Uptown Players Presents A VERY JUDY CHRISTMAS

To kick off its 18th season, Uptown Players will present the world premiere of A Very Judy Christmas. Written and directed by B.J. Cleveland, the production runs December 1-16, 2018 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, and marks the return of Janelle lutz as Judy Garland.

In this world premiere which pays tribute to the 1960's TV holiday specials, Judy Garland invites us into her home for her Christmas Holiday special. Share the holiday with Judy and some celebrity friends, including Ethel Merman and Liza Minnelli. Paying homage to Judy's 1963 Christmas Special, the show features some of Garland's signature songs, along with many holiday classics performed by a number of surprise special guests who drop in.

The star-studded cast joining Ms. Lutz and portraying all of Ms. Garland's special guests is made up of many Uptown Players favorites, including B.J. Cleveland, Christopher Curtis, Dana Harper, Sarah E. (Smith) Price, Jeff Wells, Grace Neeley West and Trevor Wright. A Judy Garland Christmas is written and directed by B.J. Cleveland. The production is under the musical direction of Isaac Leaverton, with choreography by Trevor Wright.

A Very Judy Christmas runs December 1-16, 2018, with shows at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd (at Blackburn), Dallas, TX 75219. Tickets are $25-$45 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at (214) 219-2718. The show is intended for mature audiences due to adult languages and situations.

Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. Now beginning its eighteenth season and tenth at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following and is providing an opportunity for a wide diversity of gender styles to come together and explore life choices through great theatre themes such as relationships, family, prejudice, and values. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, and over 30 Theater Critics Forum Awards in its first seventeen seasons. Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers and by the Dallas Observer and was also featured in D Magazine and on WFAA's Daybreak and Good Morning Texas programs.

Uptown Players has presented world premieres, including Redesigning Women (2013), Crazy Just Like Me (2011) and the stage adaptation of The Valley of the Dolls (2007), along with the United States premieres of the West End hit musical Soho Cinders (2014), and the Pet Shop Boys Musical Closer to Heaven (2010). Uptown Players was the first regional theater in the United States to present the Tony Award winner The Boy from Oz and the Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next To Normal, following the closing of the Broadway productions. Each season, Uptown Players presents several regional premieres, including recent productions of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Perfect Arrangement, The Legend of Goergia McBride, It Shoulda Been You, The Toxic Avenger, Mothers and Sons, End of the Rainbow, The Nance, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and The Producers.