CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
COLUMBUS, GA — The curtains are about to close on “A Tuna Christmas,” one of the Springer Theatre’s most-loved holiday traditions. Its quirky characters and hilarious plot lines, consistent crowd-pleasers for more than 20 years, will bid farewell to the Springer forever just before the end of the year. However, there’s something very special about this production: Paul Pierce returns to the stage in his farewell “A Tuna Christmas” performance.
The show runs Dec. 14-23 in the Springer’s Dot McClure Theatre.
A fast-paced, quick-change comedy set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, has entertained more than 60,000 people over the years.
“We’ve generated over a million dollars in ticket sales, and this is in our smallest theatre,” Pierce said.
Although other Christmas shows have been scheduled and performed on the same stage, none were as popular.
Out of the 21 Springer productions of “A Tuna Christmas,” Pierce has performed in 18, most notably with the late Ron Anderson, former associate artistic director and friend. He has called those years performing with his then-colleague the “greatest joy of my life.” This year, Ned Bridges takes on the roles Anderson played.
“Ned and I have been doing comedy together since 1975,” Pierce said. “Ned is Jim Carrey before there was a Jim Carrey. He’s a fabulously brilliant comic actor, a fine man and I’m looking forward to being on stage with him.”
Set in the early 1980s, the play takes place in the third smallest town in the Lonestar State. The comedic chaos begins with the town’s annual Christmas yard display contest, a highly competitive event regularly vandalized by the Christmas Phantom. The colorful characters, each with their quirks and peculiarities, add layers of humor to the story. From Bertha Bumiller, the beleaguered mother with a knack for disaster, to radio hosts and town gossips Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie, to Aunt Pearl, who has a penchant for the unusual — particularly her belief in UFOs and extraterrestrial phenomena — the citizens of Tuna are as diverse as they are entertaining.
“A Tuna Christmas” opens at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14, at the Springer.
Tickets are available via the website at springeroperahouse.org, by phone at (706) 327-3688 or by visiting the box office in person at 103 10th Street in Columbus.