Masque Community Theatre to Present ‘A Tuna Christmas’

The Tony Award winning play that soon will grace the stage at the Lightfoot Recreation Center is destined to invoke belly laughs from even the most humbug of holiday bashers.

Masque Community Theatre’s version of “A Tuna Christmas,” a comedy written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, is slated to debut Nov. 30 and run through Dec. 16. Performances are at 8 p.m. each Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. for its Sunday matinees.

Ticket prices are $14 for adults, and $12 for students, seniors 55 years and younger, and military personnel. The price for children 12 and younger is $12. Tickets may either be purchased in advance by visiting Masque Community Theatre online or at the door.

The holiday sequel to the 2011 Masque production of “Greater Tuna,” is set in Tuna, Texas, a small fictitious town in which actors Andrew Blizzard and Ron Pandolfo together portray a cast of 24 eccentric characters, each distinctly different from one another and requiring split-second costume changes.

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Director Autumn Barthelemy said the play is filled with hilarious antics and intertwining plots involving its townspeople, both male and female as well as teens and adults.

“This show and the talent of these actors are bound to brighten anyone’s day, especially during the holiday season,” said Barthelemy, a Brandon resident who served as assistant director in “Greater Tuna.”

Pandolfo, also from Brandon, is performing in his eighth Masque production. He and Blizzard were also the lead actors in “Greater Tuna,” playing multiple roles.

“This one has the same type of humor and demonstrates the same great chemistry we have between us,” Pandolfo said. “We trust one another and get along so well, and that really makes a difference.”

Blizzard, a Temple Terrace resident who also has performed in several other Masque productions, echoed those same sentiments.

“There’s definitely a friendship between us, and I think that helps in our ability to act well together,” he said.

Each theater guest who brings a new, unwrapped toy or other gift for Masque’s Bags of Joy gift drive will receive $2 off the production’s ticket price. Presents for infants and youth ages 10 through 19 are especially needed. All items will be donated to Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa.

See also:
'Greater Tuna' Opens June 3 At Masque Community Theatre
An Interview With Andrew Blizzard Of 'Greater Tuna'
An Interview With Ron Pandolfo Of 'Greater Tuna'
An Interview With Charlie Strange Of 'Greater Tuna'
An Interview With Tony Lefebvre Of 'Greater Tuna'