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I've never been to Nebraska, but when I think about that state I think first of maize, then of the Corn Huskers of Nebraska University; and at the very bottom of that short list would be theatre.

Actually, I don't think theatre would have made the list at all, but the play that I mentioned last week, which was a musical version of the Charles Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol," performed by the Nebraska Theatre Caravan, proved that I would have been remiss. I'm not exactly a patron of the arts, but when Julie asked if I'd go with her I agreed right away -- of course it helped that she took me out to dinner first, though. And it turned out to be a very special evening, both the dinner and the play were excellent.

We did up the night in style. Julie put on a nice dress and I my best suit -- even a tie! We had dinner at Peking, in the historic Landmark Building. Formerly the Wausau Hotel, the ballroom was turned into a Chinese restaurant and there are other shops on the first floor; the remaining seven floors have been turned into apartments. Julie wasn't the only one to think of combining the two historic places into one night out, the restaurant was packed -- good thing she made reservations -- and buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming show.

And now, with a full stomach, it was off to The Grand for the main event, and our timing couldn't have been more perfect. After climbing up, and up, and up, we finally got to our balcony seats; dead center and against the back wall, looking down at the stage. It doesn't really matter where I sit, but Julie said that she could see just fine and the seats were pretty good, even if it doesn't sound like it. Just as she started to read the program to me, the lights began to dim and the audience grew very quiet.

The familiar old story was set to traditional Christmas carols including: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Good King Wenceslaus," "O Come, O Come Immanuel," "Greensleeves," "Here We Come A-Wassailing" and "Good Christian Men Rejoice." The orchestra, headed up by pianist Kay Johnson, with Charles Douglas playing clarinet, Heather Fortune on flute and David Pepin tooting the french horn, provided the choral cast with scintillating musical accompaniment. I can't say much for the sets or the costumes (although Julie says that they were beautiful) but the music was a real treat.

The lead role, Ebeneezer Scrooge, was played by Jeff Moore, from Wayne Indiana. I assure you, Scrooge could not be done any better. From the quintessential crotchety old man to the joyfully giddy man who had finally seen the light, he was absolutely brilliant. No higher praise could I give. And with a first rate cast to back him up, I have nothing to gainsay.

The entire production was flawless. Set changes were swift and smooth, and the action flowed at a brisk pace. We stayed in our seats during the intermission and at the end of the show I still wasn't even getting fidgety yet.

I hope that I get the chance to see another production from this company, and if Wausau is lucky enough to get them back here next Christmas, I'd love to see this same play again.

With no snow on the ground here, yet, it's a little hard to get into the Christmas spirit; with a little help from Nebraska, though, it hardly matters.