By Mary Boyle

John Cramer, the Managing Artistic Director of the Waukesha Civic Theatre, is admittedly a holiday nut.  His family, he says, goes "more than a little crazy" when it comes to celebrating the holidays, from their Santa collection, to their elf collection, to decorating six different Christmas trees in their home.  It's his family's love of the holidays that inspired the show Candy Cane Tales and Holiday Carols at Waukesha Civic Theatre.

"The show started out in 2005 as a musical revue performed at the Waukesha State Bank holiday party by me and my wife Kelli, and accompanied by Abby Lorenz," Cramer explained on the WCT blog.  "I put the show together featuring our favorite music and stories, with a little bit of history thrown in, and entertained the WSB employees for an hour."

Cramer realized he had the makings of a holiday show that could offer something different than the traditional holiday fare that filled area theaters each season and, in 2009, Candy Cane Tales began its holiday tradition; a tradition that spanned seven straight seasons, changing a bit every year.  After a two year hiatus, the show returns to WCT, directed by both Cramer and Kelly Goeller, with music direction by Josh Parman-Thao, and featuring a massive cast of talented area residents, several of whom are related to each other.

The show is one-part play, which follows the Bickford family:  Bill (Mike Owens) and Judy (Jen Hull Anderson), and their four children, Louisa (Cecilia Fleischer), Augie (Tristan Harris), Stella (Emily McCaskey), and Daisy (Violette Anderson).  Their story is one any modern family can relate to — the struggle to maintain family traditions between busy schedules and growing children.  Louisa wants to spend time with her first boyfriend, Derek (Aidan Thiele), Augie would rather spend time in his room, and even the two youngest and Judy seem to always have something to do that foils Bill's plan for the perfect family holiday evening.  The play is interspersed with carols, song and dance numbers, and scenes from popular holiday television classics, such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

The Waukesha Civic Theatre is, first and foremost, a community theatre, and a well-loved one, at that, which is why it is an especially nice place to visit around the holidays.  This show is fun and family-friendly, and it does an amazing job of sampling almost every aspect of the holidays that people love.  The cast, itself, is full of family — parents and children, as well as siblings — that add to the community feel of the production.  All in all, Candy Cane Tales is just like a candy cane: sweet and reminiscent of the season.

Candy Cane Tales and Holiday Carols runs through December 16th at the Waukesha Civic Theatre, located at 264 W. Main Street in historic downtown Waukesha. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at 262.547.0708, by email at [email protected], or online at ​http://www.waukeshacivictheatre.org/.

About WCT
The Waukesha Civic Theatre, Inc. is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to provide quality live theatre performances and educational opportunities that will enrich, challenge and entertain both participants and audience members.  In July of 2006, the Waukesha Civic Theatre began its 50th season. With that historic season, WCT joined an elite group: according to the American Association of Community Theatres, of the roughly 7,000 community theatres in the United States, only about 100 can claim 50 years of continuous operation. It has undergone many positive changes from its beginnings in 1957 with productions at Waukesha High School. In 1999, WCT moved from a former church to a beautiful new facility in the heart of historic downtown Waukesha. The building, a former historic PIX movie house, was donated to WCT by Bryce Styza, a prominent local developer who saw the power that the theatre could exert in revitalizing downtown. Since the theatre opened in 1957 to the start of its 51st season in September of 2007, over 10,000 people have volunteered and 200,000 audience members have been entertained.

 

By Mary Boyle

As a child of the 70's and 80's, it's difficult for me to warm up to any version of Dr. Suess's classic story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, that isn't the 1966 animated Christmas special narrated by Boris Karloff.  I did not care for the 2000 live-action film starring Jim Carrey, and while I've yet to see the digitally-animated version that just hit the theaters, narrated by Pharrell Williams, I will be going into it with a massive amount of skepticism.  Live theatre, though, is an entirely different scenario.  Like listening to live music as opposed to the radio, being able to see this holiday classic on the stage is a rare treat, and the Broadway at the Marcus Center series makes it possible, with Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  The Musical from November 20-25. 

With music by Mel Marvin and book and lyrics By Timothy Mason, Grinch! The Musical made its Broadway debut in 2006, topping Broadway Box Office grosses.  While the Broadway show utilizes some of the songs from the original animated feature, as well as some of the original text from the book, there are 8 new songs that help to emphasize the differing holiday experience for both the Grinch and the citizens of Whoville.   Unlike the book, this story is narrated by Old Max, the Grinch's dog, as he reflects back on this most memorable Christmas, and there is more focus on Cindy Lou Who's immediate family than in the original tale, as well.

Philip Huffman plays the Grinch, himself, and dedicates his performance to the memory of Stefán  Karl, an Icelandic actor who played the iconic role for 7 seasons before succumbing to cancer this past August.  Huffman is a sassy Grinch, who has just enough off behavior to appeal to grown ups and also your average 5-7 year old.  Young Max is played by Jared Starkey, and the relationship between him and the Grinch is far more complex, and a little bit more unhealthy, than in the original tale.  W. Scott Stewart, who plays Old Max, has a voice that is reminiscent of Boris Karloff's, which really ties the production into the classic that most parents in the audience will remember.  Then, of course, there's little Cindy Lou Who, is double cast and played by either Fiona Quinn or Lily Tamburo.  Keep an eye out for Grandpa Who, Michael L. Parks, who is good fun.

The Grinch is an excellent holiday show for the whole family in that it is geared to be fun for the grown ups in the audience; however, because of that, I wouldn't recommend it for children under 5, both because of content and because it is a long production with no intermission.  That being said, for families with children 5 and older, this is a fun holiday romp and a great way to introduce kids to a Broadway production with a story that is already familiar to them.  More importantly, Dr. Suess' touching reminder that Christmas doesn't come from a store is as needed as ever, and working to understand and include people — even the grumpy people who almost ruined the holiday — is a message we all need to hear right now.

