It’s everything about Christmas rolled into one show.
Holiday songs, Rockette-style dancers, the Nativity story and even Santa Claus will be at the Emma Kelly Theater this weekend for the Statesboro Christmas Spectacular.
“The first act of the show is a light hearted ‘follies’ style review,” said Lisa Muldrew, who is helping coordinate the show. “Featuring singing, dancing and audience participation, selections will include, ‘I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,’ ‘Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,’ storytelling and other traditional holiday choral selections that will entertain audiences from ages 1 to 92.”
Shows are tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under.
The show will feature two local choirs. The Southeast Bulloch High School Advanced Chorus, under the direction of Brent Whitaker, will perform “Joy to the World” and “Bethlehem Spiritual.”
In addition, the school’s award-winning Barbershop Quartet will perform “Coney Island Baby.” Sarah Hancock will perform “The Christmas Song” Friday and Saturday night, while the Statesboro Youth Chorale, under the direction of Hancock, will present two songs for the Sunday show only. The choirs will be accompanied by Wemberly Ponder.
Enjoy a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” by Marianna Voiselle and a good old-fashioned holiday sing a long led by Sydna Williams, Russ Lanier, Voiselle, Sara Kathryn Williams, Hayden Hughes, Amanda Muldrew, Max Gale and Ian McClendon.
The second part of the show is an original ballet by Shay Morgan entitled “Heaven’s Child,” which tells the story of the birth of Jesus. Performed by the Statesboro School of Dance, the show features Sarah Voiselle as the angel Gabriel, Ashlyn Lanier as Mary and Aaron Carter as Joseph.
“It’s very symbolic and about the true meaning of Christmas,” said Voiselle who is a junior at Statesboro High School.
The ballet begins with the angel Gabriel and Mary discovering she is pregnant, and concludes with the birth of Jesus and the kings and shepherds coming to celebrate.
“I think it’s really going to mean something to people,” said Lanier, who is an eighth grader at Trinity Christian School.
“Statesboro is very fortunate to have such an array of talented individuals in our community,” Muldrew said. “The setting of the Emma Kelly Theatre at the Averitt Center for the Arts is a wonderful way for families to ring in the holiday season.”
The Statesboro Christmas Spectacular is sponsored by Sea Island Bank; Thigpen, Lanier, Westerfield & Deal; and Moogerfeld Internal Medicine.
To purchase tickets, contact the Averitt Center box office at (912) 212-2787 or go to the online ticket service at averittcenterforthearts.org.
Christmas Spectacular
Ring in the holidays with music, dance, storytelling
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