AN AXEMAS STORY
Christmas is Coming…
CARTWHEELS THEATRICAL
Proudly Presents the return engagement of
“This was an axceptional, exquisite, axciting, show!” - Hi! Drama
“"See it if You wanna laugh. Hilarious and jolly Christmas fun. Great production. Great acting/score. Must watch!" - Katherine Jane, Show Score Audience
AN AXEMAS STORY
Christmas is Coming…
Written by CHARLIE O’LEARY, ANTHONY DE ANGELIS, and PATRICK SPENCER
Directed by MACKENNA GOODRICH
THREE-WEEK LIMITED OFF-BROADWAY ENGAGEMENT
NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 17, 2023 AT THE PLAYERS THEATRE
OPENING NIGHT IS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 AT 7 P.M.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT OVATIONTIX.COM
CARTWHEELS THEATRICAL is pleased to announce the highly-anticipated return engagement of Charlie O’Leary’s AN AXEMAS STORY, music direction by Sara Linger, directed by Mackenna Goodrich. A holiday-themed take on 80s slasher films, AN AXEMAS STORY will play a three-week limited engagement at Off-Broadway’s The Players Theatre (115 MacDougal Street New York, NY, 10012). Performances begin Thursday, November 30 and continue through Sunday, December 17. Opening Night is Thursday, November 30 (7 p.m.). Tickets are $62-$89 and available at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1121680.
It’s Christmas time in Tree Town and all the Trees are dying to look their best. After a few classmates begin to disappear, Small Paul (the puniest tree in Tree Town) and Noel (the mayor's daughter) begin to question Tree Town’s relationship with the venerated Farmer Todd — who has been acting particularly strange as of late. Will this unlikely duo crack the case before the annual Christmas Pageant? Or will the Trees of Tree Town discover the true meaning of axemas this year… AN AXEMAS STORY is a sappy send-up of capitalism, Christmas shows, 80s tropes, and the religious right - but mostly, it's a very silly show with a lot of tree puns.
The production stars Charissa Bertels* (A Christmas Story - Broadway), Alex Canty* (Million Dollar Quartet - National Tour), RJ Christian (Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical), Cat Greenfield* (OBR That Golden Girls Show!), John Alejandro Jeffords*, Isabel Julazadeh, Lucy Rossi (Blippi the Musical - West End), Brandon Roth, Brooke Searcy, Atticus Shaindlin*, and Chris Trombetta (Berenstain Bears Live! - Off Broadway/ National Tour).
The production features scenic/props design by Lauren Barber, costume design by Stephanie Fisher, and lighting design by Jacqueline Scaletta. Stage managers are Rachel Oshrin and Violet Woundy. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
AN AXEMAS STORY plays the following regular schedule through Sunday, December 17:
Thursdays at 7 p.m.
Fridays at 7 p.m.
Saturdays at 7 p.m.
Sundays at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $62-$89 and are now available online at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1121680. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at theater ½ hour prior to the performance.
Running Time: 90 minutes (no intermission)
Website: https://www.anaxemasstory.com/
BIOGRAPHIES
CHARLIE O’LEARY (Book) is a playwright, lyricist, and librettist. He is an alumnus of the 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, the BMI Workshop, the Brooklyn Generator, Crashbox Theatre Company's Write Play Launch, the Fornés Playwriting Workshop, the Project Y Playwrights Group, and the Road Theatre Company’s Under Construction Playwrights Group. His plays and musicals have additionally been developed and presented by the Artist Co-op, CAP21, the Dare Tactic, Dartmouth College, Dixon Place, Dreamwell Theatre, the Flea Theater, the Fresh Fruit Festival, the Habitat, the Iowa New Play Festival, Jersey City Theater Center, Loading Dock Theatre, Middle Voice at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, the PIT, Pipeline Theatre Company, the Players Theatre, the Samuel French OOB Festival, Shuga Pie Supreme, the Tank, and the University of Notre Dame. His short works have been published by Methuen Drama, Smith & Kraus, and Theatre Now New York, with licensing by Music Theatre International. He has been a finalist for the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, the DVRF Playwrights Program, the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Sanguine Theatre Company's Project Playwright, the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, and the Woodward/Newman Drama Award, as well as the recipient of a New York Innovative Theatre Award and an Iowa Arts Fellowship. His song “A Date” (music by Helen Park) was a selection of the BMI Workshop Smoker; his songs have also been performed at places like 54 Below, Don’t Tell Mama, the Duplex.
ANTHONY DE ANGELIS (Music) is a composer, arranger, and pianist/conductor living in NYC. As a composer, he’s had shows produced at The Utah Fringe Festival, by FUSE Productions in State College, PA, The PIT, WSU’s musical theater incubator program, CAP 21, 54 Below, The Players Theatre, and Nazareth University. His TYA show The Prince’s New Pet will be licensed by Dramatic Publishing in the coming months. His musical, An Axemas Story will be back in NYC again this holiday season. His orchestrations and arrangements have been played by The New York Pops, The Cincinnati Pops, and The American Pops Orchestra with performances of his music featured on multiple PBS programs as well as at Lincoln Center. In addition, he’s contributed charts to Randy Rainbow’s “Hey Girl, It’s Christmas.” He’s a member of the BMI Workshop. As a pianist and conductor he’s worked on over 20 Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. He was the associate musical director of Bright Star (by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell) as well as Kid Victory and Pacific Overtures.
PATRICK SPENCER (Lyrics) is an actor/writer living in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater from the University of Arizona. A proud member of the Dramatists Guild, alumnus of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, and a creator/room-lead within ADIM (Rob McElhenney and Keyonna Taylor), Patrick has written music and lyrics that have been performed at 54 Below, The Pit, The Tank, The Players Theatre, The Duplex, The Shapeshifter Lab, The Bitter End, Mercury Lounge, The University of Arizona, The University of Oklahoma, CAP21, and more. Current projects include: Saw the Musical: The Unauthorized Parody of Saw (music and lyrics by Patrick Spencer and Anthony De Angelis) opening Off-Broadway at the AMT Theater Fall of 2023.
MACKENNA GOODRICH (Director/Choreographer) is very fond of trees. She's excited to return for her second year in Tree Town. Selected directing and choreography credits: Bogeyman by Allison Merkel (The Road Theatre Company), Cabaret (Kenyon College Players), Dance Nation (Kenyon College), Kids Club/Club Kids by Jasmine Sharma (The Fled Collective), The Laundry Play by Sarah Groustra (The Chain Theatre), The Moors by Jen Silverman (Stagefemmes), The Pine Barrens by Molly Kate Babos (Lime Arts), and Radio Man by Sarah Groustra (SheNYC). Mackenna is also an associate producer for SciShow, teaches jazz at Mark Morris Dance Group, and runs The Road Theatre Company's Under Construction playwriting group. BA: Kenyon College. Member of The Fled Collective.
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Listings Information:
Who: CARTWHEELS THEATRICAL
What: AN AXEMAS STORY
Where: The Players Theatre (115 MacDougal Street New York, NY, 10012)
When: November 30 - December 17
How: $62 - $89
AN AXEMAS STORY is a sappy send-up of capitalism, Christmas shows, 80s tropes, and the religious right - but mostly, it's a very silly show with a lot of tree puns.