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Entertainment

Holidays at The Cumming Playhouse

Friday, December 04, 2009 The Cumming Playhouse

If you haven't quite found your holiday Spirit, consider taking in a show at The Cumming Playhouse. The December lineup is full of holiday cheer!

Sanders Family Christmas
Running December 1 - 13, 2009

The Sanders Family clan is back just in time for the holidays with a nostalgic evening of bluegrass music and yuletide cheer. In Sanders Family Christmas (the sequel to the ever-popular Smoke on the Mountain) the Sanders family returns to Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. It's Christmas Eve 1941 and Reverend Mervin Oglethorpe has invited them to sing and getting the congregation into the down home holiday spirit before the witness, boys, including one of the Sanders' own, are shipped off to World War II. More than two dozen Christmas carols, many of them vintage hymns, and hilarious yuletide stories from the Sanders family keep the audience laughing, clapping, and singing along.

Richly entertaining, this infections musical brings cheer to audiences eager to see how their friends from Smoke on the Mountain have been getting along. As the family celebrates the season and welcomes the Savior, Mervin plans a surprise of his own!

Sanders Family Christmas is a Playright Production Company Presentation.

Christmas Through the Ages
Running December 15 - 16, 2009

What's a beautiful, brand new playhouse without a festive, musical Christmas show? The City of Cumming had that very thought as they prepared the Playhouse for its first Christmas in 2004. It was decided to enlist the services of Mrs. Emory (Jeanie) Lipscomb, a long-time resident of Cumming and a wonderful vocal soloist. The City knew that Jeanie would pour all of her energy and considerable musical talent into the production of a glorious holiday show! Jeanie invited a local choral director, organist and piano teacher, Marianna Carroll, to be the co-director of the musical event. And Voila! The premier annual Christmas show at the Cumming Playhouse was born!

classics In this sixth year anniversary production, they have added a third co-director, Gloria Szokoly, a retired Forsyth County public school teacher. They are so proud to have assistance from Gloria, who is well known for her singing and acting skills in the North Georgia area. In fact, the Metropolitan Theater Association, composed of eight area acting companies, presented the Best Actress award to Gloria recently for her riveting performance in a drama presented at the Holly Theater in Dahlonega.

The purposes of the show is to provide live Christmas music to the audiences and also to create a venue for local musicians to share their talent and spread good cheer among the townfolk and visitors. Audience members, young and old, will be delighted by the wide array of musical selections. The cast includes talented adults, teenagers, and children whose prodigious talents will amaze you and make you smile!

The name of the show has evolved over the years from A Classical Christmas to Christmas Classics. The theme of this year's offering is Christmas Through the Ages. The music ranges from the most glorious classical compositions to the greatly beloved yuletide carols and the most jazzy, jingling contemporary tunes! The time period encompasses the medieval period right down through today's Christmas music heard on the radio during the holiday season. Instrumental solos, such as classical guitar, are woven in among vocal solos and ensembles, piano solos, ballet dancers, and also occasional dramatic skits! There are even tributes to The Nutcracker and to mean old Mr. Scrooge and adorable little Tiny Tim!

So come one and all to immerse yourself in the spirit of Christmas! Be sure to bring family members and friends of all ages! We have gone to great lengths to design a show that will appeal to the whole family and to all ages. We guarantee that you will exit the auditorium tapping your toes and humming the music as you smile and greet your neighbors and congratulate the cast!

Christmas Through the Ages is a LCS Production.

Noteworthy Show Band of the South
Running December 17, 2009

Director, Bob Russell, along with 12 other highly accomplished musicians, featuring vocalists Kathy Russell and Gabe Russo will make this an evening you won’t want to miss! A wonderful outing for a mid-December holiday occasion, the show features Big Band, Show Tunes, and Jazz.

Noteworthy Show Band of the South is directed by Bob Russell.

Christmas Around the World
Running December 19, 2009

Christmas Around the World explores the various traditions that fall during the Christmas season observed in America. A Father and Daughter enjoy the thrill and excitement each country brings as it come to life before their eyes in music and dance. The program is designed to showcase the wide variety of local talent which depicts a worldly influence while being both entertaining and informative.

