A HOLIDAY SPIN, Bailiwick Repertory. An aggressively jolly Yuletide celebration, this 75-minute off-night potpourri of seasonal songs and stories, conceived and written by Jonathan Abarbanel and director/choreographer Scott Ferguson, cleverly controls the spontaneity built into it: audience members whirl a roulette wheel decorated with a wreath to determine what happens on any given night. The pointer’s position tells the energetic four-member ensemble to perform a song or story, or an audience member to share a holiday memory or receive a surprise (an Etch-A-Sketch, bingo game, or cookies left over from before the show). One eager spectator got to play Santa Claus and distribute plastic toys to the happy crowd. (A Christmas miracle, the costume fit perfectly!)

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Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Roger Lewin–Jennifer Girard Studio.