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Counting down to opening night for nutcracker musical

Rehearsing scenes from “Wooden Heart Follies, which will be presented Dec. 1-4 at the Steubenville Masonic Lodge Hall at 227 N. Fourth St., Steubenville, are, Clara (Hope Sirilla) who sings to the baker (Tamara Lehew, left) Grandma (Von Holmes) and Patrolman Holiday (John Holmes, right) about “Wooden Hearts. -- Contributed

Thanksgiving week in Steubenville means Steubenville Lights Up the Night at Historic Fort Steuben and the opening the Steubenville Nutcracker Village.

To the cast of Steubenville’s nutcracker musical, “Wooden Heart Follies,” it means moving from the rehearsal space at Froehlich’s Classic Corner to the Steubenville Masonic Lodge hall.

The hall is located at 227 N. Fourth St., Steubenville, where the production will run Dec. 1-4. It is handicap accessible.

Starting this week, rehearsals will include costumes and makeup. Ohio Valley Audio’s Earl Tuttle will be coming into the hall to set up the wireless mic. And the actors who have been rehearsing in T-shirts (or with the colder weather, hoodies) will soon be dressed and painted like nutcrackers. 

Written and directed by Steubenville couple Von and John Holmes, “Wooden Heart Follies” premiered in Steubenville in 2016. After a reprise of the original show in 2017, and a sequel in 2018, the playwrights have returned to the original script, but with a few tweaks. As the Steubenville Nutcracker Village added more nutcrackers, the writers decided to work one of the new characters, Grandma Nutcracker, into the story. Von Holmes, one of the writer-directors, will be playing Grandma. 

The Mad Scientist (Rich Ivaun) sings of the virtues of being made of wood. -- Contributed

“Wooden Heart Follies” is the story of a Mad Scientist Nutcracker (played by Rich Ivaun) who wants to turn the people of Steubenville to wood. The other nutcrackers — the Patrolman (played by John Holmes), the schoolteacher (Madeleine Doyle), her pupil (Hope Sirilla), the soldier (Martin Watjen), a gondolier (Mary Mascolino-Engle) and the baker (Tamara Lehew), attempt to stop him, but fail until St. Nicholas (Rob DeSantis ) appears to save the day. The play is introduced by an emcee (Doug Davidson).  

The music consists of the familiar holiday melodies of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” but with whimsical lyrics. “This music was never intended to be sung,” Von observed, “but our vocal director, Susanne Manocchia, has written arrangements that make the lyrics sound natural.” The accompanist is Roberta Fedoush.

The opening night’s performance, Dec. 1, will be free. “This is our gift to the local community,” Von emphasized. “This production is funded solely through support from local people and businesses, and this is one way we can show our thanks.”  

All other performances are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available on Evenbrite.com, though there will be tickets available at the door as well. Reservations for the Dec. 1 free performance must be made online, though there is no charge.  

The Thursday and Friday performances (Dec. 1 and 2) will begin at 6:30 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday shows (Dec. 3 and 4) will be at 4 p.m.. The show runs a little more than an hour.  

Private Mark (Martin Watjen, left), Patrolman Holiday (John Holmes) and Vincenzo the Gondolier (Mary Mascolino-Engle) discuss ways to stop the Mad Scientist. -- Contributed

“Wooden Heart Follies” is still looking for sponsors and donations for this year’s production, according to John. “Just go to our website, www.woodenheartfollies.com, or our Facebook page at “Wooden Heart Follies.”  

“At ‘Wooden Heart Follies,’ Dec. 1-4, the nutcrackers will be waiting.”

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