Fruitcakes
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park, FL

Ok, it's holiday music, but at least there's a bar, and the opportunity to get up any time you want and get booze does dull the edge of this most guilt ridden of the holidays. The WPPH crew of Heather Alexander, Laura Anne Hodos and Mark Richard Taylor pull together a nice selection of seasonal favorites peppered with a fair number of lesser known songs. The opener was "12 days to Christmas" which should make you either get out and shop, or just order Hickory Farm for the whole family. Then we pick on corporate desserts with "Nobody likes a Fruitcake", and examine the question of "How do you have an Orlando Christmas?" Well, that's an easy one; I book the in-laws into the Swan, and get them to buy me a day pass to the Parks. Then I arrange an emergency business trip to Los Angles.

The first act leans towards well sung standards, while the second act is more comedic, featuring the reunion of Ebb and Flo, those semi-detached twin lounge singers working the Downtown Oshkosh Holiday Inn. Flo (Alexander) is the one in green with the light bulbs in her hair, while Eb (Hodos) has the red jump suit with the faux fur trim. Parody lounge acts are timeless, and their club version of "We Three Kings" leads nicely into the "Salute to Snow" and a holiday version of "Rawhide." Mr. Taylor drops by as Frantz the Mailman, and then it’s time to go into the audience and play Kiss the Bald Guy With Extra Lipstick." Wives love this.

Music comes from the effortless keying of Justin Scott Fischer, and there's a friendly air of conviviality in the room. WPPH popped for new chairs, complete with state of the art cup holder technology, so there's more leg room than in past seasons. After a few drinks, it's nearly enough to make you book airline tickets...no wait, it's still December up there.