"Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas" by Theatre Elision at the Lakeville Arts Center

Theatre Elision brought back their holiday* concert Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas, performing at various locations last weekend. I happened to catch it at the Lakeville Arts Center, which is in the church I attended as a child. When a new church was built, the city bought the building and turned it into a performing and visual arts center, which is a pretty fantastic example of recycling. It's a great space to watch a show or listen to music, and this one was a delight. Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas is like putting on your favorite Christmas albums from the '40s and '50s and curling up under a blanket in front of the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. In other words, very comforting and nostalgic for those who grew up with these songs. The show is over for this year, but make a mental note about next year, and check out what else Elision has on the calendar for this season fulfilling their niche of small cast, original or rarely done musicals.

"Goblin Market" by Theatre Elision at the Crane Theater

A new theater company premiered in #TCTheater this spring by the name of Theatre Elision. They're following their debut production, the lovely original musical Ragtime Women about women composers of the music known as ragtime, with the equally lovely Goblin Market. It's always interesting to see what will define a company when it starts out, and judging by their first two pieces, Theatre Elision seems to be a company that specializes in chamber musicals written by and featuring women. I don't know about you, but I think there's definitely a place for more of that in #TCTheater. They have an ambitious first full season planned with seven productions in what appears to be the same vein (although perhaps not quite as female-focused, their next show is Ghost Quartet by Dave Malloy, creator of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812). If beautifully performed, small, intimate, original or rarely produced musicals are your thing, you definitely need to check out this new and exciting entry to the #TCTheater scene.

"Ragtime Women" by Theatre Elision at Dreamland Arts

I'm usually not a fan of the jukebox musicals, but when the songs used are little known ragtime gems from female composers, I approve! In just a brief 75 minutes, Ragtime Women manages to tell a compelling story about four real life women who composed music in the early 1900s, while sharing over two dozen songs of the era, many of them written by these women. It's smartly constructed (by Theatre Elision founder Cindy Polich), well performed, and a promising debut for this new company. But it's a short run so act quick to see this short, sweet, and musically delicious little show before it closes on Sunday.