THE CHRISTMAS EXPRESS Debuts Off Off Broadway

A new Christmas musical with songs ranging from rock to rap is debuting at Theater for the New City, bringing some of the holiday spirit to town during warm weather, along with great songs and a story worthy of giving it a place as a new, classic Christmas show.

Theater for the New City Executive Artistic Director Crystal Field is presenting The Christmas Express at Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., August 29-September 14. Tickets are $18/$15 for students and seniors.

The Christmas Express combines the wonder of the Santa story with new variations and situations, mixing music and myth to create an entertaining show. We meet a robot (named Snowbot) and a ski-bum/cowgirl, as well as Santa, who dons his suit only for the holiday, Ms. Claus and elves who keep the holiday humming.

Most of the action takes place at the Christmas compound where Santa and Mrs. Claus reside along with scenes at Christmas Creek, a frontier town on the North Pole, and out in the snow.

An aging Santa and his rickety if renowned sleigh fuel the plot, when an evil elf who has his own plans begins to plot on his own. We see a high-speed sleigh in Beta testing that runs on starlight, a sustainable version of the old-fashioned sleigh through the ages. What ensues is a musical with all the elements of a holiday classic.

The Christmas Express is a Louis and Lightsey musical with book by Claude Solnik, directed by Robert Liebowitz. A welcome entry into the cannon of holiday classics, it mixes great music with good characters and a fun story. The fact that it's being presented in the summer is just a sign that holiday stories can have appeal all year long.

Matthew Lightsey wrote the lyrics and co-composed the music along with composer John Paul Louis, who is musical director. Claude Solnik wrote the book for this musical, directed by Robert Liebowitz with Katie Michelle Stahl as assistant director and choreographer. Melony Reyes is stage manager, Heather Bushman is costume designer, Marsh Shugart is lighting designer, Brian Larkin is sound designer, Joe Chacón is graphic designer and Matthew Seepersad is light board operator.

Ally Bouska portrays DJ Christmas, Jessi Bushman portrays Emma (Ms.) Claus, Joe Chacón is Santa, Christian Cieri is Neil, Eric Grant is Rennick, Kyra Gee is Arden, Samantha Trested is Sharon, Georgia VanRy is Cassidy and Melanie Young is Snowbot, a robot.

The Christmas Express is a beautifully written collaboration between the composing team of Louis and Lightsey and Claude Solnik, playwright in residence at Theater for the New City. The show, in tune with the times, takes us behind the scenes for a holiday where people work all year to prepare before Santa heads off, delivering gifts at the speed of sound.

Santa's sleigh is getting a little old, rusty and run down. There is a question as to whether it will be able to make the rounds or break down like an old snow blower. Enter two mechanically-inclined elves who decide to build a sustainable sled, but have a hard time convincing Santa to try new technology.

The Christmas Express takes us into a world where Santa's sled is soon seen as a kind of spaceship with a touch of science fiction rather than simply magic.

It must sail through the sky each year, even as the reindeer themselves age and Santa nears retirement, to be replaced by the "next" Santa. The production creates a musical winter wonderland where "Always Merry" is the motto.

The Christmas Express, Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., (9th-10th Sts.), Aug. 29-Sept. 14, Thurs-Sat @ 8 p.m. & Sun. at 3 p.m. Tix. $18 adults, $15 srs. & children. More information & tickets can be purchased at Theaterforthenewcity.net

 

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