READY TO PERFORM — This year’s cast of the upcoming “Invasion of the Woodsnatchers,” includes, from left, front, Sam Federoff, Lowly; Cecelia Coakley, Zuzu Bailey; Roberta Fedoush, accompanist; and John Holmes, Grand Grumpster; second row, Susanne Manocchia, vocal director; Naedia McCann, Lovair; and Von Holmes, Grandma Nutcracker; and back, John Walker, St. Nicholas; Tad Federoff, Starman; Isaac Federoff, Col. John Glenn; and Doug Davidson, Greg the Waiter. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — A three-year absence from the holiday stage is about to come to a joyful end. With the Christmas season quickly approaching, so is the return of the beloved “Wooden Heart Follies.” Yes, Steubenville’s famous nutcrackers will have to face a new challenge this year, as aliens are intent on stealing their joy.

The musical comedy is returning with an all-new production entitled “Invasion of the Woodsnatchers,” set to premiere this December.

According to co-writers John and Von Holmes, it was their son who came up with the premise for the show’s title, taking from the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” The show will feature comical lyrics, written by John, set to the familiar holiday melodies of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” playing on some very real and occasionally frustrating incidents which Ohio Valley residents just might remember.

This will be the fifth show in the series, according to Von Holmes, who wrote the script and is the director of the production. She explained Judy Bratten, who served as the executive director of Historic Fort Steuben, had asked the couple to create something theatrical for the Nutcracker Village.

In love with the idea of having the wooden figures come to life, as well as being able to help promote the downtown area and its businesses as much as possible, the Holmes accepted Bratten’s offer and immediately took to writing and editing.

The first show took to the stage in 2016. John explained the writing process generally takes approximately three to four months to complete and entails creating a concept, writing the script and then creating lyrics to a Tchaikovsky piece. It takes another two or three months to gather a cast and rehearse the production, which the Holmes hope to begin around September. There have been years, however, in which the Holmes were not able to do a holiday show. Health issues or time constraints would get in the way, along with other factors one has to consider when putting on a presentation for the community, including being able to locate a venue. This year’s performance will have a new venue, Von noted.

“Invasion of the Woodsnatchers,” will be performed inside the Anathan Theater, located on the ground floor of Egan Hall at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Performances are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 11-14. The show runs approximately one hour.

The Great Nutcracker Abduction

The plot is inspired by the mysterious and quickly-resolved disappearances of several prominent figures from the Steubenville Nutcracker Village throughout the years. In 2017, the Starman nutcracker was taken and recovered. In 2021, St. Nicholas vanished, only to be followed by the Froehlich’s-sponsored nutcracker, Greg the Waiter, in 2022.

“Invasion of the Woodsnatchers” imagines these three iconic wooden figures being abducted by aliens from Planet Grumponia, which is a world afflicted by excessive grumpiness ever since a “grumpinacious asteroid” passed by. Their mission? To steal the joy the nutcrackers bring to Steubenville. The alien plot appears foolproof until a younger nutcracker — Zuzu Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” alerts the matriarch of the Nutcracker Village, Grandma Nutcracker.

Love, Joy and Tchaikovsky

Enlisting the aid of the legendary astronaut John Glenn, Zuzu finds a way to rescue the abducted trio. The three have been put into a mind-controlled trance by the alien leader known as the Grand Grumpster and his minion, Lowly.

What more could a production want? How about a love story?

Female alien Lovair, falls for Starman and helps the nutcrackers. The musical question for the audience is whether the power of love — and joy — can save Steubenville. The “Wooden Heart Follies” has presented five previous Tchaikovsky-with-lyrics shows since 2016, with its most recent being a revision of the first show in 2022.

“Tchaikovsky never intended this music to have lyrics,” Von Holmes explained. “Some of the songs are pretty fast and very hard to sing. Luckily, we have a gifted vocal director, Susanne Manocchia, who wrote arrangements that are actually singable.”

The production will include familiar Tchaikovsky melodiesm, including “Nutcracker March,” “Waltz of the Flowers” and “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,” along with two non-Tchaikovsky Christmas songs: “Carol of the Bells,” which becomes “Carol of the Blocks” for the wooden performers, and “Joy to the World,” which concludes the show with an audience sing-along. Roberta Fedoush serves as the accompanist.

Familiar Faces on a New Stage

The show promises to be a family-friendly event, with co-writer John Holmes noting, “Many of the jokes and characters are aimed at children, but we think we have plenty of material for moms and dads, too.”

Many of the performers will be familiar to an Ohio Valley audience. This year’s cast includes: Cecelia Coakley, a sixth-grader at Bishop John King Mussio, portraying Zuzu; Sam Federoff, a seventh-grader at Bishop John King Mussio, Lowly; writer and director Von Holmes, Grandma Nutcracker; lyricist John Holmes, the Grand Grumpster; Isaac Federoff, a sophomore at Catholic Central High School, John Glenn; Tad Federoff, a 2022 Catholic Central High School graduate, Starman; Doug Davidson, a Weirton resident who appeared as Emcee in the the 2022 “Wooden Heart Follies,” Greg the Waiter; John Walker, theater professor at Franciscan University, St. Nicholas; and Naedia McCann, actor and director at Sycamore Youth Center’s drama camp, Lovair.

Von Holmes has been seen on Steubenville stages since 1972. Walker is a professional actor who originated the role of St. Nicholas in the 2016 follies and was seen in the EWTN series “Chesterton Station,” which he created.

General admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children under 12. To purchase online, visit woodenheartfollies.com or steubenvillenutcrackervillage.com under the “schedule” section.