Marsha Kennedy, artistic director and founder of Idyllwild’s Stratford Players, in announcing the company’s holiday presentation, noted the holidays can be filled with too much hustle and bustle.

“With our presentation, essayist Robert Fulghum’s ‘Uh Oh, Here Comes Christmas,’ we want to give people a break, take care of them a little with a warm and humorous celebration of family, community and human foibles.”

“Uh-Oh, Here Comes Christmas” is a funny, heartwarming and often poignant look at the struggle to find the spirit of the holidays amid the avalanche of commercialism, stress and chaos that assaults us every December.

The play is adapted by Ernest Zulia and Ernest Caldwell, with music and lyrics by Caldwell. Stratford’s actors are joined by musical guests San Diego soprano Lori Palmer and pianist Ed Hansen. Doug Austin makes a special appearance as Charles Dickens. Barbara Rayliss, also an actor in the production, serves as overall musical director. Other cast members are Chic Fojtik, Christine Hunt, Christopher Morse, Gina Kraut, Harriet Briant, Kathleen Walker, Michael Owen, Allison Fedrick, Dick English and Kennedy. She, Morse and Walker direct the vignettes that compose the piece.

Fulghum has been called the Will Rogers or Mark Twain of our day. He is best known for his “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” Kennedy said, “Our holiday show is a little like Idyllwild — warmhearted, quirky, thoughtful, sensitive and with a sense of humor.”

“Uh-Oh” is presented at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29, and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6, at the Christian Science Church in Idyllwild. Check Stratford’s site for details and tickets at www.stratfordplayers.com.

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