On Saturday, February 10, Staff Writer Gina Brown saw VALENTINESXO!, a Valentine’s Day sequel to the Christmas musical XMAS!18.

I arrived at the Glicker-Milstein Theater on Saturday unsure of what, exactly, I was about to see. I unfortunately missed the XMAS! musical last semester due to finals, so all I knew was that this musical had been produced in 24 hours (!!!) and was a sequel to the XMAS!18 musical. 

The lobby was decked out in Christmas and Valentine’s Day decor, and my friends and I took adorable photo booth photos in preparation for the musical. Soon enough, we were allowed into the theater and chose our seats.

The play begins by outlining the main conflict of the musical: Mrs. Claus had taken a solo trip to Florida and upon her return, Mr. Claus became worried she wanted a divorce. Mr. Claus began to consult with all of the North Pole residents in relationships to see what he should do about his relationship troubles. His big mistake, however, was calling Cupid up to advise him. When Cupid got to the North Pole, she decided to spice things up a little by concocting Love Potion #69, which made everybody incredibly sexually frustrated. Relationships turned upside down, there were threesomes, and there were well-placed Twilight quotes? I don’t know! But it was good!

In the end, the power of friendship “or some shit” triumphed over Cupid’s nefarious ways. She was banished to Cleveland, and all the North Pole residents learned something wholesome about themselves! Well, pretty much.

Although VALENTINESXO! could stand on its own, I’m sure it was way funnier having seen these characters before. I loved all the little pop culture references thrown in, and every line had the audience cracking up. My favorite part was the Heat Miser and Snow Miser yaoi because who hasn’t wondered about that? But oh apparently they’re brothers? But together? Oh, that’s not…

Each performer was stunning in their own right, but a few of my favorites were Mr. Claus (Zach Brown CC ‘27), Cupid (Daisy Burkin BC ‘26), Blitzen (Estella Moster BC ‘27), and an honorable mention goes to the Miser brothers (Marino Bubba CC ‘24 and Tommy Doyle GS ‘24). 

Mr. Claus was played perfectly: the feeling of the typical man who’s worried about his marriage was evident. Also bonus points for the “SLUT” T-shirt; that was amazing. Cupid slayed so hard and genuinely owned the stage as she strutted about in her platform boots. Burkin was the perfect sower of chaos! You could really feel the passion, not only for saving the North Pole—but also for acting in general! And finally, every time the Misers interacted, I began cracking up. Even when they weren’t the main focus of the scene, they were constantly acting full-out.

To all those musical haters out there: you clearly haven’t seen an XMAS! production before. Even one done in 24 hours was just as good as a full-length one. If you want a good time, I wholeheartedly recommend one of their productions. They also have the MOST creative lyrics, most of which I fear I cannot repeat here, but trust they were both dirty and hilarious. 

Also, the show ended with the whole cast inviting the audience to the stage to dance the Cupid Shuffle, so that was pretty awesome. It was clear that everyone in the audience knew at least one person in the show, so it felt like one big family. 10/10, would go again!

Gina and Tal via Author

Performance Photos via Olivia Kuan-Romano Photography