BWW Previews: WORLD DEBUT OF ORIGINAL HOLIDAY COMEDY THE NIGHT BEFORE at At freeFall Theatre

Coming to freeFall Theatre for the holidays on December 4- 24 is the world debut of an original musical comedy described by playwright Matthew McGee as "The Andy Williams Christmas Special meets PeeWee's Playhouse."

When the theatre was looking at holiday offerings for 2021 in the summer, they knew they wanted something out of the box following last fall's colossal success, War of the Worlds. With Michael Raabe, freeFall's resident music director, onboard for original music, music parodies, and new arrangements to familiar songs, Matthew put pen to paper and began to create the magical world of The Night Before.

"Two of my favorite shows that we've ever done at freeFall have been The Musical of Musicals and War of the Worlds that we did in the drive-in. There's a little bit of all of that in this particular show," said Matthew. "We decided to set it in Michael Raabe's fictional apartment of December 23, the night before the night before Christmas, where he and his friends have time in their schedules to get together and have a party. It's a wild and wacky night because it gets unseasonably cold in Florida, it snows, and they get snowed in."

Under Matthew's direction, The Night Before stars actors/musicians Hillary Lewis, Sara DelBeato, James David Larson, and Michael. It tells the tale of these four friends making the best of an odd weather situation, gathering around the piano for a night of fun, music, and games, accompanied by a surly house cat named Stephen Sondheim.

"Not only do the actors perform songs and play instruments, they actually puppeteer a few of the characters in the show. It's a lot of fun, and since it's such a small cast, it's a real showcase for their abilities. It's a warm, wacky, wild holiday cocktail party where anything can happen, and I think that is going to be fun for people to see."

Hillary explained that it was her first time as a puppeteer.

"It's such a great show where we get to be playful as actors. There are so many things happening in the show. We got to show off our instrument skills, but playing with puppets was so exciting," she said. "It's really fun to bring a character to life through the puppet. It's one of those things where it takes getting used to. We had a good time with it. My puppet character comes in and sings a little bit. She a Valley-Girlesque character."

The craziness that ensues includes her puppet is on a Tinder blind date, and Hillary's favorite line in the musical comedy is "that's not coconut. It's cat hair."

The show initially featured Sondheim's parodied music, which was transformed into a special tribute to the late lyricist and composer after his loss.

"Michael came up with a big medley called A Merry Sondheim Christmas, and it is a mashup of all of his greatest songs with parody lyrics. It's as if Sondheim wrote a Christmas musical. We even put a framed picture of Sondheim on the piano as a tribute," said Matthew.

In performing "Joy to the World," the cast gets the opportunity to do an old-fashioned jam session.

"It's a nice acoustic moment, and I'm super excited for the audience to see it. It's going to be really cool," said Hillary. "I love this play because it's really like having a slice of Christmas. Everything just rings in the Christmas spirit. You're not going to know what to expect. We bring to life these characters through song, through instruments, and puppets. It's just a really fun play to go and see right now."

The Night Before is reminiscent of holiday TV specials of years passed, with an extra dash of sparkle and quirkiness.

The Night Before opens December 4 and runs through December 24, 2021. Tickets for The Night Before range from $45 - $55. There are two previews of The Night Before on Friday, December 3 at 7 pm and Saturday, December 4 at 2 pm. Tickets for preview performances are only $25. freeFall Theatre is located at 6099 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at freefalltheatre.com or by calling 727-498-5205. All matinees at freeFall are at 2 pm, and all evening performances are at 7 pm. freeFall is committed to a safe experience for staff, patrons, and cast members. freeFall Theatre is a fully vaccinated company following guidelines as outlined by CDC and in agreement with Actor's Equity Association.

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