When the Halloween just blends right into the Christmas season, it’s easy for  the devout become jaded by too much commercialization, too much rushing and too much Santa Claus.

Enter “The Forgotten Carols,” a show that brings the fundamentals of Christmas back to those tired of “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” In stark contrast to door-buster sales and long to-do lists, this sweet little show stands for what is most important in the Christmas holiday.

The show written by Michael McLean is the seasonal offering of Artisan Center Theater in Hurst. The musical puts a new twist on the old tale of Christmas Scrooge with a little role reversal. The holiday tale centers on a no-nonsense nurse, appropriately named Constance, and her aging patient, John. Set in Fort Worth, the play John insists on renaming her Connie Lou, and he gently shows her new ways to see life. As opposed to Dickens’ story, the one needing an awakening is a woman, while the one who guides her is a man, who may or may not be who he seems at first.

Set in Fort Worth, the tale unfolds when the nurse is sent to care for John, a kooky, aging gentleman in need of supervision. Constance unenthusiastically allows John to detail why he places certain ornaments on his Christmas tree, and stories woven with the unfamiliar carols from the show’s title.

As John, actor Dennis Canright is convincing and likeable in this leading role. Donna Cates, one of two actresses who play Constance in this double-cast show, transitions well from the stern professional to the warmer, understanding care-giver.

Other standouts include the precious-faced choir boy portrayed by David Rodriguez, the funny cabdriver played by Ted Ung. The role of Sarah, John’s best friend, is performed warmly by Dee Ann Blair, who wears multiple hats as the show’s director and an Artisan Center Theater’s founder.

A highlight of the musical was the “street corner” a cappella chorus of homeless. The song, “Homeless-Like the Christ Child Was,” was ably led by James Lash surrounded by a small ensemble. Also Roberto Reyna’s solo as the king was a high point of the show.

Music is sprinkled throughout the show, and some of the voices aren’t exactly operatic quality. In a way, though, the stretching to hit notes lends the show a human quality, underscoring that even ordinary people can possess meaningful gifts.

And those types of God-given gifts-not the type brought by Santa Claus-are part of the show’s message. For anyone wrapped up in the modern-day trappings of the season, “The Forgotten Carols” serves as a reminder of what Christmas should be about.

The musical, which features a double cast, will continue through Dec. 19 at the Hurst theater, located at 418 E. Pipeline Road.

Just in time for Halloween, Artisan Center Theater has staged a theatrical fantasy in “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” complete with princesses, furry forest creatures, dancing birds, a roaring lion and a wicked witch.

Based on the story by C.S. Lewis, the play by Joseph Robinette is set in the mythical Narnia. It’s an imaginative tale that can be taken at face value or alternately seen as a Christian story of sacrifice and redemption.

The play centers on four children, sent to England to avoid the bombings of 1940s Europe. While in the home of a kindly professor, the children accidently enter an old wardrobe to find themselves dreamily transported to Narnia. There they encounter fairy-tale characters who lead them on adventures ranging from sword fights to visits from Father Christmas to a pretty impressive magic trick.

Artisan Center Theater has produced this show with a large cast, featuring a mix of adults in many of the anchor roles, with children filling other parts, both large and small. Narnia is ruled by Jadis, the evil white witch who only allows winter but never Christmas, played suitably imperiously by Elizabeth Price.  Randy Sarver as the loving lion, Aslan, conveys a kind quality to a hero, even as he roars, and Teri McHargue, as Mrs. Beaver, brings an added energy and fun to the cast of characters.

In their featured parts, the four children are all adorable, although their body microphones, noticeable on their small faces in this intimate setting, detracted from their performances. A scene stealer is Sadie Leyva, a tiny cutie, entrusted to deliver numerous lines, all of which she handles ably with a flash of expressive eyes set in a precious face.

Since ACT’s plays are staged in-the-round, this production presented a particular challenge. The set, which included even the floor of the stage, required frequent changes for the production’s many scenes. But props could not be changed, as quickly as needed, giving the show a bit of a stop-start feel.

Even though the cast features many children and the play includes elves, dancing robins and cute mice, this is not a show for very young children. It’s dark, and its good-versus-evil plot could even seem frightening to the very young.

Yet it remains a family show that surely could be enjoyed by older elementary school children, their parents and grandparents. Those fans of imaginative stories such as “Star Trek” or Harry Potter will warm readily to this adaptation of Lewis’ stories. And for those who share a fondness for fantasy, complete with capes, sword duels and forest fairies, this is just your ticket for Halloween drama.

The show, directed by Taffy Geisel, will continue through Nov. 14 at Artisan Center Theater, 418 E. Pipeline Road, Hurst. www.artisanct.com and 817-284-1200.

