A Tuna Christmas

by:     Ed Howard, Joe Sears, Jaston Williams

“A Tuna Christmas”  is a comedy set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas. It is a sequel to “Greater Tuna,” presented by JCCT in 1999. There are 24 characters in the show, the residents of Tuna: men, women, and teens, all played by two men. The audience will barely realize that the quirky characters that appear on stage are all played by two actors in the fast-paced scenes. The plot centers on the town’s annual Christmas Yard Display Contest, which has been won for the past 14 years by citizen Vera Carp. She is determined to win again this year and retire the trophy. However, mayhem is in the works. Someone objects to the Carp dynasty. A mysterious “Christmas phantom” is vandalizing the yard displays, which has the contestants on edge. As the events unfold, we meet characters such as Stanley Bumiller, who wants to end his probation so that he can leave Tuna; his mother, Bertha, who is trying to hold her family together through Christmas; Joe Bob Lipsey, who is struggling to mount a successful production of “A Christmas Carol” at the local community theatre, despite the threat of having the lights cut off. Other colorful characters are DiDi, the camouflage-clad owner of the local ammunition shop; Petey, the tender-hearted animal lover; and Charlene, the angst-ridden young actress.  The play is both an affectionate commentary and a withering satire of small-town southern life and attitudes.