My daughter and I had the pleasure of attending a production of Christmas In New York at the Richard J Ernst Theatre in Annandale, VA. When we arrived at the dress rehearsal night, they were hosting a “backstage tour” for the audience before the show started. We got to go up on stage, see the props and backdrops up close, and meet some of the actors. After a few photo opportunities, we found our seats. The director, Raynor van der Merwe who is also the founder and artistic director of Encore Theatrical Arts Project introduced the play.
In addition to the dancing, there were three guest actors who played the lead characters. They were very professional and I loved that the actor portraying “Eddie” was a local middle school student from Herndon, VA. The story was exciting and easy to follow for children and the dancing and singing was very entertaining. I think my daughter mentioned 3 times how much she wants to dance like them. The choreography was fun and they also had short acts in between the story that all the children loved! There was an entertaining dance where we could only see the dancers feet which were covered in character (Elmo, Snoopy, etc.) slippers. My daughter loved that one.
The show consisted of a story, 9 musical numbers, a 15-minute intermission, and then 10 more musical numbers including the finale (which is a run time of 2 hours including intermission). It was very grand and we thoroughly enjoyed our night. I also loved how they shined a deserving spotlight on the graduating senior performers both in the printed program and in the finale. It was a very classy gesture and I know those students worked hard for the honor.
Get your tickets to see Christmas in New York! The extremely talented cast helped us get into the Christmas spirit.
Additional Information
- Christmas in New York will be at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center for five more shows, December 18 to 20, 2015.
- We recommend the show for ages 4 and up.
- Tickets can be purchased online or by phone and are $23 for adults; $19 for students and seniors.
- There is a special Girl Scout program where kids get to go behind the scenes, meet the cast, eat an intermission snack, and enjoy discounted tickets as well. The scouts can even purchase a special embroidered patch for memories.
Photos courtesy of Encore Theatrical Arts Project.