Dr. Suess's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical runs through November 25th at the Marcus Center's Uihlein Hall, located at 929 North Water Street in downtown Milwaukee.  There is no performance on Thanksgiving.  Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (414) 273-7206 or online at www.marcuscenter.org/show/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas/

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The 2018/19 Broadway at the Marcus Center series has an exciting lineup!  Join them for The Book of Mormon, Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom of the Opera, The King and I, Come From Away, and Anastasia.

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By Mary Boyle

Over thirty years ago, Cedarburg resident Susie Morter started a business at her kitchen table making hand-made lampshades.  Shady Lady Lighting became an industry leader, as well as a family business, when Susie's husband, Guy, added lamps and lighting to the product line.  Their farmhouse workshop evolved to a much larger facility in Grafton, and the Morter's son, Andy, joined the business and brought in outdoor lighting.  Then, in 2011, when Andy was lured away to Vermont to be a designer for Hubbardton Forge, one of the country's oldest and largest commercial forges and a leader in lighting design, the family decided that Shady Lady Lighting would close their doors.  The lighting business may have stopped, but Susie's need to design did not and, once again, she set to work at her kitchen table — this time, with her sister, Sheere Pollitt — and that's when Shady Lady Floral was born.

The sisters tested out their unique, hand-made floral creations last holiday season, selling a variety of fresh wreaths from Susie's porch, and they knew they were on to something, but the window for fresh is limited, and they wanted to do something bigger.  Using artificial greenery and unique items, such as vintage bike tires, tobacco baskets, whiskey barrel rings, and even outlandish footwear, the sisters make long-lasting creations that work for both home and commercial uses, such as restaurants and bridal events, and they can even do custom orders using family heirlooms that seem to have no practical purpose, such as a silver tea pot or great grandfather's bronze baby shoes.

"Thirty years later, and here I am, starting all over again at my kitchen table," Susie laughed.  "We're having so much fun!"

Shady Lady Floral will kick off their opening with another Christmas on the Porch at Susie's Cedarburg home, happening the first and second weekends in December, as well as an event called Christmas at the Church, which is happening at Susie's daughter Molly's home, that was formerly a church, in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago on November 23rd and 24th.  These events will feature fresh Christmas wreaths, as well as their other creations.

Learn more about Shady Lady Floral at their website, www.shadyladyfloral.com/, or visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/shadyladyfloral/.

Small Business Saturday has been giving Black Friday a greater run for its money each year since 2010, when it was conceived by American Express.  Supporting local businesses helps to keep main street communities, like those Ozaukee is made of, vibrant and unique.  We are so lucky to have so many independent businesses to choose from when it comes to holiday shopping in Oz, and we'd like to highlight some of our favorites!

Port Washington

Lakeside Music & Naturals  This interesting little shop — one part music store, one part natural children's boutique — began as Creekside Music in Cedarburg, then Grafton, and now has found itself in downtown Port Washington, hence "Lakeside."  Inside, you will find everything a musician might need, from reeds to microphones to ukeleles, along with cloth diapers and wooden toys.  Aaron Rossmiller and Kat Chronis, along with their soon to be two children, run this delightful and eclectic shop.  Kat is heavily involved in the Ozaukee Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network, and will offer Music Together classes for young children beginning in January.

Pear & Simple  This delightful little gift shop has a wonderful collection of personalized gift options, Port Washington-themed items, and a great selection of ornaments for all tastes.  Head over to their sister store across the street, Coca Lena, for some holiday candy.

Cedarburg

​Cedarburg Toy Co.  This delightful little independent toy store in the heart of Cedarburg has been a hit with the community and visitors, alike, for years.  Find American-made toys, games, puzzles, and more, for all ages, and get them wrapped, to boot!



​Weeds and Lillies  Focusing on Fair Trade and Locally-Made goods, Weeds is the place for homegoods, while Lillies is where to go for clothing and jewelry, as well as an excellent children's section.  You can cover just about anybody on your shopping list within these two stores!

Grafton


The Arts Mill  Located on the Milwaukee River, The Arts Mill is an amazing and unique collection of goods by local artists that you won't find anyplace else.  If you miss them for Small Business Saturday, be sure to join them for their Holiday Open House on November 29th.

Saukville

Riveredge Nature Center  The gift shop in Riveredge Nature Center is full of wonderful things for all ages, including Riveredge's own maple syrup, and what could be better for the nature lover in your life than a Riveredge membership?

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Thiensville

Glaze Pottery  Glaze makes it easy to make your own Christmas gifts.  Located in historic Thiensville, WI. Glaze is a hands-on art studio offering various types of art medium including pottery, glass fusing, raw clay, wine glass painting, silver clay & acrylic painting. Walk in or schedule a group outing for the whole family!

​Where to get your Christmas Tree in Oz
Speaking of shopping small, why not get your Christmas tree from one of the many wonderful farms and small businesses throughout Oz?  Here's a great selection to choose from!

Useldings Christmas Trees on Western Rd. in Cedarburg, just west of Washngton Ave.

Stumpf Tree Farm in Cedarburg (cut your own)

Noffke Tree Farm in Mequon (cut your own)

Trees for Less Nursery in Mequon and Grafton (cut your own)
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Gene Fransee & Sons Nursery in Port Washington

First Congregational Church in Port Washington

​Buechler Farms in Belgium

Greenview Tree Farm in Random Lake (cut your own)  
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