With a cast and team of more than 60, a fully scripted installment of new skits, characters, and songs added to the familiar favorites of the past decades, and immersive staging throughout the intimate cabaret space of 54 Below, The 14th Annual Joe Iconis Christmas Extravaganza is an unbeatable holiday celebration filled with over-the-top cheer and revelry, love and camaraderie, no-holds-barred laughs and the extraordinary talent of Iconis and his chosen family of stars who’ve appeared in his concerts and musicals. Written by Iconis and directed once again by longtime collaborator John Simpkins, the show is an unbeatable way to get into the spirit(s) of the season. Liz Lark Brown and company. Photo by Ray Costello. The concept of this year’s two-and-a-half-hour self-referencing show (yes, it’s a full-length non-stop theatrical production with a running theme and a company of triple-threats acting, singing, dancing, moving around the house that’s been decorated to the hilt, distributing candy, surrounding and interacting with the audience) is a depressed Joe, who’s had the hardest year ever, hoping for the belated arrival of his cast, flashing back on harrowing episodes of his life, family, and career in musical theater, and parodically reimagining the iconic figures, songs, and traditions of Christmas. It’s a chockful show with 24 segments of sketches, songs, medleys, and dance, with lively and bawdy choreography by Christine O’Grady, that not only puts the “extra in extravaganza” but also the X, with lots of irreverent, politically incorrect, salacious humor and language, in a perfectly hilarious combination of naughty and nice. Among the returning artists are special guest star Annie Golden as the sweet-voiced foul-mouthed Christmas Angel, Lauren Marcus as the young English ragamuffin who’s so hungry she eats paper, Morgan Siobhan Green as her ragamuffin friend who can’t speak, Will Roland as the dastardly Cyril Von Miserthorpe threatening to evict Iconis, Jason SweetTooth Williams as the depressed Santa Claus who can’t compete with Jesus, Lorinda Lisitza as the drunken Mrs. Claus slurring her words and swigging a bottle of booze, and Liz Lark Brown as the Virgin Mary who strips down for a dance with sparsely clad go-go boys, all wearing side-splitting eye-popping costumes by Brendan McCann. Jason SweetTooth Williams and company. Photo by Ray Costello. They are joined by a sensational company – all with featured spots, all adding immeasurably to the zany fun, and all worthy of individual note  – of Sara Al-Bazali, Josh Alvarez, Nick Brogan, Aaron Clark Burstein, Sarah Cetrulo, Harrison Chad, Aidan Cole, Bill Coyne, Max Crumm, Laura Dadap, Katrina Rose Dideriksen, John El-Jor, Vince Fazzolari, Bailey Forman, Danielle Gimbal, Molly Hager, Ian Kagey, Dennis Michael Keefe, Jaz Koft, Amirah Joy Lomax, Noi Maeshige, Julia Mattison, Kelly McIntyre, Devon Meddock, Eric William Morris, Jeremy Morse, Jon-Michael Reese, Krysta Rodriguez, Rob Rokicki, Philip Romano, Mike Rosengarten, Jackie Sanders, Brooke Shapiro, Tim Shea, Lena Skeele, Owen Smith, Philip Jackson Smith, Brent Stranathan, Leonard Sullivan, Lilly Tobin, Tatiana Wechsler, Noah Weisberg, and Jared Weiss (some appearing in select performances only, pending their availability), along with producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper who takes to the stage for a lively group rendition of “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.” Joe Iconis. Photo by Ray Costello. As in previous years, the show ends with three blockbuster musical numbers: Williams’ emotion-packed delivery of Iconis’s poignant “The Goodbye Song” from the TV series Smash, backed by the harmonious company; Golden’s solo on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in feathered angel wings and halo; and the full cast closing with a powerhouse rendition of Darlene Love’s pop hit (written by Jeff Barry, Elle Greenwich, and Phil Spector), “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” leaving everyone singing along, cheering, and covered in snow falling down from above. Through it all, Iconis accompanies the cast on piano, interjects his satirical observations and asides, and keeps the energy flowing and the feeling of family front and foremost. I cannot recommend this annual holiday treat highly enough, and I know once you’ve experienced it, you’ll come back year after year after year. And if you can’t attend in person, you can watch the livestream in real time on Sunday, December 15, starting at 7 pm, so, in the ribald vernacular of the wacky outspoken characters, don’t f***ing miss it! Running Time: Approximately two hours and 20 minutes, without intermission. The 14th Annual Joe Iconis Christmas Extravaganza plays through Sunday, December 15, 2024, at 7 and 11 pm (doors open at 5:30 and 10 pm), at 54 Below, 254 West 54th Street, cellar, NYC. For more information and tickets (priced at $51-111.50, including fees, plus a $25 per person food and beverage minimum), go online. The 7 pm performance on December 15 will also be livestreamed (in real time only; it will not be available on demand afterwards); for tickets (priced at $28.50, including fees), click here.