It seems to me that there is a dearth of Thanksgiving related shows and musicals. I guess there isn’t that much to use the holiday for, except maybe the backdrop of a scene. But since it seems that Christmas gets started earlier and earlier each year, it becomes more obvious to me that the fourth Thursday of November lacks the same entertainment punch given to other holidays. There are plenty of classic TV episodes and the film classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but for the most part Thanksgiving remains firmly ensconced in educational theatre.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving-related theatre moments comes from the film sequel Addams Family Values, in which Wednesday (current Broadway star Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) are forced to go to the sunniest, most saccharine summer camp this side of Mary Poppins. After a summer being treated as misfits by the insufferably cheerful campers and counselors (hilariously played by Peter MacNicol and three-time Tony winner Christine Baranski), the duo and their outcast friends enact their revenge during the climactic (and hilariously politically incorrect) Thanksgiving pageant. Among the mothers in the audience on screen are theatre faves Harriet Harris and Julie Halston. Enjoy.
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