Holiday Cabaret
Detroit Public Theatre
Detroit, Mich.
Through Dec. 21, 2025
At the beginning of Detroit Public Theatre’s Holiday Cabaret, a robe-clad quintet surrounds a central piano for an angelic rendition of “Silent Night.” The sweet, choral harmonies of the carol are about as traditional a Christmas performance as you can get. But when the group concludes its final “Silent Night, Holy Night,” that's where the Christmas traditions pretty much end for the annual holiday show.
What follows is a hilarious, 80-minute raunch-filled performance of songs that won’t be making it into churches or school holiday pageants any time soon.
It’s a nice breather from a theater known for tackling heavy-hitting subject matters, including fascism, school shootings and the intersection of racism and sexism in this year alone.
The third annual event features returning cast members Eric Gutman – who is also the music director – and Bryana Hall, directed by Courtney Burkett. They’re joined by new cast members Lulu Fall, X. Alexander Durden and Mariah Colby, accompanied by pianist Betty-Alexandria Pride.
This year’s line-up features all new music, mostly focused on Christmas, with a few nods to Hanukkah and references to Kwanzaa and Ramadan. With gems like “Everyone is Traumatized by Christmas,” “The 12 Fights of Christmas” and “Let’s Cozy Up (Put Your Hands in My Muff),” the show covers the less glamorous and NSFW aspects of the holiday season, including family drama, depression, sex, and the mysteries of elf genitalia.
Led by Durden, one of my favorite songs was “Have You Heard of Christmas?” This seemingly sweet ballad starts off innocently enough before throwing in some surprising lyrics that offer alternative interpretations of the meaning of Christmas with appearances by Moses, Noah and “that cousin that you wanna fuck but you don’t.”
Another was Hall, Fall and Colby’s “The Christmas Candle.” The song follows the re-gifting journey of a candle – the perennial favorite generic present to give to a woman that resonates with females young and old everywhere. Its counteracting “What Do You Get Your Dad for Christmas?” by Gutman and Durden followed in a similar vein on the struggles of gift giving.
Each of the cast members delivered with strong vocals and comedic timing, able to both shine in their solos and play off each other in the group bits. The only things missing for me were more high-energy holiday songs. The set featured mostly ballads or more somber/mellow music, which did add a level of comedy when the lyrics didn’t quite match the vibe. There were also a few serious songs, like “Home” from “The Wiz” and Joni Mitchell’s “River,” which were pretty but out of place and kind of downers in an otherwise hilarious set. The manic, jingle bell-laden Christmas songs are where it’s at for me and would have added a nice balance to the show.
In a world of saccharine, idyllic Christmas songs and stories, it’s refreshing to celebrate the season with a bit of a reality check that is both enjoyable but gives you permission to acknowledge that not everything is merry and bright. Christmastime is also a child-dominated affair, and for those of us without kids – or perhaps sick of the ones they have – another adults-only holiday space is welcome. I love Christmastime, but the holidays are rarely a picturesque snow globe of love and magic, so you might as well laugh at it.
