'Retro' is the word for west-metro holiday theater

This holiday season, a number of local productions represent a throwback to another era.

Kris Howland, a spokeswoman for the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, said, "Nobody needs more stuff." Live entertainment can help people relive old memories and make new ones, she said. "People won't remember a pair of expensive bluejeans," she said. "They'll remember that day. That's what people hang onto."

Here's a roundup of holiday shows happening this week in the west metro.

Martini and Olive in 'Takin' Care of Christmas'

In a way, Martini and Olive are the Midwest answer to Sonny and Cher.

At least that's how Judy Heneghan, who plays Olive, describes the hammy duo.

Every year, the Los Angeles-based performer returns to her native Minnesota to resurrect the fun, lighthearted lounge-style act.

Martini and Olive are convinced they've "hit the big time," though that isn't quite accurate, Heneghan said. It's not that they lack talent. In fact, it could be said that, "They're so bad they're good," Heneghan said.

Throughout the variety show, the pair croons a bunch of old medleys and holiday favorites, poking fun at the 1970s in some ways. Even for those who weren't around back then, "there's plenty to laugh at and enjoy," said Heneghan.

The gaudy retro costumes are a thing to behold in and of themselves, she said.

Martini and Olive field audience members' questions and they talk about the holidays, which brings an improvisational aspect to the show. At one point, the duo even reads aloud their fan mail.

Every year, "Martini and Olive" gets a new twist or some new material. However, the players are always sure to "bring back the old chestnuts that people love," she said. (For New Year's Eve, the cast changes things up with a "Boogie Countdown.")

Heneghan and the late Grant Richey, who was a local actor, developed the original act in 1992. Richey wanted it to continue, and his stamp is still apparent, she said.

For starters, his replacement as Martini is Jack Stahlmann, who was a former student of his. Stahlmann had previously acted as a security guard in the comedy years ago. When he arrived to audition, "He knew all of Grant's bits." Although Stahlmann has made the role his own, Richey is "still alive through it," Heneghan said.

Others onstage also have personal connections. Heneghan, whose husband, Peter Staloch, plays Vince Vininski, Martini and Olive's manager, helped write the show. Staloch is a veteran of Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop.

The three Swizzle Stick Dancers, as they're called, add to the comedy. Two of them, Terri and Lee Peterson, a married couple, have been a part of the show since day one, while another dancer, Kevin Albertson, is also a former student of Richey's.

A goofy security guard (Dan Rooney), another original cast member, "messes with the audience in a wonderful clown-like way," Heneghan said.

"Everyone is so genuinely into it, no matter how pathetic they look," with their over-the-top antics, she said.

All in all, the fast-paced show is about getting laughs. "It won't make you think," Heneghan said.

'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: the Musical'

Sandy Boren-Barrett remembers that watching the animated TV movie "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" was a big event when she was a child. Nobody had a DVD or the ability to replay it anytime they wanted. "You had to make sure you were home that night to watch it, otherwise you'd miss it for the year," she said.

Many people have fond memories of gathering with their families to watch it. "It really has a lot of emotional pull for people" and it speaks to multiple generations, said Boren-Barrett, the artistic director of Stages Theatre Company, which is housed in the Hopkins Center for the Arts.

That's evident in the fact that Stages' production of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: the Musical," which marks the movie's 50th anniversary, has already seen a number of sold-out performances. "Rudolph" is the company's biggest show ever.

It's a true retelling of the 1964 classic, with all of the familiar characters. "These actors have really done a lot of homework to stay true to this movie. They've nailed it. Their voices sound like the movie," she said.

Boren-Barrett also worked to ensure that the costume colors matched those in the film. So, when people say the staging "looks just like the movie," it's high praise, she said.

The "snow kin" that operate the puppets are dressed in all white, blending in with the snowy scenery. It helps draw people's eyes to the colorful puppets, she said.

Stages is also flying the actor playing Rudolph — another first for the company, she added.

"I tell the actors that every time a kid sees the movie, they'll remember their faces," she said.

Boren-Barrett attributes the show's popularity in part to its heartfelt message. Even though the story centers on a reindeer, "It's about the things that kids go through, being different, not fitting in," she said.

Also, the cast brings together nine adults and a dozen young people. "It's an amazingly cool mentorship opportunity for young actors to be onstage with the adults," she said.

'The Alley Cats in a Doo-Wop Christmas'

Typically, the Plymouth Playhouse produces its own shows, but for this holiday season the theater decided to go another route.

The Alley Cats, a male quartet that sings a cappella, is putting on a special holiday variety show. The group, which is from Los Angeles, will perform a bunch of doo-wop songs and other oldies along with well-loved Christmas tunes.

Curt Wollan, the producer at the Plymouth Playhouse, said, "Their harmony is so nice and tight. The sound is so beautiful. It's amazing what can come out of just four guys."

The doo-wop style is seeing something of a resurgence right now, "so it's timely and fun," Wollan said. Seniors remember the doo-wop sound but "younger people enjoy it too."

The Alley Cats, a group that has been together for 35 years, can often be seen opening for Jay Leno at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

The group "has a big list of songs they'll pull from." Its repertoire numbers include "Let it Snow," "White Christmas," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Blue Christmas."

"They're able to touch different aspects of the holidays that we love or that we miss," so the show has a sentimental quality to it, Wollan said.

"It's a warm, fuzzy collection of holiday songs and moments and thoughts," with some comic bits in between, he said. Plus, "They do some hijinks onstage."

Anna Pratt is a Minneapolis freelance writer. She can be reached at annaprattjournalist@gmail.com.