A Nice Family Christmas
Review by Melanie Nelson

A Nice Family Christmas is making its Twin Cities premiere on stage at St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner Theatre located at the Hudson House Grand Hotel in Hudson, WI.

The play opens in the Minnesota apartment of a mother on Christmas Eve expecting her three grown children for a traditional Christmas dinner of lutefisk. Mom, played by St. Croix Off Broadway veteran Lindsey Dumire, is as Minnesotan as they get. All of the kids are surprised to learn their blunt, opinionated, and bad-mouthed grandma has come up from Florida for the holidays. While Grandma, played by local talent Emily Lyon-Hansen, is the start of the dysfunction, each family member brings an interesting personal dilemma to the evening. Mom issues a challenge to the family; namely, that the person who does the nicest thing for someone they care about this evening will win a prize.

The comedy steps up when crazy, drunk Uncle Bob, played on point by St. Croix Off Broadway veteran Scott Carson, unexpectedly appears. Bob gets the whole family in a tailspin when he drops an incredible, unexpected bombshell halfway through the show. Meeting this dysfunctional family before your family holiday gatherings will no doubt give you a new sense of appreciation for your own families.

The grown kids that round out the cast are all fresh, fun, new faces to audiences at St. Croix Off Broadway: James Lane, Austin Lewis, Nicole Korbisch, and Abby Day. A Nice Family Christmas is written by Phil Olson, author of all the Don’t Hug Me musical comedies circulating theatres nationwide.

What’s for dinner? You get your choice of Filet of Beef, Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast, Apple Marinated Pork Chop, Baked Filet of Salmon, or Roasted Butternut Squash Tortellacci. No matter what you order, make sure to save room for dessert!

The comedy runs Fridays and Saturday evenings (Thursday December 22 and Friday December 23 Christmas week) through January 7 with a couple matinees and a special New Year’s Eve dinner show and dance package. There is a Meet the Playwright event December 30 after the show. The regular show price of $62 includes dinner with nonalcoholic beverage, show, tip, and tax/handling fee with a Stay & Play package for $189.95/couple. Make your reservations by calling 715-386-2394 ext. 333 or order online at www.stcroixoffbroadway.com.