‘Take Two for Christmas’: A Review

“Take Two for Christmas” by nimbus theatre is at Crane Theater until December 22. This seasonal story explores the clashing (and cohesion) of “West Coast elites” and the rural folk of Comet Lake, Wisc. When the filming of Christmas movie “The Fast and the Festivus: Glacial Drift” is relocated from a soundstage in Los Angeles to an actual winter wonderland, people from vastly different worlds must learn to get along with each other — and are surprised to learn how much they have in common.

“Take Two for Christmas” is the third play in nimbus theatre’s trilogy of holiday movie spoofs, so audiences should expect a lot of loving jabs at the holiday movie genre. Yes, the story takes place in an adorable small town. Yes, everyone who lives there is a little quirky. Yes, Christmas Day is the deadline for several impending projects. Yes, there is a love story (two, actually!), and one of them is queer.

I had the pleasure of attending opening night, and although there were palpable opening night jitters among the cast, I’m confident that those will be ironed out in future performances. This is a solid cast of local actors. Highlights for me were Jane Hamill, who was as severe as she was warm, Emmanuel L. Woods, who was hilarious and adept at shifting through the several characters he played, and Drew Pannebecker, whose interpretation of a bashful Hollywood star was consistently awwww-inducing.

The play is sweet, funny and nice to look at. I especially enjoyed the work of the costume designing team Rubble&Ash in the red-carpet scene. The pieces they put together were glamorous and seasonal. Hammil’s sparkly black pantsuit was stunning and items like Pannebecker’s red shoes and Derek Dirlam’s poinsettia tie clip were perfect finishing touches.

Ursula K Bowden’s set design is rigorous in the best way. A small bar, aptly named “The Slippery Slope,” is nestled into one corner of the stage. It is stocked with at least a dozen actual bottles, features a hand-chalked “Specials” board, and has holiday decorations on both the bar and table. A bookstore called “The Papercut” is in the other stage corner. The front desk is dwarfed by a huge wreath, a rolling bookshelf and a rack of magazines complete the look. The magazines, of course, are custom designed (I believe by Jenny Moeller) to feature the leading man from “The Fast and the Festivus.” The overall feeling is not unlike walking onto the set of the Gilmore Girls, Christmas Edition.

There are plenty of great seasonal offerings in the Twin Cities this year, and this production is no exception. If you want something a little gay, a little classic and a lot of Christmas, you cannot go wrong with “Take Two for Christmas.” Writer and Director Liz Neerland created something special in this fun holiday program. I recommend “Take Two for Christmas” for people who like Christmas movies, genre mixing and cozy local productions.

You still have until the end of December to see “Take Two for Christmas” at Crane Theater. Tickets are priced on a sliding scale from $5-$50 and are available on their website, listed below.