It was back in 2018 that “Honky Tonk Angels” took the stage at Winter Park Playhouse for a production I called “a down-home treat for country-music fans.”

Now Ted Swindley’s festive sequel is in town, with Winter Park Playhouse bringing the countrified ladies over to the Lowndes Shakespeare Center while its regular theater undergoes renovations. Breaking the laws of sequels, this outing with the bubbly country trio is even better than the first.

Actually, there’s a quartet this time. Angela is unable to make the Angels’ reunion concert, so new member Charilee Chess has been recruited to join Darlene and Sue Ellen for the gig. But, wait, it turns out Angela can’t stay away — so she shows up, ready to give birth to twins at any second. Goodness gracious, how will she make it through the “Peppermint Twist”?

“Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown” is a standard example of this sort of revue: The story elements take a backseat to the singing, the characterizations are broad and surface-level, and the stakes are laughably low. (I’m not sure this story has any dramatic stakes at all beyond whether Angela will give birth, and that’s pretty much a foregone conclusion.)

But this “Holiday Hoedown” rises far above standard. That’s in part thanks to Swindley, who scatters his script with unexpectedly pointed laughs while also searching the country Christmas archives for some deep cuts, all of which also provide unexpected delights.

But a big stocking full of credit has to go to director Kate Adams Kramer for taking just the right touch with this sometimes corny material; how refreshing to watch a holiday musical that makes you feel warm and fuzzy but without the typical schmaltz. Instead, the humor is what’s creating good cheer.

Rebecca Jo Lightfoot gets creative with the tinsel in the Winter Park Playhouse production of “Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown.” (Courtesy Michael Cairns via Winter Park Playhouse)

Kramer is ably assisted by music director Natalie Hightower because the four-piece Playhouse band and the quartet of singers sound great. Those girl-group harmonies will give you chills faster than an icicle down your sweater.

And let’s talk about those singers. It’s dream casting, with Playhouse vets Rebecca Jo Lightfoot, Hannah McGinley Lemasters and Monica Titus onstage — each woman a powerhouse in her own right.

They are joined by newcomer Tesia Kwarteng, who makes what just might be the most exciting local debut of the year. (Her credits include roles in Broadway’s “Camelot,” off-Broadway’s “Intimate Apparel” and performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Casting directors, take note.)

Tesia Kwarteng makes an impressive local debut in the Winter Park Playhouse production of “Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown.” (Courtesy Michael Cairns via Winter Park Playhouse)

Each woman is doing what she does best, but in this group of scene stealers, no one overpowers the others, as sometimes can be the case. In fact, each actor is generous in sharing the spotlight. It makes for a glorious feeling of camaraderie.

And each has plenty of opportunities to shine: Lightfoot purrs her way through “Santa, Bring My Baby Home,” using a strand of garland as a boa. Titus gives a rip-roaring run-through of the comic “Mississippi Squirrel Revival.” Lemasters brings legit country chops to charmers such as “Greatest Little Christmas Ever Was” and “Mama’s Applesauce Cake.” And Kwarteng, who knows how to deliver a comic aside with flair, touches the heart with “What a Wonderful World.”

The only misstep: Pretending Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” tells the story of one of the characters. It’s beautifully sung, but that biographical song is too famously associated with Parton to really work that way.

Monica Titus returns to Winter Park Playhouse for its production of “Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown” after playing the same role in the original “Honky Tonk Angels” musical. (Courtesy Michael Cairns via Winter Park Playhouse)

Sonya Smith-Tembe’s set and Katy Williams’ costumes add to the fun, but the true appeal is that cast. And as much as I think this “Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown” fires on all tinsel-strewn cylinders, I’m not going to pretend it’s for everyone. Humor is subjective, and there’s more than a little “Hee-Haw” styled ham here. But if you’re in the mood for some great singing and lowbrow laughs that call to mind simpler times, this might be just the Christmas gift you didn’t know you needed.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.

Hannah McGinley Lemasters (from left), Monica Titus, Tesia Kwarteng and Rebecca Jo Lightfoot lift the material in the Winter Park Playhouse production of “Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown.” (Courtesy Michael Cairns via Winter Park Playhouse)

‘Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown’

Length: 1:50, including intermission
Where: Mandell Theater at Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St. in Orlando
When: Through Dec. 20
Cost: $42-$47 ($20 students, active military, theater-industry workers)
Info: winterparkplayhouse.org

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/22/honky-tonk-angels-holiday-hoedown-review/