News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A new Christmas musical titled “The Best Thing About Christmas” debuts in Cookeville Monday night.
Playwright Derek Hinckley said the show set in Nashville centers on a father who writes a musical as a way to rediscover the meaning of Christmas. It is set following the death of his daughter makes him bitter towards the season. He said the story is inspired by his own life and features a lot of music outside of the standard Christmas sounds.
“So he’s actually writing this musical script, complete with characters, story lines, and songs, as you witness it on the stage through the musical. So it’s kind of like a loop, right? It’s almost like my life. It took me 5 years to write this thing, but you see Dylan write it in two hours on the stage.”
Hinckley said the show has been well received by all ages and its message is applicable to everyone well beyond the holiday season. Hinckley said he started working on the musical in 2018 and had the first performance of the show in 2021. The show opens Monday night at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center.
“Does it feel like Christmas when you attend our show?” Hinckley said. “Absolutely. You know, the decor and just the general vibe. But really this show could be seen and appreciated and embraced by audiences any time of year really, because of how universal I feel like the messages are.”
Hinckley said the tour will start in Cookeville before going to Harriman, Franklin, and then finishing in his birthplace, Knoxville. He said he wanted to write something more uplifting and inspiring than the country and rock music he made in the past.
“I just hope people walk away after our show feeling like they’re not alone,” Hinckley said. “Knowing that there is a God, that he loves us and he wants us to be happy and successful and he wants us to be with our families and wants us to, you know, stand up for what’s right and never quit.”
Tickets can be purchased at the CPAC website.
