Holly Theatre — Attraction in Dahlonega

Intimate theater at its finest. We were lucky to land tickets to the Holly Theater’s production of A Christmas Carol. The house was sold out the previous weekend, when I was attempting to purchase tickets, but a last minute post on Social Media, led to landing the seats we sought. The evening was more than worth the ticket price! Overall this was a professional level performance. I will begin with the lighting design as this painted the stage in a way that drew me into each scene. This was Linda Pereira’s second stage light design (though she has credits designing concerts) and I never would have guessed, if it had not been in the program. Ms. Pereira has a gift and expressed it in color, and flow and used the lights to visually support the story we were wrapped up in, like a colorful Christmas gift. The next impression I noticed were the costumes. Cathy McMullan nailed the period for me, from the hats, jackets and more, down to the shoes. The Ghosts of Christmas were appointed appropriately, and overall costumes quilted a visual frame for the production and I believe we will see more credits for Cathy at the Holly. I could expound on this all afternoon! Let’s talk actors/actresses. Let me first say that Janice Baskin as Evelyn Scrooge, was the fabric of this show. She has a wonderful range and grasp of the character. Her transformation (no spoilers here? The show has been around a while, right?) was delightful and authentic. A thoroughly enjoyable performance. Justin Collins, as Narrator Charles Dickens, showed a strength and comedic prowess that constructed a firm foundation and created expectations of the quality of the story as it unfolds. David Zunker as the Ghost of Ebenezer, was a delightful Marleyesque (I just made up a word there) haunting his widow and set the bar high for the other ghosts to follow. There is much more to praise about the cast and crew, but I will wrap this up with one more aspect, without which I am certain there would have been no Christmas Carol! The Director, Marty Wallace brought this labor of love, to life. I spoke with him briefly and he mentioned that he had been working on this for more than a year. I can see his enthusiasm and vision clearly throughout, from the blocking and machinations of choreography that led to visual portraits on stage, to the pentameter of the performance itself. His vision created the quilt we witnessed. I look forward to more of his work and future shows that the Holly Theater produces...

What a wonderful way to remind me how old I am! The English Invasion performed hours of the memory making songs and ballads that got us through our 1960's and 70"s and are just as powerful today. My feeble old brain remembered a surprising amount of the words that I sang all through these years (my husband was amazed!). Not only the fabric four, but the Animals, Kinks, and Stones, and mant more shaggy headed lads brought back flashes from the past. The Holly remembered this music as well because the isles were dancing! Thank you, Holly Theater for bringing back such...

My daughter and I DJ-ed the after-party at Holly Theater for their VIP on New Year's Eve. The Chicago Transit Authority tribute band performed a tremendous concert inside the theater leading up to our portion. The acoustics in the decades old hall were phenomenal! Staff showed the ball dropping in Times Square on the theater's big screen. The entire evening was a benefit to bring in funds that will continue providing support for restoration of the beautiful structure. With many big shows to come in the near future, it would be worth watching to follow the...