You remember The Grinch, the bitter, grouchy, cave-dwelling creature who hates Christmas and whose heart is "two sizes too small". Come see our version with all of your favorite performers in this delightfully twisted take on the well known tale. At the Shea Theatre, December 6 and 7 at 7:30 both nights.
This is a family friendly drag show with a few jokes tucked in for adults, an entertainment filled with song, dance and story enjoyable for both children and adults.
Broadway makeup designer, and Emmy nominee, Joe Dulude had this to say about the show that is based upon the favorite Seussian tale about the Grinch, “We all know the tale of how a Grinch with bad intentions tried to steal Christmas from a town and how the town showed him that the holiday wasn’t about the material things but about spending time with each other. In our version the Grinch has very good intentions, however misguided. He is sad to spend the holidays alone and takes Karl so that he can have someone to spend the holidays with. He already has a big heart, he just needs to be shown that he is parter of a much larger family.”
As Katherine Adler pointed out, “There’s so much to learn from the traditional holiday format from the 30s and 40s. What we do with Mr. Drag and Karl is to distill the essence of the human spirit from those forms to create a modern interpretation that holds onto that earnestness and celebration of life in all it’s facets, eccentricity, sentimentality and nostalgia. We embrace the tears and the smiles with song, story and dance. The thing about my character, Karl is that he and other characters give voice and visibility to facets of ourselves that are often kept hidden and that we are a bit nervous to share. Karl has a sweet vulnerability and awkwardness that is totally endearing.”
When asked where the idea to do a drag show came from, Joe replied, “Mr Drag and Karl started as an idea that both Kat and I had when hosting our first Holiday Spectacular. We wanted to play off of famous entertainment duos like Laurel and Hardy, Penn and Teller, Burns and Allen. I am also inspired by old vaudeville - that form of entertainment of taking the stage in a town and entertaining the masses. Taking from Penn and Teller, we decided that Karl would be the quiet one and that Mr Drag would be the showy one. Over time the characters have grown deeper and we have discovered a whole history to them that we couldn’t have imagined when we first started. Mr Drag is not just an over the top performer who thinks he is the best in the world. He has a heart and truly loves Karl and could not live without him - something we explore in Mr Drag and How the Grinch Stole Karl. And Karl, often soft spoken, has grown to show these amazing beautiful emotional parts of himself. He expresses himself in dance and through a myriad of facial expressions paying homage to such incredible performers as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. He speaks loudly without speaking at all.
With Mr Drag and Karl, I want to firstly bring a form of positive entertainment. Movies, shows, music have always been an escape for people. Seeing and hearing these allows people a chance to enter a fantasy world for a little while, forget about what is happening outside and allow themselves a moment to embrace the joy that life could be. With all of our shows, we strive to entertain the audience and make them smile. But we also want to be able to inject a bit of reality into our shows. Mr Drag’s stories are not just about making jokes and telling ridiculous fables but they also educate about history and present social and political views. I want people to walk away with a smile on their face but with a question or thought in their mind.”
Featuring many local performers from Eggtooth Unstaged including Lindel Hart from Greenfield, Myka Plunkett from Northampton, Maureen McElligott from Northampton, Linda Tardif from Northampton, Jack Golden from Leyden, Monte, Enzo, and Atticus Belmonte from Turners Falls, Caitlin and Thomas Von Schmitt from Greenfield, Marina Goldman from Montague, Jane Williams from New Salem, Izzy Heltai from Northampton, Chris Rose from Northampton, Thatcher and Rebecca Beauregard, Reynolds Whalen, Tim Fisk, Katherine Adler and Joe Dulude II, all from Greenfield.
Cloudgaze and Eggtooth Productions are thrilled to announce that we have received a generous grant from the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice to support our 2024 Immersive Arts Festival, “A Happening IV: Leviathan.”
This festival will transform the Shea Theater into an exploration of theme, hosting installations, music, theatrical performances, and movement pieces, featuring the collective contributions of over 30 local artists. Audiences will experience otherworldly environments and narratives inspired by folklore, fairy tales, horror motifs, American literature, and the mythos of the Old Testament, all of which delve into the central question guiding the festival: "What does it mean to encounter something greater than yourself and to be consumed by it?" Through this theme, we explore how a community reemerges and imagines itself after destruction and transformation.
With the support of the Markham-Nathan Fund, we are excited to create an event that complicates perspectives and fosters meaningful dialogue. We are grateful for this partnership and for the work of the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice.
Thanks to the Mass Cultural Council for their vital support this year.We'd also like to thank the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts for their support in the form of a Flexible Funding grant. We couldn't do this work without you!
