So it’s the holiday season and you’re overworked and dateless. Does this sound like your life? If so, you might want to check out New Stage Collective’s holiday show — about a guy who’s overworked and dateless, on New Year’s Eve, no less. Striking 12 is actually a cleverly modernized retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl — instead of matches, in this version she’s selling light bulbs, and she brings a whole new kind of light to the world. This is definitely not your kid sister’s children’s theater:
Striking 12 offers a tuneful score by Indie Rock band Groove Lily and a sharply written book by Rachel Sheinken (the creative talent behind The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). NSC presented this a year ago, and it drew in audiences who wouldn’t be caught dead in a traditional holiday show (or probably a musical). I suspect they’ll be back to see the band, fronted by NSC artistic director Alan Patrick Kenny on keyboards (he sings, too) plus Dan Dorff on drums, Bryan Emmon Hall on electric violin and Joel Greenberg on electric guitar. And for those who like good singing, NSC veteran Kera Halbersleben (who played a key role in last summer’s hit Jerry Springer: The Opera) will be on hand, too. Get details, times and find nearby bars and restaurants here.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2008.
