It’s no Christmas surprise that “fun for the whole family” rarely includes the LGBT variety.
But that’s precisely what the Tampa Bay-based, gay writer of seasonal spectacular Holiday Inc. set out to do.
“It’s difficult for many of us to relate to the season because we don’t have traditional families and most stories are between a man and a woman and their children,” says writer and director Jonathan Van Dyke.
Although he says there’s nothing explicitly gay about the showâ┚¬â€Âthe many exuberant dance numbers, disco-flavored Christmas hits and characters such as Tinsel Garland and Angel Divine representing holiday attributes “Celebration” as well as “Giving and Receiving” may beg to differâ┚¬â€Âthe show’s message of inclusion makes it a holiday tonic gay audiences can swallow.
“For example, the character representing ‘home and family’ makes it clear a family can be defined in any way a person wants to,” adds Van Dyke.
So Tampa-born Holiday Inc., which premiered in 2009 at the Hyde Park and is making its way to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts Dec 16-22 has its sights on becoming a modern-day holiday classic with a national road show next year.
“We wanted to do something very different from the standard annual show or A Christmas Carol or The Nutcracker,” said Van Dyke, who conceived the story with executive producer Doreen Collier of ESP Productions. “We wanted something for today but with a timeless feel.”
That resulted in the whimsical North Pole-set tale of a holiday board of directorsâ┚¬â€Âincluding characters Hearth Tannenbaum and Figgy Von Noggâ┚¬â€Âresponsible for producing the holiday season and helping a jaded elf rediscover what the season’s really about.
“We have an elf who witnesses all the stress people invite into their lives when it comes to the holidays,” Van Dyke says. Instead of an aesthetic perfectionism devoid of feeling, the show reinforces the simple joys that come from taking part in the season. “It’s not how many lights you have on your house, but who put them up and what that day was like.”
That the holidays shouldn’t be a soulless to-do list and shopping a manic spending spree are just some of the show’s themes.
Not surprisingly, song, dance and magical, motion-filled sets surround the story and reinforce the show’s message: “We live in a diverse world, and I think at heart, we are all after the same kind of warmth and hope no matter who we are,” Van Dyke says.
In addition to the on-stage choreography, the show manages to dance around overt religious themes in an effort to “appeal to everyone.”
“This is not to turn anybody off; it’s to turn everyone on,” Van Dyke adds.
In addition to the inspired, colorful costumes, audience eyes will be caught by the digitally projected sets of technical director A.J. LeBlanc.
“Every aspect of the stage uses motion graphics, which constantly changes the look and feel for the audience,” he says.
Adding to the effect are different visuals for the background and foreground, which is not a common technique on local stages or even in Broadway-style musicals, LeBlanc said.
And if the show has “legs” like national producers are hinting, Holiday Inc. will be further upgraded with 3-D mapping technology to make the images and fanciful situations even bolder.
For the Straz performances, the show’s intricate “living wallpaper” effect will suitably transport audiences to its fantastical North Pole locale as well as touch hearts during numbers like Amy Grant’s original song The Night Before Christmas.
That song is sung by the “Hearth and Family” board director Hearth Tannenbaum and played by actress Meredith McDermott, who originated the role in the 2009 production.
“The great thing about the show is whether you’re a kid or an adult,â┚¬Â Van Dyke says, â┚¬Å”it really is for everyone.”
S+H
WHAT: Holiday, Inc.
WHERE: Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
WHEN: Dec. 16-22
TICKETS: StrazCenter.org
