COME TO EARLENE'S DINER FOR A HOLIDAY SHOW

A blizzard packed with ice and snow is not the best invitation to the holidays. If you have plans, the storm can be a major inconvenience.  For Earlene Babcock, the inclement weather is throwing a fireplace andiron into her Christmas plans.  It's Christmas Eve and the long awaited night of the 50th Annual St Francis Christmas Variety Show and this year it's scheduled to be broadcast on television.  What can a body do if you're snowed in with nowhere to go without a dog sled of huskies or Santa's sleigh?

For Earlene Babcock, the owner of Earlene's Diner, it's time to change the menu and be an inventive chef.  With a little ingenuity and creativity, this sassy and savvy lady will transform her diner/motel into the site of the Christmas Variety Show.  If you're snowed in with her, you'd better start practicing your tap dance routine or Perry Como imitation for the stage.

Waterbury's Seven Angels Theatre is whipping up one hooting and hollering hootenanny of a holiday show, "Christmas Eve at Earlene's Diner," and you're invited to the festivities.  Until Sunday, December 21, the tinsel will be glittering and the star at the top of the tree will be sparkling.  Michele Gotay will reprise her role as the genial and generous-hearted Earlene whose spirit is big enough to fill the state of Texas and then some.

Just like the post office service, Earlene isn't going to let a little storm of snow stop her.  She'll gather her guests and guarantee the good times will roll. Despite her own private worries about foreclosure, she'll rally the troops.  Will the Rockettes manage to make their way?  Can she get the Talent Contest and the Bakeoff to emerge through the curtains of white stuff?  What surprises are likely to blow in through her welcoming doors?

For tickets ($37.50, children $20), call Seven Angels Theatre, One Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at www.SevenAngelsTheatre.org.
Performances are Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Now is definitely the time to make your reservations for Stand Up and Count Down to 2015 on New Year's Eve, featuring a quartet of New York comedians, with shows at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The later show features appetizers and a champagne toast at midnight.

Usher in the spirit of the holiday season with Earlene and her gang as she improvises on a grand impromptu Christmas singing celebration.