By the end of the evening, Sabra Stockebrand and her fellow crooners have put visions of Bing Crosby dancing in our heads.
Stockebrand is the tour de force behind a powerful Iola Community Theatre ensemble called ?Christmas With Sabra and Friends,? a musical revue/variety show that runs Friday through Sunday at the Creitz Recital Hall at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center and at 7 o?clock tonight at Yates Center?s Town Hall.
Filled with such standards as ?White Christmas? and ?Silent Night,? Stockebrand stages and directs what is certain to be a holiday highlight for those seeking a crisp 80 minutes of musical magic.
She and fellow co-host, Burlington?s Jim Stukey, set the tone for the evening with their opening number, ?Let It Snow.?
What follows is a medley of unforgettable holiday tunes featuring a number of familiar faces for local theater and music buffs.
Stockebrand shares the stage with Bryan Johnson (?The Christmas Song?), with Stukey once more for another ?Holliday? classic ? as in Billie Holliday ? the iconic ?I Can?t Give You Anything But Love.? She also is joined by her mother, Pam Tressler, with a show-stopping rendition of ?Silent Night? before getting a chance to shine on her own with ?Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas? towards the end of the evening.
Bryan and Dan Johnson
BUT AS has become tradition with ICT productions, the ensemble show has the audience tapping its toes from start to finish.
Bryan Johnson joins his father, Dan Johnson, for a memorable duet made famous by Crosby and David Bowie, ?Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy.?
Another Crosby standard, ?White Christmas,? is brought to life with the impeccable duo of Tressler and Richard Spencer, while Jim Gilpin and Gena Storrer are a delight with their rendition of ?Silver Bells.?
Meanwhile, Sara Standridge and River Hess serve up a charmingly spellbinding ?Baby It?s Cold Outside? thanks to a cheeky bit of role reversal.
Jessica Quinhones
Jessica Quinhones is captivating with her appeal for a visit from St. Nick with ?Santa Baby.?
The entire cast belts out a pair of numbers, the classic ?Happy Holidays? and the more contemporary ?In The Mood For Christmas.?
