Judy's Scary Little Christmas
by David Church, Jim Webber, Joe Patrick Ward

Judy's Scary Little Christmas Book Cover
Judy's Scary Little Christmas Cover

Highlights

105 mins Present Day Ensemble Cast Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Synopsis

Judy Garland is primed for her biggest comeback ever – the dazzling star of her own TV special, broadcast live on Christmas Eve, 1959.

Judy’s guests include Bing Crosby (making some holiday “grog”), Ethel Merman (plugging her Hawaiian album) and Liberace (with a handsome sailor in tow).

However, mysterious snafus behind the scenes and cameo appearances by commie-baiting Vice President Richard Nixon (who performs a magic act) and blacklisted writer Lillian Hellman, (who’s forced to read “Children's Letter to Santa” with a puppet) throw Judy’s program off course.

The surprises climax when the arrival of Joan Crawford is interrupted by the spectral figure of...

Death.

The evening takes a detour into the Twilight Zone as the celebrities are forced to confront the lies behind their legends.

Devastated and alone, Judy meets a special fan who ultimately proves that, despite her flaws, her shining legacy still endures.

Press Reviews

"Fascinating, hilarious and wildly entertaining!"

— Gerard Alessandrini, Creator of Forbidden Broadway

"A true holiday treat."

— Hollywood Reporter

"Hilarious… a surreal snow globe highball; a Hollywood Christmas card from beyond the grave."

— Portland Mercury

"Holiday smash of the season… I can’t say enough about what a bracing surprise this unique show is."

— Talkin' Broadway, 2014

"Filled with gut-busting laughs and wonderful musical numbers!"

— Broadway World.com, 2014

Characters

Character
Bing Crosby

The avuncular but alcoholic crooner of “White Christmas” whose greatest triumphs are behind him, and he knows it.

Liberace

The flamboyant Las Vegas entertainer who brought highbrow music to lowbrow audiences. “Lee” is a smarmy mama’s boy who masks the truth of his personal life with layers of camp.

Ethel Merman

The bombastic star of Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy whose belting voice and brassy manner accentuate her blunt ego.

Richard Nixon

A winner with flop sweat. The current Vice President is conniving, fearful, strangely sympathetic and completely out of place in this entertainment milieu.

Lillian Hellman

The chain-smoking playwright of The Little Foxes who was blacklisted as a Communist during the McCarthy era. Anger is both her tonic and her Achilles heel.

Death

All-knowing, immovable, forever. Death possesses the personality every performer fears most – that of a truly discerning critic.

Joan Crawford

Hollywood’s greatest self-made star who has gone from ingenue to leading lady to caricature and now is barricaded from reality as an ageless legend in her own mind.

Sailor

Handsome, clean-cut, observant, empathetic, gay – and not altogether who he appears to be.

Director

An off-stage voice, focused, businesslike.

Punch

A goofy dragon hand-puppet.

Ensemble

An attractive, effervescent quartet of two men and two women.

Judy Garland

The beloved show business icon of The Wizard of Oz and A Star Is Born. Judy is nervous and neurotic, but remains wildly talented and is fully primed for her biggest comeback ever.

Videos

Let's Share a Cup of Irish Cheer

Publication

ISBN-13 9780573698057
ISBN-10 0573698058

Judy's Scary Little Christmas is a play written by David Church and published by Concord Theatricals .

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Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur Only
Fee: Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)

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