MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—The 41st edition of “Christmas at the Palace” is ready to roll out this weekend and director Clare Cooke said she’s excited to see the fruits of all of the hard work the performers have been putting in during rehearsals.

“Christmas at the Palace” is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, Dec. 1-3 at the Palace Theatre, 276 W. Center St. in downtown Marion. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, followed by a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Adult tickets cost $12, $24, and $29. Tickets for children ages 12 and younger cost $12.

“It’s all so beautiful and I’m so very happy about it,” said Cooke, who wrote the script for this year’s show, which is themed “Christmas Spectacular.” “Everything is on track and we’re ready to go. It’s going to be a wonderful show.”

Joining Cooke on the production staff are longtime choreographer Kristi Wink, music director Rick Baird, and vocal director Jami Rawlins.

The principal characters in “Christmas at the Palace” are Santa Claus played by Bruce Cudd, Mrs. Claus played by Sharon Gale, Kyle the UPS Guy played by Dustin Rawlins, and a trio of pesky elves: Sassy played by Julia Vanderhoff, Sparkle played by Sara Grote, and newcomer Eddie played by Benjamin Blankenship.

Blankenship made his Palace Theatre debut in April 2023 during a production of “Nunsense A-Men!” and has quickly become a stellar performer on the Marion stage, Cooke said.

“He’s quite the shining star. I’m very happy with Ben,” Cooke said. “He’s very talented and it’s a thrill for me to have that kind of talent come along every now and then.”

Cooke said the addition of the third elf creates some hilarious comedic tension between Sassy and newcomer Eddie that she said the audience will enjoy. And there will be a romantic plot twist this year involving at least one of the elves, she said.

The usual lineup of talented groups returns for “Christmas at the Palace,” Cooke said, including the always-popular women’s and men’s tap lines. She noted that the roster for the women’s tap line this year is huge with at least thirty area women participating in the group.

“The women are looking great and the guys are just doing a wonderful job,” Cooke noted. “There aren’t any slackers in those tap lines. They really dance.”

Cooke said she’s also excited about the cast of young people participating in the show and is glad to see so many young people and children exercising and developing their talents on the local stage.

“It’s fun to see them grow and listen to their voices grow,” Cooke said. “We have some new soloists this year. Elizabeth Moore does a beautiful job. We’ve just got so much great talent. I’m just so blessed that I get to work with this great talent every year.”

While she’s considered giving up the reins of “Christmas at the Palace” at times, Cooke said she was reminded by a longtime production staff member this year that the show is important to the community.

“Barb Yaksic said, ‘Clare, we look forward to this every year. It’s the start of the Christmas season for us,’” Cooke shared. “And she’s right. There’s so many traditions in Marion that don’t take place anymore, but you can always count on ‘Christmas at the Palace,’ always the first weekend in December.”

For ticket information about “Christmas at the Palace,” go to the theater website marionpalace.org or call the box office at 740-383-2101.