St Rose Parish To Host Interactive Comedy 'Christmas Bingo'
Did Santa babysit the baby Jesus? Why were the Three Wise Men so lost? What did the holiday classic “Silent Night” first sound like?
The answers to these and other humorous holiday questions will all be answered on Saturday, December 1, when St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church hosts a performance of the hit comedy Christmas Bingo: It’s A Ho-Ho-Holy Night.
Written by Vicky Quade, one of the co-creators of the hit comedy Late Nite Catechism, Christmas Bingo brings together two of the best things about being Catholic: Christmas and Bingo. Christmas Bingo is the second installment in Quade’s Bingo series, which also includes the long-running hit Bible Bingo. A fixture in Chicago since 2012, the show was selected as one of ten holiday show highlights by Chicago Tribune Theater Critic Chris Jones.
In the interactive comedy, audience members play Bingo while also answering questions about Christmas traditions, the origin of St Nick, where candy canes come from, and miracles in the Bible, among others. There is also a clever recreation of the Annunciation, complete with audience members in angel wings and halos.
Quade portrays Mrs Mary Margaret O’Brien, a former nun who now heads up the archdiocese’s new Bingo Fundraising Department. She portrays her character as the stern taskmaster everyone remembers and loves from their Catholic school days.
In its review, The Chicago Reader recommended the show, saying “Vicky Quade has made a career out of Catholic comedy... and she’s in top form here.”
Today’s Fan, an online review site, called Christmas Bingo “delightful,” saying, “You will be engaged by the show’s uniquely interactive approach that involves a Bingo game with real prizes. Its interactive approach comes from the hilarity that ensures as Quade tackles off-beat myths and outrageous facts about Christmas.”
Christmas Bingo: It’s A Ho-Ho-Holy Night will be presented in the St Rose of Lima School Gathering Hall, 40 Church Hill Road.
Doors open at 7 pm, and the play will begin at 8. A wine bar will be available at 7, and complimentary cookies and coffee will be served following the performance/game.
Tickets are $40 in advance and available at the St Rose Rectory, 46 Church Hill Road. At the door, tickets will be $45. Call 203-426-1014 for additional information.
Recently going over plans for an upcoming holiday benefit event at St Rose Church were, from left, church members Peggy Baiad and Judy Matsos and Monsignor Robert Weiss, pastor of the Church Hill Road parish. An interactive evening of Bingo and comedy will be introduced by the parish on December 1. (Bee Photo, Hicks)