December 5–22
Springing up every holiday season like a motley bouquet of tinsel, turkey and tropes, Christmas City Follies at Touchstone Theatre is now in its 20th iteration, bringing the community fresh and familiar skits and songs to ring in the season.
Evolving from a show called Christmas Revels once held at Lehigh University's Packer Memorial Church, Christmas City Follies first appeared at the Charles Brown Ice House on Sand Island before Touchstone Theatre made its permanent home on Southside's 3rd Street.
Despite being a landmark 20th production, Artistic Director James P. Jordan insists the show will go on as it always has: in the moment. “It's part of a continuum, but not part of a series,” Jordan says. “When we approach it, we don't think of it as a number. It's, ‘What do we want to fill this canister with this year?' We empty the bucket and get to fill it up again.” Recurring characters like the “old guy with the shopping cart” played reliably by Bill George often make an appearance, but nothing is sacred. “When we're tired of something, we get rid of it.”
This blank-slate spirit allows the creators to synthesize their experience of the holidays in a way that's timely and direct. “What we're looking to do,” Jordan says, “is manifest in an artistic way the zeitgeist around us.” That said, the lively revue that makes up Christmas City Follies is a funny and festive showcase for the whole family.
The holidays are so packed with family drama, sociological layers and ancient lore, a feast of material is offered for the theater every year. “It's such a huge thing,” Jordan says. “It means so much to so many different people. Everyone has their own relationship to the season, and that's what we want to explore.”
Adults: $25; Students & seniors: $15 | Thurs.–Sat.: 8 p.m.; Sun.: 2 p.m. | Touchstone Theatre | 321 E. 4th St., Bethlehem | 610.867.1689 | touchstone.org
