Last weekend I had the good fortune and great pleasure to attend the wonderful show “A Cascade Christmas.” Having been in the music field as an avocation for 50 years, I can report that this was one of the best “off-Broadway” musicals I have ever seen.
It’s over for this year, but it must be said that what James Santos and the Redding Dance Project do each Christmas is truly magnificent. This show could easily be a Branson headliner or a lead-in for any Las Vegas show. This musical dance program, with gorgeous and appropriate costuming, features talent that is not only professional in performance but also so impressive in terms of Broadway-quality sets and settings.
The dancers and singers, all local, work for months to make this one of the best shows in the entire north state, and it shows. From the opening City Scene with the women’s cast performing overhead kicks and ballet moves to the full cast “Carol of the Bells” in full and elaborate costumes, the show moved through beautiful renditions of the familiar Christmas songs (The Christmas Song)to excellent solo and small group renditions of Santa music. With the children, many from local dance schools and dance programs, bringing a new and refreshing excitement to the overall program, this was just a delightful evening of wonderful entertainment. The final numbers feature the Dance of the Wooden Soldiers, and this is perfection at its best. The timing and precision needed in this very difficult presentation caused the full house audience to rise in applause in appreciation of what they had just seen. The final Nativity scene was, as always, very well done and a very fitting evening to this Christmas tradition.
If you did not have a chance to join the 9,000 folks that were able to see the 2008 presentation, put it on your schedule for next year. James and the Project will be back and I’m sure it will be as good as this year. This is one Redding activity that one cannot miss. It is truly a wonderful show in the beautiful Cascade Theatre setting, where there is not a bad seat.
Ron Largent is a Realtor, business owner and longtime Redding resident. He can be reached at ronlargent@yahoo.com or ronlargent.yourkwagent.com.
