“WITH BELLS ON”: A FREE Gift from the Red Barn Theatre KW for the Holidays - HD Streaming - December 16-20
PRESS RELEASE
For further information, call: Bob Bowersox at 302-540-6102
For Immediate Release
The pandemic hasn’t left us much to laugh at, but the Red Barn Theatre will have us rolling on our couches for a week and it won’t cost us a dime. As a free holiday gift to all their fans and supporters, the Red Barn will be streaming a film of their 2018 Christmas hit, “With Bells On”, the hilarious play written by Canadian Darrin Hagen. The original production – a sold out smash hit – was directed and (outrageously) costumed by Christopher Peterson and starred Trey Gerrald and Don Bearden.
The free HD quality streaming will be available 24/7 on the theater’s website, redbarntheatre.com, beginning at midnight, Wednesday, December 16th and running through 11:59 pm, Sunday, December 20th. No tickets or sign-ups are required. Just go to the website and click on the link provided for “With Bells On”.
The play is centered around an elevator -- the only thing on the stage. And it’s stuck between floors. Ted (Bearden) appears to be a short, quiet, emotionally unassuming, dweeb accountant who has entered the elevator in his not-so luxurious apartment building, where he’s been living since his recent divorce. Standing next to him – or maybe “towering” over him would be more appropriate – is Natasha (Gerrald), a six-foot-seven-inch (in heels) drag queen dressed like a Christmas Tree, who is completely beside herself because this stalled elevator will cause her to miss her chance to be crowned Christmas Queen in the holiday pageant at the Magic Crystal Palace downtown.
If you’re thinking this is a perfect set-up for some hilarity, you’d be correct. You’re going to laugh a lot. The juxtapositioning of two such opposite characters in such a situation is full of comic possibilities, and Hagen takes complete advantage of them all. The puns and comic lines fly fast and furious, as Ted and Natasha try to find a way to extricate themselves from circumstances neither of them is comfortable in.
But the play is about more than that. Because Ted is not the sadsack milquetoast we initially think him to be, nor is he a prig or homophobe. He actually grows curious about the exotic creature he’s met. And this interest begins to work some magic on an initially hostile Natasha.
As all Key West theaters in this tough time, the Red Barn is struggling to make ends meet, and while they’re more than happy to entertain their friends and patrons for free this holiday, they would not be unappreciative for any donation you might want to make. While you’re there for “With Bells On”, you can click on their “Tickets” page and then on “Donation” and make a donation toward helping the Barn keep the lights on. Any donation is tax deductible.
For more information, visit redbarntheatre.com or call 305-296-9911.