Hope For The Holidays

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The year is 1962, and clueless show host Hope Henderson is hosting a holiday special! Along with her best friends, (Sugar Sisters Candy and Taffy, and accompanist Misty Tinsel), familiar Christmas tunes are lovingly embraced and often given a wicked twist. All the women have experienced dear Santa in the past and are anxiously waiting for his return. Join Hope and her friends as they jingle and jangle with the help of signature cocktails and find ways to enjoy the holidays, with or without dear Santa.

JO BRISBANE creates and produces theatre and cabaret shows in venues from Provincetown, MA, to Boston to NYC. “Hope for the Holidays – The Wintry Mix Edition” is a holiday spoof based on Brisbane’s original characters written for The Hope Henderson Show. This cabaret version has been enjoyed by audiences at Don’t Tell Mama NYC, Boston’s Club Café Moonshine Room, Rhode Island’s Arctic Playhouse and the mainstage at Cotuit Center for the Arts on Cape Cod. Jo recently produced “Swingin’ Thru The Seasons” (based on characters from The Hope Henderson Show) for the Provincetown Cabaret Fest. She also created an ensemble show “The Vodka Stingers Sing Sondheim & Schwartz” for the Provincetown Cabaret Fest. She was a member of the debut production of “Ladies Who Brunch” at Cotuit Center for the Arts (a variation of that show was also presented by Club Café in Boston). Her solo cabaret show “Mod Hollywood! Tunes from a Town Without Pity” was described as “a delightful tour of films of the 1950s and 1960s” by critic Bart Greenberg, adding “Brisbane brought a fine intelligence and deep emotion to her delivery. Each number was terrific, as she exposed the subtle meanings within the poetic words”. “Mod Hollywood” enjoyed a debut at Provincetown Cabaret Fest, a run at Don’t Tell Mama in NYC and played at Club Café in Boston. Her favorite musical theatre roles have included: Mother Superior in Sister Act; Uncle Ernie in Tommy; Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir; Queequeg in Moby Dick! The Musical; Mrs. Peachum in Threepenny Opera;.and Edna Krabappel in Mister Burns and the post-electric play.

EDEN CASTEEL A “stunning coloratura soprano” with “a great sense of comic timing,” performer/producer Eden Casteel is a singer, pianist, and creative consultant for performers all over. Eden writes and music directs solo musicals, coaches vocal technique and performance in person and online, plays piano bars and with dueling pianos teams, and assists clients with songwriting and music production. Eden performs Kahn Artist: Madeline And Me, a solo musical show about how Tony Award-winner (and film star) Kahn inspired her own career. The show was co-written with MAC Award winner Rod Ferguson and directed by Tony Award winner Faith Prince, and has played to sold-out houses in New England, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and beyond. Her next show is Gaga For Ronstadt, due in 2027.Eden’s original song “What Are You Doing Rosh Hashanah Eve?”, cowritten with Dan Chaika, won the 2024 MAC Award for Best Comedy/Novelty Song. Eden has played diverse regional theatre roles including The Proprietor in Assassins, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Mama Rose in Gypsy, Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County, Victoria Grant in Victor/Victoria, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. She also performed all the soprano arias and most of the tenor arias in a re-imagined Handel’s “Messiah.” A native of Dublin, Ohio who moved to RhodeIsland in 2010, Eden holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from The University Of Cincinnati College-Conservatory Of Music and a Master of Music degree from The University of Maryland. She is a past president of the Rhode Island chapter of NATS, a member of the American Guild of Organists, and a charter member of The Speakeasy Cooperative.

ASHLEY LACROIX recently performed at the Provincetown Cabaret Fest in “Swingin’ Thru The Seasons”. She made her cabaret debut as a featured performer in the “Ladies Who Brunch” original series at Cotuit Center for the Arts and as a member of “The Vodka Stingers Sing Sondheim & Schwartz” for the Provincetown Cabaret Fest. Her solo number in that show “Spread A Little Sunshine” was praised for being “peppered with adorably subtle innuendo” by one critic. Ashley has appeared in main stage theater productions at CCFTA including: Sister Act: Annie; The Best Christmas Pageant Ever; and Scrooge. She is an original cast member of “Hope for the Holidays” and is excited to portray Candy once again in the “Wintry Mix Edition” of the holiday spoof. Ashley is a member of the Board of Directors at Cotuit Center for the Arts and has also served as Production Manager and Stage Producer for CCFTA. While her experiences in production and performance are quite different from her career as a Relationship Manager at Merrill Lynch, Ashley genuinely enjoys connecting with the diversely talented people of the theatre and cabaret communities.

JANE LOUTZENHISER originated the role of Taffy in the original production of The Hope Henderson Show at Cotuit Center for the Arts and is thrilled to keep bringing Taffy back in various contexts and venues! She has been involved in theatre on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard at venues including: CCTA; Falmouth Theatre Guild; Eventide Theatre Company; Cape Cod Theatre Company; Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse; and Island Theatre Workshop as well as Kansas City, MO theatres, before moving to the East Coast. Jane is an original member of the cabaret show Ladies Who Brunch (debuted at CCFTA and inspired the variation at Club Café Boston). She was a standout at “The Vodka Stingers Sing Sondheim and Schwartz” (debuting at the Provincetown Cabaret Festival). Her featured song for that show was described by one critic as “most impressive…briskly paced and beautifully sung ‘Lion Tamer’…packed an emotional punch.” Jane has appeared in various musical theatre roles at CCFTA including: Patty Simcox in Grease; Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar; and Hawker’s Sidekick/Mrs. Simpson in Tommy A Rock Opera.. Jane is also a radio host for MVY Community Radio, Martha’s Vineyard MA. Fun fact: she’ll follow Hope Henderson anywhere! Enjoy the show!

RESERVATIONS strongly recommended.