CHRISTMAS CITY FOLLIES Return For 23rd Year This December

Touchstone Theatre presents the 23rd edition of their Christmas City Follies, the theatre's annual holiday-themed vaudeville show, filled with jolly mischief, merry melodies, and holiday cheer. Christmas City Follies XXIII runs December 1-18, 2022 at Touchstone's home theatre at 321 East Fourth Street in Southside Bethlehem.

A beloved favorite of Lehigh Valley residents past and present, thousands of locals and tourists alike have come to count Christmas City Follies as part of their holiday tradition, coming out to Touchstone's cozy black box theatre for an evening of original sketches, characters, songs, stories, and more. Longtime fans know to expect everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. The show features recurring characters and scenes, like Bill George's Old Guy and the annual Shopping Cart Ballet, but Follies, like any good batch of holiday cookies, is made from scratch every year.

"I'm a sucker for the holidays," shares Artistic Director Jp Jordan. "The iconic characters, the music, all the warm feelings. It's truly amazing that putting the Touchstone spin on all of that and sharing it with the community is part of my job!"

Additionally, this season, catch a free, in-person "Mini-Follies" preview by Touchstone/Moravian University's MFA student company at the SouthSide Arts District's Christmas Tree Lighting on Touchstone's outdoor Barrio Stage, Saturday, November 26, 2022 at 5pm. The event opens with local musical legend Dave Fry performing holiday tunes, followed by the Mini-Follies performance, and the tree lighting at 5:30pm.

Follies fans will also have the chance to see familiar Follies faces performing at the Downtown Bethlehem Association's Live Advent Calendar. This 17-year-old, one-of-a-kind tradition happens daily at 5:30pm on December 1-23, 2022 in front of the Historic Bethlehem Partnership's Goundie House at 501 Main Street in Bethlehem's Historic District.

Christmas City Follies is sponsored by Peoples Security Bank and Trust; the show receives additional support from the County of Northampton, First Generation, and Lehigh Valley with Love. Touchstone's season is supported locally by season sponsor RCN. WDIY provides media sponsorship and Working Dog Press provides print sponsorship. Touchstone also receives support from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

As of September 2022, Touchstone has no COVID restrictions in place. Touchstone encourages all audience members to remain safe and diligent and to avoid coming to shows if they are feeling ill. If guests are unable to attend due to a positive COVID test, the theatre will work with patrons to figure out the best course of action, including switching tickets to another date or performance. Please contact us at 610.867.1689 or via email at touchstone@touchstone.org with any questions.

Christmas City Follies XXIII performs December 1-18, with shows at 8pm on Thursdays-Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays, with an additional 2pm performance on Saturday, December 17. Tickets are $25, with $15 tickets for students/seniors and the option to Pay-What-You-Will at the door on Thursdays. Tickets are available at 610.867.1689 or online at touchstone.org

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