Entertainment fans can experience live radio show entertainment and comic relief this holiday season at Una Voce’s “The Fairy Home Companions: A Comedic Satire,” on Dec. 11 and Dec. 13.
Joseph Caulkins, Una Voce’s artistic director, says he grew up in the Midwest listening to Garrison Keillor’s live radio variety show, A Prairie Home Companion. He thought it would be a fun idea to turn the show into a parody and “make it a little more gay and exciting.”
The show is a hybrid of theater and concert, which Caulkins describes as “Radio Days meets Garrison Keillor.” He says the night will include holiday music, skits, jingles, and zany, fun things that happen on live radio shows.
“It’s going to be a really nice holiday event,” Caulkins says. “It’s really funny and hilarious comedy along with great singing.”
Tom Barker, Una Voce’s executive director, says some of the music is not what people would normally expect to hear at a holiday performance, but that they can also expect several traditional elements. He says the central theme is really just about being joyful over the holidays.
“We get so bogged down with everything in everyday life,” Barker says. “This show is lighthearted and fun and also beautiful. It expresses a lot of different sentiments.”
Miguel Fuller, host of “Hot Dish with Miguel and Holly” on 101.5 FM, will be hosting the show. Other special guests for the evening will include WoodWorks, a marimba ensemble comprised of four percussionists, and musical numbers by Michelle Caulkins.
“I’ve worked with WoodWorks many times, and they always find a nice way of presenting high quality music in an entertaining style,” Caulkins says. “Having four percussionists opened up a lot of repertoire which couldn’t have happened without their expertise.”
Caulkins mentions “The Elves’ Broadway Christmas” as a particularly noteworthy performance. He says the piece, commissioned by Una Voce from Kevin Robison, director of the Atlanta gay men’s chorus, includes “words of Christmas carols put into Broadway songs.” Caulkins says this will be the first time Una Voce performs this piece.
Caulkins says the performance that will probably stand out the most is “Gaudete,” arranged by Michael Engelhardt, a tune from 1582 with a stout beat given to it.
“It’s an interesting mash-up of a medieval tune in an urban rhythmic arrangement,” Caulkins says. “It’s a wonderful combination of ancient and modern.”
A noteworthy comedic piece will be a skit of “Hermey the Elf” in which Hermey is portrayed as a curmudgeon who always aspired to be a dentist instead of a toymaker and grows up to tell his disgruntled story.
“There is variety, comedy and touching beautiful moments of chorale music, then there’s this zany hilarious interaction,” Barker says.
The night will end with “New Years Carol” by Ola Gjeilo. Caulkins says the central message is that we remember all the great feelings we get around the holidays and pay those feelings forward all year long.
“When you get all of this talent together and you’re making great music, it really tells what Christmas is all about,” Barker says. “The joy of being around people you care about, the people you love and want to have a good time with.”
The Dec. 11 performance will be held at 8 p.m. at The Palladium in St. Petersburg. The Dec. 13 performance will be held at 4 p.m. at the Hillsborough Community College Mainstage Theater.
Tickets are $25 for general admission and $40 for the “gold ticket,” which includes a complimentary beverage, early theater entry, and VIP seating. Students with a valid ID can receive $5 general admission tickets on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets are available here. For more information about the performance or Una Voce, please visit una-voce.org.
