Sister Helen Holy (Photo by Mike Morgan)

2020 has been a lean year for a lot of folks, especially for our LGBTQ arts organizations and hard-working men and women who rely on live performance for their bread and butter. It’s also been a lean year for fans of live performances. It was sure looking we were gonna have a hard candy Christmas this year.

Then along came Sister Helen Holy’s Holiday Streaming Spectacular to save the day. Presented by Uptown Players, executive produced by Craig Lynch and Jeff Rane and directed by B.J. Cleveland, Sister Helen Holy’s Holiday Streaming Spectacular stars Paul J. Williams as his most famous “altar” ego, Sister Helen Holy herself. It also features special appearances by some of your favorite Uptown Player regulars, including Alyssa Cavazos, B.J. Clevelabd, Coy Covington, Peter DiCesare, Jacob Hemsath, Denise Lee, Walter Lee, Laura Lites, Cara Server, Trey Tolleson and Brendan Wilham, with a special special appearance by Drew and Josiah Dossett.

It has to be really difficult to translate a stage production into an effective and entertaining video. Plays have to have built-in pauses to allow time for the audience’s reaction, and those pauses can seem a bit empty when there is no live audience to react. And it’s very odd to hear only your own laughter responding to Sister Helen’s zingers, like, “Brother Walter, do those pants come in men’s sizes?” (You’ll have to get your ticket and watch the show to hear Walter Lee’s equally zingy response!) And still, the show moves along at a peppy enough pace to keep you laughing — and to keep you watching.

Anything featuring Sister Helen Holy is, obviously, intended to be a comedy. And there are certainly plenty of laughs (the Nativity Scene presented in conjunction with the Our Lady of the Holy Queen Catholic Church is one of my favorites). But there are also LOTS of outstanding musical performances (special thanks to Brother Kevin Gunter and the CamelTones in addition to the singers) and some truly touching moments as well. When Walter Lee sings “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” after acknowledging that a lot of us won’t get to share our holidays with family, either our family of origin or our family of choice, it will put a lump in your throat for sure.

The show also gives you a glimpse at the silent auction happening online at UptownPlayers.org for the entire run of the show. The auction items include a two-night midweek stay Walnut Canyon Cabins outside of Fredericksburg and a wine-tasting party for up to 20 people at Total Wine and More. There is also artwork, jewelry, gift cards and more, and all proceeds benefit Uptown Players.

All of that adds up to a show you don’t want to miss; so, tune in to the 701 Club (because Sister Helen is just a little bit better than that other show) for this special quarantine cabaret edition.

Sister Helen Holy’s Holiday Streaming Spectacular streams Dec. 8-20 on Vimeo; Viewing tickets are $20-$30 and can be purchased online at UptownPlayers.org or by phone at 214-219-2718.

— Tammye Nash