Christmas productions already ringing their bells

By the time you dig out your coat and take another trip to the empty Halloween bucket, odds are you've already sniffed your first cinnamon-scented pine cone as stores rolled out the Christmas décor weeks ago.

But if the ghosts of Christmas past don't necessarily put you in a holiday mood, Weber State University has a new musical that just might have you feeling rather jolly. It's called "Five Carols for Christmas/JingleJacks."

"I love Christmas. I love the season, I love the feeling," said Jim Christian, professor of musical theatre at WSU and, along with Kenneth Plain, co-creator of the musical.

"We just recognized the fact that there could always be more Christmas musicals," he said. "Everyone has done a version of 'A Christmas Carol,' and there really aren't that many others — especially in the one-act genre."

The evening is made up of two one-act shows. Set in the '50s, "Five Carols for Christmas" finds five women, all named Carol, preparing for the holiday gala.

"I was a child of the '50s, and the women in the story are really drawn heavily from my mother and her friends," Christian said. "It's a very affectionate look at not only the nostalgia, but also the eccentricities."

" JingleJacks is four lumberjacks in the Canadian wilderness pursuing their dreams of becoming YouTube stars," he said. With new orchestrations by Plain, the Jacks sing through classical, jazz, barbershop, even Gregorian chants. "It's an online boy-band show."

Both shows feature holiday favorites such as "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," "O Christmas Tree" and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas," as well as original songs written by Plain, with lyrics by Christian.

"Five Carols For Christmas/JingleJacks," runs Nov. 12-20, Weber State University, Ogden. Shows are 7:30 p.m., with a Saturday matinee available. Tickets are $7-$10 (800-978-8457 or www.weber.edu).

Here are the rest of this week's openings:

"Romeo and Juliet," Nov. 10-Dec. 4, Pardoe Theatre, Brigham Young University, Provo.

This take on William Shakespeare's classic tale of woe is set in New York, 1870-1900.

The production stars Christie Clark, Richie Uminski, Andrew Joy, Jason Langlois and Christian Cragun.

Shows are Wednesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., with a Saturday matinee available. Tickets are $8-$15 (www.byuarts.com).

"Neglect," Utah Contemporary Theatre, Nov. 11-20, Rose Wagner, 138 W. 300 South.

The nation's only all-free professional theatre company opens its season with "Neglect."

Last February, UTC offered a free reading of Sharyn Rothstein's play; they now mount a full production with the same cast: Yolanda Wood and Carleton Bluford. "Neglect" is an examination of fear, loneliness and desperation told through the elderly and unemployed.

Shows are nightly, except Monday and Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., plus a Saturday matinee, free (801-886-3019).

e-mail: ehansen@desnews.com