John Wilkerson takes his bow, a deep Japanese bow, as Artisan Center Theater’s new artistic director by successfully bringing “The Mikado” to the Hurst theater for a multi-week run.

Wilkerson has assembled a talented lineup of actors to play an array of Japanese parts in this famed musical operetta written by Gilbert and Sullivan. Set in the town of Titipu, “The Mikado” features characters with such fanciful names as Yum-Yum, Ko-Ko and Peep-Bo.

“The Mikado” centers on Nanki-Poo, a young man who has banished himself from the town of Titipu. Nanki-Poo has fallen in love with Yum-Yum, a beautiful young lady unfortunately engaged to be married to her guardian, the tailor Ko-Ko. The plot twists and turns through circumstances that could only happen in a town where flirting is considered a capital crime.

Stealing the show is Brian Hales, who deftly plays Ko-Ko as a breathless buffoon in the mold of the late comedian Red Skelton. Artisan Center Theater’s production is double cast, but every audience will be treated to Hales’ droll wit since he takes the part for both casts.

Also a bright spot was Gary Payne in the role of Pooh-Bah. For a character who defends his personality with the line “I can’t help it; I was born sneering,” Payne is appropriately and amusingly haughty. Other standouts were the strong-voiced Brad Stephens as Nanki-Poo, the soprano Lauren Morgan as Yum-Yum and the droll Jonathan Kennedy as The Mikado.

In addition to the comedy that borders on a delightful silliness, highlights included musical numbers, especially the very feminine “Three Little Maids From School are We,” featuring the trio of Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo and Pitti-Sing, and the amusing “I am So Proud,” spotlighting a humorous male quartet. The two-act operetta features dozens of songs, so casting requires strong vocalists to carry the show. For the most part this worked well, but occasionally voices were overwhelmed by the musical accompaniment, and that musical track presented some distracting technical problems.

Costumes featuring kimonos, kabuki-style makeup, Asian wigs and pretty parasols help transport the story to another time and place. The set features Asian images, too, surrounding the Artisan’s theater-in-the-round with this foreign culture.

“The Mikado” is an old, old tale. The show premiered in March of 1885 in London, and it opened later that same year same year in New York. But the humor stands up well, even more than 100 years later. Artisan Center Theater’s current production, continuing through Oct. 10, will bring a smile to your face, and that’s worth a Japanese bow or two.

The Artisan Center Theater in Hurst has been a growing theater for the past six years.  The owners, Rick and DeeAnn Blair, made the risky choice in the beginning that they would only produce “family friendly” shows, and now they can brag about a 50,000-person seating total last year.

Artisan ended this summer with West Side Story, which was a perfect show to go out with.  Never have I even thought West Side Story could be done in the round, but Artisan never fails. Kudos to both casts for making the show outstanding even with the difficulty of being in the round.  I was amazed by Eddie Floresca’s choreography right off the bat; the cast was very tight and full of energy.  I could tell he made them work very hard.  Evan Ramos and Sarah Dickerson killed portraying the helpless romantics Tony and Maria.  Cheers to the great casting. Dennis Canright’s wonderful direction made them so believable. West Side Story runs through Aug. 29^th.  This production is worth every penny, and I put my word on that. Tickets have been selling out every night, and I recommend using the theater’s Web site www.artisanct.com to buy tickets in advance. Seeing Artisan’s production of West Side Story will be a night one will not forget.   

ESocialWorld Guest contributor Drew Chapa is a veteran performer to the Dallas/ Fort Worth stage, as well as many theaters throughout the country.  

Currently Mr. Chapa is a student at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. 

John Wilkerson

John Wilkerson has been named artistic director for Artisan Center Theater, effective Aug 1.

In his new position, Wilkerson will be responsible for all artistic development for the theater located in Hurst. In addition, he will serve as advisor for the theater’s new acting academy and educational outreach programs. He also will direct four productions in 2010 for Artisan Center Theater.

Wilkerson co-founded with his wife, Margaret Shafer, the Musical Theater Institute of Dallas, a private acting and vocal academy. He also toured with The Three Redneck Tenors, a comedy musical troupe. At Artisan Center Theater, he recently directed My Fair Lady and will direct an upcoming production of The Mikado.

Wilkerson received a bachelor of music education degree from the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, now Shenandoah University. He completed his graduate work in vocal performance at the State University of New York, and he also placed third in a Metropolitan Opera competition.

His Broadway credits include Abby’s Song, State Fair with John Davidson, Andrea McArdle and Donna McKechnie, and Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby. His career has spanned teaching voice, music theory and music appreciation at every level; directing numerous theatrical productions; and coaching tennis and football.

Artisan Center Theater, a non-profit community theater, was founded in 2003. The theater’s focus is family-friendly productions and Artie’s Playhouse, a special series of children’s plays.