Striking 12, GrooveLily's Holiday Musical, Begins DC-Area Run Dec. 2

By Kenneth Jones
02 Dec 2009

Valerie Vigoda in Striking 12.
Valerie Vigoda in Striking 12.
Photo by Joan Marcus

GrooveLily, the pop trio that co-wrote the holiday musical Striking 12, appears in the Arena Stage engagement of the show Dec. 2-13 at Arena's temporary home in Crystal City in Arlington, VA.

Co-written with Tony Award-winning author Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and performed by pop-rock band GrooveLily, Striking 12 "is a witty journey through the ups and downs of the holiday season," according to DC-based Arena. Musicians turned actors Valerie Vigoda (electric violinist and DC-area native), Brendan Milburn (pianist) and Gene Lewin (drummer) serve as both accompaniment and actor-singers for the pop concert-musical that shatters the boundaries of theatre and concert to create a hybrid storytelling experience inspired by Hans Christians Andersen's "The Little Match Girl."

There are two other holiday dates for the show; Dec. 5 in Portsmouth, NH, and Dec. 31 at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Center in Manhattan. Visit GrooveLily.com for details.

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Striking 12 shifts from a secular 21st century story that follows a "Grumpy Guy" (who makes all attempts to avoid the hectic, loveless world on New Year's Eve) to Andersen's story of poverty, love and hope in the 19th century.

The show has been seen around the country (including Off-Broadway) in the original version featuring GrooveLily, but has also been adapted as a theatrical piece that could be performed by an acting company. The three-person GrooveLily version is heard on a concert cast recording on the PS Classics label.

Tickets are available for purchase online at www.arenastage.org, at the Arena Stage sales office at 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA, or by phone at (202) 488-3300.

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Vigoda and Milburn's musical Long Story Short recently had a new, revised production by San Diego Repertory Theatre.