TUTS' 'Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical' at Houston Hobby Center puts new twist on Christmas musical

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's the musical that saves Christmas, with the audience and their sweaters playing the major role.

This holiday season, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) debuts a world premiere of "The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical," playing now through Dec. 24 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

The musical is created by TUTS' artistic director Dan Knechtges and Megan Larche Dominick, featuring an all-Houston cast of performers.

ABC13 talked with Brooke Wilson, a TUTS regular on stage, about performing in a world premiere that puts a riotous twist on the Christmas musical genre.

"It's an interactive, 'get up, have a good time' kind of show where you can kind of let all of the cares in the world go in what can be a stressful part of the year," Wilson said. "Everyone is a kid again."

The original musical sees a uniform company's corporate Christmas party go awry when the employees discover their company is being sold to a large, unfeeling corporation, led by Wilson's character, "Olga." The employees are determined to save the company by creating and selling "ugly Christmas sweaters." The cast turns to the audience for inspiration for the sweaters.

"We had a couple that was connected in one sweater! But if you want to just sit back and enjoy the entertainment, you have that option as well," Wilson said.

Wilson discussed the unique aspect of creating a new production for Houston.

"It's a constant work in progress. You have to really be on your game and always be ready. But it's great to have that audience interaction and immediate feedback. It's really exciting to be a part of a world premiere and dive into new material no one has seen before," Wilson said.

"The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical" runs through Dec. 24 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. For more information and tickets go to tuts.com.

For updates on this story, follow Jonathan Bruce on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.