Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Scott Miller
Original Orchestrations by John Gerdes
Directed by Scott Miller and Tony L. Marr Jr.
Choreographed by Tony L. Marr Jr.
New Line Theatre
December 1, 2023

Kay Love, Terrell Thompson
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg
New Line Theatre
New Line is a theatre company that’s not afraid of taking risks. They’ve staged some excellent, smaller-scaled productions of musicals from the well-known to the obscure, and occasionally, like with their latest production, original works. Their latest production, written and co-directed by New Line’s artistic director Scott Miller, is a holiday show with a twist. Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holly Rollin’ Family Christmas is a world premiere musical parody that’s got a lot of potential, even though it’s still a bit rough around the edges.
The show is a sort-of sequel to Miller’s earlier original musical Johnny Appleweed, which was staged by New Line in 2006. I didn’t see that show, so I can only go by what I’ve read about it. This show features some characters from that show, but in the format of kind of an extended adaptation of A Christmas Carol, featuring a seemingly typical white-bread American Family, the Goodsons, led by the stuffy, traditionalist father Harry (Terrell Thompson), who in the first act spends an evening being surprised and shocked by his family members, who all have secrets that they reveal under the influence of some pot-spiked Christmas cookies. Narrated by a group of “Stoner Carolers” (Robert Doyle, Matt Hill, Stephanie Merritt, and Lauren Tenenbaum), the show follows as Harry’s kids Chip (Tony L. Marr Jr.) and Tammy (Marlee Wenski), brother-in-law Hugh (Tawaine Noah), and wife Bess (Kay Love) take turns singing about their lives in ways that increasingly disturb Harry. And then, in the second act, Jesus (also Marr) shows up as the “Jacob Marley” figure, warning Harry–who has passed out on the couch after eating a bunch of the cookies–that he will soon be visited by three ghosts, like Ebenezer Scrooge but with more of an herbal influence. Noah, Wenski, and Love play the ghosts, with Love appearing as the titular Johnny Appleweed, and bringing a great deal of energy to a show that’s a bit overlong, even though it gets better as it goes along.
The show gets off to a slow start, and it could deal with a good bit of trimming, as the first act is all set-up and the plot doesn’t really get moving until Jesus shows up in Act Two. There are some fun songs and some compelling points being made about the clash between the idealization of 1950s America and reality, as well as the encroaching social rebellion of the 1960s. The music is hit-or-miss, with some songs that basically stop the action to tell a long story, and others that are especially clever–especially in the second Act when the weed humor ramps up, which surprised me somewhat, since I’m not usually a huge fan of stoner jokes. Still, this show is at its high point (pun intended) when it leans into the pot jokes, and especially after the energetic Love shows up as Johnny Appleweed, leading the Carolers and the cast in what is probably the show’s most catchy song “That Stick Up Your Ass”. There are also some clever re-writings of traditional Christmas carols, sung with excellent harmonies by the Carolers.
As for the rest of the cast, Wenksi is also hilariously energetic as Tammy and as movie star Sandra Dee, whose intro song is a fun nod to Grease. Thompson struggled with his lines a bit in the first act, but gained more energy and confidence in the second. Noah, as Hugh and the first of three Christmas ghosts is also fine, and Marr–a last-minute replacement as Chip–moves well and has a good sense of presence, but struggles a bit with the vocals. Marr is also the choreographer and co-director for this production, providing some fun moments of dancing especially in the show’s livelier moments.
In terms of technical elements, this show looks great, filling the stage at the Grandel Theatre with a vibrant Mid-Century Modern influenced set by Rob Lippert. The costumes by Lauren Smith Bearden are also colorful and stylish, with the props by Erin Goodenough also adding much to the satirical tone of the show. There’s also excellent lighting by Matt Stuckel and a lively band led by music director/keyboardist Mallory Golden.
Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holly Rollin’ Family Christmas isn’t a perfect show, but it’s new and it has a good deal of potential. The cast members seem to be enjoying themselves a great deal, and there are some memorable moments and an excellent sense of theme. If you like crass humor, and especially stoner jokes, this show should be a fun “alternative” holiday production.
New Line Theatre is presenting Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas at the Grandel Theatre until December 16, 2023