Local actors with Snake River Radio Players present madcap, funny ‘Twas’

IDAHO FALLS — The Snake River Radio Players are taking to the stage once again at Trinity United Methodist Church in Idaho Falls this week to present their eighth annual Christmas show. The show will premiere on Thursday and run through Saturday.

This year’s event will be presented in the style of a 1940s radio variety show. Stories will be told through voice acting and sound effects, without sets and other visual elements employed by the average stage play.

“The thing I really love about doing a radio theater show … is that anybody can play any character,” Ryan Atwood told EastIdahoNews.com. “I love the idea that anybody can be cast in any role.”

Atwood has been with the group almost since it started. He also wrote one of the stories they’ll be presenting on Thursday. The original material is what sets the Snake River Radio Players apart from the other “really great theater groups” in the area, he said.

“We’re one of the few (groups), that I know, that have an original show,” Atwood explained. “This is a chance to see a unique, new show — a new story.”

“Heist on Herald Square” is one of the original stories written for the variety show. The audience will meet Nick Patera, the new Santa Claus at Gimbel’s Department Store. But Nick may have a secret about why he’d want to be a department store Santa Claus.

Audiences will also find out who killed Jacob Marley, P.I. in the story “A Christmas Peril.” Can his partner, Eb Scrooge find the killer? You’ll have to watch to find out.

It’s only the second time the players have presented the Christmas show in a variety show format. The show, Atwood said, is different from previous Christmas shows, when they’ve presented serious material like “A Christmas Carol.”

“It’s a little zany, it’s a little mad-cap. I think it’s the funniest show we’ve done,” he said, adding it has a lot of heart, too.

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The group will be joined by Luminescence, a local quartet.

“They sound absolutely beautiful,” Atwood said.

You can catch the Snake River Radio Players’ performance of “Twas” at Trinity United Methodist Church, 237 North Water Avenue, in Idaho Falls Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. There is also a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

If you can’t attend in person, the show’s performance on opening night will be live-streamed on the group’s Facebook page. Video of the show will be available after the live stream ends.

The event is free to the public. Donations are gratefully accepted for Trinity community outreach program.