Are you looking for a big, splashy holiday show that delivers on all the glitz and sentimentality that everybody loves to see this time of year? Are you willing to drive 40 minutes to a gorgeous old vaudeville theater that promises the kind of big-city entertainment that audiences thrill to at Radio City Music Hall? Then make sure to reserve your tickets while there are still some available for the Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts’ 10th annual “Holiday at Lebowsky,” a big-hearted extravaganza that keeps the holiday hits coming.
Board member Devin Brant emphasized the volunteer-based nature of the company.
“The Lebowsky Center enables beautiful, volunteer-based performances for the community to participate in and enjoy,” he said. “At the same time, these performances attract people around the region to our downtown area, helping make Owosso a more culturally and economically vibrant community.”
But just because you hear the phrases “community-oriented” and “volunteer-based” quite a bit from the company, make no mistake — the talent is top-notch. Several regular Lebowsky performers will be quite familiar to Lansing audiences, such as Chad and Amanda DeKatch, Quentin Brainerd, Adam Woolsey and Jake Przybyla.
“We consciously focus on the quality of performances across the board,” executive director Amy Jo Brown said. “We make an effort to build relationships with other theaters in the region, and we attend their performances in order to seek out talent for our shows, as well as to build a stronger community of artists and venues.”
It takes quite a bit of volunteer coordination to get and keep a show as big as “Holiday at Lebowsky” rolling. There are 16 volunteers required at each of the 10 performances, working backstage and at the box office as well as ushering and serving concessions.
“We support each other on and off the stage, and when you feel that kind of love, you want to share it with others,” cast member Mary Maurer said. “Theater has the ability to change lives. I want to spend my time finding ways to continually improve it, elevate it and make it even more inclusive. Whether onstage, volunteering or being in the audience, I want everyone to experience being a part of this family.”
Veteran Lebowsky performer Mandy Bashore echoed Maurer. “I love being part of something bigger than myself, and to see beauty emerge from a group of people working together takes my breath away every time,” she said.
If Owosso is a bit too far of a drive, there are several other holiday shows in the Lansing area this month. “A Very Williamston Christmas,” which opened in November, continues through Dec. 29 at Williamston Theatre. If you missed it in 2022 or want to see it again — which you do — this show delivers solid holiday fun and laughs along with many recognizable references to our hometown, all wrapped up in a Hallmark-movie-style package.
Audio theater company Audio Air Force will present reworkings of holiday-themed radio scripts from the 1940s as well as some original material at its annual holiday show Friday evening (Dec. 6). If you’re old enough to remember the classic radio shows of the mid-20th century, or if you want to experience them for the first time, you’re sure to enjoy this nostalgic presentation.
Lansing Community College theater students will stage an improv showcase Tuesday evening (Dec. 10) at the school’s Black Box Theatre. Admission is free (as is the case with all shows at LCC this season), and though there are no guarantees, there’s a good chance the actors will mention the holidays in some fashion at some point in the evening.
The Intrepid Theatre of Flint, which tours around mid-Michigan presenting popular musicals, arrives at Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood for a four-day run of “Rent” Dec. 12 through 15. If you’re unfamiliar with this theater company, I encourage you to catch its production of this beloved musical, which begins and ends on Christmas Eve.
Finally, you can’t go wrong attending Riverwalk Theatre’s Dec. 14 holiday cabaret, a blend of seasonal, crowd-favorite songs and sketches. All the local theater companies report that their shows are selling fast — get your tickets now so you aren’t left out in the cold this holiday season.
“A Very Williamston Christmas”
Through Dec. 29
2 p.m. Thursday, Saturday-Sunday
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Williamston Theatre
122 S. Putnam St., Williamston
Audio Air Force holiday show
7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6
Hannah Community Center
819 Abbot Road, East Lansing
“Holiday at Lebowsky”
Dec. 6-8 and 13-15
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
6:30 p.m. Sunday
Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts
122 E. Main St., Owosso
LCC improv showcase
7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10
Black Box Theatre
411 N. Grand Ave., Lansing
“Rent”
The Intrepid Theatre
Dec. 12-15
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday
3 p.m. Sunday
Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood
2200 Lake Lansing Road, Lansing
Riverwalk Theatre holiday cabaret
6:30 p.m. Dec. 14
228 Museum Drive, Lansing
Support City Pulse - Donate Today!
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here