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It is 1931 in Monoreville, Alabama when seven-year-old Buddy is dropped of by his mother to his eccentric extended family. Buddy’s first friend quickly becomes his best friend. He develops a life altering unforgettable relationship with the 60something cousin, Miss Sook. She is a spinster recluse woman who never left the county, never ate in a restaurant and never married. Her world is the small house, cooking and being friends with Buddy. She is kind to everyone as she sees the best in everyone. She is thankful to the Lord and beholding to the wonders of nature. She nurtures Buddy as she teaches him by example what it is to be kind, gentle and human.

For an alternative to all those family-friendly holiday shows, try The Seafarer. It’ll give you reasons to go on the wagon for the duration of the holidays! McPherson’s The Seafarer is another of his cathartic plays that allow him to purge his personal battle against alcoholism. (He is now dry for more than 10 years!) He paints contemporary Irish life wherein many men use the act of drinking as a male bonding ritual and a means of companionship. Heavy drinking is a reality escape and a self-loathing act of loneliness and isolation

I have seen this annual gem many times with an assortment of Scrooges including William J. Norris, Frank Galati, Tom Mula, Rick Snyder, William Brown, Jonathan Weir, John Judd and Larry Yando. Each have played the nasty, money-loving old man with both pathos and humor as the nasty, lonely man finds redemption. I must say that Larry Yando once again proves again that he is the ultimate Scrooge

Come and take the fairy tale musical comedy quest with The Strange Tree Group – you’ll smile, laugh and be musically captivated by the original story told with manic energy. This is a smart, well written show that is ready for prime time. One can home that the major musical comedy producers from The Theatre at the Center, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Marriott Theatre and Chicago Spokeshave Theater come to see The Dead Prince and Emily Schwatrz’. She is a major theatrical artist whose work needs to be mounted at the next level.