GrooveLily. Photo by Leslie Lyons.

Screwed up people make great art..or so says a song from the lovely (and rocking) holiday musical Striking 12. Ergo, the writers of the show–Brendan Milburn, Rachel Sheinkin and Valerie Vigoda–should be absolute basket cases. Well, I hate to be picky but they lied. I can’t vouch for Ms. Sheinkin but Brendan and Valerie are two of the nicest, most talented people in the music theater biz.

The questionable veracity of their lyrics aside, their show is an entertaining, one-of-a-kind combo of indie rock concert and touching holiday fairy tale (though secular…the holiday is New Year’s Eve), with enough bah-humbug cynicism and fourth-wall-breaking humor to keep it well out of saccharine territory. If you haven’t seen it before, it’s returning to New York for eight performances only, December 26-31, at the Metropolitan Room. Even better, Brendan, Valerie and drummer Gene Lewin who make up the band GrooveLily are performing the show themselves in the Big Apple for the first time in three years. It’s a must-see opportunity.

Now I can’t get that song (inspired by Hans Christian Anderson) out of my head, so I’m going to make you hear it, too…

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Richard Roxburgh & Cate Blanchett in "Uncle Vanya". Photo by Lisa Tomasetti.

Breaking News: According to the New York Times, the acclaimed Sydney Theatre Company production of Uncle Vanya starring Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving will play a short New York City engagement at City Center from July 19 through July 28 as part of the Lincoln Center Festival. Given that it was easily one of my theatrical highlights of the year when I saw it at the Kennedy Center in DC this past summer  (hint: it will definitely be on my top 10 when I post it next week), this will be one of the must-have tickets of 2012. More information to follow when it is announced.