'Sound of Christmas' opens Friday, Nov. 29 at Coeur d'Alene Resort

COEUR d'ALENE — The Christmas lights are beginning to be strung, the stockings on the hearth are festively hung and the Shotwell family is gathering 'round the piano to perfect each part in The Coeur d'Alene Resort's holiday show.

"This is my first show!" 6-year-old Skye Shotwell said during rehearsal Tuesday evening, excited for her upcoming debut.

Skye and her dad, Dalton, will share their debut moment as they join mom Jenny and brother Clark on stage in the Shore Room of The Resort when Ellen Travolta's production of "The Sound of Christmas" opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29.

This will be the second year for Jenny and Clark to perform in the Christmas show, for which Jenny has played the piano since 2021.

A natural musician like his mom, Clark, 9, has played the piano since he was 2.

"He is excellent," Jenny said. "I'm a piano teacher — he is far and away the most amazing piano student I've seen in my life."

She and Clark performed together in The Resort's Christmas show last year and in "The Secret Garden" at Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre over the summer.

“We got to be on stage together during that, which is very, very cool, super special," Jenny said.

Jenny and Dalton met when they performed with the Pacific Lutheran University Choir of the West.

"We were choir nerds back in college," Dalton said.

"We started dating on a choir tour," Jenny added.

Dalton played in three different bands in the Tacoma area as Jenny performed with the Fifth Avenue Theater in Seattle during the first 10 years of their marriage, before Clark and Skye came along.

"Drumming is definitely my background, but I've been in opera choruses, I had a minor role in 'The Pirates of Penzance,'" Dalton said.

The grand introduction of the Family Shotwell will take place on a cozy stage with Travolta behind the scenes providing her expertise.

Dalton and Jenny said it's a huge honor to step into the spotlight in a show Travolta has made into a local tradition.

"Ellen has become like family to us," Jenny said. "She has been such a supporter and an encourager."

Jenny said it feels like they have big shoes to fill as the show enters this new chapter.

"There's a precedent that's been set with this cabaret," Jenny said. "It's warm, it's family-friendly, it's nostalgic and it's very entertaining."

"We want to preserve the way that Ellen's set it up over the last decade or more," Dalton said. "We want to keep that going."

This year's show will be especially nostalgic as the Shotwells offer guests an hour of joyful holiday music and stories that hearken back to the Christmas traditions of Coeur d'Alene's past.

"We're catering specifically toward Coeur d'Alene," Dalton said. "There's a few aspects of this show where we're literally going to talk about how Coeur d'Alene as a community has celebrated Christmas over the years."

The parades, festivities and neighborly goodwill that were enjoyed by Lake City residents during the 1940s and 1950s are among what will be featured during the program.

"This year, we're telling Coeur d'Alene's stories," Jenny said. "It's a unique perspective. Coeur d'Alene has become a destination for the holidays. It's been cool to dive into, 'Where did all of that start?'"

The music will be reminiscent and recognizable, and the stories will be heartwarming and relatable.

"Something I'm really looking forward to is just the music," Clark said. "It's heartfelt music."

"The Sound of Christmas," directed by Roger Welch, will have 15 performances that run Thursdays through Sundays through Dec. 22. Tickets are $35.

Info: cdachristmas.com