As December draws near, holiday shows and events are becoming necessities. At Kean University, Kean Stage is preparing for the holidays with four shows: The Klezmatics, A Very Electric Holiday, Darlene Love: Love for the Holidays and A Christmas Story (film). Each of these events will be taking place between December 8-15.
Kean Stage provides Kean University, as well as the surrounding Union area, with shows and theater performances year-round. During December, they lean towards holiday themed shows, and this year they have four events that audiences can choose from to get into the holiday spirit.
On Dec. 8, The Klezmatics will be starting off the holiday season with a show at Enlow Recital Hall. Mary Ann Bourbeau, Kean Stage's Marketing Assistant, explained that The Klezmatics are an American music group who play Klezmer music, which is old-fashioned, Eastern European Jewish music.
"It's just in time for Hanukkah, which begins on Dec. 22 this year," said Bourbeau.
For more information about The Klezmatics, visit their site.
After The Klezmatics make their appearance, the holiday events will continue with the stage show A Very Electric Holiday on Friday, Dec. 13. A Very Electric Holiday tells the story of a young bird named Max, who is blown off course while traveling south for the winter with his family. He ends up in the North Pole, and encounters all sorts of interesting things while trying to make his way home.
Bourbeau described that it is "a cool show that's done in the dark, with dancers, dressed in black, wearing neon lights that they turn into characters."
For more about A Very Electric Holiday, check out the show's site.
On Saturday, Dec. 14, Darlene Love will be making an appearance at Wilkins Theater to perform Darlene Love: Love for the Holidays. Love will be singing holiday-themed songs like "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," as well as her own hits, such as "He’s a Rebel" and "Today I Met the Boy I’m Gonna Marry."
Bourbeau provided some background information on Darlene Love, for those who may not know her history.
"She [Darlene Love] has been performing since the 1950s and had a resurgence in recent years thanks to supporters like Steve Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen. She was also the subject of an Academy Award-winning documentary a few years ago called 'Twenty Feet from Stardom.'" Bourbeau continued, "She performed on producer Phil Spector's 1963 Christmas album singing the popular 'A Marshmallow World,' as well as 'Christmas, Baby Please Come Home,' which she performed every December on Late Night with David Letterman for 27 years. Those songs are still among the most popular Christmas songs today. "
For more on Darlene Love: Love for the Holidays, see her website.
Finally, on Dec. 15, in the North Avenue Academic Buildding (NAAB), A Christmas Story (film) will be shown to end the holiday events. A Christmas Story is a film about a young boy named Ralphie, in early 1940s Cleveland, who wishes for a "Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun" for Christmas. It is based on a story by Jean Shepherd. Bourbeau explained why this film was chosen to end out Kean Stages holiday events.
"Kean Stage hosts a family film series every year, and we always pick a different film each Christmas. We thought this film would appeal to both children and adults," said Bourbeau.
For more information on Kean Stage or any upcoming shows they will be hosting, visit their website. Students and staff of Kean University should also be aware that Kean Stage offers "Cougar Seats" a few days before shows, so they should check the Kean Stage website or sign up for email alerts to be notified about when they go on sale.
