Theatre Review: A Beef & Boards Christmas

A Beef & Boards Christmas is an annual offering for the Northwest side professional dinner theatre, but this was my first time. A musical review format which spanned a wide variety of holiday music interspersed with humorous holiday jokes (most of which are corny but charming)

As always, Beef & Boards is a great value. There is no where else in the city that offers both a good meal and professional entertainment for the price. Overall I enjoyed the production which had all the glitz and sparkle of a Christmas tree. The cast consisted of a nice ensemble, part of which were primary singers, others for dance. I would say as a whole the dancers were the “stars” of the production from one number to the next.

A few criticisms would be that the show ran longer than I would have expected, as Beef & Boards is well know for bringing their shows in at a good time. My opinion: too much material. The country music section of the show seemed misplaced and could have been removed altogether. One section of the program featured silver costumes that were not very flattering even to the great physiques in the dance core.

Final analysis: Go see it. Some great performances and a good meal all for a good price…now this is a Christmas show. If you don’t have New Years plans look into the closing performance package on the 31st. A Beef & Boards Christmas runs through December 31st. Ticket prices range from $33-$55. For tickets call 872-9664 or visit the Beef & Boards Web site at www.beefandboards.com.