Christmas at the BCPA

December was certainly a busy month!

We kicked the final month of the year off with Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's "Movin' Out," a thrilling night of musical theater/dance that rightfully got the audience up on their feet.

For me, this was the second time I'd seen the show, but it was the better of the performances. The dancers were incredibly strong, and the band sounded terrific. I found it fun to anticipate the moments I remembered from my first viewing and appreciated the language of Tharp's choreography better.

And, as I mentioned in May, "Summer, Highland Falls" never sounded better.

And how about those holiday shows!?

"FRANKLIN'S FAMILY CHRISTMAS"
"Franklin's Family Christmas" began with our usual pre-show activities for families. The Zoo Lady was in top form, finishing a holiday-themed face painting design roughly every 60 seconds. The theater was absolutely full of little reindeer- and mistletoe-faced children.

It was a cute performance, with memorable songs and dancing. A sing-along of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" featuring some dads pulled up from the audience was also a hit.

CHERISH THE LADIES, "A CELTIC CHRISTMAS"
We love Joanie Madden! The Hostess with the mostest, Ms Madden kept the mood light and the music and dance churning as the Ladies delighted the crowd with their own Celtic take on the holidays. It was a joyous and thoughtful performance that really set the mood for the holidays.

A ROCKAPELLA HOLIDAY
Pure fun from the kings of contemporary a cappella! As I've written before, I'm a longtime Rockapella fan, but this was the first time I'd seen them perform their holiday set, and I was surprised how well their stage act translated to this material. Scott still struts in his showmanly way, Kevin is still the quiet and sensitive one, and George is a rock on the bass line.

Except when he's channeling his inner Whitney Houston ... which is absolutely amazing -- and knock-you-to-the-floor hilarious.

Were you at any of these shows? Any memories/photos/ or requests you'd like to share. We'd love to hear from you.

Leave a note by clicking the Comment link below, or send me an email at jaalberts@cityblm.org with any photos or thoughts. We'll get them all posted soon.