Farmington Players Brings the Christmas Camp in ‘A Very Farmington Christmas’
What is Christmas without a healthy dose of jolly? The holiday season is often called the most wonderful time of the year, offering light and levity for all who celebrate. However, if you’re a Hallmark lover like my family and I, Christmas comes with quite a bit of camp as well. Too many decorations, too much time with our families, and the ever-present threat of love at first sight. That last one is absolutely hyperbole, but you get the gist. According to these holiday rom-coms, you can’t have a holiday without a healthy dose of Christmas camp, and Farmington Players embraced that completely with their recent production of A Very Farmington Christmas!
Written by Robert Hawlmark, A Very Farmington Christmas serves as a love letter to both the holiday season and the cheesy romantic comedies of which Hallmark has become known. However, that’s not to say that the book of this production doesn’t poke fun at the ridiculousness of the tropes associated with these holiday flicks, as A Very Farmington Christmas balances the love with the corniness. This play is like watching one of the thousands of Hallmark films come to life before your eyes, which is indeed both the charm and the success of a show such as this, and why the theater was full of not just audience members, but with laughter and love that is required during the holiday season.
[Warning: Spoilers from A Very Farmington Christmas are below!]
A tale as old as time from Robert Hawlmark
Part of the hilarity that is infused into A Very Farmington Christmas is that it’s a story that audiences have seen play out so many times before. The running gag of Hallmark films is that they are all so formulaic that you know the ending before you even get to the title screen, which holds true with this production.
Felice Navi (Karla Kamm) is a big-city girl with a small-town secret. Working a thankless job to impress her boss, Mr. Banks (Jason Wilhoite), she doesn’t have much of a social life. She’s tied to her desk, making one deal after another, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend/fiance Jack (also played by Wilhoite) and her mother (Nancy Cooper), both of whom are begging her to get away.
However, when her boss asks her to return to her hometown of Farmington to take over a business, Felice sees a chance to kill two birds with one stone: impress her boss and land a promotion, and spend time with her mother just in time for Christmas. Although those of us familiar with Hallmark films know the stories aren’t nearly as simple as that. As Felice arrives in Farmington, she runs right into George (Benjamin Burt), an old acquaintance from high school.
If one curveball in the form of sparks and feelings wasn’t enough, the universe has another in store for Felice and George. A failing antique business, a desire to provide more for his child, and a father whose legacy is weighing heavily on his shoulders, George has a lot to think about. Especially when his business is the one that Felice is there to buy out. Can these two weather the storm, or are they destined to lose themselves to the holiday rom-com storm?
Shining moments from A Very Farmington Christmas
As previously stated, this play both celebrates and makes fun of the plethora of Hallmark films that predate it. A Very Farmington Christmas embraces the formula in which these movies are made, highlighting the pure ridiculousness of the structure, which in turn makes the show tear-enducing hilarious. The only word that continues to come to mind with this particular production of Robert Hawlmark’s show is camp. Farmington Players takes the campiness of the story, and within the Hallmark films for that matter, and cranks it up to eleven.
Instead of making A Very Farmington Christmas into a pure comedy, this theater places emphasis on the melodrama, which completely changes the show. No longer are you just laughing at the pieces because they are hilarious, but you’re laughing at them because you can’t help but roll your eyes at how silly and stupid these stories are. It’s like watching your favorite movie or show through someone else’s eyes, helping audiences to see something new that they might have missed.
With a relatively simple set and a predictable book, A Very Farmington Christmas succeeds because of the cast. These four actors comprise the entire show, so it lives or dies on their work. Nancy Cooper and Jason Wilhoite play a multitude of characters, with some of their comedic bits coming from the necessity to change between them. Both roles involve a lot of physical humor, which isn’t always easy.
Cooper and Wilhoite move around the stage with precision and professionalism, oscillating between characters as necessary and achieving it with little difficulty. There’s something to say about an actor who can play multiple roles in a show and have a clear and distinct vision for each one, to which I tip my hat to both of these actors.
Karla Kamm understands the assignment of playing a Hallmark leading lady, as her Felice felt ripped right from the silver screen. All of the charm and conflicts that you’d come to expect from a low-budget romantic comedy are there, with Kamm adding nuance to a role that can easily feel flat. Kamm gives Felice the full gamut of emotions, adding depth to a traditionally two-dimensional character.
The absolute same can be said for Benjamin Burt’s George. Most love interests in these types of movies are just that: love interests. Their stories only serve to be the catalyst for the big city girl to change, realizing that their heart truly belongs in the small town she’s worked so hard to forget. However, Burt adds even more layers to the lead romantic male. George feels incredibly well-rounded, expressing both his joy, disappointment, and anger in exaggerated, although realistic ways. George is so much more than the pieces that comprise him, which takes someone with Burt’s talent to achieve.
Farmington Players knows how to bring the entertainment
It takes true talent to bring a show such as A Very Farmington Christmas to life; however, this local theater continues to prove just how far they’re willing to go to achieve it. Farmington Players continue to strive for the best, and they achieve it in spades. A Very Famington Christmas was the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season and only makes me more excited for what’s to come in 2026 at Farmington Players.
Stay tuned for future productions coming to Farming Players, such as The Outsider and Hello Dolly! Did you catch A Very Farmington Players? Let us know @BoxSeatBabes on all major social media platforms!
Exclusive Interview: Jason Wilhoite of Farmington Players’ A Very Farmington Christmas
