The Adult Holiday Comedy is Packed with Humor and Heart, Set Right Here in H-Town
HOUSTON, TX – Tony Award®-winning Alley Theatre announces that Houston actor Briana J. Resa will star in Texas native playwright Isaac Gómez’s world premiere, The Night Shift Before Christmas. Directed by KJ Sanchez (American Mariachi, Quixote Nuevo), this adult holiday comedy will transform the Neuhaus Theatre into a local restaurant as Margot works the graveyard shift on Christmas Eve. Due to popular demand, The Night Shift Before Christmas extended its run by five performances, now running through December 29.
“Isaac Gómez had the brilliant idea to create The Night Shift Before Christmas to highlight the many mom and pop restaurants that make Houston great,” said Alley Artistic Director Rob Melrose. “Of course, I’m delighted that the play so beautifully mirrors our version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol! This Christmas Carol, however, is Houston’s Christmas Carol. This is more adult, so I hope you enjoy sweet cocktails and salty language because this is definitely not Dickens’ story, it’s Isaac’s story and our story.”
“The Night Shift Before Christmas’ is my love letter to Houston, and to every single person who has ever had to work a job in food or retail during the holiday season,” shares playwright Isaac Gómez. “I wanted to write something in conversation with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for the modern-day audience — something that will make you laugh, cry, and run out of the theater to call your loved ones. And, of course, I wanted to write something uniquely Texas as a born and bred Texan myself.”
Briana J. Resa (American Mariachi, 72 miles to go…) will star as Margot in this one-woman show with Elissa Cueller (American Mariachi) as her understudy.
The creative team includes Scenic & Lighting Designer Kevin Rigdon, Costume Designer David Arevalo, Sound Designer Kathy Ruvuna, Music Director Jack Beetle, Voice & Dialect Coach Micha Espinosa, and Stage Manager Kaylee Sarton McCray.
SPONSORS: Alley Theatre is supported by the 2024-25 Season sponsor United Airlines, the official airline of Alley Theatre, and Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites Downtown Houston, the official hotels of Alley Theatre.
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES: Simultaneous Spanish Translation Performances on Friday, December 6, 7:00 PM and Saturday, December 14, 7:00 PM, Captioned Performance on Sunday, December 15, 1:30 PM, and Audio Described Performance on Sunday, December 15, 1:30 PM.
TICKETS: Performances run Friday, December 5 to Sunday, December 29 in the Neuhaus Theatre. Tickets to The Night Shift Before Christmas are now on sale. Discounted tickets are available for military, seniors, educators and any student, regardless of age, with a valid ID for designated performances in designated sections. Tickets can be ordered online (alleytheatre.org) or by phone (713.220.5700).
PRESS NIGHT: Sunday, December 8 at 6:30 p.m. Invitations to be sent at a later date.
ADVANCE PHOTO: Briana J. Resa as Margot in The Night Shift Before Christmas
CONNECT WITH US: @alleytheatre, #AlleyNightShift
ABOUT ALLEY THEATRE:
Alley Theatre, one of America’s leading nonprofit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company led by Artistic Director Rob Melrose and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden. The Alley is committed to developing and producing theatre that is as diverse as the Houston community. The Alley produces up to 11 plays and nearly 400 performances each season, ranging from the best current work and classic plays to new plays by contemporary writers. Home to a full-time resident company of actors and expert artisans in all theatre crafts, the Alley engages theatre artists of every discipline – actors, directors, designers, composers, playwrights – who work on individual productions throughout each season as visiting artists.
Alley Theatre performs at the Meredith J. Long Theatre Center which is comprised of two state-of-the-art theatres: the 774-seat Hubbard Theatre and the 296-seat Neuhaus Theatre. The Alley reaches over 200,000 people each year through its performance, education, and community engagement programs.
