About WAFFLE PALACE CHRISTMAS

Horizon Theatre Company is ringing in the holiday season with a new tradition! Waffle Palace Christmas, a sequel to the smash-hit show inspired by real events at Waffle House restaurants, will hit the Little Five Points stage from November 16 through December 30. The anticipated world premiere will include familiar faces as well as new, charming cast members dishing up heartfelt southern humor—scattered, smothered and covered in a spicy holiday sauce.

“After staging several sell-out runs of Waffle Palace in past years, we’re excited to bring back the beloved all-night diner and its staff in a new edition perfect for the holiday season,” said Co-Artistic/Producing Director Lisa Adler.  “This festive spin on the cordial comedy will serve up a new tradition, filled with laughter and holiday spirit sure to satisfy everyone for seasons to come!”

Waffle Palace Christmas picks up with the vintage Waffle Palace now thriving in the middle of a new modern city multi-use complex. The holiday season is in full swing and the staff is adjusting to new roles, an inexperienced employee and quirky regulars. With Christmas cheer aplenty among the diverse staff and diners, Krampus, a legendary, shape-shifting holiday villain, appears over the restaurant to sabotage the spirit and challenge all in his path.

STORY:

The holiday spirit is alive and well within the Waffle Palace for customers and staff alike. Long-time, African-American waitress Connie has invested her own savings to keep the Waffle Palace open and is now in partnership with her former boss, John Picket. Connie hires a likeable young cook with no grill experience but artistic talents galore, and a young web developer with some secrets, Alex, begins hanging out at the Waffle Palace daily. Former waitress Esperanza and customer Hugo have returned from a long honeymoon (funded by the lottery she won) and are pregnant, with the baby due on Christmas Day. To top it off, Dave, a young vet who may or may not be homeless, has pitched a tent on the roof where he sings the blues.

As ancient folklore has it, Krampus is often drawn to places filled with holiday cheer and appears one night in a cloud of smoke over the thriving Waffle Palace. In attempt to foil the Waffle Palace’s holiday spirit, Krampus uses his powers to wreak havoc in the restaurant by manipulating the staff, customers, weather and more to his own ends.

Eight actors play 20-plus roles in this story about new beginnings and overcoming the darkness; and of course, an ending with a Christmas birth and Wiccans chanting in the parking lot.