Sorg partners with Middletown Lyric Theatre for ‘A Christmas Celebration’

The Sorg Opera House on Main Street in Middletown has started having shows again after many of them were postponed during the coronavirus pandemic. Sorg Opera Revitalization Group volunteers have spent many hours painting, cleaning and sprucing up the interior and exterior at the historic building built in 1891. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

The Sorg Opera House on Main Street in Middletown has started having shows again after many of them were postponed during the coronavirus pandemic. Sorg Opera Revitalization Group volunteers have spent many hours painting, cleaning and sprucing up the interior and exterior at the historic building built in 1891. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

MIDDLETOWN ― The Sorg Opera House will partner with Middletown Lyric Theatre to present two performances of “A Christmas Celebration” next month.

Sorg Opera House Revitalization Group board President Nancy Griffith said the performance is one of the shows she’s “most excited about."

“It’s going to be a reader’s theater-style of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and there might be a special guest surprise at the end that I don’t want to reveal, but I’m really looking forward to these performances,” she said.

The two performances are set for 8 p.m. Dec. 18 and 3 p.m. Dec. 19. Tickets are $20 each, plus an online ticket processing fee.

As part of the holiday show, audiences will hear the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the three ghosts and other timeless characters, which will be portrayed by a small group of MLT performers. The production will also include a celebration of holiday carols and music performed by some of Middletown Lyric Theatre’s cast of singers and musicians.

Griffith said other than La Comedia Dinner Theater’s “A Christmas to Remember,” which will run through Dec. 30, the Sorg is only one of a handful of local venues that will produce a holiday show.

Another highlight this season will include a Sorg benefit show, “Thanksgiving Blues and Roots Rock Extravaganza” from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 28. Concertgoers can celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend and kick off a season of giving at the Sorg as a group of local Middletown musicians present this concert that will benefit the Sorg Opera Revitalization Group. Doors for the concert will open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 each, plus online ticket processing fees.

The “Thanksgiving Blues and Roots Rock Extravaganza” will feature a variety of Middletown favorites, including Fred Gillespie and the Swamp Bees, with special guests Ashley Baumgarten and Chuck Evans as well as Jimmy D. Rogers and Sister Salem, featuring James Clark, Ferris Gillespie and Gabrielle Anais Sears.

Thunderstruck: America’s AC/DC will be in concert at the Sorg at 8 p.m. Dec. 5. Tickets are $25 in advance, plus online ticket processing fees.

The Sorg will adhere to social distancing guidelines, and other safety protocols will be in place throughout the venue. Face coverings will be required. The Sorg continues to work closely with local and state officials to monitor COVID-19.

Audiences should note that several of the November shows that were announced in mid-October will be rescheduled due to COVID-19. Impacted performances include Aja! A Tribute to Steely Dan, which was scheduled for Saturday, Cincinnati Transit Authority–The Music of Chicago scheduled for Nov. 20, and the two performances of “Beyond Glory,” which were slated for Nov. 21 and Nov. 22.

Visit www.sorgoperahouse.org for the latest information on upcoming shows. Tickets are available at www.cincyticket.com. Sorg Opera House is located at 63 South Main St. in Middletown. Free parking is available behind the building, off Broad and First streets.

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