This year, Northwestern is heralding in the holiday season with three performances that capture a bygone era.

If the holidays are about family and nostalgia, then "The 1940's Radio Hour" fits the bill perfectly.

"The parents wanted to do another Christmas show," explained Director Bill Mutimer, who staged "It's a Wonderful Life" last fall. "This play does two things. It is an actual 1942 radio show that even features the Dickens' Christmas story, making it still a holiday play and it teaches [the students] about an era they don't know."

The show is set in the Algonquin Room, New York City, N.Y., Dec. 21, 1942.

The play features the final holiday broadcast of the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade.

"The message is the holiday is really about family and friends," Mutimer said. "The play is pure nostalgia about what Christmas used to be when it wasn't about getting the latest gadgets or IPhone 6."

The play includes musical numbers evoking the era.

Included is a compilation of familiar tunes recalling the 1940s such as "Baby It's Cold Outside," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

"There are a bunch of Christmas songs in this play," said Jaedon Muhl, president of the Drama Club. "Ann ( Daneen Haas) has a monologue where she sends out a salute to those serving in World War II, so it also is a great way to salute our veterans and the people serving our country."

"The kids are really embracing it," Mutimer said. "They want to do contemporary humor. They call it a play with music."

Alum Kurtis Reif, studying at Moravian College, is the music director.

"The kids know him from the past and this will give him a chance to get a gig under his belt," Mutimer said.

According to Mutimer, the show was actually written for Off-Broadway in the 1970s but it was a flop. "Then, the Marietta Theater in the Square in Georgia picked it up and it started getting attention."

The cast will be wearing period clothing for the performances.

"CE Roth is donating tuxes," Muitimer said. "The boys will be in typical 1940s garb and then change into their show wear.

"The guys are going to be in black with ivory double-breasted jackets. The moms went out thrifting and we're renting party dresses from Drop Me a Line for the girls."

"We have some great mothers who searched thrift shops," Muhl added. "I went to thrift shops with my grandmother and we found some purses and dresses for the girls.

Muhl showed a pair of snappy black and white shoes from the era he purchased online.

"We have two sets of clothing, our street clothes and dress clothes," he explained. "The costumes reflect the 1940s."

"There are "28 people in the cast," Mutimer said. "I added characters because it was written for 12 and I just couldn't let only 12 kids do it."

Quentin Bernhard plays Pops Bailey, whom he describes as "a kind of an old grouchy fellow who's been there a long time.

"He kind of loses track of what's going on sometimes, playing cards and taking bets on the phone," Bernhard said.

Bernhard played Mr. Potter in last year's production of "It's a Wonderful Life."

"I guess I was cast from there," he said. "I don't know [but] I like playing an older fellow."

Alec Consuelos plays Lou Cohn, who runs the radio show and provides the sound effects for the broadcast.

Consuelos describes his character as "a neurotic, high-strung Jewish fellow."

Daneen Haas, who plays Ann Collier, describes her character as "a strong woman who's married to Johnny who's an alcoholic."

Along with Johnny [Zach McDonald] she's a lead vocalist.

"It's definitely different," she said, citing the jazzy nature of the music. "It's not something I've done before."

The actors prepare for their roles in various ways.

Consuelos said being a fan of older movies helps form his understanding of the characters.

"I'm familiar with older films and the historical context of what's going on and how show biz people from New York are," he explained. "I just take a moment before getting on stage. Once I read a play enough, it [becomes] kind of natural for me. I'm not very staged."

Consuelos credits listening to old Frank Sinatra songs for further giving him a sense of time and place.

Devon Devers, who plays Clifton Feddington, the head of the radio station, has a lot to do in this play.

"You just have to compartmentalize it [by] taking it in sections, and not stress out about it," he said. "It's really fun."

Jeff Grabacik is in charge of sound for the production. This is the first production he's doing solo, so at one of the rehearsals he said he was "running around like a chicken without a head," making sure everything was right.

Bailey Muhl is stage manager for this show.

"This is my fifth show," she said. "It's really fun." Bailey was interning as stage manager at Muhlenberg College last summer for the play "Spamalot."

"It's such a wonderful play," said Muhl. "It has great songs in it. It's relatable to show business today. It's a musical comedy. Some lines… well, you just crack up."

"I think [this play] is good entertainment," agreed Bernhard. "It's good to experience that time period. Some of the songs are recognizable.

"[The play] gives an inside look at the running of a radio station, a behind the scenes look."

"While it is a period piece, we could still identify with a lot of the themes," Consuelos said. "There are some universal themes.

"It's mostly an aesthetic that moves the people in the play."

"I truthfully think it will appeal to all audience members," Devers said. "Everyone will have a good time with it."

There will be three performances of "The 1940's Radio Show" in the high school auditorium: 7 p.m. Dec. 4; and 6 and 2 p.m. Dec. 7. There will be no show Friday due to a basketball game. Tickets will be available at the door.