Harlequin's ‘Survival Guide’ capture Christmas from an adult perspective

Harlequin Productions’ “A Christmas Survival Guide,” opening tonight, focuses on Christmas for the rest of us — those who aren’t waiting to see what Santa brought.

It’s a comedic musical revue about the responsibility and busyness of this time of year — and sometimes its loneliness, too, as in a scene where a department-store Santa talks to a child while thinking aloud about his own Christmas wishes.

“Christmas is usually focused on children,” said Amy Shephard, part of the show’s ensemble cast of three. “It’s the excitement of having Santa Claus coming and getting presents.

“This show examines Christmas from more of an adult perspective. After you’ve gotten over the glow of childhood, you can spend your life trying to recapture the magic that you felt as a child.”

The show is both traditional — at least in the set and some of the music — and a bit edgy.

“The set is big, Christmassy, beautiful,” said Linda Whitney, the director of the show and Harlequin’s co-artistic director. “It’s one of the most fun sets I’ve designed in a while, because I get to have seven Christmas trees and all kinds of lights.”

Songs, accompanied by a five-piece band, include a bounty of Christmas classics — ranging from “The Chipmunk Song” to “Away in a Manger” — along with little-known tunes by such contemporary composers as Jason Robert Brown.

And some songs get new lyrics.

“ ‘The 12 Steps of Christmas’ is a parody of ‘The 12 Days of Christmas,’ sung by a woman at an (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting,” said Linda Whitney. “It’s very funny.”

“Mainly, the humor is very dry,” Shephard said. “It’s very witty and can be very sharp and biting at times. I think it’s hilarious. It’s not your typical Christmas show.”

Neither were the shows in the theater’s “Stardust” holiday series, which ended a 17-year run last year. The original musicals were set in a nightclub during World War II. But they had become as traditional as the Grinch on television.

It was time for something different, Whitney said. “It certainly doesn’t seem to have affected ticket sales,” she said. “I just feel like everybody was ready to change it up a little bit.

“We’ve got all kinds of good stuff going on in this show that we could not have done with ‘Stardust.’ ”