This holiday season is going to be jam-packed at the theater.
Everything from the Grinch to Harry Potter and Neil Diamond will be taking the stage to entertain and make the season even more festive.
One of the most iconic characters of the season will be on stage as “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” will take over the Miller Theater Nov. 26-Dec. 1. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online www.ensembleartsphilly.org.
Temple graduate Lexis Trechak, who helps the Grinch’s heart swell by playing Betty Lou Who, sees the show coming around at the perfect time.
“The story, I think, is really important, because it’s so much more than just like the Grinch and Cindy Lou.” said Trechak, who is on the Grinch tour for the second year in a row. “It’s about someone seeing the good inside of someone, while everyone else Is looking on the outside and seeing the bad. You can tell that he just needs friendship and family and someone to see him and to be included. I think that’s more what the story is about and I think it’s not just a show for kids, it’s a show for families, for everyone, for people going through a hard time. It’s really special.”
The musical features songs “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas,” as the Grinch discovers there’s more to Christmas than he bargained for in this heart-warming holiday classic. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes too small,” decides to steal Christmas away from the holiday-loving Whos.
Much like the character she is playing, Trechak isn’t one to let anybody stand in her way.
“I actually majored in speech pathology in college, but I’ve always been a dancer I’ve always been an actor,” said Trechak. “After I graduated, I decided I wanted to pursue this professionally. I was initially supposed to go to graduate school and I moved in, went (to class) for a day and realized I didn’t want to do that anymore. I moved out of my apartment, went to New York and five days later went to the Grinch audition, and then I booked it.”
Meanwhile, Trechak has made a major social media name for herself. She has more than a million followers on Tik Tok and Instagram.
“I blew up right before the pandemic hit,” Trechak said. “I’ve mainly just been making comedic skits and like POVs, mainly about like dance and theater and stuff like that. A lot of people have resonated with that and I kind of made me realize that my experience was what a lot of dancers and actors go through. So, I’ve created such a community of dancers and actors And it’s really special. I love this this community and it feels like a safe space for me and for all of my followers.”
‘Potted Potter’
On maybe an even sillier side is “Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff.”
This critically acclaimed comedic rendition of all seven Harry Potter books in 70 minutes by Olivier Award–nominated BBC television actors Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner will run Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 at Penn Live Arts, 3680 Walnut St., Philadelphia.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at pennlivearts.org.
The cleverly curated show includes all your favorite characters, perfect Potter props, and even a live quidditch match. Even if you don’t know the difference between a horcrux and a hufflepuff, Potted Potter is sure to bring a laugh.
Over the past several years the show has completed multiple tours, delighting crowds with its clever wit. “Potted Potter” has left audiences feeling positively nostalgic and has sold out theatres across the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai and Canada.
‘A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical’
Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, “A Beautiful Noise” is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon.
With 120 million albums sold, a catalog of classics like “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll halls of fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway, and head out on the road across America.
“Some of my most thrilling nights have been while I was on tour, bringing my music to audiences across the world,” said Neil Diamond. “Having ‘A Beautiful Noise’ go on tour is an honor and I can’t wait for audiences across North America to experience this show. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.”
The show will run Dec. 10 to 22 at the Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St., Philadelphia. Tickets are currently on sale at www.telecharge.com.
“Fresh from its lauded Broadway engagement, Ensemble Arts is proud to bring ‘A Beautiful Noise’ from New York to the Forrest Theatre for the production’s Philadelphia premiere,” said Frances Egler, vice president of Theatrical Programming and Presentations. “Fans of Neil Diamond will fall in love with this high-energy production that gets audiences dancing in the aisles and singing all the way home.”
‘STOMP’
The international percussion sensation, “STOMP,” will have six holiday performances from Dec. 26 to 29 at the Miller Theater. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org.
From its beginnings as a street performance in the U.K., “STOMP” has grown into an international sensation over the past 29 years, having performed in more than 50 countries and in front of more than 26 million people.
The performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” said co-founder/director Luke Cresswell.
A unique combination of percussion, movement, and visual comedy, “STOMP” has created its own inimitable, contemporary form of rhythmic expression: both household and industrial objects find new life as musical instruments in the hands of an idiosyncratic band of body percussionists. It is a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday, and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum.
