“Greetings!” is South Shore Theatre’s latest production to help jumpstart the Yuletide season. It opened on December 6, 2024. This captivating holiday favorite was the actor-turned-playwright Tom Dudzick’s first play. Mixing dogma with spirituality, New Age philosophy with atheism, humor with pathos, and Hanukkah with Christmas, this well-crafted two-act, five-character play has entertained audiences for over three decades.
“Greetings!” premiered in 1990 at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and opened off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theatre on December 3, 1993, starring Darren McGavin. Dudzick has since penned a semi-autobiographical series of comedies about his Catholic upbringing in Buffalo called the “Over the Tavern Trilogy.” Then Dudzick’s home theatre, Buffalo’s Studio Arena, commissioned “Hail Mary!” a play about a parochial school novice who takes religion into her own hands. Because of his knack for crafting comic one-liners that explode with machine-gun precision, Dudzick has earned the reputation for being “the Catholic Neil Simon.”
Billed as a miraculous comedy, “Greetings” takes place on Christmas Eve and revolves around Mickey, the intellectually disabled younger son in the Gorski family, who has a limited speaking vocabulary. When the Gorski’s oldest son, Andy, brings his Jewish atheist fiancée
home to meet his devout Catholic family, all hell breaks out. When Mickey undergoes a cathartic transformation, this dysfunctional family experiences a much-needed miracle just in the nick of time.
Disillusioned people finding redemption on Christmas Eve is a time-tested theme, with classics such as Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and Frank Capra’s iconic 1946 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” leading the pack. Artistic Director Patrick Finn was passionate about why the South Shore Theatre Company chose to produce this show, stating, “We wanted an alternative to the regular Christmas theatre fare, such as “A Christmas Carol” or “Elf.” “Greetings!” is the story of a slightly dysfunctional family who receives an unusual visitor for Christmas, and it’s not Santa Claus. The play shows how Christmas can truly be a time of magic and miracles and how that can change people for the better.”
Director Marian Waller described “Greetings!” as “A beautiful story about a miracle in the lives of a troubled, unhappy family. Something we could all use right now. It is a funny, heartfelt drama with a message of hope for everyone if we would just pursue it.”
“Of course, I’m thrilled to play Mickey,” said actor Dan Bellusci. “For preparation, I’ve been studying nonverbal autism. It’s important to me that my portrayal be a respectful and accurate representation. I’ve also been observing the behavior of my good-natured three-year-old nephew, as the part calls for the sweet disposition of a young child.”
The rest of the talented cast includes Tim Smith, Matt Stashin, Meredith Lynn Spencer, and Sheila Sheffield.
This off-beat “Guess who’s coming to dinner” dramedy is the perfect Yuletide treat for the whole family. Brimming with messages of love, acceptance, kindness, and respect for others, “Greetings!” packs a hefty dose of Christmas miracles just in time for the 2024 holiday season.
Make a point to see this theatrical testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. For more information or to order tickets, call the Box office at 631-669-0506 or visit their website at www.SouthShoreTheatre.com. Performances are on December 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14, 2024, at 8 p.m. and December 8, 2024, at 3 p.m.
In 2009, Deborah and Ted Plezia founded the South Shore Theatre Experience to fill a void in children’s theatre workshop programs. Staffed by volunteers, this non-profit organization strives to bring the love of theatre to everyone. By offering magic shows, classes, and workshops and maintaining a professional adult theatre company that performs Broadway and off-Broadway classics and original works from local writers, the South Shore Theatre Experience makes theatre accessible to people of all ages
The South Shore Theatre Experience is located at 115 South Wellwood Avenue, Lindenhurst, New York. They open their 2025 Season with Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Crimes of the Heart.”
