Story by Karen Parr-Moody

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The backside of the giant wooden cattails were covered in whimsically painted snowflakes on the stage of the Roxy Regional Theatre. In the upcoming weeks, those cattails will face forward for the production of “A Year with Frog and Toad” and they will face backward for “Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings.” With these dual productions, it’s a busy holiday season for the theater.

On a recent weekday, four professional actors went through the song list of “Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings” during a rehearsal. The theater’s creative director, John McDonald, wore clothes covered in paint as he slathered a fresh coat on a giant Christmas present at the stage’s center. His partner, the musical’s director Tom Thayer, tapped at the piano keys as he conveyed the songs in the “Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings” revue while John Waddle played bass guitar.

No, this isn’t the season to catch the traditional Charles Dickens’ play “A Christmas Carol” at The Roxy, as has been so often been the case. Instead, bells will be ringing to the barbershop quartet style of “Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings.”

“We thought we would give Scrooge a break,” said McDonald. “Also, we’re not a community that’s so large that you can drag it out every year.”

So to keep the roster fresh, Thayer is directing this Off-Broadway musical created by Stuart Ross, which is a spinoff of his other musical, “Forever Plaid.” The premise is that a guy group from the 1960s was tragically killed in a wreck (with a busload of Beatles fans) as their tour van steered them to their next gig.

In the “Forever Plaid” incarnation, Rosemary Clooney beckons them to leave the otherworld and return to earth to sing those holiday standards we all remember and love. There’s “Cool Yule,” “Mambo Italiano,” “Beseme Mucho” and “Jingle Bell Medley,” to name just a few. It’s a nod to the era of Perry Cuomo, Bing Crosby and Ed Sullivan.

The four actors in this musical sing in lovely harmony. Ryan Bowie, as Jinx, is first tenor. Michael Spaziani, as Francis, is second tenor. Josh Bernaski, as Sparky, is baritone and RJ Magee, as Smudge, is bass.

The arrangement on certain songs is absolutely stellar and worthy of the best 1960s Christmas specials made. Each actor’s notes hit perfectly, like the musical sounds of rain falling.

Even though Thayer, as a director, has to treat each song with the nuance of the perfectionist, he confesses that some songs harmonize in ways that are superior to others.

“I think audiences will get a kick out of the whole Christmas finale that includes ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Joy to the World,’” Thayer said.

Truth be told, audiences will likely get a kick out of the whole thing. It’s a breed of holiday nostalgia that is growing rarer by the year.

“Plaid Tidings” opens Friday, November 29, for the theater’s traditional pay-what-you-can preview at 8 p.m. Other performances take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 14. There is a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 7.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for those 13 and younger. They may be purchased ahead of time at the Roxy box office at 100 Franklin Street, which is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, or at the door the day of the performance. They may also be ordered online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org. For more information call (931) 645-7699.

And don’t forget the amazing “Christmas Over the Cumberland” holiday dinner, which is deliciously catered by Nashville hotspot The Bound’ry. For a mere $50, the dinner begins at 5 p.m. at F&M Bank’s Franklin Room on Public Square, followed by the 7 p.m. performance of “Plaid Tidings.” The menu is upscale holiday in theme and includes rib roast, roasted Brussels sprouts, carrots and parsnips, herb-roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, cranberry Sauce, breads and dessert. Tickets are $50.00.

Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.