In Milwaukee theatrical comedy, Doug Jarecki is a name like Patrick Schmitz or Matt Kemple. His name, when associated with just about any comedy, can pretty much guarantee a good show regardless of what it is. He’s a very reliably funny guy lending a very reliably enjoyable element to just about any production. Next month, Jarecki presents an original holiday show he wrote as an indie production at the Next Act Theatre space.
’Twas the Month Before Christmas sounds like a fun premise. The traditional bit of folklore has Jesus being born to Joseph and Mary a little over 2000 years ago amidst farm animals. The night of the baby’s birth is pretty well entrenched in everyone’s mind thanks to countless artistic renderings, lawn displays and theatrical treatments. Presumably, though, Mary was gestating Jesus for roughly 40 weeks. (Unless the divine fetus matured a bit more quickly than normal, which I suppose is possible. Given the nature of the conception, I think modern medical science may have considered it a “high risk” pregnancy. Maybe the little guy was born premature. We just don’t know.) In any case, what we DO know is that there would have been a lot of concern leading-up to the birth. Jarecki envisions the lives of Joseph and Mary the month before the birth of a kid who was destined to be kind of important. Fun, right?
Also likely to be fun is the cast, which includes John Cramer, Lindsey Gagliano, Doug Jarecki, Mitch Wiendorf and Sara Zientek.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
’Twas the Month Before Christmas runs Dec. 11 - 20 at the Next Act Theatre space on 255 S. Water St. For ticket reservations, visit Next Act online.
