The show still goes on

COEUR d'ALENE - Its regular summer season ended on a high note in August, but the show is far from over in 2011 for Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre.

Before the new year is rung in, the curtain will go up on another 20 performances produced by the local theater company.

Summer Theatre's annual Christmas shows will be staged this year at The Coeur d'Alene Resort, to coincide with The Resort's annual holiday light show and cruises, said theater director Laura Little.

"We've been selling those tickets like hotcakes," Little said. "It's exciting."

For the "GI Holiday Jukebox" performances, The Resort's old Shore Lounge will be transformed into a World War II-era military canteen.

"We're always looking for new attractions for the holiday light show, and we are very excited about adding this top-calibre performance," said Bill Reagan, general manager of The Resort.

Little said she thinks people are looking forward to the holiday shows because they are a tribute to the USO (United Service Organizations), the nonprofit that works to lift the spirits of American troops and their families.

As Summer Theatre organizers prepare for the holiday extravaganza, they are also reflecting on the regular season that just ended.

"It turned out to be really strong," Little said.

"Sound of Music," the company's final production, sold out four times during its eight-show August run on stage at the Shuler Performing Arts Center on the North Idaho College campus.

The company kicked off its annual run of four shows with "The Wizard of Oz." Little said theatergoers flocked to that production as well.

"I think a highlight was Ellen Travolta playing the Wicked Witch and flying," Little said. "There were more pyrotechnics in that show than any other show we've done."

A member of the fire department had to be stationed at the performing arts center each time the curtain went up, Little said, and many special permits were required before the show could go on.

"It really was very impressive," Little said.

The surprise show of the summer was "Once on this Island," she said.

Although attendance was not as high as it was for the other shows, Little said those who did see the play gave it rave reviews.

"It was a beautiful telling of a love story that took place in the Caribbean," she said. "There were extremely talented performers from all over the nation. It was an entirely African-American cast."

One of Little's personal favorite memories from the season's shows has nothing to do with ticket sales.

The company holds a special matinee performance each year, she said, for "under-served" people in the community.

This year, they staged "The Wizard of Oz" for 600 children.

"Their families just have no money," Little said. "It was great."

Little girls came dressed up like Dorothy. There were kids in wheelchairs.

"It was just one of those heart-tugging moments," Little said. As next season begins to take shape, the company has selected three of the four shows they will produce during the summer of 2012, and season ticket sales are already coming in.

Theater aficionados can look forward to performances of "Ring of Fire," the Johnny Cash story; "Spamalot" and "Ragtime."

"Spam-a-lot" bills itself as "lovingly ripped off" from the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

The Tony-winning show features classic Python comedy and tells a fractured version of the story of King Arthur. Like the cult classic film, the play makes a mockery of medieval legends and then goes on to make hash out of the institution of Broadway theater itself.

Little said Summer Theatre has had many requests to produce "Ragtime," a story told in song and dance that illustrates one of America's most tumultuous growth spurts, during the early years of the 20th century. The tale highlights the fictional interactions of people from several different groups: A Harlem musician, the matriarch of an upper-class family living in a New York City suburb and a Latvian Jewish immigrant.

For more information and season ticket purchases, visit www.cdasummertheatre.com.

'GI Holiday Jukebox' at The Coeur d'Alene Resort

• Produced by Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre

20 performances between Nov. 25 and Dec. 23

Ticket prices are $25 for prime seating; $20 for adults and $18 for 6- to 12-year-olds

Show times vary throughout the season with many Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m., and several Sunday and Wednesday performances at 3 p.m.

Purchase tickets online: www.cdasummertheatre.com