“Dashing Through the Snow”: Forget your Scrooge, your Owen Meany, your Ralphie.
Bring on those wacky Futrelle Sisters.
This show is not your classic Christmas fare — it’s slapstick, highly farcical, fast-paced and has lots of physical comedy.
Think pillow fight between two 80-year-old women.
Hjalmer Anderson directs and some of The Phoenix Theater’s most veteran comic performers including Melanie Calderwood, David Bailey and Austin Gregory perform.
If you happened to see last year’s Phoenix production of “Christmas Belles,” you’ll know how funny we are talking about. “Dashing” is written by the same three playwrights: Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten.
The plot begins four days before Christmas and the scene a bed and breakfast in the small town of Tinsel, Texas.
It’s here that the parade of wacky characters create the vignettes, including down and out actors from a touring company of “A Christmas Carol,” the two feuding 80-year-olds and a couple dressed like Mrs. Claus and an elf — who need to get away from the prying eyes of Santa, wink, wink — who all arrive at the Snowflake Inn.
Then the Futrelle sisters show up and Anderson said you will have to hold on to your sides to keep them from splitting.
“The audiences will see something different, the uniqueness of the surprise at the end of each of scenes, and they are going to laugh,” Anderson said. “They can’t help it.
“It runs very quickly and it’s high farce.”
It’s also a family friendly show that should be enjoyed by kids for its slapstick action and silly visual appeal, including one male actor dressing up in an angel outfit and dancing around the stage.
“Visually, the kids will love it,” Anderson said.
Anderson, who has directed more than 200 productions, said audiences will see his style in the production as “very active.”
“Dashing Through the Snow” opens at 8 p.m. Friday at the Phoenix Theatre, 9673 Firdale Ave., Edmonds. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 23.
Admission is $18.50 general, $15.50 for seniors, students and military. Call 206-533-2000 or go to www.phoenixtheatreedmonds.com.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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