Flushing View

FHS Theatre presents ‘Closed for the Holidays’




(Left to right): Mack Blasco, CarolAnn Lesnau and Lila Darling rehearse a scene from “Closed for the Holidays.” Photo by Ben Gagnon

(Left to right): Mack Blasco, CarolAnn Lesnau and Lila Darling rehearse a scene from “Closed for the Holidays.” Photo by Ben Gagnon

FLUSHING — The Flushing High School Theatre program will present a heartwarming tale filled with holiday humor and Christmas magic as part of its winter drama production.

“Closed for the Holidays,” a comedy written by Flip Kobler, will open tomorrow night at 7 p.m. from Flushing High School’s William H. Tunnicliff Auditorium. Performances will also be held over the weekend on Dec. 14-15.

The plot of “Closed for the Holidays” revolves around a motley crew of motorists who become stranded at a local community center after a blizzard shuts down the roads. With Christmas just two days away, the travelers have no choice but to hunker down at the center, hoping that their holiday plans won’t be ruined.

To make matters worse, many of the characters have their own troubles to untangle—from the lovelorn drama teacher with a bus full of students to the quarrelsome couple on the way to their wedding. On top of that, a pair of thieving “elves” goes about searching for items to steal, and an overeager sheriff riles the group in her effort to nab the perps.

In order to have a happy holiday, the travelers realize that they need a miracle…or seven, to be exact.

Stacey Daniels, the FHS winter production director, said that “Closed for the Holidays” focuses on the importance of believing in the spirit of Christmas.

“One of the biggest lessons the characters learn is that there’s always Christmas magic, no matter what your beliefs may be,” Daniels said. “Some of the characters face really intense hardships and all come from different backgrounds…but they all have that ‘coming together moment’ to hope for a Christmas miracle.”

“Closed for the Holidays” also explores various conflicts that arise among the characters. One of the play’s subplots centers on Rifka, an opinionated and strong-willed mother who tries to pair off her drama teacher daughter Shelby with a wealthy surgeon who is also stranded at the shelter. Meanwhile, lovesick school bus driver Colby begins to express his feelings for Shelby.

Lila Darling, an FHS senior who plays the role of Rifka, said that audiences will gravitate toward the mother-daughter tension, while sympathizing with Colby’s attempts to win Shelby’s attention.

“It’s a very heartwarming comedy,” Darling said. “The (audience) will have plenty of laughs, ‘awe’ moments and maybe even shed some tears.”

Show times for “Closed for the Holidays” include tomorrow at 7 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at whtauditorium.ludus.com/.