Christmas Around the World is created and directed by Heavenly Expressions and is a multi-cultural holiday presentation.

Home for the Holidays
Running December 22, 2009

Enjoy the sounds of the holidays.

Home for the Holidays is performed by The Cumming Playhouse Singers.

Russo and Noe
Running December 31, 2009

The holidays aren't complete without a New Year's Eve concert to ring in the New Year!

russo-noe Russo and Noe are professional entertainers, not an impersonation act. Although comparisons are often made to the Rat Pack days of Las Vegas, they are based out of Atlanta, but perform all across the Southeast.

Performing in tuxedos with the trademark Manhattan glass in hand, they really do take an audience back to those days. Just close your eyes and you could be at the Sands Hotel in 1962. They are easy and relaxed on stage, slightly ribald with their humor, and possess excellent voices remarkably suited to the swinging, big band era.

Russo and Noe is a musical stage performance of the Rat Pack.

For more information about The Cumming Playhouse or to purchase tickets online, visit www.playhousecumming.com.

First Annual Poker Run

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 Linda Allen

Don't miss out on this fall fundraising benefit for Bald Ridge Lodge. On November 7, 2009, motorcycle enthusiasts will rev their motors in anticipation of the start of the First Annual Poker Run Fundraiser event. The Poker Run will take riders on a 90+ mile adventure up Georgia 400, around Lake Lanier through Gainesville and Buford and then back to Cumming. The game goes like this...

Riders select playing cards at random at each designated stop along the route. Each participant is responsible to maintain the integrity of their hand during the run. Their hands are marked on a playing ticket, rather than distributing actual cards to the riders. The ride is not timed and the only requirement is that riders arrive at the final checkpoint by the time prizes are awarded. Winning is purely a matter of chance based on the cards they pick. At the final checkpoint the cards are reviewed and the rider with the best hand wins. In the case of this fun-filled event, the winner will be awarded $150.00!

The Fall Poker Run Fundraiser will start in the parking lot across from Goodson Drugs in downtown Cumming at the corner of W. Maple Street and Castleberry Road. Registration / Sign-in will run from 9:00 - 10:30 am. The final checkpoint and End of Ride Festivities is being held at CooCoo's Nest, located at the corner of Pilgrim Mill Road and Freedom Parkway.

You don't have to be a motorcycle enthusiast or rider to participate at the End of Ride Festivities. Come one, come all - is the motto of this fundraiser. The party starts at 1:00 pm at CooCoo's Nest and has free admission where the winner of the ride will be announced, door prizes will be given away and a 50/50 raffle will take place.

About Bald Ridge Lodge:
Bald Ridge Lodge, Inc., is a non-profit Stabilization and Assessment Center for boys, located in Forsyth County. Their purpose is to serve boys ages 12 - 17 who are in the custody of the Department of Family and Children Services or referred by the local Juvenile Court.

Through partnership with referring agencies, as well as families, Bald Ridge Lodge focuses on family reunification and restoration. While at the Lodge, boys receive counseling, mentoring, community support, and engage in positive activities.

Having opened their doors in August, 2008, Bald Ridge Lodge is dependent on funding by the State and local community. As State funding budgets keep getting cut, the importance of local funding is more important than ever before.

To learn more about Bald Ridge Lodge and how you can help make a difference, visit www.baldridgelodge.org.

Click here to visit the event web site for more details and to register.

GET INVOLVED! Help support Bald Ridge Lodge and the boys it serves today!

Forever Plaid

Thursday, April 30, 2009 By Renee Davis

Cumming Playhouse suits up for its newest production

PlayRight Productions, the same talented company that produces Cumming Playhouse staples Smoke on the Mountain, Cotton Patch Gospel, and Sanders Family Christmas bring the story of The Plaids to life. Forever Plaid is chock-full of 1950’s and 1960’s music. Think of the musical stylings of The Four Aces, The Four Lads, or The Crew Cuts. You’ll love their renditions of “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” “No Not Much,” and “Sh-Boom” to name a few. PlayRight Productions and director Craig A. Meyer are pleased to present Forever Plaid, opening May 21 and running through June 28.