“Santa Claus: The Musical" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse -- November 25 through December 21.
Tuesday, November 25, through Sunday, December 21
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Santa Claus will soon be coming to town, but in the meantime, he's coming to Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse in the theatre's November 25 through December 21 run of the family adventure Santa Claus: The Musical, a delightful, hour-long entertainment that Theatre Jones described as "a toe-tapping, joyous musical extravaganza."
After 1,000 years of faithful service, Santa Claus has decided to retire. But not all the elves in Kris Kringle's workshop are thrilled about his chosen replacement. With the help of his tech-savvy daughter Beatrice, Web-site designer Nicholas is in for the adventure of his life as he prepares to take over the reins to Santa’s sleigh before the next Christmas lands. Jingle jam-packed with a sleigh full of laughs, energetic and original Christmas music, and gloriously colorful costumes that will get audiences of all ages in the holiday spirit, Santa Claus: The Musical boasts a book by Noah Putterman and music and lyrics by David Christensen and Luke Holloway, and was hailed by Arts Wave as "a jolly good time with a lesson to boot (!) that should absolutely be part of your holiday traditions."
Serving as director/choreographer for Santa Claus: The Musical is Kiera Lynn, a Circa '21 veteran whose previous credits include directing Arthur & Friends Make a Musical! and Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, as well as appearing in the theatre's productions of Jersey Boys, Mary Poppins, and the current Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Venue favorite Bobby Becher is the family show's music director, with additional members of Lynn's creative team including: production manager Jeremy Littlejohn; stage manager, props designer, and lighting designer Kendall McKasson; technical director Richard Baker; costume designer Bradley Robert Jensen; sound designer Dylan Dutro; and scenic artist Becky Meissen.
The titular jolly old elf is portrayed by Janos Horvath, who played Santa in Circa '21's 2022 production of the show, and has also been seen in such family entertainments as Madagascar: A Musical Adventure and Jingle Arrgh the Way. The musical's Santa-in-training Nicholas played by A.C. Lam, young Beatrice is portrayed by Marley Haley, and five additional talents complete the Santa Claus ensemble: Melissa Anderson Clark; Bradley Robert Jensen; Kirsten Sindelar; Inna Gomez; and Hanna Marie Felver.
Santa Claus: The Musical runs at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse November 25 through December 21, with scheduled show-only performances at 10 a.m. and I p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and noon brunch performances on Sundays and Friday, November 28. Admission is $15 for the show-only performances and $23-28 for brunch shows, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting Circa21.com.
