Review: Broadway Rose's YOUR HOLIDAY HIT PARADE is the Pitch Perfect Way to Get into the Holiday Spirit

It's that time again! Time to start complaining about the office holiday party and making excuses for why you can't go to your cousin's house this year. If you're feeling like a humbug, then you definitely need to head down to Broadway Rose for YOUR HOLIDAY HIT PARADE. It's the perfect way to silence your inner Scrooge and get into the holiday spirit.

YOUR HOLIDAY HIT PARADE doesn't have much of a plot - it's mostly music - but the plot that it does have provides an excellent context for a range of songs from different eras.

Here's the whole thing: It's 2014. Helen and Bea are two teachers from Steubenville, Ohio, who, for some reason, have chosen to drive to Denali National Park over winter break. Their car gets stuck in the snow, so they seek refuge in the deserted Aurora's Borealis Hotel. As they wait for someone to rescue them, they decide to sing, which attracts the attention of the hotel's only residents - the spirits of four performers who were on tour with their holiday show when the hotel was enveloped by an avalanche...in 1972. They spirits have been stuck there ever since, unable to cross over because they have some unfinished business. If you're thinking Forever Plaid with a Christmas theme, you're exactly right.

So, don't go see YOUR HOLIDAY HIT PARADE for a riveting story. Do go because you'll be treated to two hours of all of your seasonal favorites sung exquisitely, with enough silliness to provide plenty of laughs and enough heart to make you feel all warm inside - just like Christmas is supposed to.

I'd not had the pleasure of seeing Laura McCulloch before, but I certainly hope to again. Whether she's channeling Ethel Merman or acting like a horse, she's always fun to watch and has a voice that fills the theatre with auditory goodness. Ditto for Grace Allen, whose beginning solo of "O Holy Night" will give you chills. Debbie Hunter, Malia Tippets, Robert Head, and Ryan Reilly - all engaging actors, all beautiful voices - round out the cast.

I've seen the last three holiday shows at Broadway Rose and enjoyed them all, but this one is my favorite. YOUR HOLIDAY HIT PARADE runs through December 23. Take the whole family. Details and tickets here.

Photo credit: Sam Ortega