Jewish Women's Theatre To Present A New Cabaret Show: A VERY GOYISHA HANUKKAH

How did a nice Evangelical Christian girl from Arizona wind up doing a one-woman comical cabaret show at Jewish Women's Theatre (JWT) in Santa Monica?

Audiences will laugh and maybe even sing along, as they learn the secrets of Anna Abbott's dual life in her new solo show, A Very Goyisha Hanukkah, playing two performances only at The Braid, JWT's art and performance space, Sunday, December 15 at 2 pm and Tuesday, December 17 at 8 pm. Tickets are $30 and may be obtained at www.jewishwomenstheatre.org.

Abbott began life as a sheltered Christian young lady, who was not allowed to go to Britney Spears concerts, who ate "not regular mints, but 'testamints,' -- little candies with Bible verses on them so your breath had the freshness of the Lord, and who had never heard of Barbra Streisand.

Abbot attended the NYU Tisch School of the Arts and received a degree in music with a specialty in opera. She performed with the Dallas Opera and even appeared at Carnegie Hall. She comes by her talent honestly, as Frank Sinatra was her great-uncle.

In her 20s, Abbott moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. "My life really had two different chapters, the Christian world I came from and the Jewish world I've fallen in love with," Abbott explains. "Life changed when I met a Jewish, lesbian comedian," she remembers. "Before I met her, I had only met one Jew in my life. I had to learn a new Yiddish vocabulary, I started eating at delis, and I learned how Jews questioned everything.

One of the most intriguing aspects of A Very Goyisha Hanukah is Abbott's retelling of the struggles she is still going through while keeping both her Judaism and her sexuality secret from her parents.

And audiences will learn her perspective on the religious differences she is experiencing. After attending Yom Kippur services, she said she "couldn't help but think how radically different it was from my experiences in the Christian Church. In Christianity, you confess to Jesus. Your sins are between you and God and no one else. So to watch people gather together to beat their chests and cry out to God in a beautiful motion of bending knees and leaning forward was a new experience for me."

"A Very Goyisha Hanukkah, is one of two special holiday shows we have scheduled for The Braid this December," said Ronda Spinak, JWT's artistic director. In addition to Abbott's two performances that are filled with music, song, parody lyrics and laughter, we are also presenting Three Jews and a Blonde Walked into The Braid, featuring JWT favorite Monica Piper and three of her headliner comedian friends on Saturday, December 14 at 8 pm. These two hilarious shows are sure to put everyone in a festive mood."

A Very Goyisha Hanukkah, will play two performances only at The Braid, JWT's art and performance space at 2912 Colorado Avenue #102 in Santa Monica on Sunday, December 15 at 2 pm and December 17 at 8 pm. Tickets are $30 and may be obtained at www.jewishwomenstheatre.org.

JWT, has been voted one of the "Best Live Theatres on the Westside" three years in a row by The Argonaut, stages and displays traditional and contemporary works and educational programming that provide a forum for the development, performance and showcasing of Jewish artistic talent. Now celebrating its 12th anniversary, JWT's salon theatre of original dramatic shows, each written to a specific theme, displays the diverse and eclectic community of writers, artists and creators who celebrate Jewish life, one story at a time. Learn more about JWT at: www.jewishwomenstheatre.org.