Two years ago onstage at the annual Batavia Players holiday show, Malloryann Burk accepted the marriage proposal of her now-husband, Peter Flanagan. In this year's show, titled "A Traditional Christmas," Peter is still a central theme in her performance.
The first show is tonight at 7:30 at St. James Episcopal Church, 405 E. Main St., Batavia. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the door. The other show is the same time Saturday.
But in the new production, Malloryann's focus will be on her husband's absence rather than his presence.
She will be singing "Sending you a Little Christmas" to Peter, who has been in Afghanistan since September and will most likely be there until May. The song is one of four that are dedicated to Flanagan, a Marine corporal and the father of their 5-month-old son, Gabriel.
"When we were planning the show, we knew we wanted to do something for the troops overseas, and that we wanted to send that message of love and support for them," director Pat Burk, father of Malloryann, explains. "So much of our family is in the show, and once we started rehearsing it hit us that we're sort the poster family for the cause."
There are a total of 21 songs in the show, most of which are traditional Christmas tunes. The selections were made by Burk and Mary Brenner in an effort to create a mix of "traditional carols, religious, and well-known songs."
"When we sat down to decide on the songs, there were some that we knew right away had to be in it," says Burk. "Then there were some others, newer songs that aren't as well known but fit well in the expressed area of tradition."
Scattered between some of the songs is Yuletide-themed narration written by Mary Brenner, which discusses everything from the original Christmas story to modern-day Santa Claus.
In addition to directing, Burk will also lend his voice to the show, performing such songs as a duet of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." He sings the Bing Crosby part of "Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy" -- along with Paul Spiotta's David Bowie. The musical director and piano accompianist is Kathy White.
Half of this year's show's profit will go toward the St. James Restoration Fund.
"They've been very good to us in the past, allowing us to perform here, and this is such a beautiful church," Burk explains. "It fits a more traditional type of show."
