From Staff Reports 

NEWTON — The “I Love Lucy” holiday tribute show “Christmas With the Ricardos” will be performed at 7 p.m. Nov. 20 in the Newton Performing Arts Center at 60 W. 6th St.

 An event promotion stated, “Voted No. 1 ‘I Love Lucy’ tribute iin America... Celebrate the holidays with ‘Lucy and Ricky!’ 

“This hilarious show includes everything from musical numbers to your favorite Christmas songs from the ‘40s and ‘50s, as well as comedy skits and audience participation.

“Some highlights of the show are when Lucy performs her rendition of ‘The Nutcracker’ and later disguises herself as Santa Claus, and when Lucy and Ricky sing and dance to ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside.’

“The audience, too, will participate in performing ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas,’ led by a very animated Lucy!”

Performing as Lucy is Melody Knighton, an Atlanta-based actress who said in a recent interview with the Greenwood (S.C.) Index-Journal that “she had no idea portraying a red-headed female comedy pioneer would become her bread and butter.”

Performing as Ricky Ricardo is Luis Hernandez, who sings, dances, hosts the show, does improvisation and speaks fluent Spanish. “It’s great, because he can yell at me in Spanish,” Knighton said in the interview “There’s a smorgasbord of things you need to be able to do with this.”

Knighton also said that Lucille Ball’s husband and television co-star Desi Arnaz often has not gotten much credit for his contributions to what would be among the most successful programs in television history, including approaches with filming that are still used in sitcoms today.

For tickets, which are $21-$26, visit NewtonPAC.com.