BATH — The Chocolate Church Arts Center will present a jam-packed schedule of holiday-themed performances through November and December. The lineup will feature everything from a live Motown concert, to guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola, a fun family theater show featuring fairy tale characters and a fiery Celtic show with fiddler extraordinaire Eileen Ivers.
A stage adaptation of humorist David Sedaris’ popular “Santaland Diaries” will kick off the holiday season, with an opening show on Friday, Nov. 29. The hilarious show, which tells stories from Sedaris’ time spent reluctantly working as an elf at a Macy’s department store in New York, stars Zachariah Stearn and is directed by Daniel Burson, both of Portland. “Santaland Diaries” will run Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, and Dec. 5 to 8 in the annex at the Chocolate Church.
For those looking to dance, on Saturday, Nov. 30, Pat Colwell and the Soul Sensations will return to the Chocolate Church with “A Motown Christmas.” This live, old-school R&B revue, complete with female backup singers and a full horn section, will feature fun, soulful takes on Christmas tunes, as well as classic hits from the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and the Supremes.
Guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola will perform Friday, Dec. 6, joined by fellow guitar great Vinny Raniolo, acclaimed bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and accomplished jazz singer, Audra Mariel. Vignola, who has played with legendary musicians like Ringo Starr, Madonna and Tommy Emmanuel, will play a show featuring holiday tunes, as well as an eclectic mix of guitar music from Beethoven, to Frank Zappa, to Paul Simon.
Opening Thursday, Dec. 12, and running through Sunday, Dec. 15, the Chocolate Church Arts Center will present a holiday play, “A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol.” Directed by Michael Millett of Topsham, the family-friendly show tells the classic Dickens tale, but with each role taken on by a fairy tale character. Featuring the big bad wolf as Scrooge, King Midas as Jacob Marley, and with appearances by Mother Goose, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, the show will delight children and adults.
Maine’s Don Campbell Band will play a Christmas-themed show on Saturday, Dec. 21. Campbell, who was recognized for six consecutive years as the Maine Sunday Telegram’s favorite Maine songwriter, will perform a mix of holiday classics and original songs, inspired by his home state and featuring his silky, tender voice.
Dec. 22 will bring a dazzling performance from fiddler Eileen Ivers, dubbed “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin” by the New York Times. Ivers, who has established herself as the pre-eminent player of the Irish fiddle in the world today, will perform a holiday-themed show with an ensemble of phenomenal musicians.
The season will come to a close with “Sing! It’s Christmas,” a beloved community sing-along that has taken place at the venue for decades. The event is free to the public and features local singers and dancers, as well as an appearance by Santa Claus himself.
Tickets for all events are available for purchase at www.chocolatechurcharts.org, or by calling the box office at 207- 442-8455.
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Guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola will perform on Dec. 6. Submitted photo by Lynn Redmile
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Fiddler Eileen Ivers will perform a holiday-themed show with an ensemble of phenomenal musicians on Dec. 22. Submitted photo
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