a break from the hustle and bustle.
If you’re looking for holiday fun, consider “A Nutcracker Christmas Carol” at Chattanooga State Community College or “A Tuna Christmas” at Dalton Little Theatre. If you’re nearing your limit on Christmas immersion, you might be better served with “Seeing Stars in Dixie” at Oak Street Playhouse or “Gods and Disasters,” presented by the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga. All four productions will present final performances this weekend. A fifth offering, “Annie,” still has several dates remaining at Chattanooga Theatre Centre (see next week’s ChattanoogaNow for more).
Holiday Mash-Up
The title alone should be a clue that “A Nutcracker Christmas Carol” will be no ordinary experience. This whimsical musical incorporates the broad parameters of “A Christmas Carol” and “The Nutcracker” with bits of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” Though created as a lighthearted spoof, it still resonates with the lessons of transformation and redemption popular in so many Christmas stories.
• When and where: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, in the C.C. Bond Humanities Building at Chattanooga State Community College, 4501 Amnicola Highway.