Naughty…but Nice returns for 10th and final time to CSpace in Calgary

Naughty...but Nice returns to CSpace in Calgary Dec.6 through Dec.23

If your idea of a holiday treat is a little less 'Bah, humbug' and a little more Baileys for breakfast, there's a pretty snappy Calgary holiday musical for that.

Naughty…but Nice: Xmas!, which has won awards and provided the launching pad for a Pakistani-Canadian film and TV star, is returning this December for its tenth and final production.

The show opens Dec. 6 and runs through Dec. 23 at CSpace.

"Our tenth anniversary will bring back some of the most beloved songs from over the years but will still include a few new surprises to keep things fresh," said Forte Musical Theatre’s artistic director, Joe Slabe, in a media release.

"We are both sad but excited to announce that this will be the final year for the show," he added, "as we set our sights on writing a new holiday musical for 2024."

Naughty…but Nice: Xmas! is an irreverent holiday musical featuring tunes such as "Santa's Your Daddy" and its signature tune, "Baileys for Breakfast."

It's a past winner of the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Musical, a number of Calgary Critics' Awards and two AMPIA Rosie Awards for Best Musical or Variety Program.

It also helped launch the career of Ahad Raza Mir, who went from starring in the musical to starring in numerous Pakistani television series and films.

This year's edition features three familiar faces returning to the show – Scott Olynek (eight years), Katelyn Morishita (back from last year) and Katherine Fadum (fourth time). New to this year's production is Eric Wigston, who's also a Forte Musical Guild regular, from musicals such as Touch Me: Songs for a Disconnected Age, Lest We Forget and Jeremy de Bergerac.

This year's show also marks a return to CSpace, which Forte artistic director Joe Slabe says comes with advantages.

"We learned a lot about how to use the cSPACE Studio Theatre last year," Slabe said. "It has a wide range of seating options including premium cabaret tables that seat four and budget seating to the left and right of the stage. Performances during previews and Tuesday nights are also discounted so there’s a price point for every holiday budget."