The whir of a wind machine, the jingle of sleigh bells, and the well-timed crack of a punch line will set the seasonal mood in Barrington this December. Parker Players Theater Company is presenting Holiday 2025 – A Live Old Time Holiday Radio Show, a staged throwback to midcentury broadcast comedy running December 6–14 at The Barrington, 540 W Northwest Highway, with episodes directed by Julie Price, according to Trumba. The program features two classics from radio’s heyday: Fibber McGee & Molly: “Fibber Paints a Christmas Tree” and The Jack Benny Program: “Jack Benny Buys Shoelaces for Don,” Trumba reports.

A seasonal revival with vintage sparkle

The company is leaning into the era’s atmosphere with the trappings of a live studio broadcast — think period-appropriate costumes, cast mic work, and hand-made Foley effects to conjure footsteps, snowfall, and festive chaos — a format the company frames as an immersive, community-forward experience, according to Parker Players Theater Company and Trumba. The setup suits this pair of comic chestnuts, which originally played to national audiences in radio’s prime.

For audiences planning a matinee or an evening out, the schedule is straightforward, with multiple opportunities across two weekends, according to Trumba:

  • Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Dec. 6 and 13)
  • Sundays at 3 p.m. (Dec. 7 and 14)

All performances take place at The Barrington, 540 W Northwest Highway in Barrington, Trumba notes.

Why old radio still plays

From the 1920s through the 1950s, radio ruled American living rooms. Comedy mainstays such as “Fibber McGee & Molly” and “The Jack Benny Program” turned household listening into a weekly ritual during the Golden Age of Radio, a period when the medium dominated home entertainment and shaped shared cultural habits, according to Wikipedia. Families gathered around the set to laugh together at recurring characters and running gags — a communal intimacy that contemporary stage reenactments aim to re-create for modern audiences, as context from Wikipedia explains.

That intergenerational appeal may be especially resonant in Barrington, a village of roughly 10,700 residents with a mix of family households and older adults — about 38% of households include children under 18 and about 20% of residents are 65 or older, according to Wikipedia. The community’s calendar is already rich with traditions — Memorial Day and Fourth of July parades, the Great Taste Fest, and the long-running Art in the Barn fine arts sale that has drawn thousands and raised millions for Good Shepherd Hospital — reflecting a local appetite for seasonal gatherings that blend nostalgia with civic spirit, Wikipedia notes.

Local roots and plans for growth

Parker Players bills itself as a not-for-profit, community-supported company committed to high-quality performance and strong audience connection, a mission the group links to its deeper Barrington roots, according to Parker Players Theater Company. The organization traces its lineage to earlier local efforts to foster performing arts — including work associated with Parker Playhouse and an alumni endowment that helped seed ongoing theater activity — underscoring its long-standing ties to the area’s cultural life, as documented by Parker Players Theater Company — Archive/History.

The company is also looking ahead with bricks-and-mortar ambition. Through its Stage the Build campaign, Parker Players is raising funds to establish a permanent black box theater and community spaces at The Barrington complex, aiming for a $1 million goal and reporting $550,000 raised to date, according to Parker Players Theater Company — Stage the Build. The campaign outlines a flexible, fully equipped venue designed to expand programming and strengthen community access at 540 W Northwest Highway — the same address where this holiday radio show will take the stage, Parker Players Theater Company — Stage the Build notes.

In making the case for support, the company puts the stakes plainly: “By making a gift you help PPTC deliver artistic programming that reaches combined audiences of nearly 4,000 annually,” according to Parker Players Theater Company.

A warm tradition in the making

A live 1940s-style broadcast is more than a gimmick; it’s a format built on presence — performers at microphones, sound effects made in plain sight, and laughter rippling through the room. For Barrington audiences accustomed to seasonal rituals and for families seeking shared holiday experiences, that blend of craft and nostalgia is likely to land with lasting charm. This December’s run at The Barrington brings Parker Players’ community-first mission and its long-term venue plans into the same spotlight — a fitting stage for the company to celebrate the past while building toward its future, according to Trumba and Parker Players Theater Company — Stage the Build.

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