Photo Flash: First Look at History Theatre's CHRISTMAS OF SWING

History Theatre will celebrate the holiday season with the return of The Andrews Sisters – Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne – in Christmas of Swing, a joyful reimagining of a Christmas Eve USO show for soldiers recovering in a V.A. hospital stateside. Get a first look at the show in the photos below!

The show features thirty-six of The Andrews Sisters' signature song and dance numbers including "Let It Snow," "Christmas in Killarney," "Mele Kalikimaka" and many more along with swing versions of traditional Christmas tunes. There will also be special guest appearances by folks like Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Abbott & Costello, and Santa. The show also touches on the realities of a hard-fought war on foreign soil by including excerpts from real letters written by World War II soldiers.

During the first two weekends of performances, History Theatre patrons will be able to write cards and letters which will be mailed to current military personnel who are stationed far away from home during the holiday season. And throughout the run of Christmas of Swing, World War II veterans are invited to attend for FREE.

Christmas of Swing was written by Bob Beverage and Ron Peluso, in collaboration with David Lohman and Jan Puffer. Christmas of Swing originally premiered at History Theatre in 2005 and played again in 2006. The 2012 production features Ruthie Baker as Patty Andrews, Jen Burleigh- Bentz as LaVerne Andrews, and Stacey Lindell as Maxene Andrews. They are joined by Raymond Berg as their band leader Vic, along with Mark Rosenwinkel and Bill Scharpen making special appearances as Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Abbott & Costello, and more.

Christmas of Swing Opens tomorrow, November 24, 2012, and runs through Sunday, December 23, 2012, playing Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays & Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Audio Described and ASL interpreted performance on 12/9/12 at 2:00 p.m. Performing at History Theatre is located at 30 East Tenth Street, St. Paul, MN. For directions and parking information, click HERE.

Tickets: Tier 1 $40; Tier 2 $36; Tier 3 $32 Seniors (60+ years old) get $2 off regular ticket prices | Students (5 to 18 years old): $15 Discount rates are available for groups of 12 or more. History Theatre Box Office at 651.292.4323 or www.historytheatre.com/tickets.

For 35 years, the History Theatre Experience has created: Inspiration. The History Theater Experience brings real stories about real people to the stage in an immediate experience that touches our lives. 111 world premiere performances, more than any other theater in the Twin Cities. The History Theatre is one of the country's most impressive new play development homes – bringing to full production new work by Jeffrey Hatcher, Melanie Marnich, Craig Wright, Kim Hines, Dorie Baizley, John Olive, Kira Obolensky, and more. Brave, entertaining explorations of all the histories that make up our diverse community. From Farm Boys to Snapshots: Life in the City, from the celebratory Wellstone! to the dark, complex Piece of the Rope about Minnesota's first public execution, HT has moved Minnesotans to rediscover, relive, and respect every piece of their history. More than 200,000 students have connected with history through performances at HT.

Photo Credit: Scott Pakudaitis