LOGAN – When the Pickleville on Tour original production of Juanito Bandito and the Shootout at Jingle Junction debuts here on Friday, Nov. 23, its cast will include a mix of veteran Pickleville performers and talented newcomers.
Leading that cast will be none other than TJ Davis, the musical’s playwright and composer, in the role of Juanito Bandito.
Davis created that character in 2008 and has since portrayed the so-called ‘baddest bad guy in the whole Wild West” in 19 separate productions, including 8 previous Christmas shows.
Davis is also set to reprise his role as Juanito in the Pickleville on Tour production of The Hunt for El Bandito scheduled to play at the Ellen Eccles Theatre in Logan on March 12 through 24, 2025.
Co-starring with Davis will be Kenzie Kremin (née Davis). Ms. Kremin is taking a break from teaching young performers ages 6 to 18 at the Pickleville Academy in Logan to join the touring holiday show.
She is best known for the roles of Wednesday in The Addams Family, Belle in Beauty and the Beast and the bandit’s goofy sidekick Gratilda in Juandito’s Christmas Carol in 2022.
From his comfortable niche with the Four Season Theatre Company and Music Theatre West, Kyle Cottam has joined Pickleville on Tour for a role that TJ Davis has promised will stretch his performing talents.
Another local favorite, Cary Youmans, will join the Pickleville on Tour cast to play the role of Santa Claus. Youmans’ most recent performances have been in the MTW productions of Something Rotten! and Ragtime.
During the extended run of Juanito Bandito and the Shootout at Jingle Junction, Youmans will share the role of Santa with Pickleville veteran Tom Fullmer, who is returning to the stage after a 13-year hiatus.
Fullmer has performed previously in Pickleville productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Nell of the Ozarks and The Saloon’s Keeper Daughter.
The cast of Juanito Bandito and the Shootout at Jingle Junction will also include newcomers Chrissy Andreasen, Garrett Stephenson and Jayden Barrera.
The Pickleville on Tour folks will make two stops in Logan during the holiday season, a preview at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23 and an extended stay at the Ellen Eccles Theatre a month later.
Evening performances of Juanito Bandito and the Shootout at Jingle Junction during that second visit are set for 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 20, 21 and 23, with a single matinee slated for 2 p.m. on the afternoon of Dec. 21.