Butler Little Theatre’s ‘Wonderthon’ delivers hilarious Yuletide mayhem
Imagine sitting down after a few glasses of eggnog and flipping through every saccharine holiday movie on cable, but then, suddenly, the remote is stuck, the plots are merging and the narrators are heckling the characters along the way. That’s the joyful madness of Butler Little Theatre’s new show, “The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon,” a production that turns the familiar comforts of holiday romances into a comedic avalanche of self-aware chaos.
Under the direction of Laura Crago, a spirit of joy infuses every frenetic moment onstage. Crago’s direction leans fully into screwball pacing with a dash of anarchic flair. Her staging keeps the action flowing; scenes overlap, collide and ricochet in a way that feels both frantic and controlled. The result is a show that feels joyfully unhinged but never unfocused.
The plot is intentionally beside the point. Instead, the show presents a cheerfully absurd deconstruction of familiar plot beats: the meet-cute, the conflict and the Christmas miracle. From evil city developers to royalty in disguise, from romance novelists locked in creative battles to coma-bound love interests, the script piles trope upon trope.
The ensemble cast is tremendous, and the show thrives under the energy of its players. Narrators Kyrie Lokhaiser and Sam Thinnes are the production’s engine, weaving through the audience at the top of the show before launching into a masterclass in comedic commentary. Dressed in gaudy holiday sweaters, they control the pacing, operate wolf puppets, portray golden retrievers in a subplot and even break into a dance routine. Their physical comedy and rapport with each other and the audience hold the production together.
As inn-owner Holly, Molly Miller is delightfully self-aware, often acknowledging how ridiculous her situation is. Steve Kalina chews the scenery with melodramatic gusto and a booming evil laugh as Laertes, the developer who wants to turn Holly’s Inn into a smoothie bar.
Cole Myers shines as Brett, a prince posing as a Midwestern handyman whose DIY skills are as nonexistent as his British accent is over-earnest. Alison Carey and Rik Medic play dueling romance novelists. Carey’s author, Joy, suffers writer’s block while Medic, as Paul, churns out bestsellers with ease. Carey’s monologue, describing her latest book which devolves into a bloody war epic, is one of the evening’s comedic highlights.
One of the show’s most clever additions is the puppet Bridgette, the sassy redhead best friend, brought to life by Kira Lavrich. Lavrich’s onstage puppeteering is intentionally transparent which only heightens the show’s delightful madness.
Amy Cannard establishes her character, Merry, as she sweeps into Holly’s Inn, channeling Elizabeth Taylor, and continues to build comedic momentum as she falls for Jeff Carey’s Blake, a sexy lumberjack perpetually hauling a log, as they deliver big laughs through grand physicality.
The romantic pairing of Terri Schultz as ornament-maker Noelle and Dean Weiland as Kris brings chemistry and timing to a bonkers subplot involving Kris’s reluctance to take over the role of Santa from his deceased father.
On the royal-romance front, Casey Bowser, as Sven, embraces a wildly funny Scandinavian accent as another undercover prince while wooing Heidi Nicholls Bowser’s Rita St. John, an actress insistently convinced of her own importance. Tom Carden is Jackson, an often-comatose veterinarian. Carden is uproarious as he steps out of character to complain to the narrators about his story with Carol (Emily Sutton), a love-obsessed woman strangely drawn to men in comas. Jacob Lavrich appears late in the show as the ex-boyfriend of every female character leaving the audience roaring as he quick-changes between characters.
“The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon” is both an affectionate satire and a chaotic celebration. It embraces every trope of contemporary holiday movies while pulling them apart with loving irreverence. With a tireless cast, sharp direction and a blizzard of laughs, Butler Little Theatre offers a perfect stocking-stuffer of theatrical fun. It’s a present that, when opened, will leave audiences lighter, happier, and ready to face the holidays with renewed cheer.
“The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon” runs at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5-7 and 9-13 at Butler Little Theatre with an additional 2:30 p.m. matinee on Dec. 7. Tickets can be purchased at butlerlittletheatre.com. The show runs approximately 100 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
