"Suburban Holidays 14" at Quannapowitt Players Creates Holiday Joy

Always include everyone, no matter the holiday.

Quannapowitt Players returns with its traditional holiday show, “Suburban Holidays Fourteen,” featuring six different plays in their debut to audiences. Some holidays highlighted in the plays are Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day.

Laughter, Christmas carols, and a holiday extravaganza filled the auditorium. After seeing these shows for the first time last year, I like how Quannapowitt Players spotlights different holidays. When the show ended, I left feeling happy from the sentimental message. No matter the holiday, always include everyone, not just on Christmas.

Before the plays began, Quannapowitt Players brought back a caroling tradition they hadn’t had in years. Cast members sang lively Christmas tunes, and audience members joined in. This got everyone into the festive spirit.

“Zombie Improv” arose from the floorboards and started the plays. A Halloween improv class uses a graveyard as its setting. Angela Courtney Rossi plays Evie, the dramatic acting teacher, who has her students (Mark Rolli and Nathan Prospect) portray terrifying zombies.

Alex Neville and Amanda Bruce add their knowledge of zombie antics. Director Lisa Burdick emphasized writer Leslie Corn’s fun appeal of the play.

Ken Preuss’s “A.V.A” was one of my favorites. On Valentine’s Day, Ana (Marygrace Pier-Daley) laments to Ella (Jaime Hennessey) about how lonely she feels after her breakup with Ava (Faith Sporbert), as the waitress (Molly Weinberg) flirts with Ella.

Did you ever realize that you only use words that have your ex’s name in them? The audience laughed at the absurd words used in dialogue. Nick Gould does a fantastic job in his direction, highlighting the play’s witty nature. Preuss’s play is also LGBTQ-positive, reflecting the universal acclaim of love.

Before intermission came, Blythe (Kris Reynolds) plays the reindeer between crushes Mitzy (Chris Vander Rhodes) and Ross (Andrew Quinney) in Laurie Allen’s play “Christmas Crush.” Donna Corbett had fun in her direction, having Reynolds race back and forth, even with just one-word replies.

Allen’s play is a telltale study that you need to speak to your crush. It may be a daunting task, but it’s worth telling someone how you feel.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of shopping malls during the holiday season? Robin Abrahams and Sara Dion’s “A Mall and the Night Visitors” takes an unexpected route. Santa and his elf (Bob Waters and Glenn Wakeley) help three lost wise men (Phyllis Uloth, Avonne Thomson, and Lisa Burdick) find modern versions of ancient gifts.

Through the humor, director Chris Rose elevates the biblical atmosphere of this play. Not many plays have taken this approach. It was an insightful story.

Audiences are taken back into Halloween with Eugenie Carabatsos’ “Spooky Season.” A younger couple (Jennifer Hurley and Brian Sensale) moves into an older couple’s (Shawn Maguire and Chris Vander Rhodes) home.

Director Glenn Wakeley distinguishes clever humor and subtle approaches to the story. This play has one of my favorite genres, and I won’t spoil it. The audience reaction was memorable.

The final play, “Shiver Me Timbers” by Lisa Burdick, centers on a family’s pirate-holiday tradition. Sam (Spencer O’Dowd) invites his girlfriend, Eliza (Audrey Carman), to meet his pirate-enthusiastic family (Mark Rolli, Stephanie Cotton-Snell, and Sara Dion).

Director Mary Ellen Macri focuses highly on the comical antics, but most importantly, the heartwarming moments. Nobody can replace family. Every family has their own interests, and that’s what makes them unique.

This is the final weekend of “Suburban Holidays 14” at Quannapowitt Players, ending on Sunday, Nov. 22. It’s an excellent holiday activity to invite your friends and family and watch these six different vignettes together.