[Free Lance-Star] Have yourself a 'Rockabilly Christmas' at Riverside Center

Christmas is coming to Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, but with a rock ’n’ roll twist.

“A Rockabilly Christmas” is set to premiere for a limited time at the center, from Dec. 4-30. By blending classic holiday tunes with Buddy Holly favorites, the show serves as a tribute to both Christmas and the musician known for his rock ’n’ roll hits.

“I want people to leave with huge smiles on their faces. It’s very important in these times that we live in right now for people to be able to experience joy and have fun. We are here to take people away from their troubles … we are here to move people,” said Patrick A’Hearn, the producing artistic director of Riverside. He co-created the show along with Todd Meredith and Jeremy Renner.

A’Hearn said the center had put on non-holiday-themed shows during the Christmas season in past years, but the shows didn’t do as well.

“I think people just really want to hear Christmas songs and Christmas themes during Christmas,” A’Hearn said.

So, this time around, he decided to combine two of the most popular shows the dinner theater has done in recent years. This performance puts together the “Christmas Spectacular” from last year, that A’Hearn said became one of the largest selling Christmas shows in the center’s history, and a Buddy Holly show that also drew large crowds.

Already, “the show is selling really big,” A’Hearn said.

Meredith is heading up part of the musical component of the show. His Buddy Holly tribute band The Rave-Ons will play Buddy Holly’s greatest hits, along with classic Christmas songs such as “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Blue Christmas” and “Run, Run, Rudolph.”

Meredith and his band have always been a Buddy Holly tribute band. But they first began performing a Christmas-themed Buddy Holly show four years ago in Arizona, when a director asked for their show during the holiday season. When A’Hearn approached Meredith about doing a similar show for Riverside, Meredith agreed.

Meredith said each of the Christmas songs has been given a dash of rock ’n’ roll.

“Rockabilly was kind of a blend of rock ’n’ roll and country. So everything in the show has the elements of one of those two twists,” Meredith said. “I hope that they [audience members] see a Christmas revue show that is unlike something they have seen before. I have seen a lot of productions of Christmas revue shows, and they are all kind of similar. But I hope this one stands out.”

In between songs, sketches and skits will reference things only a Fredericksburg resident would be able to understand, Meredith said.

“I think it has something for everyone,” Meredith said.

In addition, the production draws from local talent including Sheri Hayden, Ian Lane and “Rockabilly Christmas” show host, Kadejah Oné.

Oné, who has performed in previous Riverside productions, will be responsible for introducing special guests and singing a few songs.

“I’m kind of the glue holding everything together,” she said, adding that they hope people will dance if the spirit moves them. Oné said Renner, who was responsible for the musical arrangements, has altered Christmas songs in a way that infuses blues, rock ’n’ roll and country into them.

“I normally do musical theater. This show is a little different in that it is a bit of a Christmas concert. I’ve done something like this before, but not with this style of music. This genre blends jazz, blues, rock, country, all wrapped up in one show,” Oné said. “It has something for everybody to enjoy.”

Oné’s favorite part of the show is the rendition of “Joy to The World.” Renner, she said, has rewritten the Christmas classic with some rock ’n’ roll.

“It has a little bit of rock, a little bit of soul,” Oné said. “It makes you really want to get up and dance. It’s the same songs we have been hearing, but in a way that you’ve never heard before.”

By the end of the performance, Oné hopes that viewers have that warm and fuzzy feeling that only the Christmas season can bring.

“The purpose and the mission of this show, of course, is to help everyone celebrate the Christmas season. The Christmas season is a time where friends and family have an opportunity to come together. It’s really about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. But also so that people have a moment away from the troubles and anything they may be going through.”