New take on old poem for Gallo Center Rep’s Christmas offering

BY PAT CLARK Modesto Bee

And now for something different ...Sure, there have been and continue to be plenty of chances this holiday season to catch a traditional Christmas production in the Modesto region – “Nutcracker,” “Christmas Carol,” “Elf” and more.

So for its seasonal story this year, Gallo Repertory Theatre decided on an original show from playwright Ken Ludwig that adds some spunk and a wild adventure to the North Pole.“

’Twas the Night Before Christmas” will be staged Friday-Sunday, Dec. 8-10, at the Gallo Center for the Arts by its resident repertory company. It proved popular enough with early ticket buyers that Gallo Rep added a second show Saturday.

The comedic take on the classic Christmas poem centers around 10-year-old Emily and her best friend Amos the mouse, who are both sad and confused that they did not receive a visit from Santa the previous year.

Out of the blue, they are visited by Calliope, an elf from the North Pole investigating how Santa’s Naughty or Nice list has gone missing. Calliope wants Emily and Amos to travel back with her to Santa’s workshop to track down the disappearance.