Kitty: Conceptually, this musical is certainly a challenge. Presenting what is essentially the same material over and over again, but in a way that’s going to be interesting to the audience, is inherently difficult.

Mischa: There are also too many layers of philosophical or ideological meaning added to an essentially frivolous story, as though a light entertainment were trying to turn into Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus.

K: I really loved when the British and German soldiers came together to pose for a photograph. A camera bulb flashed, flooding the group in bright light for just a split second, capturing the occasion in time. It was a simple yet powerful effect.

M: There’s another great lighting effect that comes in to enhance “Silent Night” … but I shouldn’t give it away.

Both the year and the theatrical season are winding down for a long winter’s nap, and the Timber Lake Playhouse’s final production of 2024 could not offer a more pleasant nightcap. Directed and choreographed by Marquez Stewart, and featuring some surprisingly effective audience participation, Winter Wonderettes is a wonderful dose of theatre to fully get you in the spirit of the season.

M: It’s the cast members, in character, telling you to put your cell phones away and all that, which perfectly sets the tone for all the fourth-wall-breaking in Life Sucks.

K: So much fourth-wall breaking. Does the fourth wall even exist here?