‘Tis the season at the Paramount

Published 7:28 am Thursday, November 24, 2011

Dorothy Stevens and Joseph Seeman rehearse “The Nutcracker” Tuesday night at the Paramount Theatre. The show will be presented with Christmas in the City festivities Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Paramount Theatre will have a little more variety than usual this holiday season.

After the Michael Veldman and Friends show ended its popular run, the Paramount has added a wide variety of shows for this year, with comedy, dance and song.

While the well-liked Veldmans will be tough to replace, Paramount General Manager Scott Anderson said the theater will be able to do some new things.

Paige Goetz, playing the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy, rehearses “The Nutcracker” Tuesday night at the Paramount Theatre. The production will be Friday night in connection with the Christmas in the City.

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“We have the opportunity to have more shows because they’re not taking up all that time with rehearsals,” Anderson said. “In that regard, we were able to do more different things.”

The annual Christmas in the City show will start the holiday season at the Paramount, but it will be different than in past years.

Rather than hosting both the St. Lucia Festival and the scene from “The Nutcracker,” the show Friday will only feature “The Nutcracker” put on by Jane Taylor Academy of Dance.

“It’ll be similar, but it won’t have the St. Lucia Festival,” Anderson said.

Organizers of St. Lucia planned to discontinue hosting the festival in Austin, but a tragedy changed that. Now, the festival will return at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Paramount to honor the memory of Darren Lewis, who died Sept. 24 at the age of 38.

“They decided to have a tribute to him,” Anderson said.

The show will feature a taste of Sweden, as a foreign exchange student is set to play the title role.

“She’s really excited and very honored,” Anderson said.

Jane Taylor Academy of Dance will help with the St. Lucia show.

“It’ll be a wonderful tribute,” Anderson said.

A taste of Ireland

Austin’s holiday season is going to have a taste of Ireland Saturday.

After Christmas in the City, Katie McMahon will keep the Christmas season in full swing with a performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Paramount.

McMahon, the original lead singer of Riverdance, sings and also plays the harp. She’ll also be backed by a group of musicians and singers.

“There are wonderful harmonies and great instrumentation,” Anderson said.

Like Riverdance, McMahon will feature traditional Irish melodies and dancers.

“One of the coolest parts of the show is her Irish dancers,” Anderson said.

Anderson said McMahon played at the Paramount before and has been a hit, so she’s back by popular demand.

She will perform all Christmas music, some classics and others that aren’t as well known.

McMahon performed with Riverdance for six years as lead singer and even met President Bill Clinton.

“She traveled the world with Riverdance,” Anderson said.

McMahon married her former road manager and now lives in the Twin Cities, where she also performs some shows.

Anderson said it’s nice to have a show to follow up Christmas in the City and help transfer into the season.

“It’s kind of a nice segue between Christmas in the City, which is Friday night,” Anderson said.

Holidays at the Paramount

•Christmas in the City, scenes from
“The Nutcracker”
7:30 p.m. Nov. 25

•Katie McMahon
7:30 p.m. Nov. 26

•White Sidewalls
7:30 p.m. Dec. 1

•Austin Area Farmers Market to show
the film “Fresh”
7 p.m. Dec. 2

•Ernest Murphy Memorial Concert
7 p.m. Dec. 3

•“It’s a Deer Camp Christmas: Holy Bells”
7:30 p.m. Dec. 10.

•St. Lucia Festival, in honor of Darren Lewis
7 p.m. Dec. 11

•”Radio Holly Days” presented by
Five by Design
7:30 p.m. Dec. 16
(A VIP meal will start at 5 p.m. for $45.)

•Denny Charnecki and the DC Drifters
7:30 p.m. Dec. 31