Holiday Rock Kicks Off Christmas in Lethbridge

Some folks feel the Christmas season begins on November 12th, immediately after Remembrance Day. Others mark the start on December 1st. But New West Theatre fans know that it’s the opening night of their annual holiday show that kicks off Christmastime in Lethbridge.

This year’s show is called Holiday Rock, and opening night was Thursday, December 11th.

“This show has a lot of the best of past shows, and we’ve dug deep,” explained longtime performer Erica Hunt. “There are some really old things in there. But they’re charming to us. And then we also have some new stuff, and of course we sprinkled the whole thing with Christmas. It has just this touch of the holiday season to it.”

Something else pulled from the archives—or, rather, someone else—is Jeff Carlson. Jeff was a staple of New West Theatre shows years ago, and fresh off his time serving on City Council, Jeff is bringing his charm back to the stage. It’s a welcome return that amplifies the nostalgia the show already sparks.

If you’ve never been to a New West Theatre music-comedy revue, it’s a blend of familiar songs and skits and jokes performed by the incredibly talented cast and band.

As Erica describes it, “We’re hoping to give you a lot of good laughs, a lot of good music—there’s some heartwarming things and some ridiculous, of course, as always. I think we really have a very fun holiday show for everyone.”

The annual holiday show has become a family tradition for many Lethbians. “There’s people who are big New West Theatre fans that come every Christmas and they bring family from out of town. It’s a tradition for them,” says cast member Scott Carpenter.

Erica adds, “The thing is, around the holiday season, it’s really great because there’s a lot of family and friends that come to town, and they visit, and sometimes you go, ‘I don’t know what to do with them.’ Come on down and hang out with us! It is about two and a half hours of just pure entertainment.”

The show runs at the Yates Memorial Theatre from December 11th to the 28th with shows at 7:30pm every Tuesday to Saturday, and a 1pm matinee on Saturdays. You can get tickets on the New West Theatre website, or by calling 329-SEAT.